5.

I’m flying through the forest, my bare feet pounding across the hard grassy plains as I go farther and farther away from Len and Selene. Suddenly, the adrenaline runs out and my lungs scream for air, my body giving out. The cold night air whips against my exposed flesh and my feet ache. A coma. If that Selene person was right, then this body was weaker than I had thought. 

I can’t stop. I continue to push forward, running until I can’t anymore. When a harsh wind slaps at my arms and thighs, that’s only when I realize that I was only in a nightgown and I had run off in the middle of the night with no idea of where I was or how I was going to get out of there. 

Why didn’t I think this through?

The cold night air begins to seep into my bones and my heart thunders against my chest. I pause to catch my breath, resting against a sturdy tree. My mind races, trying to figure out a plan, my next move. I have to get out of here. They are all crazy. Or hallucinating. 

I can’t go back to Len because he’ll probably lock me up or have me remanded to a psych ward. And there was no way in hell I was going to try to have any conversation with her.

As I try to make a plan, I hear a rustling in the trees nearby and freeze. Glancing towards the direction of the sound, my stomach tightens in fear as three large men approach me, flanking out so that they have me surrounded.

One of them whistles at me, the sound shrill and eerie in the night silence. 

“Well, lookie here. Looks like we’ve got ourselves an early Christmas present, don’t you say, boys?” The man says, grinning lewdly at me. 

Rogues. Their filthy smell wafted up to my nostrils, causing my stomach to clench.

“Yeah, boss. She’s a real pretty thing. All that golden hair and pale skin…and would you look at that? She even came wrapped up in a little bow.” Another of the men sneers, licking his lips as his eyes trained in on the bow at the cleavage part of my nightgown. 

My skin prickles in fear, heart thundering and I feel my legs begin to give out. I can’t fight them off. Not all of them. Not with how weak this body is. 

“Come on, sweet thing. We’re just going to have a little fun.” The last man says, walking menacingly towards me.

I let out a yelp, staggering backwards and shutting my eyes tight, terrified about what is going to happen to me.

All of a sudden, a man come out from behind me, moving so fast he blended into the shadows. He slams one of the men on the back of his neck with only his palm and I can hear the sharp snap of his neck breaking in the quiet, before the man crumples to the ground.

Within seconds, he disarms the other two men, landing heavy blows to their faces and body. Before I know it, the whole thing is over and all three of my would-be assailants are dead nothings lying on the floor. 

The stranger adjusts to his full height and finally turns to me.

The sheer force of the pull slams into me, knocking me over and tilting my entire world off its axis with it. The stranger catches me before I hit the ground and cradles my head, our eyes meeting with sizzling sparks of electricity.

Mate. Wait, another mate?

The word pulses so forcefully, so primal through me. I know with every fiber of my being that this man is irrevocably, incontestably my mate.

“Are you okay?” He asks, his voice so smooth and deep I nearly rub myself against him in sheer pleasure. Swallowing tightly, I manage to squeeze out a,

“Yes, I’m fine.”

The stranger stares into my eyes a little longer, as if seeking out his own conviction that I am truly unharmed. When he finds it, he gives me a grim nod and carries me up into his arms like I weigh nothing more than a single feather.

When we return to the house, Len is pacing like a caged animal in what seemed to be the living room, basically wearing a hole in the ground. His face is tight with worry, his muscles tense. The moment he locks in on me in the stranger’s arms, his face melts into relief before being overthrown by anger.

“Are you insane?! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you out there?!” Len thunders as the stranger gently places me on the couch. I cower away from the sound and power in his voice, feeling chided like a little girl.

Before I can respond, the stranger places a hand on Len’s chest and pushes him a few feet away from me, almost protecting me.

“Easy, Len. She was probably just scared.” The stranger says in his deep baritone, locking his worried gray eyes to mine, searching my eyes. 

“She could have died, Logan.” Len gritted out. “You could have died!” He repeats, thundering again and I visibly wince.

“Okay, big guy. Take it easy. She’s safe now. I got to her on time.” The stranger Len called Logan said.

Len huffs out a sigh of frustration, combing his fingers through his hair; obviously agitated.

“You’re going to be the death of me.” Len muttered, resuming his pacing. “I won’t lose you again, Selene. Not again.” Len says aloud, this time.

“We won’t. We’ve got her, Len.” Logan soothes.

I remain quiet, accepting the verbal lashing because I realize what I did was stupid and incredibly dangerous…no matter who I was. I start to notice the resemblance between the two men; the same piercing blue eyes, sharp jawline and plump mouth. But that was pretty much where the resemblance ended. Where Len was big and burly, Logan held a more regal stance to him. He was all long and lean muscles. He also didn’t seem as intimidating as Len did.

“They’re twins.” Selena says in my head. “They’re both our mates.”

“Whoa. Two mates? How is that even possible?”

“It’s very rare but it’s been known to happen every now and then. Len and Logan are both our mates.”

What in all creations is going on here? First, Moonclaw Pack, Then, I stole some random woman’s body? And now I have two mates?? I don’t know what kind of world this is but I have to figure a way out of here.

***

A week passes and since then, Len and Logan barely took their eyes off me. They ordered twenty-four-hour protection for me whether or not they were there and constantly looking at me all weird. I couldn’t blame them. I would probably do the same if I were in their shoes. 

I have decided to give in to “the Selene life” if only temporarily until I could figure out a safe way to get out of this place and back into my own body. Since Selene was now my wolf, it was easy to talk to her without rousing too much suspicion. She trains me on how to act like an alpha, gives me tips on how to navigate Len and Logan, and fills me in on the history of the Moonclaw Pack, the members and my duties as Alpha. It’s a long and exhausting process but I’m getting better at it every day. 

Today is meant to be my first public appearance since my recovery from the coma. According to Len, the pack was getting anxious and needed to see her to put everyone’s minds to rest. As I go about my preparations for the day, Selene warns me not to reveal my true identity for fear that the pack would have me sentenced to death for being an imposter. 

Apparently, my reappearance is cause of great celebration. Logan had informed me that other alphas of other packs had gathered to welcome me back. When I’m done getting ready, I leave for the gathering, followed by Len and Logan.

The minute I step foot into the town hall, a warm, familiar scent hits me and I feel the hairs in my name tingle. My eyes search through the crowd, landing on one particular pair.

Mate. Selene growls, howling in my head.

No. It can’t be. There was no way this was possible.

My third mate was no other than Zach, my mate from my first life.

Selene? What is going on? I call frantically but she only repeats the word.

Mate.