Chapter 33

AURORA

Looking back, I think a lot of Rin’s actions, especially towards me, were driven by his feelings of loneliness and his struggle to fit in. Sure, his family loved him, and I don’t think he ever questioned that, but Rin knew from a young age that he was a fox in a world of Luna Dogs.

He and Rayne might have shared a mother and a birthdate, but they were as different as night and day. That’s not to say Rin didn’t care about me. I knew he did, even in those early days. He wouldn’t have fought so hard to keep me if he didn’t.

But caring for me wasn’t going to convince anyone that we belonged together. If I wanted to stay with Rin, I had to be sure of my love for him and I had to become strong enough to truly ~be~ his beta. I kept this in mind as I stood at the edge of the courtyard, bow and arrow in hand, aiming at the trees.

Two weeks had passed since I’d arrived at the palace with Rin. Things were still a bit unsettled, but calm enough for me to start working on myself. I’d been spending a lot of time in Jekia’s vast library, reading and researching about this world. But I’d also decided that I wanted to learn how to defend myself.

Physical fighting wasn’t really an option—I was small and not very strong. But archery seemed like a good fit. I’d never even seen a bow or arrow before, but I was a natural. In just a week, I was hitting nine out of ten targets dead on, and I was getting faster.

The only hiccup was my teacher. Rayne, it turned out, was an excellent archer and had offered to teach me. Rin wasn’t thrilled, but he couldn’t really complain. He didn’t know the first thing about archery.

At first, it was a bit unnerving to be alone with Rayne, but I quickly got used to it. Rayne was nothing but kind and patient. He explained things clearly and helped me position the bow and arrow correctly. I owed a lot of my success to him.

That afternoon was no different. I tilted my head, took aim, and let the arrow fly. It hit the target carved into a tree about fifteen feet away. Rayne clapped, a pleased smile on his face.

“You’re doing amazing. You hit all your targets today on the first try,” he said. “I’ve been trying to be more accurate, but I still feel like I’m too slow,” I admitted.

“You’re doing great. It takes time to master archery, and you’ve made a lot of progress in a short time. I’m impressed, especially since you’d never picked up a bow or arrow before,” Rayne said, stepping in front of me.

In the bright sunlight, Rayne was strikingly handsome, much like his father, Jekia. His white hair, ears, and tail shone in the light, and his golden eyes were as vibrant as Rin’s. Despite being a Luna Dog, he and Rin shared a lot of similarities. They were definitely twins.

“At least I feel like I’m making progress,” I said, letting out a tired breath. “I don’t think any of us doubted that you would. Humans don’t usually become betas. It’s something that has to grow within them, even if they’re chosen by an alpha. I wish Rin had explained that to you, but what’s done is done. It’s not my place to lecture him. Father’s done enough of that,” Rayne said.

“You don’t have to be so hard on him. Rin had good intentions, and he’s letting me help myself now. Plus, he made sure I got my voice back right after we met,” I reminded him.

“That’s true,” Rayne conceded.

He leaned in a bit closer. “You’ve been speaking better in the last week too. That’s a relief.”

“I’m fine now. It was probably just stress. That’s all.” There was a pause as I considered whether to ask him about that night.

We hadn’t talked about it since it happened, and no one else seemed to know. Rayne must not have told them. But it still bothered me, and I wanted to make sure things were really okay between us. “Um, Rayne, can I ask you something since it’s just us?”

Rayne didn’t seem worried. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”

“I know this might be a bit strange to bring up now, but I was wondering if you’re okay,” I said.

Now he looked confused. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well,” I hesitated. Did he really not remember? “It was kind of weird after I woke up from fainting a few weeks ago. We were talking and you suddenly said something strange and left the room, and I didn’t see you for a few days after that.”

Rayne paused, deep in thought. “I can’t remember, honestly. I know I was trying to find out what happened to you, which is why I wasn’t around for a bit. I went to a few nearby towns to see if I could find anything. But as for what I did the night before, I have no clue. It’s a blank,” he admitted.

“That’s strange,” I murmured. “Yeah, but don’t worry about it. I’m still me, and nothing’s going to change that,” Rayne assured me.

I smiled back at him. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. You seem as strong as your brother from what I’ve seen.”

“I like to think so, but I’ll admit Rin sometimes outshines me, especially in terms of skill. He’s usually smarter too, but I think that’s because he’s a fox. They’re all like that, as far as I know,” Rayne added.

“Does it bother you that Rin’s a fox?” I asked as we walked into the palace. It was just the two of us. Vishu was out in the woods, tending to her webs, and Lana and Selenia had gone to a nearby town called Jumal for the afternoon.

Rin had also left with Jekia to meet with the elves who had made my stone. They had wanted to do this earlier, but things kept getting in the way. Rin wasn’t thrilled about leaving me alone with Rayne, but there shouldn’t have been any issues.

Rayne was an alpha, like Rin and their father, so he could protect me. Plus, Vishu’s webs were all around, and there was no reason why I couldn’t be alone with him. I was doing well and could take care of myself if needed.

“It doesn’t bother me. Rin is Rin, and he’ll always be my brother. I just wish he’d stop being so hard on himself,” Rayne confessed.

“That’s true. He is hard on himself, even if he tries to hide it,” I agreed.

I put the bow and arrows in the small cabinet where they belonged and stood up, pulling my hair out of the ponytail I’d put it in for practice. Rayne sat down on the nearby fainting couch and laid back, his hands folded on his waist and tail draped over his thigh. The window beside him was partially open, letting in the warm air.

“Want to join me and relax for a bit? No one will be back for a while, so there’s no need to rush,” he suggested.

I didn’t see any harm in it. I’d been close to him plenty of times before.

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

I settled next to him, smoothing out my skirt and watching his peaceful expression as he rested. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady.

“Are you going to fall asleep on me?” I teased.

“I might. It’s really comfortable here, and I like having you next to me,” Rayne replied, not bothering to open his eyes.

“I don’t mind being here with you. You’re a good guy, and I enjoy spending time with you. I just wish Rin wouldn’t worry so much. It’s like he’s scared I’m going to leave him, no matter what I say,” I confessed.

Rayne finally opened his eyes. “I understand, and I can’t blame him. He’s always felt like an outsider, no matter what we’ve done to help him. Finding you probably feels like the first real thing to him. But I understand his fears. We alphas do tend to try to win over female betas. It’s instinctual for us,” he explained.

“You all make it sound like you’re more animal than human,” I noted.

“Maybe. This world is probably more primal than the human one, at least in some ways. I’m sure Mother’s told you it has different rules, especially regarding alphas, betas, and now omegas. I know Rin hates it, and I’ve never liked it either, but what happened with our mother was pretty natural. I guess it’s just the thought of Mother being drawn into sexual relationships with two alphas at first when she didn’t really understand why,” Rayne elaborated.

“I’m sure it upset your father and Rin’s too. It was like they were using that to make her choose them,” I observed.

“True, but I think she was always meant to end up with my father. Sage was just their backup plan to bring Rin into the world and balance us out. It’s a cruel thought, considering his feelings. He loved Mother. He just knew she would never be his,” Rayne replied.

It was a sad thought. If that fox had loved Lana, then sleeping with her had meant more to him than just getting sexual pleasure. It made the whole alpha thing seem pretty terrible to me, but it also raised my own concerns.

“Since it’s just the two of us, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but do you think you could end up in the same position as that fox?” I asked him.

Rayne gave a nonchalant shrug. “Nope, I don’t. I mean, I like you a lot. And let’s be real, you’re stunning for a human woman. But I wouldn’t want to hurt Rin by taking you away from him. Sure, I wouldn’t mind a little fun with you now and then, and the idea of him getting jealous is kind of intriguing. But I’d rather find my own beta someday, not steal his.”

“You know that could get messy,” I cautioned him.

“Maybe, but I don’t see the harm in a little friendly fun.”

“I’m not so sure…”

Rayne shot me a playful grin. “We don’t have to go all the way if you don’t want to. And we do have some alone time.”

A strange warmth spread through me at his words, and I could’ve sworn his eyes sparkled for a moment. Suddenly, my reservations seemed to melt away. I wanted this chance with him, even if it had to remain our secret.

“We can do whatever you want. As long as it stays between us,” I told him, my voice dropping to a seductive purr I didn’t even know I was capable of.

“I can do that,” Rayne agreed, his voice matching my sultry tone.

A small voice in the back of my mind was screaming at me to stop, but I pushed it away, locking it behind a mental door as I leaned in to kiss him. Our kiss quickly escalated, and I felt Rayne’s tongue teasing my lips. I opened my mouth, moaning as our tongues danced together.

Rayne finally broke the kiss, trailing kisses down to my ear. I could feel his hands exploring my sides and hips, his fingers tracing the fabric of my dark blue sundress before hiking up my skirt. A shiver ran down my spine as his claws lightly grazed my thigh.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured against my neck. “So soft, and you smell so sweet. I need you.”

I could already feel the hard bulge in his pants pressing against my inner thighs.

“Go ahead. It must be uncomfortable to hold back,” I whispered back.

I unbuttoned his pants and slowly unzipped them, reaching into his underwear to touch his erection. It was already hard and hot under my fingers.

Rayne let out a sharp breath, sitting up slightly. “It’s starting to hurt. Why don’t you take it out for me?” he suggested.

“Of course. I want to see it.”

I slowly pulled his pants down to his knees, followed by his underwear. He kicked them off the rest of the way. His erection was even more prominent now, hardening right in front of me. Rayne quickly pulled up my skirt, tugging my underwear off.

“As much as I’d love to see all of you, I can’t resist how enticing your arousal smells. It’s driving me crazy,” he confessed.