Chapter 20 20
POV EZEQUIEL
When I spoke with Emmanuel and my dear brother told me he had found his mate, I couldn’t have been happier—it was incredible news.
But when I learned that his mate was Lois…
Yes, I was shocked. I hid it well.
But he was happy.
Not long after, my father received a call from Liberty University—just one day before my return.
Emmanuel was sick.
My parents nearly lost their minds, and the house became chaos. He was, or would be, the next Alpha to rule the entire pack. His safety and health were our priority—our greatest concern.
A few hours later we finally spoke to Emma, once he was conscious, and he told us it was because of her.
Because of Lois. His mate.
That alone made my father, upon learning that Lois existed, order that she be brought immediately. But I volunteered—or else my father would discover that Lois had accepted Emmanuel only to avoid rejecting him, which would turn the entire situation into a disaster, not just for Lois but for her pack as well.
A much bigger problem could arise—but I could prevent it.
It was practically an offense, worse than rejecting him.
An Alpha didn’t beg. Didn’t look pitiful. Didn’t plead.
An Alpha took, demanded, claimed.
Even when it was about love.
He never begged.
If I went for her, I could convince her to return to the university, where Emmanuel had to remain. But my father didn’t know that Lois was an Omega, and that she only had access to the university as personal service staff—which is how we met her.
One person accompanied me. It made things more discreet, so Lois’s pack wouldn’t feel invaded.
When I arrived in her territory, Alpha Joseph received me politely. He knew our father—but what Alpha didn’t? Upon learning why I’d come, everything felt… unexpected. They couldn’t believe I was looking for Lois, much less that she was the mate of my brother—the future Alpha.
Before learning more about her, I had to go through a long meeting with dozens of figures I didn’t recognize at all. And it wasn’t as if I was there to drag her away by force—I was supposed to convince her to return until we could find a solution to all this.
What I didn’t expect was that the Alpha would contact my father to confirm everything—and at the same time provide him with all the information about Lois.
But more importantly: my father changed his orders.
Now he knew she was an Omega.
My father’s new orders went a little too far.
He demanded that Lois’s family be transported to our pack and settled there, where they would have their new home. That Lois be taken to Liberty University, where the director would receive her, and once she saw Emmanuel, they would find her a place to study any career she wanted, with full protection assured.
Lois had become important to our pack, and she didn’t even know. She was the mate of the future Alpha—the one who would become our Luna.
Her Omega condition would lose all weight once Emmanuel became Alpha. But even now, she was someone of importance. The Alpha’s mate was as sacred as the Alpha himself, for the two were meant to become one.
Lois and Emmanuel.
I met Lois’s parents and they were kind, though nervous about the sudden changes being imposed on them without being asked for their opinion.
As Omegas, their voices didn’t hold much power unless their Alpha spoke for them—and he seemed satisfied with the changes.
Not only would they move to a new place—their lives would improve. They’d have a home, a place among us. Their new residence would be the castle, where only the most important members of the family lived. And they were now part of that circle, as Lois’s parents.
We followed behind the group.
Alpha Joseph stopped before a small, shabby house near the edge of their territory. Lois’s parents went ahead and knocked. They had said she was working two jobs but was home because she was unwell—just like Emmanuel.
The closer I got to that house, the more restless I felt. Something in me wanted to tear the door open and check who else was inside besides Lois, because a sweet scent hit me hard—sliding into my chest, making my mouth water, and my hands tremble.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, trying not to feel so exposed and vulnerable. Why was I trembling?
I stepped forward, and the door opened. They stepped aside, and at the end of the narrow hallway—
Lois.
My eyes locked on her, and the shock hit:
That scent…
It came only from her.
From her?!
I stepped back, convinced it wasn’t possible—that there had to be someone else inside. But she ran toward me, and I was left completely stunned as her body crashed into mine and her lips pressed against my mouth. I caught her, but pushed her away gently.
She had just kissed me.
My brother’s mate had just kissed me.
I couldn’t stop staring—she had thrown herself at my lips.
Maybe she was delirious from being sick. Maybe she confused me with him. That had to be it.
But what about me?
I touched her forehead. She smiled—happy to see me—but I wasn’t him.
I wasn’t.
Clearly she was mistaken. She had to be.
Yet my body reacted in a way I couldn’t explain—my breathing uneven, my reason slipping, my entire being trembling at her scent. I couldn’t control myself, couldn’t think, couldn’t stop my hands from wanting to keep her close. Her scent consumed me.
How was this possible?
I rested her head against my chest, unable to resist the need to feel her so close, to touch her, to hold her, to be alone with her and—
“Lois… I’m Ezequiel,” I said immediately.
Her hands pressed against my chest and she pulled her head back.
The tears on her face confused me even more.
“Ezequiel? Eze… quiel?”
“Y-Yes. I’m not Emmanuel.”
She let out a broken sob and lowered her head back onto my chest.
“But… what is this?”
She looked at her hands, then placed them on my face, brushing my cheeks with her fingers.
“Am I going crazy? Am I dying? Am I sick? Why does it feel like you’re him?”
“Does it feel like I am him, or do you feel the same as you did with him?” I asked quietly, aware of the enormous audience watching us.
“Oh my God…”
Her face said everything. She understood the difference.
She felt the same as I did—and this was far from a mistake.
Lois collapsed in my arms—because it was too much for her.
Just as it was too much for me.
My brother and I…
had the same mate.
Lois.