The Twin Alphas’ Fated Mate
Fate of the Forsaken Brother Chapter 12

~Kaden-

I wake up to the sound of the guys coming into my room. I have no idea what time it is, but I'm still so tired, so it must be early.

"Wake up sleepy head! Rise and shine!" Devin yells and I cover my face with my pillow.

"Go away." I mumble, but someone jumps on top of me, knocking the air right out of my lungs. I grunt out in pain and I hear Max laugh.

"Get up, you lazy sack of crap. If any one of us deserves to still be asleep, it's not you." Max says.

"What the hell does that mean?" I grumble, finally sitting up.

"It means you're the only one who got to sleep peacefully." Devin says.

"Why, what happened?" I start to panic, thinking something had happened, but Max only waves me off.

"Nothing to be concerned about." Max says.

"Max found his mate." Devin says. I whip my head around to look at Max.

"What?! When?" I ask, shocked. What are the odds all three of us getting mated in a matter of 24 hours?

Max sighs and tells me the story of how he found out Penny is his mate, but she doesn't want to be Luna or move to Red River with Max. He looks upset telling the story. I pull him into me. Max seems shocked.

"What did you tell me yesterday? 'I don't care if you don't want a hug, I'm f*g hugging you"." I say and he laughs. Devin climbs over to us and hugs us too.

"Group hug!" Devin yells, but Max pushes him away.

"Not you! Not after what you told me this morning! I can't get that out of my head!" Max yells. I look at them confused, but that's when I notice the fresh mark on Devin's neck.

"We called it. Devin's coming home a mated man." I say as I smile at him. Max scoffs.

"If I have to suffer, so do you. Devin told me, and I quote 'he definitely does me'. Now you can be cursed with that image, too." Max says, and I look at Devin, who has a wicked grin on his face. It then dawns on me what that means.

"Oh, s**t. Seriously? I could've gone my whole life without knowing that." I say. The image of Devin being topped by Kai is not something I want to see.

"Suck it up, princess. Now spill, what sent you off the deep end last night?" Devin asks. Crap, I almost forgot Devin wasn't there when I told Max about Jerald and the rogue pack. Or Black Creek pack, as he called it. I sigh and look at Max, hoping he understands I don't want to have to say it all over again. It'll only piss me off again. Max nods and tells Devin everything I told him last night. Devin looks pissed by the end of it.

"Seriously, what the hell is up with this pack? Why is everything changing since we got here? And why the hell does this Jerald creep think he can just take you away?" Devin yells. He's frustrated. He doesn't like a lot of change all at once and that's all that's happened this weekend. At least Devin's change is for the better. Kai seems to be good for him.

"We will figure it all out when we get home. For now, let's pack up everything and start getting ready to leave. I want to be out of here before lunch." Max says to us. Devin and I nod and I stand up to get dressed. The guys leave my room and I quickly pack up what little clothes I brought. I need to find Aubrey before we go. I need to talk to her about something.

I finish getting my things together and put them at the door. I walk out and head for the stairs when I realize I don't know where Aubrey will be right now. She might be in the dining hall, but she could also just be eating in her room. Maybe I'll start there. I head towards her room on the floor above the guest rooms. I'm about to round the corner when I bump into someone coming from the other way. I grab onto them to steady them when I feel the sparks on my fingertips.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to run into you." I say quickly, hoping she isn't hurt. Aubrey smiles at me.

"It's okay. I just didn't expect you to be here." Aubrey says.

"I came looking for you, actually." I tell her.

"Oh, well, here I am." Aubrey laughs. I could listen to that sound forever. She's so beautiful. Everything about her is so different from Jaclyn. Being around Jaclyn made me feel on edge, even just the few short minutes I was around her. With Aubrey, I feel at peace, like with her I can just...be. I don't have to worry about anything.

"I wanted to talk to you. About us and being mates. If you have a minute." I say to her. Aubrey nods as she grabs my hand, leading me back to her room. Once inside, she closes the door and motions for me to sit in the chairs by her fireplace. I do and she sits across from me in the other chair.

"You look nervous." Aubrey says, looking down at my leg. I notice it's shaking, a nervous habit I've always had. I grab my knee to stop my leg from shaking.

"Sorry." I say, looking in my lap. I take a deep breath before I continue talking. "What I wanted to talk about was the living situation. I know you are from this pack and you probably have friends and family here. I just wanted to know what you wanted to do. Cause it's up to you and whatever you decide, I'll go along with it." I rush out the words without even thinking. I look up from my lap at Aubrey. She's looking right at me. I start to get nervous again. What if she says she doesn't want to come live with me? What if she's like Penny and wants to stay where she's comfortable?

"Kaden, are you asking me to come live with you?" Aubrey asks.

"Only if you want to." I say. Aubrey frowns a little. Oh no.

"Do you want me to? Cause it kind of sounds like you're trying to convince me it's okay to stay here." Aubrey says. My eyes go wide.

"No, of course I want you to live with me. That's not at all what I meant. I was just nervous because of Max." I admit. His situation with Penny really freaked me out. I hadn't even thought about that happening to me till Max told me what happened.

"Why, what did he say?" Aubrey asks. She doesn't know about Max and Penny, and it's not really my place to tell Max's business.

"Max's mate said she didn't want to leave her pack to live with him because she's comfortable where she is. I got worried you might feel the same." I say. Aubrey looks at me for a minute before she stands up. She steps over to me between my legs and lowers herself so that she's sitting in my lap. I wasn't expecting this, but I like it. This feels nice.

"I'm sorry that your alpha is going through that. Yes, I am comfortable here, my family and friends are here. I grew up here. But I can always come back and visit. They'll always be here. I want to be with my mate. I honestly thought it was a given that I'd be coming home with you today. I'm already packed." Aubrey says to me, holding my hand. Hearing her say these words feels like a weight off my chest. I can't help but smile. I use my free hand to wrap around the back of her neck and pull her down to me for a soft kiss. This feels easier the more I do it. And I could do it over and over again.

Aubrey giggles against me and I pull away, giving her a questioning look. Aubrey points down as her eyes go cloudy and I look at my pants. Her knee is right next to my crotch, right next to my boner. I didn't realize she was that close or that she could feel it. My face goes red as I shift

myself.

"Sorry. Can't really control that." I laugh nervously.

"That's alright. I'll take that as a compliment. But, uh, you should put it away now since my mom just mink-linked me saying she and my dad are on their way to meet you." Aubrey says.

"Meet me? Now?" I ask.

"Like, right now." Aubrey says before a knock at her door interrupts us. Aubrey stands up and I follow. I stand behind her, but not too close as she opens the door.

"Mom, dad! Hi!" Aubrey says as she hugs them. They all step into the room before Alpha

Austen's beta, Andrew also appears behind them.

"Hello, honey. Glad we caught you before you left." A woman, who I assume is Aubrey's mom,

says.

"Mom, I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye." Aubrey says, shaking her head before turning to me. "Kaden, this is my mom, Lindy and my dad, Beta Marlo. Mom, dad, this is my mate, Beta Kaden." Aubrey calling me beta takes me by surprise. No one has officially called me that yet. The guys and I have talked about it, but I haven't been formally addressed as such until now.

Beta Marlo holds out his hand to me with a small smile. "Call me Marlo. I retired the beta title as of yesterday when my son took over." I take his hand and shake it. Aubrey's mom then pulls

me in for a hug I was not expecting. My eyes go wide.

"Welcome to the family, dear." Lindy says. Aubrey giggles and Andrew steps forward.

"Mom, let the guy go. You can't go hugging people you just met without warning." Andrew says.

Lindy lets me go and straightens my shirt for me.

"Uh, thank you. It's nice to meet you both." I say and nod in respect to Andrew, which he

returns. I sometimes forget we're the same rank now.

"Why don't we sit down?" Aubrey says. Lindy agrees moves over to the chairs we were just sitting in. Andrew walks over to Aubrey.

"I can't stay. Austen just called a meeting for Nick and I to get started on what our duties are. We're also moving into our offices. I just came to say goodbye." Andrew pulls his sister in for a hug, kissing her on the forehead. Aubrey hugs him tightly.

"I'll miss you. I'll call you when I'm settled." Aubrey says. She has a good bond with her brother.

It reminds me of Max, Devin and I. I feel bad she will be away from that. Andrew pulls away from her, giving her a smile. He then turns to me.

"Take care of her for me." He says, holding out his hand. I take it.

"She's the most important thing to me now. I'd do anything for her." I say, reassuring him. Andrew smiles before pulling me in for a hug as well.

"That's good to hear, brother. Take care of yourself, as well. She needs you now." Andrew says before pulling away. He gives Aubrey one last kiss on the cheek before leaving. Aubrey takes my hand, leading me over to her parents. We spend the next hour talking about Aubrey, what she was like as a kid, her friends, her school life. Knowing Aubrey had a good life makes me happy. She didn't suffer from bullying like Devin and I did. After her parents say their goodbyes and leave, Aubrey suggests we go get food before finding Max and Devin. I agree and we head

out of her room.