The Alpha's Twins Book 2
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Kelsie Tate
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In the heart of the Blue Moon Pack, James grapples with heartbreak and the looming threat of war. As he navigates his duties as a warrior and his turbulent emotions, he encounters Mallory, a woman with a painful past who might just be his second chance at love. Amidst fierce battles and personal struggles, James and Mallory must confront their fears and the dangers that threaten their pack. Will they find solace in each other, or will the shadows of their pasts and the specter of war tear them apart?
Chapter 1
Book 2: James
James stared out the windshield as he drove home, gripping the steering wheel tightly, his large frame making the inside of the SUV seem small.
The winding roads were usually soothing, but now they were of no help as he made his way back home to his pack.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind as the events of the morning played on repeat in his brain. All he could see was Layla. Beautiful and warm and happy…and in the arms of that alpha.
He had opened himself up, he had told her he loved her and that he would wait for her. Jace didn’t care about her or love her the way he did.
But she had picked him anyway.
He hit the steering wheel as he let out some of his anger. After driving for a while, the anger turned to sadness.
All he could see now was the tears in her eyes as he left, both of them knowing they’d never see each other again.
His plan was Layla. He was supposed to love her for the rest of his life.
A few hours later, he reached the boundary of Blue Moon Pack and sighed at the thought of returning to his empty home.
The home he had hoped to once more share with her and to have a family, something they had both longed for and had spoken about often when she was still there.
As he pulled into the driveway of his house, he sat in the car for a moment, trying to muster the will to get up and carry on with the rest of his life.
James opened the front door and stared into the darkness of the front room. He sighed and walked in, dropping to the couch and staring at the wall, wondering what to do now.
She had been his best friend, and everything bright in their home was because of her.
It angered him even more to know that they had separately decided to take each other as chosen mates and he lost that chance because that alpha just happened to visit.
If he hadn’t, Layla would be here with him. They would be together.
Now he had no mate, and he had no future. Layla had been lucky; finding a second chance was rare and something he knew would never happen to him.
He had been rejected by his mate and was now rejected by the girl he had chosen. He grabbed the lamp from the side table and threw it against the wall, shattering it to pieces.
James’s face darkened as he thought, ‘So be it.’
He stood, his large body tensing as he angrily walked back out the front door and toward the training grounds.
As he stepped into the field, one of the head warriors approached him with a smile. “James! You’re back! Long time no—”
“Give me someone to fight!” he growled, interrupting the friendly conversation.
“Oh… Uh, well…everyone is already paired up.” He looked around the field for a moment before hollering to the trainer. “Coach! James needs a sparring partner.”
“Handle it,” Carson grumbled before turning his attention back to the group he was speaking to.
“I guess we can spar if you like…,” the warrior spoke uneasily, knowing James could chew him up and spit him out in a matter of seconds.
“Fine,” James replied quickly before shifting, unleashing his wolf that was raring for a fight.
The warrior shifted, his eyes showing how nervous he was.
James was a giant and one of the pack’s best warriors, but everyone knew he was a big softie. But right now, he was mad and there would be no stopping him.
James growled darkly before charging at his prey, quickly taking him down with ease.
A few brave young wolves saw and decided to try their hand at him, quickly stopping their sparring and lunging toward him. James swung around, yanking each one up before throwing them across the field.
“JAMES!”
He paused for a moment as he stared at his trainer from across the field.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Carson yelled. “I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you, but it won’t be tolerated on my field! Get out of here and cool off!”
James growled before running home, only shifting back once at his front door.
“Can’t believe that he kicked me out of training…,” he murmured to himself as he walked inside and threw on some shorts. “Bunch of pansies…”
An hour later James perked up at the sound of a tap on the door. Somewhere down deep he hoped it was Layla. That she had come to her senses and come back to him. He opened it, his large body filling the whole frame.
“Want to tell me what’s going on before I have to report you?” Carson grumbled before walking past him and into the house.
“Yes, please, come on in…,” James muttered before shutting the door.
“Well?”
“It’s nothing. Just a bad day…”
“You literally just got home; how could you possibly be having a bad day already?” Carson pushed.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, we’re going to talk about it.”
“It’s none of your business!” James boomed.
“It became my business when you brought it on the field and beat down a bunch of your fellow warriors!”
“She didn’t pick me, okay?” James yelled in exasperation. “I went there to bring her back—to show her how much I love her, and Layla picked him.”
Carson paused as he looked at James with pity. “He’s her mate. There was no way she was going to make any other choice.”
“I hoped she would,” James replied defeatedly as he dropped to the couch.
“He didn’t love her. He didn’t even speak to her when I first got there. She would have said yes if he hadn’t started giving her the tiniest bit of attention.”
“Why don’t you take a few days and get your head straight.” Carson placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before walking out the door and leaving him alone again.
James sat in the quiet, unable to move or think about anything but his heartbreak. It was different than before.
When he was rejected by his mate, it didn’t hurt that much. She rejected him almost immediately, and there was no time for the mate bond to form.
But with Layla, it was real. He had fallen for her naturally, without any pushing or help from the mate bond.
And now he had to find a way to get over her.
