Chapter 6: Why did you leave Lunaria?

Astrid stared at her wounded hand as she tried to stop the bleeding. Some of the blood had spilled onto the white shirt she had on, and she knew she had to find something to wrap the shallow cut.

She hadn't been thinking straight when she cut her palm, hadn't realized that she had no ability to heal. She had been so caught up in her attempt to stop Kendrick from fighting with his brother.

A soft knock sounded, drawing her attention towards the door.

"Who's there?" She asked.

"It's me." Kaiden deep voice sounded from the other side. She knew it was him the second she heard his voice. "Please, can I come in? I just want to tend to your wound."

Sighing softly, she looked away. Might as well let him treat her wound, she thought. It was beginning to hurt, and she didn't want to get blood on the sheets.

"Come on in."

The door opened and Kaiden stepped inside, holding a small box. He gently shut the door behind him and moved towards her.

Astrid stared up at him, awed at how much he looked like Kendrick. She knew it was totally normal for twins to have uncanny resemblance, but in this case, it seemed she was staring at Kendrick.

The structure of their faces were an exact copy. High cheek bones, perfectly straight nose, chiselled jaws and full lips. Even the shape of their eyes were an exact copy. The only difference was the fact that Kendrick was smooth-shaven while Kaiden sported a beard, sideburns, and a goatee.

Kaiden lowered to the bed beside her and opened the box. Next he brought out a bottle half filled with alcohol and some cotton pads.

"Give me your hand." He uttered softly.

Astrid placed her hand on his, and the sparks danced along their skins again. She looked up, only to catch him staring at her.

"The wound is down here." She said, gesturing to her hand.

Kaiden chuckled and looked away. "I can't help but stare at you. You're so beautiful."

The compliment caught her unaware and her face flamed up with a deep blush.

Kaiden's smile widened and he held her hand in a firm grip.

"This will hurt a little." He warned her, then dabbed the cotton pad soaked with alcohol on the cut.

Astrid winced and shut her eyes as the pain became unbearable.

"Look at me." Kaiden commanded her gently. "Astrid, look at me. I promise, you won't feel the pain anymore."

She opened her eyes and gazed at him, tears of pain threatening to fall. The alcohol stung her badly and she wished it would stop.

Kaiden then dropped the used cotton pad and held her hand to his lips. While maintaining eye contact with her, he kissed her palm, trailing his lips softly over the cut. The sparks soared again, and soon the pain became a dull ache.

"How did you do that?" She whispered.

Kaiden smiled and dropped a final kiss on her palm before lowering it.

"Mates can sense each other's pain, and in most cases, they can take the pain away." He explained. "My wolf could feel your pain, and it took it away."

"That's... amazing." Astrid murmured. "But how did you know I couldn't heal?"

"When you cut yourself, you would have healed immediately." Kaiden said as he pushed the box away. "You kept bleeding, so I assumed your healing abilities were slow."

Astrid sighed and drew her hand away from his grasp.

"My healings abilities aren't slow. I don't have them." She muttered. "I'm wolf-less, Kaiden. I have never shifted."

Kaiden already suspected she was wolf-less, but he said nothing about it.

"It doesn't matter, wolf or not. My wolf can feel you. It knows you're my mate."

"You don't even know anything about me, Kaiden." Astrid said suddenly. "You just arrived, and you're already staking your claim over me. Is that how the mate bond works?"

"The mate bond doesn't care if this is our first meeting, Astrid." Kaiden replied, gazing at her intently. "It knows you're mine. It is what connects us, what we feel whenever we touch."

Then he took her hand and drew closer to him. "I know we have only just met. But now that I found you, I'm never leaving Lunaria. I've searched so long for you. You have no idea how much I want to hold you right now, and never let go."

His gaze was so intense that she had to avert hers. No one had ever stared at her with such longing, such passion. Except Kendrick, of course.

A thought suddenly occurred to her and she looked back at him.

"Kaiden?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you leave Lunaria?"

Kaiden's soft smile disappeared and he looked away.

"I don't know the whole story, but I think Kendrick was really hurt when you left." She continued. "I do not have a twin, nor a sibling, but I know I'd feel bad if they left me."

"You don't understand, Astrid." Kaiden took her hand and held it to his cheek. "I never planned to leave Lunaria. I never planned to leave Kendrick. But something happened."

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it now, but I promise I'll tell you when the time is right." He turned her hand and pressed a kiss on it. "Is that okay with you?"

Astrid found herself nodding. It was impossible to resist his charm, especially when his lips were still on her hands, and he was staring at her with those sinful eyes.

She still found it hard to believe that these two incredibly handsome men were hers, men who were ready to do anything for her sake.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Astrid blushed hard and looked away.

"Nothing." She mumbled.

"Liar." He teased with a heart melting smile, and Astrid found herself smiling back.

The door opened that moment and Kendrick entered, holding a tray of food. When his gaze fell on their entwined hands, his expression hardened.

Astrid let go of Kaiden's hand as if she had been caught doing something bad.

"Hi Kendrick." She smiled, wondering why she felt a sudden rush of guilt.

Kendrick smiled warmly at her and dropped the tray on the bed.

"Hi baby." He murmured, surprising her with the sudden endearment. "I know you must be hungry. How's your hand? Let me tend to it..."

"I already did." Kaiden cut in sharply.

Kendrick ignored his brother and sat beside Astrid on the other side of the bed. "If you need anything else, let me know okay?"

Astrid was still nodding at him when Kaiden picked up a plate of roasted beef from the tray and proceeded to feed her.

"She can eat herself, Kaiden." Kendrick growled in annoyance.

"I can choose to feed my mate if I want to." Kaiden retorted.

"You're such a child..."

"Enough of this." Astrid quickly interrupted before the banter could escalate. "Both of you are acting like a bunch of babies. I would like to eat in peace, okay? And I can very well feed myself."

Kendrick poured a glass of water for her, while Kaiden picked up the cup of juice and held it up for her. The two brothers paused and scowled at each other, their gazes shooting out flames.

At that moment, Astrid realized why they were acting that way towards her.

They were each trying to impress her.