My Possessive Alpha Twins For Mate Chapter 181

Caden's POV

"I can't wait to see what we have," I muttered, my fingers trailing lazily over Lily's smooth back, her skin warm beneath my touch. She was half-awake, barely lifting her head, but I could feel the exhaustion that still clung to her. We’d woken up around three in the morning, and I’d taken her again. This time, it had been just me and Lily, a private moment where, even in my half-daze, I couldn’t believe how amazing she made me feel. It was unreal. She was mine, and I had no doubt that this was meant to be. I wanted her—needed her—more than anything.

"Hmm? For what? Breakfast? Are you cooking? I'm so starved, I think I lost ten pounds last night," she groaned, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Not for breakfast, silly," I grinned. "For a pup. We'll see if the rumors are true about mates and twins. There’s only one set of twins in our family who share a mate, and they had their firstborn as twins."

Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest. Without saying another word, she shuffled off to the bathroom, leaving me with a dry chuckle escaping my lips.

"Shit, man, maybe you should’ve waited a bit. Didn’t have to throw it out there on day one," Caleb’s voice broke the silence as he pulled himself out of bed.

I rubbed my eyes, a grin tugging at the corner of my lips. What could I say? I was beyond happy. This was everything I’d ever wanted, and I wasn’t going to apologize for it. I’d been waiting for this moment for so long, waiting to see what our mate would be like, wondering what our pups would look like, and now, everything felt real. I wasn’t sorry for dreaming of a future.

*And don't think we’re just ignoring the fact that she hasn't marked us yet? Everyone’s going to expect it. How could she not want to mark her territory? I thought Lily, of all people, would be all over it,* I voiced my thoughts through the mind-link, irritation creeping in.

Caleb’s response was quiet, his fingers brushing his chin before he nodded slowly.

*Yeah, I’m pissed too,* he agreed. We both were. We were proud to call her ours, even with the mess of everything else going on—the benefit, the craziness of Friday night. We’d been through worse, after all. I remembered the time Caleb knocked a guy out cold just for grabbing his date's ass. He hadn’t even remembered the woman’s name the next day—it had been pure instinct.

A few minutes later, Lily came back from the bathroom, freshly showered, a towel wrapped around her. Caleb was on her in a flash, trying to tug the towel off, and I couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of him.

"Ah, no," she laughed, stepping back, holding her ground. "Look, uh... I guess I haven’t told you guys, but I’m on birth control. I get the shot, religiously. Even though I’ve always used condoms until now, I need my own insurance policy. I see a doctor in the city, off-campus. She gives me a special formula for shifters. It’s supposed to be about 97% effective."

Well, that was news. I couldn’t exactly tell her what to do with her body, but it made me realize just how much we still had to learn about each other.

"So... you want pups someday?" Caleb asked, his tone slow, careful.

I wasn’t used to having to tiptoe around anyone, not even my parents. I wasn’t about to do that now, but I didn’t want to push her either. She was my mate, sure, but we still had so much to figure out, so much about how to handle each other.

"Yeah," she nodded, walking toward the dresser. "One day."

She rifled through it until she found one of my old t-shirts, pulled it over her head, and I couldn’t help but notice her hard nipples pressing through the fabric. The sight had me instinctively licking my lips.

I raised my hand to run it through my hair, but before I could, Lily shrieked, her eyes widening as she grabbed my arm.

"What? How did you... when did you...?" she stammered, her hand gently brushing the ink on my arm.

Caleb stepped forward then, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the tattoo on his own arm. She gasped, reaching out to touch it as if she hadn’t noticed it before.

"We got them after the game," I explained. "Mine’s on the left, Caleb’s on the right. We wanted you to know—you’re with us, always. In our hearts, in our arms."

Caleb added, "We meant to show you last night, but the night was so intense, we forgot. These tattoos are permanent. We’re men of action, not just words. We wanted to prove to you how much we already love you."

She blinked, breath hitching. "But you said you were too indecisive to ever commit to a tattoo," she whispered, almost breathless.

I grinned at that, pulling her close, wrapping my arm around her, and pressing my lips to hers in a kiss that was all heat and longing. I didn’t let her move—just held her tightly, savoring the moment.

Caleb, ever the smooth talker, took her hand off my back and kissed it gently. "That’s how much we already care about you," he said, his voice sincere. She pulled back from the kiss, but not before Caleb tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing her skin.

Her breath hitched again, and I felt a tight knot of discomfort in my chest. I didn’t like that look on her face.

"I'm not stupid," she said quietly, her voice tinged with something like apprehension. "I know you’ve got a lot of expectations... and soon. Kids, and... I’ve seen the other guys at Blood Moon, they’re all marked too."

"Lily," I said softly, stepping closer, "we have time. We don’t need to rush anything."

She pulled away from me, the tension between us palpable. "Let’s just get through today, okay? Finals, and... everything else."

I could feel the shift, the distance growing between us. It wasn’t just about the tattoos or the future. It was about us, and the path we were starting to walk together. There were still so many things to work through.

Caleb and I exchanged a glance as she picked up some shorts from the floor and pulled them on, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So, how about breakfast?" she said, her gaze drifting out the window, her posture stiff.