Chapter 45


    epting My Twin Mates Chapter 45


    Chapter 45 – A Little Date? – I of II


    Evie


    Every inch of my skin thrummed with an underlying tremble of gratification and contentment. I had seen


    colours, stars, fireworks… a whole damned brass band… you name it.


    ‘If that’s what we get for being mean, what incentive do we have to y nice?’ Evva snickered,


    sprawled and sated in bliss.


    Astennu ced fluttering butterfly kisses against my neck, the tiny caresses and tingles that


    apanied danced their way to my lips. Badru leaned into my stomach, his breath tickling my naked


    skin and my thighs cradling his body to mine.


    “Would you want to go out on a little date with us?” Astennu’s voice held a slight sway.


    I was unsure whether it was due to lingering euphoria, or nerves of an actual date. The concept of a


    rtionship was all new to him. He would have never asked a woman out on a date before, let alone


    taken her out on one.


    ‘We’ve just ridden his face like the Kentucky Derby and he thinks there’s a chance we’ll say no, why?’


    My wolf snorted at his adorable hint of uncertainty.


    “What do you have in mind?” I ran my fingers through his hair and his twin’s, savouring how the silky


    locks felt slipping through my hands.


    “That’s a surprise,” Badru crawled up my body, nuzzling into my cleavage, and side nced at his


    brother. “But I think you’ll like it.”


    My instinct to hate surprises roared to the forefront. I didn’t mean to frown, it was just a natural reaction


    to hearing the sentence ‘it’s a surprise’. My mates’ surprises, so far, had been anything but terrible.


    They had truly made me smile.


    “We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Astennu poorly hid the disappointment from both his tone and


    face.


    “No, I want to!” I rushed out as fast as I could. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make a face. It’s kind of a default


    response.”


    ‘I’m starting to think I should’ve made good on my threat to brain p you,’ Evva smacked her head


    repeatedly on the walls of my mind.


    ‘I can’t help it. It’s a natural reaction!’


    ‘Being a dumb muffin is your factory setting. Registered and understood.’


    All those years I had waited for my wolf, wished for her, longed to hear her… what, under the moon,


    was I thinking?!


    “What time do you need me ready by, for this surprise of yours?” I tried to muster my best smile, so


    they knew I meant it.


    “We can leave right now,” Badru propped himself up on his forearms above me. “Dress warm. We’ll be


    outside for a while.”


    “Now? This doesn’t sound like a little date.”This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    “Where’s some pizza to shove in your mouth when I need it,” Astennu shook his head in amusement.


    “Quit questioning everything.”


    Badru grinned down at me wickedly, a predatory glint in his eye. “I got something better than pizza for


    your mo-”


    “Finish that sentence!” I warned him with a slight growl, pping my hand over his lips. And I could feel


    his damned smirk under my skin.


    I pushed them off of me and began to shove on some underwear, trying my best to ignore their heated


    eyes searing my flesh. If we were going to be outside for most of the day, I decided my thick knit


    sweater would be best with a pair of skinny-cut outdoor pants and my brown leatherce-up boots.


    “Uh, I hope you two have a change of clothes,” I pointed down to the heavily damp patches on their


    crotches.


    “In the duffle bag,” Badru thummed the one on the floor, near the door. “It wasn’t just for smuggling


    tequ in.”


    “And neither of us fancied having it out with our mother again,” Astennu tagged on, a small frown


    cutting across his face for a split second.


    I couldn’t help a sneaky side nce to look at the twins as they stripped, wiping themselves down with


    their removed items. I thought they might have wanted to shower before they dressed and when I


    asked as such, their reply made my insides do the jiggly throb dance all over again. They wanted to be


    coated in my scent and taste for as long as possible. Badru sucking slightly on his bottom lip didn’t help


    in the slightest and had me squirming in my pants.


    “I brought you this, if you want it, that is,” Astennu handed over a deep blue fleece-lined hoodie, sliding


    his puffer vest over his thin overcoat and id shirt.


    I slipped it on eagerly, smothering myself in his sweet tree sap aroma. He must’ve read my mind. Like


    Evva had said, I had nned to steal away an item of his clothingter for his scent.


    Badru pulled on his thick coat over his sweater and grabbed up the rubbish before we left, depositing it


    in the recycling as we headed for a bite to eat.


    “Maybe think about grabbing an apple along with breakfast,” Astennu gave me a little hint.


    An apple could only mean one thing. Whatever we were going to do involved Heru too.


    Badru immediately stopped, ring at his twin. “Why exactly do we need Satan’s beast?!”


    “Because he needs the outing,” Astennu began listing on his fingers. “Evie likes him, I don’t get to


    spend as much time with him as I used to. And if you call him ‘Satan’s beast’ again, I’ll fight you.”


    “Fine, whatever!” Badru threw his hands up in the air. “You two go deal with the angel. I’ll get us


    something to eat.”


    He stormed away muttering in Arabic under his breath and disappeared around the corner leading to


    the pack dining room.


    “I’d have called him a drama ma, but I think that would’ve pushed him over the edge,” Astennu


    leaned in to whisper with a grin.


    ‘I heard that!’ Badru snapped over the mind-link.


    ‘Just don’t forget your best friend’s apple,’ Astennu went for broke, prodding further.


    “Come on. Let’s get Heru ready before I end up with an apple upside my head,” Astennu gave me a


    cheeky grin, slipping his hand from the small of my back to meet my fingers and entwine them with his.


    The stallion had already been fed when we arrived at the stables, the only thing left was to give him a


    brush down. Astennu stopped me from grabbing the saddle, saying it wouldn’t be needed. Wherever


    we were going was just a short walk and Heru was tagging along for some exercise and bonding. His


    pale golden ears twitched and not a secondter I felt my bond announce Badru was drawing near.


    He appeared at the stable door, frowning abouting any closer, and from the tail swish and mischief


    dancing in the horse’s eyes, I would say Badru had the right idea of keeping his distance.


    “It’s a waffle wrap, with bacon and maple syrup,” he ced the foil-wrapped item in my hands and


    threw his brother’s to him, along with the rosy coloured fruit. “And there’s his damn apple.”


    “You didn’t want to feed him?” Astennu sniggered, holding the fruit out on the t of his palm.


    “I’m going nowhere near either business end of that thing,” Badru moodily began eating his breakfast,


    stepping well out of the way as his twin led Heru out into the crisp open air.


    “You not shifting?” I interrupted their sibling tiff before they started wrestling again and demanding the


    loser bow out to the winning ‘supreme king’.


    “I wanted to go in human form,” Astennu looked over his shoulder, a hint of pink dusting his cheeks.


    “So we could hold your hand.”


    Be still my beating heart, I had to remind myself when he went all ‘cute goober’. “We can still do that.


    You just shift back.”


    “But then we’d be naked… and it’s cold out,” Badru smirked at me from the side.


    “You worried about getting a shrinky dink?” I teased.


    “I’d still be above average,” he said in a rare disy of quick wit.


    Evva whistled proudly, ‘look at our slick nugget.’


    Heru stayed close by Astennu’s side, not requiring a lead rein, and gently nudged his hand and arm for


    attention. Badru kept his eye on the horse at all times, keeping a firm hand on the bag in his hand, a


    packed lunch for all of us he had arranged when he had gathered our breakfast. Through the trees of


    the forest, I recognised the direction we were heading. A short ten-minute walk, north of the pack


    house that led to Reflection Lakes, the ce I wanted our home to be.


    As it was daylight, and a bright clear day at that, thekes reflected the sun and blue sky above,


    appearing as if there were two suns. Theck of breeze made the surface as smooth as ss, like two


    horizonsid back to back without so much as a ripple. Mount Rainier loomed over us to our back and


    the forest surrounding us gave way to therge clearing surrounding the southwest side of thekes. A


    light mist hovered here and there, more so around the mountain but dissipating over the water. The odd


    bit of frost had crept over thekes’ edges overnight, but it hadn’t grown cold enough yet to freeze over.


    Being near the coast, it was rare to see thekes freeze at all. The early cold snap and snow were the


    only reasons for the current frost icing the edges.


    “So this is why you were so quick to take up my deal yesterday,” I rubbed the side of Heru’s face,


    seeing as he wouldn’t stop nudging me. “You already nned to bring me here.”


    “And you can’t back out of it either,” Badru shouted out from theke shore, skipping a stone and


    disturbing the mirror reflection. “You promised us baked goods and we expect you to deliver.”


    “How do you do that?” I watched as another stone of his skimmed the water’s surface, almost reaching


    the centre of theke.


    “Here, I’ll show you,” he ushered me over and held his hand out. “Just keep that beast over there.”


    “That’s a rude name to call your twin,” I joked, wondering if he’d actually get this one.


    “Him too,” he grasped my hand, pulling me close to show me how to skip stones.


    He gave me a t stone, one that fit into my palm easily enough, and pulled me close, my back flush


    against his chest. His hands glided over mine, electrifying my nerves where our bare skin touched, his


    breath tickling my ear with his instructions. As he showed me, I aimed low and tried to get as much spin


    as possible, letting it fly. I got two bounces off of the water’s surface before it sank.


    “Not bad for a first try,” Badru kissed the side of my jaw, handing me another stone.


    I skipped a couple more before moving on, unable to beat my record of two skips. I had been ignoring


    my other mate since he couldn’t approach with the horse, less the big baby, Badru, threw his


    overdramatic theatrics over Heru’s proximity. I slipped my hand into Astennu’s, marvelling at his


    warmth, and held my other out to Badru. His gaze darted between my hand held out and the golden


    stallion, weighing up the risks and how much he wanted to test Heru’s calm mood, who to his credit


    had behaved thus far. I felt honoured he finally determined I was worth the threat of horse attack.


    We continued our stroll, heading further around the clearing on the mountainside. This part would have


    made the perfect spot for a home; ake view on one side and Mount Rainier on the other. I copped a


    seat on one of the short rocky outcrops that jutted out into theke. This was usually where I took a few


    minutes whenever I came down here. The tranquillity of this time of year was always the most beautiful.


    There was also something solemn about this ce, something that drew a deep reverence I had never


    quite been able to put my finger on as to why. Even Evva felt the same and this was her first time being


    here.


    A thermos mug with a sealed screw-on lid came into my field of vision and a gentle touch cupped my


    own hands around it.


    “Badru picked out a pumpkin spiced coffee for you,” Astennu squatted down in front of me, his hands


    not leaving mine.


    “Tis the season for it,” I unscrewed the lid, a burst of syrup and spices hit my nostrils, a scent just like


    my twins. “It’s my favourite.”


    “You ok?” Badru sat beside me. “You’ve gone all quiet.”


    “It’s nothing, really. I don’t even understand it myself to be honest,” I leant into his side and gripped


    Astennu’s hands tighter. “This is where I want it, our home.”