Chapter 1
“Jiselle*
My brother’s best friend took my virginity.
Sure, it was the best night of my life, not that he cared.
He was my mate… shocking, considering I had only found out on my 16th birthday when I shifted for the first time, and learned that he had known for a whole year, since he’s one year older than me.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nate so… unhinged as he was that night when I called him to my room to ask him why he hadn’t told me. I still remember the look in his eyes as my wolf called to his. I still remembered the air buzzing when he took a step closer to me.
I could still feel his hands on me, his breath, his lips….
Gosh, I freaking missed his ass.
And that was stupid of me, considering he left in the middle of the night, ghosted me and left for the Alpha Training Academy a week later–a year earlier than he was supposed to leave.
It has been two years since.
I had spent every day since grappling with the question: Why? Was I that bad? Did he hate it that much? Or was it something else–something. deeper that I didn’t understand?
All those questions would be answered today because I was going to the academy too.
Ethan, my twin brother, and I had turned 18 last week. For him, that milestone came with excitement and purpose. For me, it came with determination and a secret plan. Ethan’s acceptance letter to the Alpha Training Academy arrived a month ago, accompanied by mine.
He didn’t know that part because I had intercepted both letters the moment they were delivered. The Academy–a grueling institution meant to shape future alphas–didn’t turn away anyone with alpha blood, even if they lacked the training or qualifications to survive.
And I lacked both.
It was no secret that Ethan and Nate had been training as a warrior their entire life. Combat drills, strategy lessons, even endurance runs through the freezing forests in the dead of winter. Me? I watched from the sidelines.
My parents didn’t think a girl needed to train for combat, let alone dream of leading. They were old school, like most of the werewolf shifters.
The Academy wasn’t for “fragile things” like me. They didn’t say it outright, but their looks said enough. So I’d trained in secret when I could- practicing what Ethan taught me during our childhood games and relying on my wolf’s instincts to bridge the gap. I still wasn’t half as good to get by, but I wasn’t completely defenceless.
But now, as Ethan was lacing up his boots in the foyer, I was ready to make my move.
The oversized duffel bag on my shoulder thumped against my hip as I descended the stairs. Ethan glanced up, his eyes narrowing.
“What’s with the bag?” he asked, checking his to ensure he took the right one, I assumed.
wwwww
We had already said our ‘goodbyes.‘ Ethan and I were inseparable twins since birth. I knew leaving me was the hardest part for him, and it would have been for me too if I wasn’t going too.
He commended me yesterday for ‘how well I took the fact that I won’t see or talk to him for 4 years, but if he only knew.
I set it down beside his and crossed my arms. “I’m coming with you.”
He stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. “You’re not serious.”
“Dead serious,” I said, lifting my chin. “My acceptance letter came too.”
Ethan’s laughter died instantly. “You’re joking.”
“Nope.”
“Mom
Mom and Dad would never let you.”
“That’s why they don’t know,” I shot back. “I’m an adult now, Ethan. I make my own choices. Besides, you’re not leaving me behind.”
I waved the letter in front of his face, and he grabbed it, his eyes scanning over the words that I’m sure are identical to his.
He ran a hand through his dark hair, a sure sign he was about to launch into “the protective big brother” mode. Technically, he was only a few minutes older than me, but those minutes had given him enough of a complex to act like I needed constant shielding.
He was all alpha now–my brother gone. When we were younger, we were mostly identical. Our deep, dark brown hair and green eyes made us stand out. But as we grew, he towered over me, got bulkier and looked downright scary.
Not that I was afraid of him, though.
“Jiselle, the Academy isn’t a game. It’s not some adventure you can just… show up for. You’ll get eaten alive. You haven’t trained for this—you’re not ready!”
“Then I’ll train there,” I said simply. “I’ll figure it out, just like everyone else.”
“It’s not that easy!” His voice rose with frustration. “Do you know how many die every year in their first challenge? You either graduate an alpha or… you don’t graduate at all. The Academy’s rules are brutal. They’ll—”
“I’m going,” I interrupted, meeting his furious gaze. “You can leave now, and I’ll catch up later. But either way, Ethan, I’m coming.”
“Jizzy-”
Choose, Ethan,” I said, cutting him off. “You know I’m just as stubborn as you, if not more. And you know that if you leave without me now, even if you call all the guards and tie me down with silver chains, I will find a way, and I will come. And you know that once you enter ATA, you don’t leave. So, make your choice. You leave with me now, or you see me show up later.”
He stared at me as if I was a stranger–like we didn’t share our entire birth and life together. But I could see it clear in his eyes. He was terrified. For me. For my life.
Of losing me.
“Why?” was his only word. “Why do you want to go so badly?”
I sighed, chewing on the inside of my cheek. I knew he would never suspect that it was Nate that I was going for. I needed to talk to him, sure. And I could have waited another 2 years until he graduated without blatantly risking my life, true again.
But… I didn’t know how to explain it. It was far more than just Nate and Ethan. I felt like I needed to be there. Like it was written in stone. I didn’t want to sound crazy, so I couldn’t say that.
Plus, he doesn’t know that Nate is my mate. Nate never told him so neither did I. I partially did it for Nate’s sake, though. If Ethan knew about the night we shared, and that he left me there, much like he did the multiple women who we’ve heard he slept around with, Ethan would kill him and ruin their friendship.
What they had was rare. I didn’t want to ruin that, even if it meant keeping the truth from my twin–a bond that is second to a matebond.
So, I couldn’t tell him it was for Nate, either.
Instead, I told my twin the simplest answer.
“Ethan, you’re my other half… literally. My entire life you had been there and now you’re just supposed to leave for four years? No communication, not knowing if you’re dead or alive? I can’t… I can’t be away from you, Ethe. I’m not ready.”
His features softened a whole lot, and he dropped his shoulders and pulled me to his chest. The familiar scent of cedar and mint fill my senses, and I immediately relaxed.
It wasn’t a lie. A big part of me panicked when I realised that Ethan would leave me one day to go to the academy. I had my reasons for applying, true, but this was definitely one of them.
“I knew you weren’t just taking it well,” he said as he pulled back, cupping my check. “Because I sure aren’t.”
He exhaled sharply, his jaw clenching, looking like he was going to regret this for the rest of his life, and I knew I had him.
“You’re impossible, you know that?” he muttered. Le slung his and my duffel bags over his shoulder and jerked his head toward the door. “Fine. Let’s go.”
