Accepting My Twin Mates

Chapter 16

Accepting My Twin Mates Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – Is That A Sufficient Answer?

Evie

…I would have missed you.

I had desperately wanted to finish that sentence to Astennu and Badru. However, neither I nor Evva wanted to give them false hope. It felt cruel to tell them I once considered someone else, but I had said I wanted complete honesty between us all and I meant it. So I needed to be honest with them. They needed to know that the mate bond was not going to fix this for them. They couldn’t simply rely on it and the bond would wear me down.

All three of us needed to put effort into whatever this relationship was, for it to work.

I shook my head free of thoughts about the twins, feeling my fingers slow down.

‘Why is Suzanna telling me the Alpha boys look about ready to cry?’ I heard Tamlyn’s voice fill my mind. We had had a few training sessions since Evva had appeared and she complained the whole time about how she was struggling to keep up with me.

Her cane tapped against my stool and she scooted me up with no shame so that she could sit next to me. She was dressed in a stunning pale gold sequin asymmetric dress. Her mate, Suzanna, was dressed to match in a silver version.

“Are you two seriously wearing matching dresses?” I laughed, looking between the two and seeing the little smirk on her mate’s ruby red lips that stood out against her pale skin. Her jet black hair hung in retro waves and complimented her deep brown eyes.

“It’s cute. ‘Hers and hers’ outfits,” Suzanna kissed her temple.

“Oh, you swore you didn’t!” Tamlyn punched her in the arm, knowing exactly where she was. “That’s taking advantage of me and someone is getting a spanking later on.”

“Can you not do it here, please?” I elbowed Tamlyn. “Save it for home.”

‘You’re also changing the subject,’ she smirked. ‘Is someone officially in a threesome?’

‘So much for keeping this quiet,’ Evva huffed to herself.

‘Lucy and I had bets on whether it would be before or after the mate bond when you three got your asses together,’ Tamlyn continued to look smug.

‘Tell me you gave them hell. Is that why they’re sulking and stewing while they’re talking to Alpha Matías?’ Suzanna asked, looking over in their direction.

‘Yes. But I kinda told them about Adrian too… and almost choosing him as a mate,’ I winced, still feeling that twist in my heart at how much that knowledge truly devastated the twins.

‘Oh snap! No wonder Astennu is trying to choke him mentally. I’m surprised Badru hasn’t sucker- punched him yet,’ Suzanna chuckled at what she was seeing.

I looked up from the keys quickly, to see Adrian with his trademark wicked grin when he was deliberately winding someone up. The twins did not seem best pleased. I hoped that i***t didn’t push it too far with them.

‘Maybe we should go rescue the boys? Before they cause a stir,’ Suzanna stroked her mate’s shoulder.

‘After we’ve done a tour of the room,’ Tamlyn snickered. ‘I need to show off my bling first. I want to make sure everyone appreciates the s**t out of it,’ she waved her cane. The grip was decorated with

bright gold glitter to match her outfit with gold diamantes too.

They headed off to do their rounds. As Gamma, she had a duty to welcome friends and allies of the pack also.

‘f**k, we’re gonna have to do that too if we accept wingus and dingus,’ Evva groaned. ‘We’ll have to be polite and all that shit.’

‘I feel like that’s more of a you problem,’ I sniggered.

I continued to feel the twins’ eyes on me throughout the evening, only for brief seconds at a time, but each time the sensation of a lingering warmth would tingle my skin. The banquet was served, buffet style, so guests could eat as much as they wanted; a prerequisite for werewolves. I trained my concentration to remain on my piano, keeping to a light breezy tune to fit the atmosphere. Even with all my will, I couldn’t help but glance up on occasion. Guests tried to introduce their daughters, nieces and sisters, all in the hopes that one may be Astennu and Badru’s mate, unaware their attempts were futile. On each introduction, the twins smiled politely, the expression never reaching their eyes, and their gaze flickered to mine. A twinge in my chest ached, they looked so unhappy. This entire party was for them, for a warm welcome home after being gone for two months and for their 25th birthday, and neither could enjoy a moment of it.

Again, the thoughts of whether I made a wise decision played on my mind. I knew I didn’t want to reject them, I just wanted answers. I could have still gotten them if I had accepted them as my mates and they could have had some semblance of enjoyment, instead of looking like they just wanted to go to bed and block out the world.

‘Their enjoyment would have come at the expense of our choice,’ Evva uttered. ‘You said it yourself, they’re used to getting what they want and I refuse, point blank, to be pressured into doing anything. Do you really want to accept someone out of guilt?’

‘No. You’re right,’ I groaned.

‘Now if you can keep your eyes off our boys for two minutes. Keep a lookout for that asshole.’

I had been keeping a secret watch for Finley, making sure he didn’t approach the swing door that led towards the kitchens. He hadn’t. I had noticed him looking around a few times, but, strangely, he hadn’t made any moves on any woman either. And stranger still, I barely saw Astennu or Badru interact with him, they seemed to actively ignore his presence. I thought they were best friends. Was that not the case anymore? Maybe the twins did have a brain cell after all.

The band finally started up, which gave me some rest and a break where I could grab something to eat. Walking over to the serving tables I earned a few stares and a few leers also. A broad-built blond- haired guy, I vaguely recognised, gave my whole body a long conspicuous once over… I stayed away from him.

I snatched up some of the last of the wafer-thin sliced beef, some tender stem broccoli and, because I was a complete carb-hoe, some Mediterranean potato dauphinoise. It was far too cold to sit outside, so I wandered out to the hallway, needing a moment alone without the combined exotic forest scents of the twins wafting at me every five seconds. But just as I was heading out, with plate in hand, I was stopped.

Finley.

What the hell did he want? Aside from my foot up his ass.

“Damn, Evie. You in that dress,” he growled with a horrid smirk. “It’d look good on my floor too.”

I was about to vomit and almost physically gagged. “I would rather f**k a cactus. Now get the hell away from me,” I snarled in a whisper so as to not draw attention.

“Come on. I thought you rogue girls were supposed to be all wild,” he grabbed my free wrist.

I turned and, without missing a beat, kneed him directly in the groin. He folded over holding in his grunt of pain.

‘Is that a sufficient enough answer? Because I have a second knee,’ I mind-linked. Evva released a menacing growl, earning a few looks from others that had their backs to us. ‘After what you’ve done, I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last wolf on earth.’

How was someone like Finley Jacobs ever deemed worthy enough for a she-wolf like Lucy?