MATED TO THE MOON ALPHAS

Chapter 32: SHE WAS HERE

HARDIN

"Fine," I growled, the word burning like acid on my tongue. "Get in the car."

I slid back into the driver’s seat and fired up the engine. Elara rushed in after me, barely getting the door shut before I slammed my foot on the gas. The car shot forward like a demon released from hell.

As twins, mind-linking Aaron had always been effortless even if we were far apart. But right now the connection felt like a severed artery. It wasn’t just silence, it felt like a part of me was dying gradually. A slow, brutal tear ripped through my chest, piece by piece, like claws dragging through my rib cage. Every heartbeat hurt like a dagger sawing my heart.

I knew father had lied to me. He said Aaron was recovering. But this pain... this was my brother slipping away. And where the fuck was I?

"Hardin," Elara’s urgent voice cut through the roar of the engine as I tore around another corner. "You need to slow down, please!"

I hadn’t realized how dangerously fast I was driving. The world was a blur that moment. My knuckles were bone-white on the wheel, jaw clenched until it ached. Guilt slammed into me again like a tidal wave, heavier and uglier than the last one I felt.

I hated Father for lying, but that was just a distraction. The real poison was knowing that while Aaron was out there fighting for his life, getting taken by those filthy rogues, the thought that I had been upstairs with Elara that time, kissing her, touching her breasts and almost grinding her hard against my cock like a selfish animal still didn’t leave my head. I had been seconds away from fucking her, from betraying the only person in this world I still truly loved. My own brother.

I was a traitor. A pathetic, weak, selfish bastard who let his dick and the mate bond override blood. The guilt choked me, thick and suffocating, making it hard to breathe. How could I ever look Aaron in the eye again? How could I call myself his brother after what I almost did? That only made me sped above limit more.

Lyon stirred inside me, tense. Hardin... you’re going to kill both of you if you don’t slow down. Aaron needs you alive.

"Shut the fuck up, Lyon," I snarled under my breath.

"Stop the damn car, Hardin!" Elara’s shout was what I heard next.

Her voice finally broke through the storm in my head. My foot slammed on the brake in one second. The tires screamed as the car fishtailed violently and skidded to a stop on the side of the road, hopefully, there wasn’t a moving car, I could have had myself more to blame. My chest heaved, my heart pounded like it wanted to explode. Sweat trickled down my temples and dripped from my chin onto the steering wheel. My singlet was terribly soaked too.

I sat there gripping the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned in protest, staring straight into the darkness. The guilt refused to loosen its grip. This was the second time Aaron had been badly hurt... and once again, I was either too far away or part of the goddamn reason why.

I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Elara.

"I have no idea what the hell is going on with you, but you are *not* going to get us to Vale safely if you keep driving like a monster is chasing us."

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My chest was still pounding violently, the guilt and twin-bond pain twisting into something unbearable.

"You might survive with just a scratch if this car tumbles," Elara continued, voice sharp, "but don’t forget I’m right here. So please, just let me drive, Hardin."

"I told you to stay back," I growled, eyes fixed on the dark road ahead. "No one forced you to come with me."

She scoffed. "So you could get yourself killed? And then how the hell would you save Aaron?"

Her words landed like a hard blow. For a moment my heartbeat actually slowed. I’m suddenly aware I was driving like a reckless idiot, risking both our lives because I couldn’t control my own head.

I ignored her and reached for the ignition again, but Elara was faster. She snatched the keys right out of my hand.

"What the hell— Give me the damn keys!" I yelled, twisting toward her.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she boldly swung open her door, marched around the hood, and yanked open my side of the door with a surprising force.

"I’m driving," she said, deadpan, eyes locked on mine with zero room for argument.

After a second, I let her take the wheel. I didn’t miss the way she kept stealing glances at me throughout the drive, worry etched into her features. Less than thirty minutes later, we were back in Vale. The cool drizzle hit my skin the moment I stepped out of the car, soaking through my shirt and doing nothing to calm the storm still faintly raging inside me.

Elara killed the engine, shut the door gently, and waited for me on her side. One of the palace guards approached quickly, politely asking for the keys to park the car at the right side of the house. If I had been driving, I would’ve waved him off.

I noticed how tightly Elara clutched the hem of her top, her fingers biting into her palms. She was finally realizing what coming back here truly meant after fighting so hard to stay away.

"Let’s go," she mumbled, taking the first step forward.

I could have stopped her. Could have thanked her for standing up to me when I was losing control earlier. But I didn’t. I wasn’t in the right headspace. I didn’t even think I could say the right things to her now. The second we reached the main entrance, a familiar scent slammed into my nose.

I froze mid-step. frёewebnoѵēl.com

There’s no way I’d miss that scent. It was her scent. Smelled like something sweet, warm, with that faint floral edge I hadn’t smelled in years. The same one that used to drive both Aaron and me crazy.

How am I smelling it now?

My wolf stirred violently, a low, conflicted whine echoing in my chest. Hell. It couldn’t be her. She was dead. We had mourned her. Why the hell would her scent be here now, of all times? When Aaron was in danger and everything was already falling apart?

I tried to shove it down, to convince myself I was imagining things because of the stress and the pain from the twin bond. But the closer Elara and I walked toward the palace doors, the stronger the scent grew. It wrapped around me, pulling at old memories I had buried deep. The stolen glances, secret meetings, the way she used to smile at both of us and make everything complicated.

Still, I forced myself to pretend it wasn’t there. I reached out, pulled the heavy door open, and stepped inside first.

That’s when the heavy scent flooded my nose like a waterfall, unmistakable and overwhelming.

Fuck! She was here.