Chapter 8:

Alpha Sebastian.

Somewhere near the Serbian rainforest, my brother and I felt our mind-link with our pack members break, one by one, as we proceeded with our journey to find sanctuary...

"Damon, stop being lazy and walk faster," I hissed, frustrated by his lack of motivation.

"Brother, I need to rest. My feet are sore from running," Damon gasped, struggling to catch his breath as we neared the boundaries of an unknown pack.

"Argh," I groaned with frustration because he was slowing us down. "It's best if we rest after we find civilization," I suggested and Damon groaned in disagreement as he kept dragging himself behind me.

Suddenly, I stopped in my tracks as I caught a sweet, pungent scent of jasmine and vanilla, causing my mouth to salivate.

The scent was so alluring and inviting, it made my heart race as my cock twitched. I instinctively knew that it must have been the mate bond calling to my soul.

"Mine," I growled, my voice filled with possessiveness. Then my ears gave attention to Damon stopping in his tracks, sensing my reaction.

"Sebastian, are you okay?" he asked, concerned by my sudden change in demeanor.

"I can feel her close by," I replied, turning around to catch a whiff of her alluring aura that lingered in the air. It was strong and more captivating than anything I had ever encountered before.

At that moment, all feelings of other women I had ever bedded were lost like shipwrecks at sea, I longed only to be with my true fated mate.

"What are you talking about?" Damon began to question, but his words trailed off as his eyes gleamed into a brilliant crystal blue color, and he growled possessively.

"Mine..."

Could he too be sensing his mate nearby? I frowned slightly... But then again we were twins so I guess the mate bond was bound to occur on the same day.

"Tell me what you feel bro." I inquired, determined to understand his sudden change in demeanor too.

"Brother, I can sense my mate nearby." He snarled.

Relieved that Damon also sensed his fated mate nearby, I knew that our long-awaited refuge with our mates was fast approaching hence I relaxed my stern posture.

"The goddess is on our side, quick let's follow their scent and find them," I said, unaware that Damon and I were following the same scent...

As we stood sniffing, vulnerable and unsuspecting, trying to locate our heaven-sent mates, my gaze fell upon a figure not far behind Damon. It was tall and sleek, emanating a commanding presence and demanding attention. Its slender build suggested a combination of strength and agility, capable of swift and precise movements.

"Who goes there?" I snarled, baring my teeth, while Damon turned around to see what I had noticed.

"What the fuck is that?" Damon stepped back, clearly intimidated by the unknown presence before us.

"I don't know, Damon, but be ready to fight back if this varmint attacks," I instructed him, preparing for defensive combat.

Enthralled, I focused on the face. Its skin had an otherworldly, moonlit glow - pale and ethereal against the dark armor it wore. Its eyes, shimmering with a silver brilliance, resembled twin moons in the night sky. Its piercing gaze locked onto its prey with a certainty that sent chills down my spine.

"Sebastian, I don't like the look of that thing... What is it?" Damon's voice quivered.

"I have no fucking idea, Damon," I replied, my attention drawn to its flowing, snow-white hair that cascaded down its back in intricate braids. Silver charms interwoven among the locks glimmered softly in the dim light, adding to its enigmatic visage.

My heart and mind raced with questions. Where had I seen this creature before us?

Narrowing my eyes, I studied it closely, realizing an icy chill in the air that seemed unexplainable. Shadows clung to it, enveloping its body like loyal companions, dancing and swaying as if they were one with them. The play of shadows made it difficult to fully comprehend their features.

Suddenly, without warning, it moved. Like a phantom, it blended seamlessly into the shadows surrounding us. My heart accelerated, sensing imminent danger.

A metallic glint caught my eye as its silver-bladed daggers were unsheathed, reflecting the remaining light. Its weapons possessed an undeniable grace, drawing my attention to them.

"Damon, watch out!" I shoved him out of harm's way to try and protect him but it was all in vain.

Swiftly and with precision, the figure pounced. The shadows concealed their movements, making it difficult for me to react in time. Its blades struck my brother first, he groaned in pain, then it struck me. I flinched my face in pain...

Helpless under the weight of this unexpected attack, we fell to the ground, unprotected by our wolves that refused to embrace us.

'Brother, I'm sorry for everything I've done. Please forgive me,' Damon mind linked to me.

"Don't give up now, Damon. I can sense my mate's strong aura nearby," I responded, determination in my voice, as the figure towered over us.

"Wait, you mean this... this weird-looking creature is your mate?" Damon managed to joke amidst the seriousness of the situation.

"No, silly. Not that thing," I replied impatiently, and Damon chuckled weakly. I frowned, unable to comprehend what could be funny in the face of our imminent deaths.

Suddenly, his laughter turned to a cry. "Mama and Papa won't even know where their sons' remains lie."

My heart sank. Damon was right. Our parents would never know our final resting place.

The creature stepped closer to my eye view then I suddenly recalled seeing it in one of the mythical creature's books back home.

"I know what you are," a groan escaped my lips as I carefully studied its face.

"Then you know why I'm here… I must fulfill my master's orders before I leave. My apologies for your untimely deaths." The creature responded in a raspy voice that sent more chills down my spine but I was still determined to fight it until my last breath.

I clenched my fists summoning all the little strength I had to sit up but the creature swiftly stepped on my chest, causing me to fall back on the ground.

"Don't make it hard for you to journey to the afterlife." It said and I narrowed my eyes at it.

The creature in question was known as Araknos, a shadow hunter exclusively dispatched by a witch to eliminate its master's adversaries.

To worsen the situation, this formidable creature was nearly invincible, as it did not experience pain during combat... Thus this was a lost battle even before it began.

"Who sent you?" I asked and it smirked while looking at us.

"I'm not at liberty to reveal my master's identity." It answered back.

And my vision blurred into darkness while thoughts about my parents who had no idea of what was transpiring flooded my mind.

"Forgive me, Mama and Papa, for failing to protect my brother and the pack," I whispered.

At that moment, I realized that no amount of training and preparation can ever get you ready for life's unpredictable journey.

****

When I came to, it was still night and my brother and I found ourselves in an unfortunate circumstance where all my pack members had tragically perished after our mate had confirmed it, leaving us without the protection and support of a pack.

And adding to our challenges, we were bestowed with an unexpected and perplexing situation by the divine goddess herself, who saw fit to bestow upon us the same mate... Alpha Selene Popovic of Yellowstone.

She graciously rescued, nursed, and brought us back to her pack...

To summarize what transpired, my brother and I attempted to hypnotize and seduce our partner by engaging in a power struggle to determine who would dominate her first. However, all our efforts were in vain when an elderly man in a white cloak decided to interrupt our wild-taming session...

You see, our grandmother, Queen Zita, trained us in the art of hypnotism, allowing us to supposedly control a single person's mind we desired.

However, our powers came with limitations as we could be easily disrupted if an outsider intruded upon our session and voiced their thoughts as the old man did earlier.

'Brother, mind what you say to Selene and her pack members as we don't know how they might behave towards the information we dispatch to them.' I mind-linked to Damon during the investigation by Selene's elders and he agreed to keep detailed information about our pack and attacks a secret.

Yellowstone had a very strange way of welcoming its future new Alphas into the pack by throwing us into dirty holding cells because we were caught sampling our mate... Hence we had to undergo three deadly quests for its Alphaship title.

Trust me, I too was shocked to learn that they lived in ancient decrees with modern facilities compared to my fallen pack which freely and openly practiced polygamous relations...

****

Present time…

'Hey bro, how are you doing?' Damon mind linked to me with a smirk 'Guess who visited me in my cell last night in my cell?'

'I don't give a damn about who visited you last night.' I responded coldly.

Everything we were going through was all his fault and I despised him greatly but he was the only blood family I had alive left, hence I would spare him my rage and maybe try to work with him so that our bloodline wouldn't perish with us.

'Oh Sebastian, you don't have to be jealous but I will still give you a clue… green eyes,' He wiggled his brows playfully and I just sneered at the stupid possessive antics he was developing for Selene.

Yes, we shared a mate, but his possessive attitude toward her angered me greatly.

'I'm sure she just took pity on you about your living arrangements.' I clenched my jaws with a scowl while I scanned the growing crowd at the edge of Selene's boundaries into the rainforest.

'Oh please,' he scoffed, ' If that's what you fed your mind to sleep better last night, then good for you.' he said and I gritted my teeth.

Oh moon goddess, please tell this ass of a brother that I'm tired of childish antics. I sneered internally as I put on a straight face.

Escorted by Selene's warriors, we approached the entry point of an eerie forest, a shiver ran down my spine, leaving me with an undeniable sense of unease. The trees before me stood tall and gnarled, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers as if beckoning me forward into their ancient domain.

'Sebastian, make this easy for me and concede defeat so that we both avoid the hustle of going into this forest.' Damon suggested and I scoffed.

'You wish... Have you thought about what they will do with the loser of the quests?' I asked thinking ahead for the both of us.

He frowned slightly and I rolled my eyes with a sneer.

I thought so… Damon was always the live-in-the-moment kind of guy and that was not going to cut it this time around.

This mess was his fault and he needed to grow up in his head or else he wasn't going to last that long in Yellowstone pack.

Suddenly, Selene gracefully walked into the midst of the crowd. She appeared effortlessly chic, donning a pair of black denim jeans coupled with a matching black blazer and boots. Underneath, a white blouse hugged her figure, leaving me longing to be the fabric against her skin. As I took a deep breath, her captivating and intoxicating scent filled my senses. The sheer beauty and elegance she possessed momentarily bewitched both my brother and me.

I will fight to the death to be with you. I pledged, a victory smirk playing in the corner of my lips.

'Oh, my goddess… look at green eyes.' Damon drooled over Selene.

And I swallowed quickly as she walked towards her elders, her eyes never leaving mine as she maintained a straight face.

Suddenly, a man abruptly approached her. He was an imposing presence with unsettling and dark features. He stood tall, cloaked in a pristine royal purple garment.

Who the fuck was he? I scowled.

The sunlight cast an eerie glow on his pale, ashen skin. His face exuded wickedness, characterized by sharp, menacing features. His eyes, a mix of amber and crimson, gleamed with a maleficent intensity, while his slitted pupils evoked a predator's instinct.

His thin, disdainful mouth curled into a menacing smile, revealing sharp fangs, a reminder of the savage beast within him. His hair was butt-lenght, black, and intertwined with gray as it cascaded on his back.

His muscular physique and prominent scars told tales of violence and dominance.

A chilling aura surrounded him, invoking primal fear and warning against crossing his path.

I sniffed and caught a whiff of his scent from afar, and his presence exuded a potent, possessive aura, almost as if he were an alpha.

'Sebastian, I don't like the way that buffoon is walking with our lady…' Damon said and I scoffed at his statement.

"Greetings great wolves of Yellowstone," Elder Leon exclaimed merrily, and the crowd became silent. "Now that Alpha Selene and Beta Xander are here, I suggest the deadly challenges commence." He declared and the crowd went wild with applause.