(Rigel)

Alnilam has promised to make my mother’s rescue his top priority. I know that his Witch mother can find me at any second, and that could lead to chaos. Alnilam seems on board with the plan to end her life but what about the twins?

Will they agree?

At the end of the day, she is their mother no matter the damage she has done.

From my discussion with Alnilam and the unlocked memories, I realised she usually spared the twins, letting the rest of us suffer, especially Alnilam and Saiph.

I understand the pledge we took and that prophecy binds us together especially when it comes to Amaia but will the five of us stand together against the aggressor too?

"We have to go while they are busy negotiating with the Istrale convoy." He stands up and offers me his hand.

Finally, I take it and stand up, keeping my mother’s diary closer to my chest. My eyes take in her room, and nostalgia fills me; the pain in my chest is so brutal that I want to tear someone apart.

Alnilam holds a ring and he circles it several times in the air while he says.

"We should give samples for our DNA tests too, so we can know for sure about our parents."

The portal opens and he pulls me inside with him, afraid that I will run off again or take some drastic step.

I wanted to run straight towards the wretched woman and end her life. Without any proof against her with only my word, I knew my father wouldn’t believe me. Even though my powers have been unlocked and I feel stronger than before, I know I am still not as strong as her.

I need my brothers and I need Amaia to end her for good. Amaia has promised me she will seek revenge against the person responsible but I don’t want to push her into this without a plan, just based on blind rage. That will be selfish of me. I can’t be selfish when it comes to Amaia.

But I don’t know how I will face her...

We pass through the portal with my eyes closed and thoughts swirling in my brain. My feet land and my eyes open. I find myself back in Alnilam’s office.

He steadies me. The office is not empty, sitting on the single sofa is none other than Saiph, fully suited with his scythe strapped to his back.

Our stunned gazes find each other and for a split second, both of us freeze.

Silence in the air hangs heavy, meaningful—it stretches and every moment we have spent together flashes in front of my eyes.

From our childhood encounters where we often shared similar interests, played together, protected Alnilam and the twins to memories and moments of Amaia.

Our magic always cancelled each other out. His nightmares’ inability to affect me. My shadows’ refusal to ever hurt him.

Him holding me down so I could make love to Amaia.

That incessant urge to watch him with Amaia.

That phantom ache, always existing in my heart that I had a part of me missing. I always thought it was because my twin passed away but he was always there.

Everything clicks and falls into place.

It’s my shadows that reach for him first, landing on his broad shoulders. They descend like the smooth elongated shadows of the evening, merging with him, owning him.

My dark heart which only lets Amaia’s light pass through aches for Saiph too.

It calls for him, like it doesn’t even call for Alnilam and the twins.

Is it because we have shared a womb? Although we look nothing alike apart from black hair, which we have inherited from our mother—we don’t share many physical traits. I used to have blue eyes similar to him but when my vampire gene triggered my eyes changed their colour.

My looks are similar to my mom’s. Saiph has a hint of father in him. The chin structure, I can see, is similar to our father’s.

Alnilam’s apologetic voice interrupts our sentimental staring. "Amaia and twins?"

"In the infirmary," Saiph answers without breaking his eye contact with me.

"I will let the two of you catch up and will return with them." He excuses himself, although I know he must have wished to speak with Saiph too. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Do you wish to begin?" Saiph asks, his heavy voice a mixture of emotions and turmoil.

"I don’t know where. My social skills are rusty," I answer, still trying to figure out all these bubbling sentiments.

"How about we embrace each other and see how it goes. Your shadows are already doing it." He points with his intelligent eyes.

I am still glued to my spot, hugging Mom’s diary to my chest, trying not to break down.

For so long I thought I had no one. That my mom was dead, my father and brothers didn’t care about me and now.... everything was rapidly changing.

Not only is my mother alive, but I also have a twin brother I never knew about. The twin brother who has most likely gone through a similar trauma as I have.

Being that wretched woman’s personal guard. Did she sexually abuse him as she did with me?

How many curses had she placed on him?

The thoughts make me dizzy. My pain is there but thinking about the pain of my twin makes it unbearable.

Sometimes she used to come with someone who remained in the shadows, could it have been Saiph?

Has he seen me getting tortured and raped?

Before I can tumble to the ground from these mountains of unfathomable emotions breaking on me, Saiph steps forward and holds me.

"Easy there, I got you." His embrace has always been warm, opposite to my cold one. He helps me sit on the sofa.

He doesn’t have mother’s vampire gene or father’s werewolf gene which makes me wonder, why?

For the hybrids. The dominant genes always show up in children. Werewolf and vampire genes are both dominant genes. Either one or both are supposed to be inherited by children. He only seems to have inherited magic from them.

Something seems off and lacking about him, I can’t pinpoint it. My shadows are probing him but Saiph is not open like the twins. Even Amaia, I was able to understand more and yet he is my twin.

"What secrets does your heart carry, Saiph? What did she do to you?" I ask, grabbing his arm.