(Alnitak)

Mintaka and I have shared everything in life. We had even spoken about sharing a mate.

When he found out that Kayla was his mate, we buried that conversation because she wasn’t mine. But I was happy for my brother.

Mintaka was over the moon because Kayla had waited for him to come of age for years.

But with her gone and me never finding my mate, I still held onto the belief that we might share one.

Compared to me, Mintaka is quieter and takes time to open up to people. He took his sweet time opening up to Amaia.

But from the moment she held and shielded him against that Chittering, I noticed his changed attitude. The warmth he carried in his eyes, every time he stared at her. That natural light and allure she possessed had begun to pull him too.

From the time I had left both of them in the infirmary, Mintaka had been avoiding me and her.

His randomly losing control and sleeping with someone didn’t make sense to me. I knew him better than anyone else. Not even our mother understood him as I did.

Connecting the dots, it wasn’t difficult to figure out that he felt something for Amaia. Since I had confided in him that she was probably my mate, he tried to bury whatever feelings he had begun to develop for her.

The final straw came when he had sex with someone else, which affected Amaia. The pain she goes through every time needs to stop. She can’t live like this, having these soul-torturing moments because her mates can’t feel her and be intimate with others.

This prompted me to make the decision to share her with my brother. The belief that she was indeed our mate has permanently settled in my heart.

If it were in my hands, I would never share her with that blood sucking devil, who didn’t even care for her health and safety. That’s out of my control. It’s her decision. But I can do it with my brother.

Not only that, I have been observing Amaia. There is always a pattern where she appears to be in pain while in my proximity but denies it. An uncontrollable hiss usually escapes her, making her hand clutch her legs and belly.

She also refrains from answering questions related to her mates or telling me who they are. As that vampire said and now I realise. She seems to be unable to speak about it. That explains a lot.

Then she came to us and I thought it was the best opportunity to make both of them familiarise with the other. To break these shackles holding us back.

I eased her down while I prepared Mintaka’s mind.

He is apprehensive, I can feel it through the bond but he is also intrigued. The moment he touches her skin, I see his eyes totally change colour and see his wolf surface.

"It’s Zelen," I cheerfully say. His wolf is named after a root which is green in colour because of his forest-shaded eyes. Zevran hums excitedly in my brain, seeing his twin. Both were born at the same time.

Amaia shudders in excitement again, her eyes transfixed on Mintaka. Zelen warmly watches her, trying to recognise her as his mate and connect with her.

"Hey!" Amaia greets him in her warm voice.

Mintaka takes a deep breath and shifts his hands to her face. Leaning in he closes his eyes and softly claims her lips.

My arms are still holding Amaia’s, restraining her. I release them, so she can touch him too.

Instantly she reaches out, threading her fingers into his hair.

I wait for the jealousy to fill my heart, but it doesn’t—making me realise that I care deeply about their happiness.

The bond I share with Mintaka hums with gratitude as he deepens the kiss while I slowly graze the side of her arms, watching them caress each other.

Suddenly, something extraordinary happens. Her skin begins to glow for me, emitting a golden light that slowly covers every inch of her. From her hair to her toes.

The sweetest and most mind-numbingly indulgent scent hits my nostrils. The smell of chocolates combined with a spring garden. Like I have been transported into a meadow with thousands of flowers and a dish filled with my favourite chocolates.

It’s her scent. I can finally smell her, feel her, scent her.

The mouth-watering scent slowly invades my system, activating my pheromones, elevating my heartbeat and flooding my body with hormones.

Every muscle in my body tenses making the temperature rise as if I am being doused in hot water. Sweat saturates every pore of my skin.

Is it because of the heated and passionate kissing session between Amaia and Mintaka?

No, this is happening on a primal level. My body is experiencing change after change, and all my thoughts are levelled towards this woman in my arms.

Zevran raises his head and lets out a triumphant howl.

’Mate!’ He announces, figuring it out.

My throat clogs from emotions. The world ebbs away and my whole focus becomes her.

Then, like the finest thread of silk, something connects me with her, and a new bond opens in my mind.

Love, warmth, affection and sweetness I sense. These are her feelings. The mate bond has opened between us and I can feel her emotions.

She is my mate without a doubt.

"Amaia!" My hands crawl around her waist, feeling the charged-up skin, which makes me deliciously ache. My member has gone so hard and rigid underneath her.

She breaks off the kiss with Mintaka and slowly turns to watch me with wide eyes. My arms wrap themselves around her in a protective manner, plastering her to my heated, needy body.

A relief courses through me as our semi-naked bodies cling to each other.

"You are mine. I feel the mate bond," I emotionally murmur. "I can scent you, I can see the golden halo around you. Zevran recognises you as our mate."

My hands crawl into her hair, and my lips come crashing onto hers to find relief from this volatile burning my body is experiencing; if not, I might go up in flames.

And then I taste her, the real her...