The Alpha Twins and their Runaway Witch

32

August was silently following his brother back to their rental home. Their mate was firmly hunkered down with a demon, and Alex was in a very, very bad mood. He had seen his reflection, poorly in the bike mirror. Alex had not looked closely. Denial was a much better place to be.

August knew his brother was trying to delay facing the truth. It would be years before his hair was long enough to be put back up in a topknot. August was anticipating that it was going to be a rough night at home. August was going to likely need to keep Alex busy and occupied tonight with projects like scrubbing the grout between every single tile in the house and then running a nice marathon on the treadmills in their home gym.

Until then August was going to try and enjoy the ride on his motorcycle. They cruised at an easy pace. Heading home tails between their legs. Burned and beaten. By a demon and a girl they had both dismissed as being too weak when they first saw her. August was going to regret his first opinion of her the rest of his days. Smiling, twice she had run like the wind from him, and found a burrow he couldn't reach. This was a hunt, a thrilling chase. They needed to reconsider everything they had ever done to attract a woman.

She was different. This wasn't a one night thing. This wasn't a longer term arrangement for mutual pleasure. She was supposed to be theirs for a reason. She was worth any effort it took. Tonight, that effort would be managing the white hot anger that Alex was going to have when he looked in a proper mirror and couldn't lie to himself about his lack of hair any longer. August would never, ever say it out loud, but without any hair, Alex's entire face had shamed. Looking more like Holland's grandfather then August would have thought possible.

The twins arrived home. Alex was quick to park the bike and stomp inside. August gave his brother a moment to react without any witnesses or audience. Privacy was sacred. Even with the distance, and closed doors, August still heard the unmistakable sound of his brother yelling. August took more time, rolling the bikes one at time into the garage instead of leaving them under the sheltered car park.

Checked the fluids. Methodically locked the doors and tried to walk across the driveway as slowly as was humanly possible. Uncertain what he was going to walk into. Of all the emotional sounds he was expecting to hear when the door opened. Nearly maniacal laughter was not on the list of what he thought he would hear.

Alex heard the door open from the bathroom. Stopped laughing and emerged from the bathroom, looking a little crazed to his brother who was very knocked off balance now. "I'm a fucking egg bro!" Alex said, shocked. Running his hands over his perfectly smooth skin. "Fuck, not a single burn but this is smoother than any wax job or anything else." August set down his keys and kicked off his boots without breaking eye contact with Alex.

Treating him like a wild animal. Unpredictable and possibly dangerous in this strange manic mood. August moved slowly. No sudden movements. "She's a witch." She had looked so scared and then so surprised when she had bumped into them, then more scared when she threw the fireball. "I'm not certain she knew she could throw fire anymore than we did." He told his brother. That didn't make sense though, she was past being a teenager, August was sure of it. Witches manifested before they were grown.

Alex started to come down from his shock. He wasn't mad. It was just hair, he knew who his mate was. He just needed to win her affections. After a moment, he remembered something else. "She was terrified of us." August nodded, she truly had been. The scent of it had been thick in the air.

The two went to the kitchen, August sat down and Alex started to try and cook. "We're approaching this all wrong. We've forced her into a siege. We need to change battle tactics." August said to Alex as he arranged his ingredients on the counter.

Alex grumbled something to himself that August did not quite hear. "What was that?" Glad that at least his brother's mood swings were still there and he had not suffered an entire mental break down at seeing himself without hair.

"Would have been easier if she was just running away on her own." Alex grumbled. August had to keep himself from smiling.

Alex was trying his hardest to not be mad at their mate. That was why his behaviour was so different from his usual behaviour after he didn't get his way, or was embarrassed, or lost, or didn't get what he wanted or really most negative life experiences. August felt almost proud of his brother for trying to modulate his emotions this time.  Focusing his anger towards the demon, and not their mate. "We'll figure this out." August told Alex, who only nodded and waved his brother away while he focused on cooking. 

Diverting his energy and attention away from feelings he did not want to feel. August knew his brother, knew how his mind worked. He needed to play cool, pretend to go along with Alex and not bring attention to his fresh blad status, or how hard he was trying to control himself and his reactions. "Did you see her eyes?" August asked Alex. Just talk about her, she was supposed to be both of their one. Supposed to love her together.

Alex sighed. "No." Shuffling back and forth on his feet before rolling his neck to crack his shoulders and return to cooking. He had been focused on the fireball engulfing his head.

August felt his brother grow more agitated. "They were clear blue. Like the sky." August day dreamed, he could see it, her more healthy. Rounder cheeks. Those eyes, and a smile on her lips instead of a look of fear. She was beautiful, she just needed to be taken care of, they could do it better than any demon. Alex growled. "What? She's ours, I can think she's beautiful." August protested against his brother's growl.

Alex was growling, standing stiff and tense. "She is being kept by a demon." his jealousy obvious to his brother.

August couldn't help the growl in his own voice as he retorted, "She doesn't stink of demon, he hasn't touched her." Willing his brother to watch how he spoke of their mate. They had both hesitated the first day, that was their mistake to correct.

Alex snorted. "Yet. He will." She was shacked up with the demon and willing to sell herself at a vampire bar. Forming several misconceptions about his mate based on the few things he did know. Alex wondered if there had been some mistake. Grandma Judy was super happy with her second mate Grampa Colton. Maybe the Moon Goddess got it wrong on this first try.

Alex was not anticipating to have the wind knocked out of him as his brother tackled him from the side and slammed him against the floor to ceiling pantry cupboards on that wall of the kitchen. "Oh been saving yourself for her have you?" He could sense his brother's mood, that Alex was thinking the worst of their mate. August was not going to let anyone, not even his brother think of her negatively. "Pretty sure we were tag teaming a fucking succubus days ago!" August yelled at his brother. "Tuck your shit misogyny in a goddamn box to deal with on your own time or reject her and go start taking notes from Cassian on how to live celibate." August spat at his brother. Shoving him one last time.

Alex returned to cooking. Neither brother saying anything to break the silence or tension between them. Alex put a plate of stirfry near August. Taking his own plate and heading to the spare room and closing the door. Leaving August alone. In a kitchen that seemed too clean for someone to have just finished cooking in. August ate his meal. It was delicious, perfectly balanced between sweet, salty, spicy sauce mixed with vegetables that were all perfectly cooked, and quality steak strips.

Alex did not emerge from the spare bedroom after taking his plate in there to hide away behind a closed door. August ate his meal alone. Finished cleaning the kitchen. Started the dishwasher, wiped down the counters, put the handful of things on the counter away.

August had watched an entire movie he had not paid attention to in the living room. Alex still did not come out. August sighed to himself. It wasn't late. Previously he would have considered just going into town to have a good time.

He was no longer interested in spending time with another woman who wasn't his mate. August wanted to find a way to be with her. To help her through whatever she had been through. That was why he and his brother were both mated to her, because she needed more than the average mate. This was an extra special bond. Different never had to mean worse than typical. Regardless of how Alex was taking it.

Mom and their dads were happy together. Grossly, inappropriately happy all the time. All their parents had said they had not expected to have the family they had ended up with when they were young. Just because they had not thought of it, did not make it any less right, any less perfect.