The Alpha Twins Rejection

Chapter One - Ashley's P.O.V

Ashley's wolf, Callie.

****** WARNING********* This is the first draft, I am currently editing the story and fleshing it out. 

I awoke to the dreadful sound of a blood-curdling scream, instinctively ripping the covers from my sweat-soaked body and crouching low on the floor in a defensive position. Staying low, I swiftly surveyed the darkness, trying to identify the source of the feral sound that had ripped through the still night air. In my sleep-fueled haze, it took me a few moments to realise where the sound had come from and why I was so haunted by it. As the fog started to lift from my mind, it suddenly dawned on me. The soul-crushing sound had come from inside me.

My eyes widened at the realisation, and I allowed myself to relax my stance, letting out a deep, shuddering breath I did not realise I was holding. My cheeks instantly filled with heat, a deep blush creeping over my face. "Shit," I exclaimed softly into the darkness. Taking a deep, calming breath, I strained to listen to the rest of the house, hoping like hell that I hadn't woken anyone else up with my cries of agony.

It had been years since I had suffered from the same reoccurring nightmare. Years since, I had thought of the frightful night that my life changed and my innocence lost. I didn't want to think about it, not now, so I pushed the thought away. I locked it into the back of my mind with everything else I didn't have time to deal with. I was awake, and while awake, I would choose what I thought about! A small sigh escaped my lips as I let the familiar mantra wash over me and chase away the darkness. My wolf, Callie, was on edge tonight. I think she sensed something was coming, something she couldn't quite put her paw on. Having Callie so keyed up, in turn, made my thoughts erratic and took my mind places I didn't want to go.

Pushing damp strands of silver hair out of my eyes, I glanced out of the window; the moon was still high. I knew sleep would not come to me tonight, not now. So, I padded soundlessly over to my bathroom, allowing the silvery moonlight to guide me, not that I required light to see. Being a wolf shifter, I had extremely keen eyesight, especially in the dark. Turning the tap on, I carelessly splash cool water over my face, not caring to be cautious. The errant water quickly soaked through the fabric of my thin white singlet, making my nipples harden instantly. It was much too hot in summer to sleep in more than a singlet and panties, if anything.

Being a female Beta and on-call 24-7, I chose to sleep in the former in case I was called to a pack emergency. The males in my pack, Bloodmoon, took a while to adjust to me outranking them, and after being caught in my birthday suit several times while I slept, I thought it much wiser! I let the cold water console me, feeling considerably better now that I was fully awake. Turning the tap off, I sigh and head back into my bedroom. Pausing in the bathroom doorway, I stretch my arms and legs, arching my spine against the frame. The maneuver releasing the rest of the tension from my body and chased the crippling nightmare further from my mind. Folding my body forwards to touch my toes, I hear my bed shift slightly, accompanied by a low, seductive rumble coming from its direction. I didn't need the lights on to know who was there; I could smell Zac's arousal.

Callie smirked in appreciation of the attention, almost doing cartwheels in my mind. My wolf was very fond of Zac and his wolf Callan. "Hurry up, Ashley, get back in bed. Zac is here," Callie squealed with fierce delight, franticly pacing and licking her eager lips in anxious anticipation. It was pretty comical; she was almost drooling at the thought of Zac. "Tart", I laughed back at her, snickering at her melodramatics.

At 24, I had given up hopes of finding my potential mate and spent all my time and effort training with Zac and our families to protect the pack. Zac was 18 and was the son of Beta McMillian. My parents were Alpha and Luna of this pack, and Zac was my Father's Delta, training to replace his father as Beta when I took over the pack as their Luna. If I ever found my Alpha, I thought sourly. Zac and I had grown up in the packhouse together. Most shifter packs have a set-up like ours with the Beta and their family living with their Alpha and his. It made sense to have your right hand under the same roof. Initially, I naturally loved him as a sister would love a brother, but as the years went by and he hit puberty and started filling out, it became more. Our touches and stolen moments together changed. I am almost ashamed to admit that I did absolutely nothing to stop Zac's advances. Sometimes I regret doing nothing, and it severely depresses me, knowing that I could have saved us the future heartache if I had just ignored my burning desire for him. When Zac had turned 18, it was almost too much to bear. Waiting for the inevitable news that he had found his mate was an extremely heavy and ugly burden to carry. I think Zac sensed the hole the torment was creating in my heart as the day after his birthday celebration, he had presented me with the most stunning eternity ring. It was rose gold and was adorned with a crescent moon carved out of obsidian glass. On the inside, it had our initials, A.M & Z.M., inscribed with the word "Always" beside the delicate lettering. It had become my most prized possession, one that I never took off. It meant the world to me, and I knew Zac meant it with his entire being. As I stood there, lost in my thought, Zac whispered into the darkness, "Are you just going to stand there, Ashley, or are you coming back to bed." I instantly raised my eyebrow, mulling over the offer and how his words had me buckling at the knees with anticipation. Zac often snuck out of his room and ended up in mine. Not that I minded. We genuinely liked to think we had everyone fooled, but the knowing looks in the packhouse told us we were doing a lousy job of concealing it. Being sexually active while unmated was not frowned upon in this day and age, but the idea of being rejected when one found their mate usually kept young wolf shifters virgins until the day they found the other half of their soul. As I said, though, I was 24 and had thoroughly given up hope of ever finding my mate. I had reasonably assumed they were either deceased or lived on the other side of the world and were still searching for me, the other half of themselves.