Chapter 2. Peppermint, Grapefruit, and Lemon

~Tia~

I finally make it to our territory and drive through the gates. I can see a slew of cars in the distance, and I know that we will be meeting out back, off to the side. It will be outdoors, which is the best location because we are a pretty big pack. Any event where the entire pack has been invited always takes place outside. We usually have a small stage set up, and seating is available.

I quickly park close to my parent's house since it is pretty close to the packhouse. I don’t want driving up in my car to be a huge disruption to the ceremony that I’m late for. My mom won’t be very pleased, and my dad may actually be upset since I would be messing up his golden children’s day.

I quickly take off to the packhouse, cursing myself for being late and also wearing what I’m wearing. Swearing in a new Alpha is a big deal, and you have to look nice at the ceremony. I opted for a knee-length, sleeveless black dress with red pumps. I always like to have an item stand out from everything else. Now, running in these pumps was just not the best idea for a dress. Then again, I didn’t plan to be late for the ceremony.

When I get to the side, the Alpha is speaking, so I decide to wait. I don’t want to interrupt, and I don’t want to draw attention away from him. As I stand out of the way, Andricia, my wolf, is running circles in my head. She has been a bit crazy since we found out we had to go back, but right now, she is being too much.

What the hell is wrong with you?......... Andricia?.........

She isn’t responding, but she isn’t relenting either. I try to focus on the Alpha’s words in the hope of distracting myself from my wolf’s behavior. Alpha Paul Attwater. I have always liked him. He's a fair and kind man. He never made me feel unwanted or invisible. He has actually called me a few times to check on me since I've been away. I’m sure it's only because he's my Alpha, but it’s nice, just the same. Luna Kimberly is another story. She seems to hate me and has made it no secret. I always try to avoid her if possible. She doesn’t abuse me or anything, but she isn’t Luna-like when it comes to me. I guess my dad has a hand in that. He and the Luna grew up together and were friends. They still have a fairly close relationship. I’m sure he has said things about me to her.

I hear the Alpha introduce his sons, so I use this opportunity to grab a seat. I decide to stay at the back to minimize disruptions. I start to walk through the back row, noticing a vacant seat, and Andricia is losing her shit. I swear we won’t be here that long, so there's no need for the panic. I’m walking past people’s legs and getting looks while doing so when I stop in my tracks. A scent like no other practically smacks me upside my head. I start to sniff the air. I can smell peppermint, but there are two other scents with it. It’s like a strong peppermint with grapefruit and lemon. Such a weird combination, but I have to say that it’s doing things for me.

I let my nose guide me, and I look around, but nothing is grabbing my attention. I could feel eyes on me, and I follow the tug. My eyes cast over the spectators and land on the stage. My eyes meet the most chocolatey brown eyes I have ever seen. They are staring back at me, and I hear that fateful word:

MATES!

Holy shit! Mates……as in mates? Two mates instead of one? I focus on the stage, and it hits me. My mates are the Alpha twins?! There's no fucking way this is real right now! I did the only thing I could think of doing. I run through the rest of the row, bumping people in the legs as I go. I turn and run back toward the side of the house and back toward my car.

I run through the grass as fast as I can. I have to get out of here. I don’t know where I’m going to go; I just know that I have to go. I’m sure one or both of the twins are running after me, but I can’t stop. This is a shit situation that I’m not prepared for.

I can see my car in the distance and try to increase my speed. Andricia is pleading with me to stop. She wants her mates, but I just can’t face this all right now. She wants to take over, but I know that if I let her, she will run right back to where I’m trying to avoid. I push forward, running with all I have, and then I fall flat on my face. I pop my head up a bit and look back, noticing my heel stuck in the ground and my ankle throbbing. Damn!

~Third Person~

Everything happened so fast. One minute, the twins are on stage, ready to accept their role as Alphas of the Emerald Lake Pack and introduce their Lunas, and the next minute, Landon is running one way with Lincoln running the other. Landon and Lincoln both recognized their mate in the audience, but only Landon was ready to accept his fate. It isn’t that Lincoln was against the idea of fated mates; he just wasn’t ready for it. He has always been iffy about having to share a mate with his brother. He understood the fact that identical twins shared a mate because they were halves of the same egg, but he never really felt okay with him. He had always been afraid that he would become insanely jealous any time his mate and his brother spent their private time together. He didn’t want to be that way and have it come between them.

When he and his brother started to date the Colby twins, he was okay with that. His wolf wasn’t necessarily interested, but he pushed on. He dreaded trying to find his mate, but Landon convinced him that it was the best thing to do. While his wolf was disappointed when they kept coming up empty, Lincoln was actually okay with the outcome. He felt confident that he could create a life with Aida. He could grow to love her.........like truly love her, and marking her would intensify those feelings. He knew that Landon always pined for their mate, but he convinced him that they needed to take a chosen mate to take over the pack.

The scent of lilacs and sandalwood hit Lincoln like a ton of bricks, and deep down, he knew that it was the scent of his mate. When she and Landon caught eyes, and she took off, Landon took off after her. The twins were calling out to him, not understanding what was happening. Aida was clawing at Lincoln, asking for an explanation, but he couldn’t handle it. He took off in the opposite direction, determined to gain some clarity while Brutus was begging him to go back and go after their mate.

Landon jumped off the stage without hesitation, hearing the girls call after him. He didn’t care; he didn’t even stop to turn around. He had to get to her as soon as he could. He had been waiting and praying for this day to come. It's crazy that it came during his Alpha ceremony, but to him, that was just proof that naming the twins Luna would have been a mistake.

He noticed exactly who the she-wolf was when their eyes met, and he was astonished. Their mate is none other than Portia Colby, and he couldn’t be happier. Landon has always noticed Portia while growing up, even though she's four years younger than him. He watched her grow from an awkward kid to a beautiful woman. Well, actually, the last time he saw her, she was a teenager, but she was still gorgeous. He never really spoke to her, but then many didn’t. For some reason, the pack greatly ignored her, except for the Beta’s kids.

Lynn and Mark were always with Portia, and he would notice that. He didn’t really grow up with them, minus the occasional gathering with their parents. Mark is meant to be the next Beta, taking over for his father. He has trained hard for the position and is the best for it. They aren’t as close to Mark as they would like, but they figured that they had time to get there.

Portia is running pretty fast, but he isn’t surprised. She has always been strong and fast, even though not many know that. He used to quietly watch her train, and she was extremely good. She never got to show anyone because all of the focus had always been on her sisters. Her father didn’t even help her train, but his second-in-command did. She would even have sessions with Lynn and Mark, and it was always done in secret. She may be fast, but he was gaining on her.

Landon thought that maybe shifting into Goliath would be better, and he could get to her quickly. Just when he was about to shift, Portia fell face down. He noticed her shoe was stuck in the ground, and her foot had come out. She looks back to the shoe and grimaces as she moves her leg. She must be hurt, and that worries him. He slows down, seeing how she can’t move right now and walks up to her. Landon towers over her, and she slowly looks up into his eyes.