Mated to the Alpha Twins by Jane Doe
Chapter 57
Tori’s anger whipped around her like a tornado. Bits of glassscratched and sliced my skin. Just as I reached out and grasped the thrashing emotion, it slipped from my fingers. An invisible wall slammed down between Tori and I, cutting off my connection to her emotions. I took a staggering breath and tried to calm my own nerves before opening myself up again. Instead of forcing it, I let each sensation brush by me, letting each one go.
The whirlwind that was Tori’s anger resumed, swirling around strands of my hair and in between my fingers. I let the anger wash over me, delving deeper. Underneath the anger was the distinct, sharp sting that reminded me of hurt. I scolded myself for a minute. Of course, she was hurt, I had left without a word, leaving the phone she had gotten me on the bed. Tori had been my first friend in such a long time, and I repaid her by constantly refusing to trust her. Hidden even deeper was an emotion I hadn’t anticipated; understanding. While her anger was like a blistering fire, the understanding she felt was like the ocean–cool, crisp waves dashing the heat of the flames.
She stopped a few feet in front of me, her chest heaving with emotion. I could see each one play out in her eyes, gritting my teeth against the wave of exhaustion that settled in my bones. I noticed how Alec and Kade took a few steps away from the two of us, neither one dared to interrupt what Tori was about to say. Her face was as red as her flaming hair, her mouth opened and closed but words refused to form.
“You–” She sputtered, her incredulous eyes flashing from me to Alec and Kade. Giving me one last emotion clouded look, she turned her eyes to the twins. “You brought her back.”
“She chose to come back.” Alec murmured, and I couldn’t help the grateful look that came across my face. “We wouldn’t ever f0rce her.”
“So, you chose to come back?” Tori snorted, placing her hands on her hips in her typical fashion. I had seen this look on Tori’s face when she scolded one of Grace’s friends for b*ull*ying me. “That’s ironic considering you chose to leave in the first place. Do you have any idea how that made me feel? None of us knew what had happened to you! I thought we were friends, Aurora. You could have trusted me.”
The anger in Tori’s voice quickly gave way to hurt, which hid that underlying tone of understanding. From those three emotions, I knew that Tori would forgive me. She would undoubtedly make me grovel and earn her forgiveness, but she understood why I had left. I could feel the twin’s unease at the anger in Tori’s tone, but neither stepped in. I appreciated them keeping their distance, knowing I needed to fix this myself. If I was supposed to have this great destiny, I couldn’t let Alec and Kade jump in to fix all of my problems. I made this mess, and it was time I owned up to it. Tori, Alec and Kade, were the most important people in my life at the moment. I had hurt each one of them, and would willingly pay the price to fix that.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I wasn’t thinking about who I would hurt, I just needed to leave.” I sighed, feeling nothing but guilt as her emotions battered me. Even with the blinding anger she felt, she was still concerned for me. I knew that if I let myself dig deeper into her emotions, I would feel the tiniest shred of happiness. She was glad I had come home, that I found my way and decided to stay with Alec and Kade. I had no idea what this meant for our friendship, but I wasn’t willing to give up quite yet. “Everything–everything was coming down on me. First Melissa and Frank, then Grace, and then Garrett showed up dropping the biggest bombshell of my life. I didn’t believe him at first, when he told me what I was. I had no idea that you could actually help me, Tori.”
“I know you didn’t, Aurora.” Tori sighed, letting out a sharp breath. “I understand why you left–goddess, I do. Just because I understand, doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Anything could have happened to you out there! You could have been caught by someone other than Alec and Kade. You might think you don’t have people who care about you, but you do.”
“I was nearly caught.” I admitted, ignoring the wary glances I received from Alec and Kade. I wanted to trust Tori, to rebuild the bridge I had nearly destroyed. Trust wasn’t something that came naturally to me, but it was something I was willing to work on. I didn’t have any immediate family I could trust, but I knew the family I chose would be much stronger than that of shared blood. I trusted Alec and Kade without even noticing the shift in my emotions, and I wanted to do the same for Tori. “If I hadn’t shifted for the first time–well, I wouldn’t be here now. Alec and Kade found me in time, but I learned my lesson. I let people scare me off instead of trusting the three of you. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”
The happiness radiating from the twins was enough to wipe the sting away that Tori’s anger had left behind. I could taste Kade’s surprise, as though he was still finding it hard to believe that I had come back. Alec felt the same, random rushes of awe coursed through him when he looked my way. I could feel Tori’s anger diminishing, leaving behind a dull throb that spanned my forehead. Even though her anger was beginning to fade, I could still feel her caution. She wanted to trust me, but I knew it wouldn’t come easy. I wasn’t sure how the twins managed to trust me, but I had a feeling the mate-bond was coming into play. At the mention of my almost capture, Tori’s face hardened. A fierce surge of curiosity and worry bubbled through her, mixing with the understanding and sliver of happiness she felt.
“You were almost captured?” She sputtered, whipping around to face Alec and Kade. “Why wasn’t I told about this? Do you have any idea who did it or what they wanted?”
“We have one of them in a cell.” Kade raised his hands in surrender, “We were planning on questioning him tomorrow, but if you want to take the reins–“
“Not helping.” I murmured to Kade, flushing at the sly grin that formed on his face.
“I’m just saying. With that anger, you might get some answers out of the guy.” Kade chuckled, making Tori scoff and roll her eyes. Even though Kade managed to take some of the fire out of Tori’s eyes, she refused to back down. How Tori managed to stand her ground to not one, but two Alpha’s, was beyond me. Yet, she refused to even flinch as she stared into the eyes of Alec and Kade.
“Perhaps you should tell her, doll.” Alec shrugged, giving me a look that made my legs weak. His look was one of absolute trust, one that told me he and Kade would follow me to the ends of the Earth if I asked. “Whatever you choose to do, we’ll stand by it.”
Alec’s words left me enough room to pick and choose what I wanted to tell Tori. I could easily tell her a couple masked men had tried to kidnap me, but I had learned my lesson by not trusting her. I wanted to mend that bridge, to regain the friend I had nearly lost. Keeping more secrets from her would only prove I didn’t trust her. If I was going to do this, I needed to be all in.
“It’s a long story. One I’d rather not tell in public, but if you’re interested–I wouldn’t mind explaining everything.” I told her, hoping she could feel the sincerity of my words, and the weight of what I was willing to tell her. Tori seemed to grasp my understanding as a determined look crossed her face, the thick guard she kept around herself lowering.
“Alright.” Tori exhaled, and I could visibly see her shoulders relaxing. “Come to my house tomorrow, around noon. Dad and Mom are visiting my Aunt, so they won’t be around to hover. If I don’t see you tomorrow, I’ll hunt you down, Aurora. Not even Alec and Kade will stop me. Also, this is still yours.”
Tori placed something cold in my hands, and I looked down at the cellphone she had given me a couple months ago. The battery was full, and I wondered why she had kept it for me. I could see the reluctance in her eyes as she walked away, resuming what she had planned for the day. As Kade wrapped his arms around my waist, and Alec placed a lingering k!ss to my forehead, I realized something. Alec, Kade, and Tori were the first people to care about me in such a long time, and I knew that if I allowed it, the three of them would become the family I never had.