The Crystal Moon Curse: Book 3: CHOSEN

7. Hunger

FREYA

"Miss Highwater, a pleasure to meet you formally. I'm Alpha Xander Bane, this is my brother Alpha Knox." Xander offers his hand but I refuse to take it. Choosing to clutch my purse instead as I take in the sudden, startling revelation that there are in fact two of the wolves I've been lusting over.

He drops his hand tucking it in his pocket, but still smiles unperturbed.

My eyes flit between the two as they step closer to me creating a wall of suited muscle between me and the crowd behind them.

Like Eva and me, they are identical in every way. Unlike Eva and me though there is something different about them.

"You have identical scents," I state with a tilt of my head.

Eva and I scent differently. Anyone who meets us together would never mistake us a second time once they knew our scent. Xander and Knox though, both carry a heady wood and fire scent, completely identical, and with their matching tailored tuxedos, they are impossible to tell apart.

Right now I have no idea which of them I've met in our previous encounters.

I let Hela draw in their scent, searching for anything to differentiate them, and when she finally finds it I'm more than surprised.

Looking at the first wolf, Xander, I squint. "You're the one from Sirocco's and Inzane." He nods with a beaming smile which I return with a look of disgust.

His brother, Knox, looks at me surprised as I turn to him.

"I apologize, I mistook you for him in the elevator." I nod my apology. Xander seems unphased. Knox examines me quietly.

"Apology accepted." He says simply. His eyes don't waver from my face. There's a primal undertone to Knox's scent. Hela senses his wolf is far more dominant in him than in Xander.

"That's amazing, I don't know anyone apart from those closest to us who can tell us apart when we're not dressed differently," Xander says gesturing to their identical tuxedos.

"You do know I'm a twin myself right? There's always something different." I say pointedly. I don't doubt they've done their research. Now that I know exactly who they are everything is starting to make sense. They own the building I live in. Heck, they own the whole damn city, I doubt there is anything they don't know about me by now.

Xander nods. Clearly the talker of the two.

"Yes, your sister Eva is mated to Alpha Dante, a bit of an ass but we haven't had the privilege of meeting your sister, she wasn't at the last Council meeting with Dante," Xander adds.

I can't help but chuckle at his assessment of Dante. If Eva was here she'd rip into him, she's fiercely protective of her mate and never lets anyone say a bad word about him in her presence, even if it is true. Dante is an asshole.

"Be careful what you say about Dante around her. She's been known to kill for him and she's probably worse now she's with pup, which is why she didn't attend the last Council meeting." I explain.

I don't miss Knox's eyes straying to my waistline. It doesn't take much to know what's on his mind. There's very little else an unmated wolf of his age thinks about. Procreation and the continuity of the Alpha line would be his wolf's primary focus.

It does make me wonder the obvious and I ask Knox before I have the sense to shut up.

"You're unmated too." I choke as soon as the words slip from my lips.

Knox raises an eyebrow and Xander beams, catching his brother's eye. I feel the air thin around me as Xander steps closer. Knox moves to the side almost like a referee in the interaction. Somehow he makes me feel safer. Xander on the other hand is not hiding his interest in me at all.