Rejecting The Alpha Twins (Regan)

Chapter 57 Xander

POV

I can feel Regan's hand trembling in mine as Elder Dominick speaks. He turns to Isabelle who is continuing to adopt a pitiful figure and his voice changes to a softer, gentler tone, making me scowl at him. "Isabelle, I would very much like to hear what you have to say, if you feel up to talking," he said, partng her hand.

HIN

I wanted to laugh out loud incredulously, Isabelle was more than capable of talking. She was milking her suicide attempt for all she was worth. Elder Dominick shot me a warning look as Isagelle cleared her throat and loudly coughed.

"My father used to beat me, on a regular basis" she began in a wavering voice, her eyes filling with tears. "Regan, to her credit, never saw it, because he would do it whenever she wasn't the house or when she was locked away in her bedroom. He was always careful to never leave marks where they could beeen, because I was due to become the Luna, and he didn't want the Alpha or his sons to see and become suspicious. It was his way of controlling me and mother, of making sure we did everything he asked without question." Regan is glaring at her sister. I can feel her hand tightening around mine, so hard that her knuckles are slowly turning white. I subtly shake my head at her, warning her not to lose her temper. We have to show the elders that Regan is the better choice for Luna and Regan losing control is not beneficial to that goal. She would be playing into Isabelle's hands. She exhales and grits her teeth as Isabelle carefully continues. "He would beat my mother in front of me if I didn't do as he asked. He never hit us as much as he hit Regan she admitted "but that didn't mean we weren't victims too. He would demand we hurt her." She fixed big, tearful eyes on Regan who stiffened, "or we would be hurt in return. I didn't want to, but I couldn't take the pain, she began to cry, tears trailing down her cheeks. "I wasn't strong like Regan, and I couldn't bear to see my mother being hit. I'm sorry Regan, she whispered, as the elders began to look at her with sympathy "I wish I could take it all back, but I can't. I just want us to be sisters again" she finished, looking at Regan with a woeful expression "Where are the hospital records?" Regan interrupts, causing the elders to look at her sharply. "If you were abused so much, you would have had to visit the hospital like I did. Where are your records?" she demanded icily. She wasn't buying Isabelle's act at all. Neither were we, but the elders

"You know that father ordered they be destroyed. Yours was meant to be too" Isabelle sniffed and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I guess you got lucky that yours were saved while mine and mothers weren't."

Oh, she was good. The elders were eating this up. I couldn't believe it. One elder was patting Isabelle on the back and murmuring soothingly to her.

"Isabelle Ramona" Elder Dominick adopted an Alpha tone and I watched, certain that he was about to get the truth out of her now. "Is it true that you tried to commit suicide because of the life you are now forced to live, exiled from the pack house?"

What? Why wasn't he asking about the beatings, the abuse? Why had he changed the subject so suddenly like this? I stared in disbelief and then heard Isabelle's answer as she opened her mouth, unable to deny or refuse the alpha tone that had been. adopted. Whatever she said now, would be the wholehearted truth.

"Yes sir."

Elder Dominick nodded, looking grim. He turned back to us. "The contract that was between the three of you, I looked it over." He grabbed the papers off the desk, handing them to the rest of the elders, "and you did leave a stipulation that you did have some time before you took Isabelle as your mate as you turned eighteen first and it left a window open where you. might have found your fated mate."

I nodded, as did Xavier, both of us agreeing with the elder. Regan was biting her lip and beginning to look anxious, I began to wonder if Elder Dominick had heard that Regan had rejected as initially, seeing a strange glint in his eyes and feeling uncomfortable as I saw it. Shit. He had found something, some sort of loophole that he was going to question, I could sense it. Isabelle was still sniffling in the background and wiping tears way, her face red, her eyes puffy. Heather was rubbing circles on her back, attempting to comfort her daughter and the elders were intently looking over the contracts we'd both.

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TEXP CAL

12:45 Sat, Jan 11

Chapter 57

signed along with Isabelle.

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While you stipulated that on the contract that was legally signed by all of you, it's been stipulater! that you had a verbal agreciment that you would automatically reject your mate if you found her and take Tabelle as your chosen mate, is that not True!" Elder Dominick drawled as I stiffened, and Xavier did the same.

We had said that. I more than once, had been infatuated with Hibelle and convinced I was in love with her and naive about the mate bond. I regret that now. I had been a moron. I couldn't deny it. Xavier looked pissed.

My father looked tense as he faced the elder. We all knew better than to lie to him, but we were damned if we were going to be told to take Isabelle as our mate now that we had Regin. We knew how manipulative Isabelle was and neither of us wanted her as Luna, let alone as our mate. Our wolves would want nothing to do with her.

"Elder Dominick, a verbal agreement is not a legal document," my father said quietly.

Elder Dominick nodded "Perhaps, but to a teenage girl it can feel the same way," he said smoothly.

Why the hell was he defending Isabelle so closely? I could feel resentment brimming through me. Regan made a choking sound but remained silent.

"Isabelle's feelings are not our problem Elder Dominick" I growled, staring at him with a challenging gleam. "She knew the possibility we might find our fated mate. What if she had done the same?" I asked quietly. "It could have happened to her the way it did to us" I pointed out, feeling as though I was grasping at straws

Elder Dominick ignored me. "Is it true that Regan initially rejected the two of you?" he asked directly, and I inwardly groaned at the question, feeling cornered.

Isabelle was smiling now, tilting her head and there was a gleam in her eyes. Fuck. Who had told them? Regan was looking slightly panicked now. She jumped to her feet.

"I might have rejected them both at the start" she began hurriedly, and Elder Dominick interrupted.

"Aha. So, Regan had no intentions of being your mate in the beginning. Are we meant to believe that it's just coincidence that now she's suddenly changed her mind and her own stepsister is banished from the packhouse?" he asked as the other! elders fell silent. "That almost smells like revenge against her, wouldn't you say?" he continued pointedly.

male

Shit. Elder Dominick wasn't finished. "I would hazard that even now; Regan has no intentions of fully becoming your he continued ruthlessly "as she bares your mark but has failed to mark you. I could hazard a guess that you both marked her without permission and she's refusing to do the same. Not only that" he stopped and sniffed, causing Regan's face to turn beetroot red "but you also haven't claimed her by mating with her. She still smells like an innocent" he purred.

Bastard, could feel my hands clenching into fists. Regan looked stricken. Isabelle was openly gloating and my father looked at a loss for words.

"I have every intention of taking them for my mates" Regan's voice is a hushed whisper in the deafening silence "but when I'm ready to."

"Isabelle is more than prepared to take up the mantle of Luna" der Dominick pointed out silkily, "as the twins are not marked, it is possible to break the bond between the three of you and honor the initial contract that was offered, thus giving Isabelle back the status she had before and redeeming her in the pack's eyes."

"What about Regan"

"I snarled, "are we meant to forget about our fated mate? Are

you insane!"

He gave a wolfish grin. "There are two of you" he pointed out and my stomach dropped as he said the one thing I'd been dreading. "Why don't one of you reject Regan and accept Isabelle? That way everybody is happy and nobody has been wronged