Too Many Secrets To Hide | ✔| #Wattys2017

Chapter Twenty-Six

Word Count: 3765

   I stared into the eyes of a huge black wolf. It had grey eyes that shot shivers through your heart- just like Malachi's. "That would be my brother," Malachi called with a smug kind of cheerfulness. "Don't hurt her, Matt," he seemed to address the wolf. "She's my mate." The wolf instantly stopped his growling, but looked me over skeptically.

   After a few moments of that, he directed his attention to Jasper. It seemed to be a staring match, but Jasper didn't test him because he knew he would be outmatched by the alpha and his brother. I don't think he considered the fact that I could fight and Malachi was actually the one in no condition to do so. I think we could have taken those two.

   The wolf walked into the hospital room before shifting. He was a spitting image of the man on the bed, they were clearly twins. It was actually a bit uncanny, like deja-vu from the time I had first met Malachi. In fact, Malachi looked less like himself than his brother did as he was currently so weak and drained. Matt, I think Malachi called him, held out a hand to me. I shook it, a little skeptical. "I'm Matthew, but you can call me Matt," he introduced himself politely. He gave a smile that was half forced and half genuine. I would have preferred just a smaller smile to the imitation in the relatively large one he displayed.

   "And I suppose you're her...mate," Matt said over my head to Jasper, who was behind me, with not nearly the same kindness he had shown myself. "Yep," Jasper replied with a daring glare into Matt's eyes. Matt took in the situation around him. In this room was his twin brother, sitting half dead on a hospital bed in someone else's territory. As well as that, in the room was his mate, the part human and part wolf girl who was also mated to the son of the alpha of this pack- who was also here.

   "So what exactly happened to you?" Matt almost sneered, the words directed towards his brother but his tone was clearly meant for Jasper. "Apparently Jasper gave her...blood?" he said like a question, looking at Jasper for the more full explanation. "Her sister was dying, so to save her she donated some of her blood to give her strength. That left her drained so I gave her some of mine," Jasper explained. The twins didn't seem to fully understand, but had received enough information to satiate them for now.

   "And why are you holding him captive here?" Matt finally turned back to Jasper. "Well you know what they say," he began. "Keep your friends close, and you're enemies closer." He smiled complacently. Matt returned with a smirk. "Well for someone who likes to keep their foe's so close, you're awfully close to your mate." I felt Jasper's anger swell just a little. "I never said anything about my soul mate," he said as he smiled down at me and placed his arms across my shoulders with a squeeze. "But let me add that part: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," he recited. "And the girl you're gonna spend the rest of your life with closest." He smirked and passed a glance at Malachi as if to say, 'she's mine and only mine'.

   Matt looked like he was ready to lash out, but luckily he seemed to see the possibility of me being able to fight. It was funny how your feelings can affect your perception. In reality, a weakened alpha and his twin brother were an equal match for the son of an alpha and his part human mate- or maybe that's just my feelings skewing my perception.

   "What exactly are you two planning to do with this...mate situation?" Matt finally asked sincerely. "Well I was going to keep him locked up here for the rest of our lives," Jasper answered without missing a beat. "Well that isn't going to happen," Matt replied just as casually. "And he isn't going to get my girl," Jasper told him with an edge on his voice. "My girl," Malachi corrected from the bed. "Actually," Jasper began, "She's more wolf than she is human, making her mostly mated to me. So by right's, she's mine." That was a very good point. "That doesn't change the fact that I can't live without her," Malachi pointed out. "Neither can I," Jasper countered, his voice beginning to raise.