Big girls don't cry
19. Catch her when she falls

Miliano’s POV

I don’t know what to do when I see her run away; she looks terrified. Why is she scared of us? My beautiful mate shouldn’t feel fear, just a happy smile, nothing else. We shift in seconds and run after her. I laugh on the inside when she kicks Kian on his big ugly snout; that’s my girl! When she settles down with us in her lap, I feel content. Aleida’s smiling and laughing; she even scolds her brothers for talking when she can’t hear what they’re saying. She looks so peaceful when she’s leaning on that tree that we don’t dare to move. Hell, I don’t want to move. Aleida rubs behind my ear in the perfect spot, and I love it! We all understand that she isn’t ready to talk to us yet and has a lot to think about; that’s why we don’t shift back; we just let her be. But when her eyes fog, we instantly know that someone is mind linking her. No one of us can do that with her because she doesn’t belong to our packs or is marked by us, which means that someone from her old pack is talking to her; she answers out loud and looks terrified. Then, she begins sprinting away suddenly, and we all follow her. She makes sure that every one of us is inside before she runs around and locks everything she can lock. She even closes one of the cabinets... Yeah, don’t judge her! She’s afraid. Not long after that, I kick the door open, and Kian drags her out from under the bed. She’s a mess, and it breaks my heart to look at her. Aleida’s devastated when she tells us that her alpha wants her back, and something inside me snaps.

“He’s not your alpha, Aleida; an alpha doesn’t treat his pack the way they treat you,” I tell her and take her from Kian, and he glares at me; I glare back at him and just hug her close.

“I can’t just ignore my alpha.”

“He’s not your alpha!” Kian exclaims angrily.

“But, but he is...” Aleida answers quietly.

“No, he ain’t,” Nathan says.

Kian’s POV

Nathan, Jason, Killian, and Henry have been quiet this whole time. I didn’t know that her brother was Nathan; he’s one of the most powerful alphas in the area. We have no blood between us, but we’re not allies either.

“You’re an alpha yourself, Aleida, no one, and I mean no one is your alpha, because they can’t be. Not even one of the three other alphas in this room. You are your own person,” Jason says, squatting down to her eye level.

I didn’t know she was an alpha; why didn’t she say anything

She won’t believe it herself. I already tried. She has the power of all other alphas, but she won’t accept it. We noticed this when she was at the hospital, and that force took over her body. The power made her use it even though she didn’t want to do it. Miliano explains through our mindlink.

We don’t belong to the same pack, but we’re family; that’s how we can talk to each other.

“Everything is going to be all right, baby girl,” Miliano says softly and kisses her forehead.

I growl by instinct. The sound makes her look at me with her big blue eyes.

“Are you jealous, alpha?” she asks softly and smiles playfully at me.

Everyone begins laughing at me, and I glare at them. Finally, Aleida stands from the floor and kisses my cheek. That gesture makes Miliano growl.

“Oh, come on, stop it! Behave like men and not boys,” she exclaims, annoyed before walking out the door, mumbling profanities under her breath.

Aleida’s POV

Seriously? Why are they behaving like little boys who fight over the last popsicle in the freezer? I curse under my breath while I walk towards the living room downstairs; I need something substantial, like yesterday. Then, with a whiskey bottle in my hand, I throw myself at the couch and drink a couple of big sips from the bottle.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing!?” Nathan exclaims and takes the bottle away from me.

“Hey!” I yell back.

“You are only seventeen years old; you shouldn’t drink at all!”

“And absolutely not my two thousand dollar whiskey!” Kian exclaims and runs up to Nathan to take the bottle, which Henry and Killian think is funny since they’re laughing.

“At least she has taste,” they say between the waves of laughter.

“Okay, I guess you guys want to talk, and let me make this clear; I’m not doing this without alcohol. Got it?”

I stand right in front of Kian, glaring at him with an outstretched hand, waiting for him to give the bottle back. He sighs and passes me the bottle.

“What!? She’s seventeen!”

“Do you want to talk to her or not?” Kian asks sternly.

Everyone gets quiet, and I can’t help but smirk at my big brother. I put my tongue out at him, and he looks amused.

“Now I understand what they all say about baby sisters.”

“Hey! I’m not a baby.”

“You’re the youngest of us here,” he says, still smirking.

“I can still kick your ass,” I smirk back and take a sip from the bottle.

Laughter spread throughout the room before it gets entirely quiet again.

“So...” I begin.

“What?” Kian asks.

“You wanted to talk, so talk,” I say while Kian scratches his head and looks uncomfortable.

“So, I think you also noticed that you’re mated to the both of us, right?”

“I’m not anyone’s mate, but please, do continue,” I say, annoyed, not understanding why they continue to claim that.

“If you haven’t understood it yet, Miliano and I are brothers. Actually, twins.”

“But you look nothing alike!” I exclaim, and they chuckle.

“We’re not identical twins.”

“But how can that be? You told me different ages, both of you!” I ask, and they look ashamed.

“Well... We didn’t want you to back off because of the age difference...”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-six...” they say in unison, looking at their feet, and I begin laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing, I just understand why Miliano calls me baby girl; you guys are old.”

I laugh even harder. They both chuckle and sit beside me on each side.

“So... Why didn’t I knew about this earlier?”

“We don’t really like to be in the same room and absolutely not to talk to each other,” Killian says.

That makes me quiet down. Wait, what? If they can’t be in the same room, how the hell am I supposed to have them both as a mate? Make a schedule, like some kindergarten kid? Hang on for just one god damn moment; since when do I accept that I have mates? I don’t have mates and don’t need them.

Yes, you do.

“AAHHH!” The voice makes me jump. “Don’t do that!”

Do what? I’m just talking to you; it’s been a while since you blocked me out again.

“Are you okay?” Kian asks me worriedly.

“Yeah yeah, my wolf is an ass.”

Hey! I am not!

“Oh, but yes, you are Lisa.”

Ugh, why I got you of all people as my human, I will never understand.

“Same, I’ve been wondering too; you are a bitch.”

I am not!

“Am too.”

See you later, Aleida.

“Love you to my inner bitch.”

She growls at me playfully and walks back into the back of my mind with a smirk. The boys are laughing, probably because I talk to her out loud so they can hear. For those who aren’t werewolves, I must look like a crazy woman, talking to myself.

“I didn’t even know that you had your wolf,” Kian says.

“We got the opportunity to actually see her get scolded by her wolf a while back; it was a sight to see indeed,” Jason snickers.

“Hey! I’m right here, you know,” I answer, annoyed.

“Oh, we know,” Nathan says, and then my brothers’ high fives; I pout. “What are you, twelve? Geez...”

I walk into the kitchen, put on music on my phone, and dance on the counter with my bottle. I’m starting to feel a buzz; my whole body is warm and relaxed; I’m laughing with me, myself, and I. The boys walk out in the kitchen and stop in their tracks when they see what I’m doing. Miliano and Kian growl in unison.

“What?” I ask.

“What are you doing up there?” Kian asks back.

“You blind now, dear mate?” I ask and wink at him.

Wait, what did I just...

“So you accept me as your mate?” Kian beams at me.

I freeze and gulp the remaining whiskey from the bottle; the whole room is spinning; I jump down from the counter and give Nathan the bottle.

“I guess I just did; I guess I haven’t got much of choice now, do I? That doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”

I walk out of the kitchen and run up the stairs to my bedroom? Ours? I don’t even know. I let out an ear-piercing scream when the pain is spreading out through my body. My body feels warm, and the cool floor is soothing. Both Kian and Miliano are coming this way; I can smell them.

“What the fuck is happening!?” Kian yells when he sees me in pain, and Miliano is holding his chest like he’s going to have a heart attack.

“Nathan!” Miliano shouts, and it doesn’t take long before the rest is inside our bedroom.

“What is happening!?” Kian exclaims, and Nathan walks up to me to study my body.

“She needs to accept Miliano as her mate too. Right now, she has only accepted one part of her destined mate.”

“But we’re not the same person!”

“No, but you’re twins, two people who are very closely related and are her mates. So if she doesn’t acknowledge this and accept it like right now, she is going to die,” Nathan explains; Kian and Miliano hurry to hold me close.

“Please, Aleida, just do it; we only want to keep you safe.”

“I... I... Can’t...” I say between the pain that makes me lose my breath.

“Why can’t you?”

“Beca... use... I... Don’t... Want... A.... Mate...”

“A little too late for that, considering you already have two.”

“I can’t... Put... You... At... Risk... In... My... Hell hole of a life,” the last part I yell out in pain.

I feel my heartbeats slowing down. Now Kian is also holding his hand over his heart; it hurts him when me, his mate, is dying.

“We accept the risks and problems; we accept it all. But, please, just don’t leave us, lepa!” Kian is crying; he’s beautiful even when he calls, and Miliano kisses me on my forehead.

“Please, baby girl, just accept that we will take care of you! Nothing will ever happen to you again; we will protect you with everything we have and everything we are. I love you.”

Kian glares at his brother; uh oh, someone’s jealous.

Lisa, you there?

Just accept him, Aleida! We are beginning to become weak; I can’t hold on for much longer. You are a werewolf, a strong one, nevertheless! You are so much stronger than you think; you can do this! I know that you are scared, and that is okay, but please, don’t leave them. Please don’t make me leave Jax and Ryan.

“Jax and Ryan?” I ask; Kian and Miliano are looking astonished at me.

Their wolves, I need them, just like you need their humans. Accept him, Aleida, accept him before it’s too late!

I breathe in a deep breath before I say;

“I, Aleida Mendez, accept both Miliano and Kian...?” I begin and look at them, waiting for the last name.

“Vidovic.”

“Miliano and Kian Vidovic, with my body and soul, as my mates. To protect and to love, until the end of time.”

Another pain wave forces its way through my body before everything becomes quiet. I just lay there, trying to catch my breath. Miliano is lying beside me.

“Thank you...” he whispers with a broken voice.

“For what?”

“For saving me?”

“I didn’t save you.”

“Yes, you did; if you didn’t accept me, we both would die.”

“You don’t think that mentioning that could be good? If you just told me that from the beginning, then I would have done it without hesitating.”

He hugs me, and I hug him right back. Kian is growling behind me.

“Oh bu hu, learn to share, big boy.”

I glare at him but accept his hand and rise from the floor. Immediately he takes me in his arms and growls a low;

“Only mine.”

“Yours, and Miliano’s,” I correct him.

He growls a little at Miliano, who is walking to us. I pinch his nose hard, and he whines.

“Play nice,” I say in a “mommy” voice.

He looks ashamed; their betas and my brothers are laughing their asses off.

“Yeah, I want to hug too,” Miliano says.

“You already did that; it’s my turn!”

“Nuh-uh, it’s my turn!”

Oh, dear moon goddess, give me strength...

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