Chapter 5

ANISHA

"My name is Kazimir."

I gasped as I gazed deeply into his eyes. It felt as if he could see right through my soul with the intensity of his stare. My heart raced and my stomach churned. Pushing against his chest, I stepped out of his arms, and he let me go.

"You've met my brother, but I haven't smelt his scent on you." He said, watching me intently as I took a few steps away from him.

"You look very similar to each other," I whispered. I whispered. If he hadn't introduced himself, I would have thought he was the same person I met this morning. As I eyed him, I noticed a sterner demeanor and a colder expression, but the resemblance was still uncanny.

What should I have expected from identical twins? I groaned internally, placing the blame on Riri. She had failed to mention that they were the Frodhart twins, the Alphas who ruled the pack. She only told me that the pack was led by twin Alphas, without revealing that I had already met one of them. If she had, I would have realized the truth much sooner.

He took a step closer and another.

"Wait!" I held up my hands. "You're scaring me. You know you can't just smoothly grab people and...and hug them like you knew each other. I don't know you. I thought you were Kallum. Well, he was a lot more polite because he didn't touch me like that," I said, with a slight tremor in my voice.

There was an emotion I couldn't read lingering in his eyes for a few seconds as he examined my face, but it was gone fast. "You're scared of me." He murmured quietly.

"No. I mean yes, but," I swallowed thickly. There was a need for me to say it because I felt it and he was not happy to know the fact that he scared me. "it was a while ago. When you hold me."

"Were you scared when you met my brother?"

"I wasn't scared," I answered truthfully. "a little intimidated, perhaps. Well, he didn't startle me with such a fatty greeting," I chuckled lightly, still feeling him on my skin and hands unconsciously rubbing my arms. "Is that how your pack greets visitors?"

"Come, follow me." He commanded, ignoring my question.

Baffled by what had just happened, I trailed behind him in silence.

Now that he walked ahead of me, I had a clear view of his physique: his balanced frame, broad shoulders, and sturdy back. His snug shirt accentuated his form, and his abundant, dark locks gave him a rough, unkempt appearance. Why did I have the urge to run my fingers through his hair? What would it feel like? Those powerful arms...he seemed capable of—

"Riahbel said she'd show you the showroom?" he asked, turning on his heels to face me. Of course, he saw me gawking at him.

I felt the rush of blood on my cheeks, blushing. "Yes. She wanted to show me something." Clearing my throat again, I did not meet his eyes as I felt like I was that small hole in a needle where a thread had to get through. 

I supposed the embarrassment was shown on my face because he smirked.

Stepping into a room, the dimly lit, atmospheric space graced my curiosity about the room. It was filled with antique artifacts, mysterious objects, and what I assumed were historical documents on those fixed shelves. I scanned my eyes, completely forgetting his presence as I looked around the walls adorned with tapestries depicting scenes of wolf transformations or portraits of famous werewolf figures from the past, I guessed.

The air in the room was thick with the musty scent of old books and ancient relics, and the items of furniture were timeless. The room was furnished with rustic wooden tables and shelves filled with wolf-related curiosities.

The centerpiece of the showroom had a large, ornate display case that held rare and exotic werewolf artifacts, such as silver bullets, talismans, and ancient weapons. I smiled, satisfied about the fact that these things before my eyes were not just objects I learned from the book, I was actually seeing them. The only difference was the otherworldly truth of these things. They were real.

Eager to immerse myself in the mysterious and fascinating history of werewolves, I went further into the room.

"Who are they?" I asked him, pointing at the people in the photo, specifically ones with the same faces.

"My great-great-grandparents."

"They were also twins." I was amazed at how his great-great-grandparents resembled them. Even though the photograph had a sepia or black-and-white tone, it was clear to see that the good-looking genes ran through the blood.

"They were."

"Where are your parents in these photos?"

"They don't want their faces to be plastered on this board. They're still alive, they say."

I snorted and gave a half chuckle. "Do they have to be dead to be among these people in these photos? Are you saying that everyone in here was dead?"

"Not all, but my parents think history is typically written by those who come after the events have occurred, and they are not yet history. " He gave a light chuckle. "Therefore, the people who are considered historically significant are usually those who have made a lasting impact on the pack or who were involved in major events or movements that have shaped the course of the history of the pack. And my great-great grandparents made that impact."

"It makes sense to me though. However, if your parents had also made significant contributions to the pack, it would be great if they could get some recognition for it."

"They don't want to. The pack's respect and loyalty are enough recognition. Having said that, you will only see their faces on this board when they're dead."

"They're interesting."

"They are."

I finally met his eyes because all the while I was asking and responding to him, he had his eyes fixated on me while I tried hard not to look at him.

"Where's your great-great-grandmother?" I probed curiously. An emotion I could not define crossed his eyes. There was a flash of yellow color in his eyes, so fast I almost missed it.

"The one in between."

"Oh," I looked at the photo again. "She had two mates?" I asked in disbelief, my voice betraying the shock and confusion that was clearly written all over my face. " I mean I know what mate is but two mates?" I struggled to swallow the lump down my throat. "I thought she was their little sister," the last sentence came out as a whisper.

"It's rare, but it happens. It happened to them." He answered, seemingly interested in my reaction as his eyes scanned my face.

I knew the expression as he wanted to gauge my concern, but I didn't dare say anything anymore. I didn't want to be rude by overstepping the pack's privacy. That would be tantamount to an invasion of his personal space, save to know that he also had a twin, and they might have been sharing a mate.

"Thank you. I...I learned a lot. It's fascinating," I said. I barely glanced at him as I looked at the door. "Perhaps we can go now?"

But the door opened and Kallum walked in.

"Starting without me?" he asked, smirking.

.