Quinn
My whole life it's been Xavier, Xander and myself. The three of us ruled our pack house since we were pups. We did everything together, from building model airplanes to combat training. The three of us were inseparable. We built our friendship and established the chain of command with Liam and Cole when we were young pups, and they were like brothers to us. We were family.
We grew up on our separate pack lands, but we had to attend human schools to ensure that we were able to blend into society without attracting attention. The five of us went from ruling our pack houses, to ruling the human school.
In our younger years, we were able to blend in with the human children quite well. As we grew and our bodies became larger, more muscular and defined. As such, the bigger we got, the more attention we received. The males wanted to be us, and the woman wanted to be ours. Cole, Liam, and Xavier lapped all the attention up while mine and Xander's eyes remained elsewhere.
One afternoon when we were around the age of sixteen, Xander, Xavier and I were walking the pack grounds. We had been talking about what would happen if Carter decided to choose who she wanted to be with, when it dawned on me that Xavier had never once showed any interest in her.
"Xavier, why don't you seem to be drawn to Carter, like Quinn and I?" I had asked him.
"What do you mean?" He turned towards me; his eyebrows furrowed.
"Well, I just meant that you and Xander are twins. You almost always have the same likes and dislikes, and you practically act like you are the same person half of the time. Why don't you feel the same pull towards Carter that we do?"
He shrugged a shoulder and kept walking. "I'm not sure. I think she is beautiful, and don't get me wrong, if the opportunity came up to get her in my bed, I totally would." He grinned at Xander who growled and shoved his shoulder.
Xavier laughed loudly. "Relax my brothers, I would never do that to you. I do feel a bond with her, my wolf and I feel very protective of her, but not romantically, more like in a family way. She's like my sister. Are you sure she isn't your guys' mate?"
Both of us nodded solemnly and Xander went on to explain that our wolves wanted her, we felt the pull but not the full extent of a mate bond. As much as it took a huge weight off my shoulders to know that Xavier didn't want Carter the same way we did, it never made sense to me. Xander and Xavier were almost completely identical, there were only a few physical traits that told them apart. They both had the same piercing blue eyes, and hair so black it was striking. Xander styled his hair a bit longer and quite shaggy, while Xavier always had his short and clean.
They were the same height, and even had the same style in clothing. The main difference was that Xavier had a scar under his chin from when we were five years old and he had fallen out of a tree and cracked his chin open, and a singular dark freckle directly under his left eyebrow that Xander didn't have.
Xander and I both felt this insane, otherworldly pull towards Carter. It felt like we were all connected to the same magnet that drew us together. For twins that were so close, I didn't understand why Xavier didn't want Carter the same way we did.
I was always grateful that Carter never showed any attention to anyone other than Xander and I. Immense relief had flooded through me that the pull that we had, seemed to be strictly between the three of us only.
It wasn't long after that day, that the five of us started spending more time apart. Liam and Cole continued to be players and date their way through the girls in school, Xavier met a girl named Anna, who turned out to be his mate, while Xander and I spent all our free time with Carter.
More than two and a half years ago, Anna went missing. Xavier could feel that she was in pain and left to find her. For the first few days after she had gone missing, Xavier would return in the middle of the night covered in blood and completely out of it. One morning he took off to continue searching, and he never came back.
We had searched for so long and had exhausted every resource we had. We had gone to my mom to see if she had Seen anything, and she shook her head. It broke her to know she couldn't help. She didn't understand why with all her powers, she could see nothing.
My pack was beginning to feel the effect of being stretched so thin. Our borders were being breached as security was short, due to so many members being involved in the search party. One night a few of the older pups in their teens had snuck out of their homes and had gone off to the lake to fool around when rogues had broken through my borders and attacked.
No one was killed, but two of the males were seriously injured. Their parents had lost their faith in me for not protecting their young and they weren't the only ones. I was failing my pack. I knew I couldn't let this happen again and had to make the hardest decision in my life. I had to pull my back from the search party.
I held a pack meeting between myself and Xander's pack that evening. I had asked Xander and his pack members to meet me in the study. My father, and beta sat on either side of me as I sat at the head of the long cherry wood table. Xander sat at the end, with his beta to his left. The look of hatred filled his eyes as I told him I was pulling back.
We were twenty-four years old. Xander's parents had both died a few years back and his brother was all he had left. I knew that, but I also knew I had to make my pack a priority. He would hate me. Carter was gone, his parents were gone and now his brother was gone. He had felt like I was abandoning him too, but I had no choice.
Xander has never forgiven me and has held onto that blame for going on three years. I don't think that putting my pack first, meant that I had made a mistake. Even now, knowing he was alive, we had done everything that we could at the time. This time around we would do everything and more. We would not let Xavier go. I would not fail him this time around.
As the lab came into view, I slowed my approach. I came around the side of the building towards the rear end and saw Xander's wolf just inside the tree line, eyes locked onto two armed guards. Before I could make a move, the crunching of gravel and squeal of tires explodes around us.
I turn to see a line of white vans come to a roaring stop before doors are thrown open and a string of men in armor carrying rifles start unloading. I grab the pistol from my hip and take aim, mind linking the members from my pack.
Warriors, are you ready? This is what we have trained for.
Shouts of agreement filled my mind. My eyes locked back onto Xander who has now hunkered down behind the brush to remain hidden. The men with guns have spread out around the building, eyes locked onto the trees.
They must not know that Carter has already been rescued. The fools are guarding an empty building. My wolf's anger has reached a boiling point. He is ready to spill blood and call on the revenge of our mate. No one hurts her and remains unscathed. These fuckers have no idea what they've gotten themselves into.
Move out. Make them bleed.
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Xander
I flew through the trees as silently as possible in my wolf form, keeping my body low to the ground to remain out of sight as much as possible. The two guards standing outside of the rear entrance still have not spotted me. They are turned towards each other and seem to be lost in conversation, the barrel of their guns facing the ground carelessly.
My plan is to come around the side and around the van where we can remain unseen, before I take out the guard on the left first, and hopefully quick enough that the guard on the right doesn't have enough time to shoot. A bullet would not kill me or my wolf unless they were armed with silver, and from the kind of lab they are currently guarding, I wouldn't be surprised if they were.
The scientist still hadn't come out of the building since he had walked in a few minutes ago. I realize that if I am going to save Xavier, I have to move now. I'm about to break through from the safety of my hiding spot when the roar of upcoming vehicles, halts my movement.
Row after row of armed men start to line the building. Each has their rifle raised into the trees as they remain locked in place. These guys are obviously better trained than these two fuckers I've been stalking. I look back at them and chuckle when I see they've mimicked their new arrivals positions as if they hadn't just been lazing off on the job.
I hear Quinn's voice echo through the mind link, alerting the warriors to prepare. I send the same message through the pack bond, letting my warriors know that it was time.
When I hear Quinn sound the alarm, I let out a roar of my own and take off out of the trees. Chaos erupts as the guards take aim. The eruption of gunfire echoes through the air. Within moments I'm surrounded by my pack, wolves and men rush to take over. Bodies of the guards drop heavily to the ground as blood sprays across the building behind them.
Suddenly Quinn's pitch black wolf is beside me, running at my side and ready to battle, so my wolf picks up the pace once more and we launch our body onto the first guard we reach. My teeth latch onto his soft throat and blood bursts into my mouth once my teeth pierce through the skin of his neck.
His scream quickly turns into gurgles as his blood flows out of his veins and into my salivating mouth. I thrash my head back and forth until I feel the bones in his neck snap and his tendons pop from the tension. His lifeless body is dangling from my teeth.
Scarlet liquid oozes from the sides of my jaw, dropping to the ground in heady strings and I clench my jaw until my teeth connect through the tissue and the sound of his head thumping on the ground fills my ears. My wolf is grinning with satisfaction to see that Quinn has done the same thing.
The gunfire has ceased, but the sounds of the battle remain. I turn to see wolves attacked the guards, screams and shouts fill the air around us. There aren't many men left standing, but a furious roar rips up my throat as a few of our wolves go down. The snap of the pack bond breaking has Quinn and I whimpering. Our warriors felt it too and all hell breaks loose. One by one the guards go down, falling like bloody dominoes.
I launch myself at the last remaining guard, his back turned to me as he raised his gun at my warriors. My teeth clench onto the back of his neck and I don't let up the pressure until his head falls from his body too. I lift a paw, bat the decapitated head towards Quinn, and huff a laugh when he yelps and leaps out of the bloody, rolling object.
You're disgusting. Quinn links to me.
My toothy grin falters when I hear shuffling to the side of the building where the scientists van is parked. My head snaps towards the sound and I sprint backwards to where I know Xavier is being kept. My bones snap and elongate and in moments I am standing in my human form.
I tear open the back doors of the van and see Xavier hunched over in the far right corner. He is entirely too skinny; he looks and smells like he hasn't showered in months. His light brown hair is long and matted. Blue eyes that match my own flick up to meet mine and fear flickers over his features.
"Xavier. My brother, I am so sorry." I whisper.
My heart feels like it is being clenched tightly in my chest. My eyes begin to burn as tears fill them to the brim. I reach into the vehicle to grasp Xavier's hand when realization of who I am hits his face. He lunges out of the vehicle and into my arms. He wraps his arms around my neck tightly and I hold him as deep sobs wrack his body.
"I love you. Xavier, I am so sorry. I love you, so much. You're safe now. We've got you." Tears are streaming down my face as my twin is holding onto me for dear life.
"My brother, we have to move. We need to get you out of here." My voice is trembling with unshed emotion.
Quinn is standing beside me and put his hand on Xavier's shoulder. Deafening growls fill the air and Xavier lunges at Quinn. His body is tossed through the air and slams into the side of the cement building.
Xavier is standing in a defensive stance, his canines are elongated, and his fingers are splayed, claws bursting through where his fingernails should be. He looks feral, his eyes have turned blood red and spit is dripping from his bared teeth. Quinn is laying on the ground against the wall of the lab and staring at Xavier like he has lost his mind.
"Xavier, it's me. It's Quinn. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm here to help. We have to get you out of here, man." Quinn says, his hands are lifted in front of him in surrender.
Recognition flashes on his face once more, and his eyes return to normal as he backs down. "Quinn, I am so sorry." He says, his voice cracks and more tears flood his eyes.
A loud bang sounds at the back door to the lab and I turn to see the scientist and at least thirty bulky men with rifles raised high, run outside. I turn back to Quinn and Xavier and scream at them to shift. Quinn flies up from the ground and in a blur, he has transformed to his wolf and is streaking across the gravel towards the forest.
A bullet whizzes past my ear and I shove Xavier's shoulder and tell him once more to shift. My bones pop and break, and my wolf takes over, running to the cover of the woods before I can turn back to check on my twin. I hear the pounding of paws behind me, and relief settles deep in my stomach.
Fall back! Every remaining warrior, return home now! We will go back for our fallen when it is safe! I'm screaming through the bond, and I know Quinn will follow suit. We've done what we came here to do and more. We need to keep our people safe.
More bullets zip past me and I pick up my pace, I run in a bit of a zigzag trying to keep myself from being shot. I reach the line of trees and slow down my pace. Xavier's large brown wolf stops beside me. I mind-link Quinn to see where he is and in moments we are running to his location.
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We ran to the drop off point to see all the vehicles gone except for one, the warriors and betas having all taken off to the pack house already. I allowed the shift to take over and let Quinn take the drivers seat and Xavier take shotgun and I hopped into the back of the vehicle.
We are quiet as Quinn put the SUV in drive and tore off down the gravel road. My mind keeps wandering back to how Xavier reacted to Quinn's touch on his shoulder. He was not himself at all. All I could compare him to was a wild animal that had been cornered and was trying to defend itself.
He was exactly that - wild, feral. What ever he has gone through over the past few years has severely traumatized him. We are going to have to get him treatment and keep a close eye on him. I don't want him to accidentally end up hurting or even killing someone if he has another episode. I finally have my brother back, but I can't help but wonder if my brother is even in there anymore.