Ileus: The Dark Prince

Paige was aware of the dinner that Kaizan had hosted for the soldiers who were transferred to the capital. Since the king and the queen were also there, she had thought of keeping to herself for she was feeling too awkward in the presence of Dmitri. The whole estate was crowded with guards. Wizards and witches were hovering over the estate. Werewolves were stationed at the periphery of the estate at regular intervals. The security was so tight that those who worked under her in the groves were being scrutinized every time they entered or exited the estate. Paige was getting tired of it all and in the end, irritated by the cold and sometimes unruly behavior of the guards, she gave her people an early off.

After the day's work, she had come to the balcony of her room that overlooked her groves with a cup of tea in her hand. The warm breeze from the west blew bringing in the citrusy scent of the groves. The sky was a shade of red and deep purple and the sun was a ball of red fire. Even though she had made herself super busy, sometimes she missed the warmth of a body next to her. The skin-to-skin comfort and the coziness that she had grown to love. A sigh escaped her lips as she yearned for that warmth all over again.

After Ara's incident, she had completely stopped seeing anyone. She just didn't want to get into a relationship. If a man or a woman flirted with her, she would smile and give it a pass. She shuddered at the thought of getting near anyone because she couldn't afford to break her heart again. It was a horrifying experience, one that left her broken to the core.

All at once, she saw her father and mother coming out of the groves, hand in hand. Nate waved at her with a grin and so did Ookashi. They both looked so happy together that Paige wondered if she would ever get this kind of love. Her father was so full of her mother. He loved her from the moon to back and had accepted her decision to stay a mortal. She knew that her father was ready to follow her mother beyond life. And that filled her heart with so much affection that she thought that she was lucky to be their daughter. She watched them come inside the manor and then her gaze focused back on the skies. She was sure that this summer, they would get a better produce of oranges. The evening sun had set and the tea in her hand had grown cold. She didn't want to stay on the balcony and decided to take a bath. Since she was supposed to stay put in her room, she took a quick bath and then wore a rust-colored gown with pleats in the front. She let her hair open for she had taken a head bath too. Paige went down to have an early dinner because she wanted to avoid the guests.

Though the cook asked her to have her dinner in the dining hall, she took her plate upstairs and instructed the servants not to bother her. As such she had to check a lot of bills and invoices that the merchants had thrown at her. "Gods!" she murmured when she looked at the pile on her table. She sat down to work and didn't realize when the manor started swelling with the guests.

After all the work, she stretched her limbs and yawned. With a soft smile on her face that showed her satisfaction at the work, she put her quill down and got up to have water. When she realized that she hadn't got the pitcher of water to her room, she sighed as her shoulders slumped in laziness. Now she had to go all the way to the kitchen to fetch water. She would have snuck her way to the kitchen which she was sure must be teeming with activity. Cursing her forgetfulness inwardly, she opened the door of her room and as soon as she did that, a strong exquisite scent hit her nostrils. Her wolf stirred on the inside, ready to shift. A purr left her throat and her feral form wanted an out. She was stunned by her reaction to the scent. In the hundreds of scents that wafted around her, this was unique.

Mate!

Her entire body trembled and she thought that if she didn't follow the scent, she was going to die. The pull was too strong for her to resist. What had the moon goddess planned for her? Paige's breathing became shallow and she went down the stairs taking two at a time. Her throat was paper dry but that didn't matter. She just followed her instincts and they took her to the room where the dinner was taking place. As soon as she entered, she scanned the room with her wide eyes.

"Paige!" Olivia called her, but she was hardly listening to anyone. She whipped her head to the left and then to the right, and in the corner, she found them. The identical twins—looking straight at her with their honey eyes. Paige stopped breathing. The twin brothers didn't move an inch, their shoulders stiffening and their muscles bulging. "Gods above!" Paige pressed her hand to her mouth, as her hair rose. The shock left her dumbfounded. The twins were her mates. They were the most beautiful wolves she had ever seen, and she had seen many.

"Paige!" Olivia came to her with a grin on her face. "It's so good to see you!"

Kaizan came after Olivia and when he fathomed Paige's expression, he said, "Paige, tell me what is it?" He followed her gaze and saw the staring match between his sister and the twins. "Do you know them?" he asked, his chest vibrating protectively with a growl.

Paige dazedly dragged her attention to Kaizan and said, "Mates—"

His eyes widened with disbelief and he whipped his head at the spies. The two were staring at her, their jaws clenched and their fists balled tightly on their sides. Kaizan knew very well what it was to feel the mate bond. But he was shocked that Paige's mate wasn't a woman, not even one man. Paige's mates were two men. And he didn't know how she was going to handle this emotion. "Go to them," Olivia murmured in her ear. Kaizan placed his hand on the small of her back. Even that little movement caught the eyes of the twins and their fangs descended and claws lengthened as if they would kill Kaizan. He knew that the twins had excellent control over their wolves. That was why they were recommended by Haldir.

"No wait!" Kaizan stopped them and Paige growled menacingly towards him. "Go to the backyard. Please Paige." He held Paige's hand. He knew that this was dangerous but he had to keep his family affairs in private. Moreover, what was happening was going to surely attract the attention of the guests. His eyes went to Ileus who was standing with Haldir but watching Paige. Kaizan opened his mind link with him, and apprised him of the situation. Ileus nodded. He walked to the twins and whispered something in their ears.