Maya

For the next two days, the twins completely ignored me. It was the first time in twelve long months that they had done so. They steered clear of me like I was a dark shadow, even though I could sense their gazes lingering, and I could feel them approaching only to retreat as if I were a dangerously contagious disease.

I should have been relieved, right?

After all the torment, I should have been grateful for the respite. But I found myself searching for answers to their sudden change in behavior. I didn't want them to make my life miserable again, but it was equally challenging to comprehend their abrupt withdrawal, as if they weren't the very individuals who had made my existence a living hell.

Enough of this. I needed to stop thinking about them.

Tonight marked my first shift, and I wanted to focus on that. The real question lingered in my mind: if I somehow found my mate, would they accept me? Would they grant me the privilege of wearing their mark despite knowing my status as Morgana Sterling's daughter, or the stepdaughter of the Sterling Family?

Sighing, I shook my head. It didn't matter. Soulmates were meant to see the real you, and my true identity wasn't being Morgana Sterling's daughter. I was Maya—Maya Campbell, the daughter of a valiant warrior who had given his life in defense of his pack.

The sun dipped beneath the horizon faster than I had ever seen it before, or maybe it was just my heightened anticipation. Excitement coursed through me, yet a small part of me feared that my mate might reject me due to the public perception of who I was—the daughter of the Mistress.

"Stupid, Maya... your mate will love you," I whispered to myself, a hopeful smile breaking across my face as I hugged my knees. After all, fairy tales could be real, couldn't they? Perhaps my mate would rescue me from this chaos.

Yes, I held high hopes that things would get better.

At night, I escaped the packhouse and ventured into the rainforest. The unmistakable itch of my fur trying to break free from my skin gnawed at me, and the pain in my gums signaled the impending emergence of my canines. My spine throbbed, warning that the transformation was imminent.

My pace quickened as I noticed my eyes shifting from their usual blue to a deep, intricate hazel. The reflection of these enigmatic orbs shimmered in the lake I passed by, and soon, I found myself deep within the forest, cloaked in darkness. I shed my clothes, setting them aside for after the shift.

This was going to hurt.

"Aaah—" A gasp escaped my lips as bones broke and reformed. First my hands, then my legs, and I crumpled to my knees. I felt every part of my spine shatter and reform in excruciating detail. This was far more agonizing than I had ever imagined.

Shit! It felt like I was on the brink of death.

Tears welled in my eyes, and another scream tore through the night, followed by a pained hiss as the fur emerged. They were pure white, gleaming under the moonlight. I hadn't expected to be a white wolf, given their rarity in the past century.

The pain persisted for another ten grueling minutes, with bones shattering and rebuilding, skin transforming into fur, and sharp teeth replacing my canines. My scream evolved into a primal howl.

Had I really shifted?

For a moment, I couldn't believe it until I noticed my paws and sensed a different presence in my mind.

Why wasn't she speaking? Was she mute? Oh, no—

"Don't panic, I'm not mute. I just don't talk much—I am Olivia, by the way," a voice echoed in my head.

Well, she might be sassy, but thank goodness she wasn't mute.

"Hi, I'm—"

"I know you're Maya. I can see everything from your memories. Now can you please go for a run, Maya? This is my first time being out of your conscious, so I want to try it out.”

Okay, she was polite as well. I guess we'd have to understand each other this way.

"Of course," I smiled within my thoughts. "But... aren't you excited about meeting our mate?"

I sensed her blush at my question. "Well... I am, but let's take a run first, okay?"

Okay—she was shy as well.

"Okay."

And off we went for a run, and boy, she was fast. Swift as the wind, gliding past bushes and trees as if she'd known this forest since its inception. The winds sliced past us like sharp blades, but they couldn't harm us. Her white fur billowed in the air, gleaming under the moonlight.

My wolf was perfect, and she didn't deserve to be stuck with someone like me.

"You should boost your confidence, Maya. I don't like the way you think about yourself," she said, her tone firm.

Shit, I almost forgot she could hear my thoughts.

"Yes, you did, and I can hear you now as well.”

"Sorry... I just—"

"I understand you, Maya. You don't need to explain. But remember, whatever those who hurt you say doesn't define you." Her words brought a smile to my face. With her by my side, I could find hope and strength in my life.

"Thank you, Olivia."

"You're welcome." This time, I felt her flash me the softest of smiles.

We continued our run through the forest, exploring corners I had never seen before. Finally, we returned to the spot where we had shifted, and shifting back wasn't as challenging as I had imagined. It was much smoother and easier.

I dressed in my T-shirt and undies. No one was likely to notice me at this hour. After all, nobody in the pack remembered my birthday, not even my own mother.

I strolled past the garage, heading back to the packhouse, and then it hit me. Scent.

Not just one scent. Two scents—two heavenly scents that seemed to belong to some divine creatures.

At that moment, I lost control of my senses—then and there. It drew my wolf wild with energy, and every fiber of my being spiraled into chaos. My feet carried me up the stairs, not stopping at the second floor but continuing to the third, a fact I had conveniently forgotten amidst the turmoil. It was a floor that belonged solely to the Devils…. I was so consumed by the scent that I couldn't even be bothered to take the lift; I couldn't risk losing the trail.

Forgive me, Lord, because the instant I stepped onto the third floor, it felt like heaven. The scent was overwhelming here, and my bewildered mind had yet to grasp that this was the domain of the Sterling Twins. Before I could even process it, I saw them—both of them standing on either side of the wide-open door to their room.

Maximus had on a white shirt that loosely clung to his frame, with all the buttons undone, and a pair of black joggers. Leonardo stood shirtless, his form defined in the same colored jeans. Both…. exactly the same faces, but everything about them defined them in their own way. Their muscular frames and abs were perfectly on display.

My breath caught in my throat, and I froze in place, my eyes locked with theirs.

They were the source of that intoxicating scent.

"Mates!" Olivia's voice rang in my head, but then she fell silent, perhaps recalling the memories she had seen.

No! No! No!

This couldn't be the truth. It had to be a nightmare.

They couldn't be my mates... I can't believe it.... Mated To My Twin Stepbrothers?