Chapter 3

• Such a small, sweet girl. Fragile and delicate. You immediately want to protect her from all misfortunes and never let her go.
• Vadim, it seems, has already fallen out of favor. Knowing my brother, you can understand why. There isn’t a single young she-wolf in the pack that he hasn’t tried to woo. He’s quite the womanizer. The pack’s morals are simpler than human ones – as long as the true pair hasn’t been found, you can have fun to your heart’s content, which Vadim certainly took advantage of without a second thought.
• The elder's house was located at the end of the street. We pulled up and parked in his yard. The doors opened right before us, no need to ring the bell. An older man, now completely gray, opened the doors and greeted us.
• - Guys, I could smell you from the end of the street. What happened?
• - Just a little unusual case.
• The elder's wife, also not a young woman anymore, greeted us and went to make tea for everyone. The elder's house didn’t differ from an ordinary person’s home – nice furniture, carpets, spacious and bright. There was no flashy display of wealth. Everything was beautiful and stylish.
• - Please, sit down.
• Vadim and I sat together on a soft couch near a small table. The elder's wife had already returned and set out cups on the table, along with a bowl of fragrant cookies. Then, she sat down next to the man.
• - What’s this unusual case that has you both so stirred up?
• - I met my true mate.
• - Me too.
• - Isn’t that wonderful? Just in time.
• Vadim couldn’t resist and grabbed a cookie.
• - So what’s the problem then? You should be congratulating each other.
• I sighed heavily.
• - Our true mate is one, and moreover, she’s human.
• - What do you mean, "one"?
• - Literally. Our wolves, mine and Vadim’s, have chosen the same girl. One for both of us.
• - I see. I'll be right back.
• The man left and returned a few minutes later with a book in his hands. He began flipping through it in front of us.
• - I’ve read something similar. Here it is. A similar case happened in the history of our settlement. It happened with your ancestor two hundred years ago. He also had a brother, and they were both sons of the alpha at that time.
• - And why did this happen?
• - Your wolves chose one girl because there were shapeshifters in her lineage, and she inherited unique genetics. Yes, she’s human, but she’s capable of bearing very strong offspring. And you are descendants of an alpha. Therefore, your wolves are particularly interested in strong progeny.
• - But how can this be? After all, it’s still unknown who will become the alpha. The submission abilities will only manifest after the death of the father.
• - That’s the problem. Right now, your wolves both consider themselves the leaders of the pack. That’s why your true mate is the same girl.
• Vadim finished the cookie and put the cup on the table.
• - Does that mean the bond with her will break when one of us becomes the alpha?
• - The book doesn’t mention that.
• - So what should we do now? Leave her alone and wait?
• - You know that’s impossible. Your wolves are already drawn to her, and you won’t be able to resist. You’ll have to accept it and bring pups into the world. What happens in the future, only time will tell.
• - Share the true mate with my brother? How do you imagine that? Vadim didn’t like the elder’s words at all. And I wasn’t thrilled either. Men are possessive by nature. Just accepting it is hardly going to happen.
• - Guys, I know this isn’t easy, but the situation is unique. You’ll both be drawn to her, no matter how much you resist. My advice is – don’t fight it. The more strong pups the pack has, the better.
• I sighed heavily. This was hard to wrap my head around. And in that moment, another thought came to me.
• - If she’s human, it means the girl doesn’t feel the bond with us.
• - Unfortunately, no.
• Vadim ran his hand through his hair, messily tousling it in frustration.
• - I wanted to meet my true mate, it’s about time. I’ll be thirty soon. But I never imagined I’d end up in such a mess. How do I even keep her then?
• - Vadim, Alex, you’re no longer children, you know what needs to be done. What keeps girls around? Love, attraction, some by power. Think about it, I can’t help with that. I’m curious to see how this will turn out.
• - Alright, thanks, elder.
• - You’re welcome.
• Vadim and I stood up and went to the door. We silently got into the car and headed back home.
• Vadim spoke first.
• - So, what do we do now, brother? The elder is right, I won’t be able to leave her alone.
• - Neither will I. Everything inside me is boiling. Only one solution comes to mind.
• - What’s that?
• My brother looked at me, confused.
• - As the elder said, there are three things that keep a girl around – love, attraction, and power. We both have power, I’ll win her love, and you’ll take care of the attraction.
• - Attraction? Who told you that’s the easiest part? She’s resisting.
• - It won’t be easy for me either. And when the time comes and the girl is ready, we’ll both step in.
• - So I have to seduce her?
• - Don’t jump the gun. Get her to a point where she can’t resist. After all, we both need to be a part of her life. Who’s first, we’ll decide later.
• - I get it. As always? A game?
• - Yes.
• -Alright, let it be. But this time, I won’t give in.
• - You’ve never given in to me.
• - This time the prize is worth the effort. Be ready, brother.
• - I’m always ready.
• Iris
• Yes, my parents weren’t stingy. This isn’t just a house; it’s a whole ranch. Driving onto the property, I was amazed. Around us were the vast fields, with a few horses grazing. To the left were the stables, and they looked quite decent. These weren’t just wooden sheds with stalls for horses. Everything was built to the highest standard, almost like real houses for animals.
• The house itself wasn’t small. It had a rustic style – wooden. But as I got closer, I realized that the wood was just a stylistic choice. The house, as expected, was made of brick. By the way, it was a two-story house.
• I grabbed my bags from the trunk and walked inside, adjusting my wide-brimmed hat. It was beautiful and cozy inside. And it didn’t smell like manure as I had expected.
• By the way, I was relieved to notice a few workers cleaning the stables. My parents had hired people, hallelujah. And there was a satellite dish on the roof. That’s wonderful.
• I rang the doorbell. I had to wait about a minute before the door opened. My mom – a slightly plump, dark-haired woman over sixty – greeted me with tears in her eyes.