I pull up to the small diner, surprised to see it buzzing with people. I smelled Xander the moment I stepped in. Scanning the tables, I saw him waving me over to a booth in the corner.
I sit across from him, a little unsure of myself. Xander instantly stands up and walks to my side of the booth to hug me again. It felt weird being hugged so much when only really Luna and Weston do.
He sat back down as quickly as he stood. "I'm glad you came!" He clapped his hands in excitement. "Ooo I almost forgot! I ordered you this!" He slid over a glass cup that contained a mint milkshake.
I gave him a curious look. "How did you know I like mint?"
He scoffed slightly, "You used to beg grandpa to let you have a mint milkshake every time we came here!" He said that as if it was common knowledge, but it made me feel a little scared. Xander knew more about me than I knew about me.
I glanced around the diner, feeling it does seem familiar. "We used to come here?"
"Every Saturday! Grandpa and grandma used to take us here for dinner so mom and dad could have a date night," he explained in between slurping up his own strawberry milkshake.
Before I could say anything else, a waitress walks up to us. "Xander! Do you want your usual?" The young girl asked, smiling brightly.
"Yes please!" Xander bubbled.
"And for your friend?" The waitress turned to me, tapping her pen against her notepad. I barely had time to look at the menu, so I picked the first burger I saw. "Okay! Coming right up!" She grinned again before skipping off.
"We are identical, right?" I questioned slowly, trying not to sound stupid.
Xander laughed and nodded. "I bet you're wondering why no one can tell we are?" I nodded eagerly, thanking the moon goddess I wasn't going insane. "Twins are uncommon in the werewolf world. Identical twins are next to impossible. But Alpha identical twins are completely unheard of, making us pretty cool," he giggled. "Something early on our parents noticed was that when we are together our faces seemed distorted, yet when you saw us separately, it was clear that we were identical. They think it's just something our bond does to keep us safe," he explained, letting the words digest into my mind.
He gave a weak smile before continuing. "That is why the rogues attacked us. Our dad's Beta didn't agree with us. We had a powerful bond, which made us unstoppable. He thought we were too dangerous, and attempted to kill us when we were toddlers. But the Delta stopped him, and the Beta was banished. Dad hadn't heard from him in years, the all of a sudden him and a few other rogues attacked us. They wanted to kill one of us. And I guess they thought they killed you." As much as I didn't want his words to be true, I knew they were.
I remember the rogues torturing me, trying to understand the twin bond. Then they slashed my neck and left me for dead, but I survived the wound and tried running back home. But different rogues found me and chased me into the Shadow Claws territory. And the rest was history.
There was a glum mood at the table, which Xander was quick to eliminate. "Do you still sleep with a pillow in between your legs?" The question was random, but I laughed nonetheless.
"Yes, I do. When did you start playing hockey?" This is how our game of 20 questions began.
By the time our food came out, we were laughing hysterically. "And then she dumped ice water on us!" Xander exasperated, laughing with me. He was talking about our cousin, who I faintly remember. She was part witch part werewolf, and from what I remember and what Xander is telling me, she was very mischievous.
"Didn't she make you pee yourself once using some spell?" I asked, vividly remembering the event. Xander nodded, and we bursted out in laughter once more. I don't think I have ever felt happier or more complete than in this moment. It was clear our personalities were very different, but we worked together nicely.
Our laughter settled as we began munching on our food. "You'll see Lilith again soon. She is so nosy, I doubt I'll last more than a few days sneaking around to see you," he snorted, tossing a dry in his mouth carelessly. His whole nature was carefree, lively, and happy. I couldn't help but think that I would've been like this if it wasn't for the rouges who tried to take my life. But at the same time, I was just glad to have him back in my life. I never realized how much I yearned for him until this moment.
We spent the rest of the dinner talking as if we had never been apart before. It felt like an instant best friend. And instant connection.
"So when is your coronation to become Alpha?" I asked, sipping the last of my shake.
"It's the week after our birthday, so December 26th!" He announced, making me realize I didn't even know our birthday. Was it really only a few weeks from now?
"Uh, when exactly is our birthday?" I felt embarrassed to ask such a trivial question, but I was also excited to finally have that knowledge.
His smile faltered for a moment. "December 19th! You were born at 11:36 am and I was born at 11:45am. So you are technically my older brother!" I smiled at his enthusiasm. I guess I have a younger brother now, though he felt a lot more knowledgeable than me.
"Are you excited to find your mate?" I don't know why I asked that, but it felt very natural to talk about this personal stuff with him.
He threw a dry at me, which I caught in my mouth. "Of course I am! Whoever he is, he will be a perfect Luna!" I was taken aback by the use of male pronouns.
"He? Are you sure it's a guy?" It didn't mean to come out sounding rude, but he looked offended.
"Oh, um I'm gay so I just assumed," he mumbled, his bubbly personality dimmed. I probably sounded homophobic.
"The beta of my pack hopes we are mates. I think he might be in love with me. But I don't think he's my mate," I confessed, making him perk up again.
"Oh really? Why don't you think he's your mate?" Xander propped his head up using his elbows on the table, suddenly fascinated.
For some reason I felt like I could tell Xander all my secrets. I felt so comfortable. "We have casual sex, and I listen to all his problems. But I don't feel the spark like he does," I sighed. "I felt a spark with this omega in my pack, but it feels more of a need to protect him now. Not like a mating bond."
He looked at me questioningly. "That's weird. I'm sure everything will make sense once we turn 18," he reassured, patting me on the back. He looked down at the clock, and that's when I noticed it was almost 9. We had been in the same booth for almost 3 hours, yet it only felt like minutes.
"I better get back, Luna will worry soon." I give him a sad smile before I frowned in realization. "What happened to mom? I saw her run away with you..."
Xander paused, realizing my words. "She got me back to the pack house, but it wasn't long until she died of grief of watching her mate die," he explained, seemingly well adjusted to her death. I figured she was dead because of the way he talked about her. He suddenly grasped my hand. "She loved us. She made sure to remind me of that before she passed." His words hurt, but we're reassuring.
Xander stood up and walked with me to my car. He gave me a final hug before walking off. We had gotten each other's phone numbers so we could talk whoever we wanted. I drove away from that diner feeling... whole again.
...
"You still worry me," Weston complained as we walked around the training omegas together. It felt unnatural keeping such a big secret from him, and he always knew something was up.
"Then don't think about it," I suggested, but I knew that would be to no avail. Weston always worried about me.
The omegas we're doing combat with multiple pursuers, so Ace was occupied with another group. The omegas have gotten a lot better, and I was very impressed. The ones that could barely dodge a punch are now able to get a few throws in themselves. And the ones who could improperly punched and kicked, now have the perfect form. It was impressive for only a month.
The omegas also have taken a liking to me in terms of comfortability talking to me or asking questions. It felt different to be idolized instead of ridiculed.
"Blaze? Should I prioritize keeping my center of mass balanced or offensive strategy?" One of the smaller, more nerdier, female omegas asked.
I walked closer to her before answering. "Your center of mass should always be balanced, even when throwing your shots. We will work on that more next week," I confirmed, making her give me a solid nod and a grateful smile.
"Blaze!" I turned toward the familiar voice. Henry had a very large smile while waving at me vigorously. Felix was clutched onto his arm.
I jogged over, focusing on Felix. I needed to talk to him, alone. "Hey Henry, Felix," I greeted, wiping sweat off my face.
"Felix and I moved into the pack house together today, so I decided to show him around!" Henry explained excitedly. "Is this the omega training?"
"Yeah, Felix, are you interested in coming to some of the sessions?" I was trying to include Felix in the conversation since he seemed shy and actually afraid of me. I wondered if I gave off an alpha aura to him.
Felix finally made eye contact with me. "Actually, yeah I am if it's not too late," his voice was small but confident. Henry watching him speak as if a god was talking. I thought for a moment of how I was going to get Felix alone.
"That's great! Henry, do you mind helping Weston with correcting people's forms? I'll take Felix to the other training area, show him around, and do a mock fight to assess his skills to place him in a proper group," I suggested, making Henry hesitate. "Is that okay with you, Felix?" Felix smiled and nodded quickly, which eased Henry's nerves. We started walking away, but I could still feel Henry's discomfort. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to him," I promised as we left the field.
We walked in silence for a few moments before I considered us far enough away no one would hear the contents of our conversation.
"So... I'm who you think I am obviously, but I only figured that out myself just this week," I confessed to him awkwardly. Felix stopped in his tracks, giving me a scared look.
"I lost most of my memory when the rogues took me. I have a lot of PTSD, so I didn't even realize Xander was my brother when I first saw him." Felix's face softened slightly, realizing my predicament. His fear turned to instant relief.
"You're next in line for Alpha. Are you taking the position?" He asked curiously, drawing me out of my thoughts. That was an interesting first question.
I have him a confused look for a second. "Oh no, I was never meant to be an Alpha. Trust me, I'd be a terrible leader. Xander was born for it."
Felix looked unsure with my words. "Xander has been a great leader, but I see the way those omegas look at you. You are a leader too," he emphasized. I felt uncomfortable with the compliment, shuffling in my spot.
"Most of the pack considers me a rogue. I doubt the Black Hearts would be any different. I'm happy as a warrior..." I trailed off, keeping my eyes anywhere but him.
"I can see you are happy as a warrior. But I can also see you are not happy in this pack," he insinuated, sounding wise. I could already tell Felix is going to be my go-to person when I need advice. He was shy, but clearly observant.
Sighing, I leaned against a tree. "You're right. I'm not happy here. Ever since I learned of my true identity, I've felt compelled to go back home." A sad smile grew on my face remembering the pack lands. "Are there still blueberry bushes in front of the pack house?" Felix perked up and giggled a little.
"You and Xander used to pluck them right off the bush and eat them. Xander still does," he laughed. I felt the same comfort around him that I did when I was with Xander. I want to go home. No, I needed to go home.
"Can you not mention who I am to anyone? Once I return to the pack, then we will announce I'm alive," I practically pleaded, but he was quick to nod.
"Of course! Your secret is safe with me!" He chirped, patting me on the arm slightly since he was too short to reach my shoulder.
I gave him a grateful smile. "Now let's get you tested and bring you back to a Henry or else he will castrate me for keeping you out," I joked, and he laughed along with me. I guess I made myself a new friend.