I: Luna
“Reyna! Come here!”
“Luca, be quiet.”
“Then hurry up!”
“You have five seconds to stop yelling.”
“...Or what?” Reyna crept through the forest towards her annoying twin brother.
“What do you want Luca?” She hissed. He was acting like they weren’t playing manhunt with four other werewolves.
“I heard something moving,” Luca replied, shrugging. Reyna took a deep breath to control her urge to slap Luca.
“And you thought screaming at me from across the forest was appropriate?” Luca smiled innocently.
“You wouldn’t leave your little brother alone and scared, would you?”
“I’m three minutes older than you, you blockhead!” Reyna whispered.
“Oops, I forgot. Now come on, we don’t have much time!” Luca laughed as he tugged on his sister’s arm, pulling her deeper into the forest.
The twins sprinted away from the sound of counting werewolves, avoiding twigs and dead leaves. A cold, crisp breeze fluttered through the forest and fireflies illuminated the dark night. Luca slowed his pace, walking around a great oak tree to examine the cover it provided. Once he decided it was suitable for a hiding spot, he let go of Reyna’s arm and scrambled up the trunk.
“You look like a squirrel,” Reyna teased.
“Well, I do like nuts.”
“I-”
Luca cackled as Reyna found her own tree to scale. The twins grinned at each other from their perch on the branches.
“Don’t think we’re going to take it easy because it’s almost your birthday!” One of the werewolf seekers shouted into the forest. Reyna rolled her eyes and settled onto her branch.
“This is so exciting!” Luca whisper-shouted.
“I hope you fall out of that tree,” Reyna deadpanned. Luca rolled his eyes.
“Such a killjo-” Luca paused at the sound of approaching footsteps. The seekers were working hard to be silent, but their efforts were in vain. The Alpha twins have been training to hear even the tiniest movements for years.
Reyna slowed her breathing until her pulse was almost non-existent.
“Are you sure they went this way, John?” a female seeker asked. Luca and Reyna silently watched the pair walk by. If it weren’t for the mint interrupting the seekers’ sense of smell, they might have noticed the twins above them.
“Trust me Kylie, they did. It’s like I’ve got a sixth sense, you know?” Kylie sighed and followed John away from the twins.
Reyna looked up and saw Luca nearly dying as he tried to control his laughter.
“You’re about to fall harder than humpty dumpty if you don’t stop,” she warned quietly.
“I’m the Lorax. I am one with the trees,” Luca bragged as he balanced on one foot.
“Uh oh.”
Next thing you know, Luca was falling out of the tree. Reyna shook her head as she watched Luca hit nearly every branch on his way down.
“There’s one!” John and Kylie came running back just as Luca got up and scrambled away. He laughed as he easily outran the two who were huffing behind him.
“Why..did we agree..to play..with alphas?” Kylie panted as they disappeared into the forest. Reyna grew bored of hanging out in the tree. She climbed down to find someone.
“Kylie and John are chasing Luca, so keep an eye out for Reyna, Marcus,” another seeker told his partner as Reyna crept up behind them.
“Damn, I hope we find her,” Marcus replied, licking his lips in anticipation.
“That wasn’t weird at all.” Reyna grimaced as she appeared behind the pair. The two boys almost toppled over from how fast they whipped around.
“R-Reyna!” Marcus stuttered. Both boys stared at Reyna, too shocked to do anything.
“Um, bye then,” she said and ran away. She heard the boys cursing behind her as they realized their mistake and chased after her. Reyna attempted to turn around and taunt them when she tripped on a tree root and tumbled down a hill.
“How in the world?” Reyna muttered to herself as she wiped mud off of her face.
“Oh, hey there!” Luca cheerfully marched up to his sister to lend her a helping hand. Reyna took his hand and slowly stood up.
“They’re right behind me,” she said and started trying to run again. Only she had the coordination of a drunkard, and would’ve fallen over if Luca hadn’t caught her.
“Uh-” Luca was cut off by shouting voices.
“They went this way!”
“Shit!” Luca clicked his tongue and slung Reyna over his back like a sack of potatoes.
“Hope you’re up for a bumpy ride!”
“You’re giving me a headache,” Reyna whined.
“Yeah yeah, now be quiet,” Luca whispered as he began trudging toward a thick layer of trees.
“Why are you so fat?” He complained as he paused to readjust Reyna on his shoulder.
“Why is your head so empty?” Reyna snapped back, wiggling away from Luca, who let go and watched her fall again.
“Whoops~” Reyna glared up at her twin.
“Fuck you,” she hissed and slowly stood up. Reyna rubbed her temples while Luca tried to pinpoint the seekers’ location.
“If they stay along the dirt path, they should walk right by us.”
“Thank you for pointing out the obvious, dipshit.”
“You can lose the attitude or I’ll take you right to them.” Reyna stuck her tongue out at Luca, which led to Luca sticking his tongue out in response.
The twins narrowed their eyes at each other before Reyna lunged and knocked Luca to the ground. The two started wrestling and insulting each other, completely forgetting they were supposed to be playing manhunt.
“Acorn head!”
“Potato face!”
“Found them!” The twins froze and looked towards the group of werewolves standing over them.
“...Well fuck me with a toothbrush.”
Everyone paused and looked at Luca.
“...What?” Reyna asked. Luca shrugged and pushed Reyna away so he could stand up.
“Bitch,” Reyna muttered and stood up.
“Why were you two even fighting?” John asked. The twins shrugged.
“Girl, I don’t even know,” Luca admitted.
“What time is it?” Reyna asked as she dusted herself off. Marcus pulled out his phone.
“11:50,” he replied. Luca grabbed Reyna’s shoulders and started violently shaking her.
“You’re gonna be seventeen in seven minutes!” he cheered.
“Unhand me, peasant!” Reyna ordered and slapped Luca’s hands away. He looked back at his sister, astonished.
“Who are you calling a peasant?! Have you seen this ass?!” Luca replied as he turned around and aggressively grabbed his butt.
“That doesn’t even make sen-”
“Anyways,” Luca cut his twin off, “Let’s go home, I’m hungry.”
He quickly led everyone out of the forest, back to city.
“Finally.” Reyna groaned as she climbed the back steps to the castle.
“I still can’t believe your parents let us come to the actual castle,” Kylie thought aloud.
“Um, the queen is not our mom,” Luca corrected.
“But she’s your stepmom. And she’s letting us spend the night here. In the castle. The same one the king and queen sleep in. Like-”
“Okay Kylie, we get it. You’re broke,” Reyna interrupted.
“I smelt the poverty but I wasn’t going to say anything,” Luca added.
“Okay next time y’all need to crash somewhere after sneaking out to party don’t be tryna come to my penthouse,” Kylie replied with her hands on her hips.
“But that’s where I hide my cheetos-” Luca whimpered before getting cut off.
“They’re mine now.” Kylie chuckled maniacally.
“You really felt that, huh?” Reyna asked as she led the group into the kitchen.
The teenagers gawked in amazement as they stared at the lavishly decorated kitchen. White fairy lights were strung around the tops of cabinets. Blue and red balloons floated around the large kitchen and white streamers hung from the counters. To complete the decor, a large banner that read, “Happy Seventeenth Birthday!” hung over the island.
“Happy Birthday sweetheart!” The twins’ father greeted. Reyna beamed and skipped up to her dad to give him a hug.
“Hello, King Samuel,” John said with a bow. The rest of their friends followed suit.
“Hello John, Kylie, Marcus, and Brandon,” the King greeted. Kylie nearly passed out.
“He knows my name,” she whispered.
“Why would he not know you name?” Marcus deadpanned. Kylie’s father is one of the king’s most trusted advisors.
“How come I don’t get a hug?” Luca pouted.
“It’s not your birthday yet,” Reyna argued, still hugging their father. Everyone knew that Reyna was definitely a daddy’s girl.
“Help yourself, kids,” King Samuel said, gesturing to the buffet spread out before them.
“I even managed to sneak behind the Queen’s back and get some real food added to the menu,” he whispered.
“This… this food is actually seasoned?” Reyna asked in disbelief. The king nodded smugly.
“You needn’t say more!” Luca stated. All of the teens grabbed plates and started loading them up. At 12:00 am, everyone paused to wish Luca a Happy Birthday as well.
“Since you’re both seventeen now, I’m going to give you guys a little test to see if you’re ready to get more involved in politics,” King Samuel said. Luca looked up from his plate with a cupcake halfway stuffed into his mouth and took off running.
“He’s being dramatic dad, I’ll fill him in later,” Reyna assured the king.
“Well, a new pack has moved into the capital because a lot of their members haven’t found their mate yet. They’re hoping to find their mates here. I want you two to find the Alpha sons at school tomorrow and make sure they feel welcome,” the king instructed.
“Of course. I’m amazing at making friends,” Reyna replied.
Everyone at the table stopped eating to look at Reyna.
“You tried to cut my hair off when we first met,” Brandon argued.
“In my defense, I was trying to get the gum out of it.”
“You put the gum there in the first place.”
“I do not recall,” Reyna replied.
“Guess who’s back!” Luca shouted as he stomped into the kitchen.
“Luca, shut up!” Reyna shouted as well.
“Be nice to your brother Reyna, he’s the only one you have.”
“Dad, you just don’t understand how irritating brothers are,” Reyna tried to explain. King Samuel grimaced before he quickly covered it up with a smile.
“Yeah, it’s my birthday,” Luca said, agreeing with the king.
“It’s my birthday too.”
“My point still stands.”
“...I’m going to bed. Goodnight guys,” Reyna announced and stood up.
“I win,” Luca whispered to himself.
“You should probably go to sleep too, Luca. I want both of you to be well rested for tomorrow,” King Samuel suggested.
“Tomorrow?”
“Ask your sister.”
“...Are you gonna kill us?” The king grinned at his son.
“Oh goddess you’re finally doing it, aren’t you?!”
“Is he, is he drunk?” Marcus whispered to John.
While everyone tried to figure out if Luca was sober or not, Reyna snuck off.
“Well, I’m gonna head to my room,” John said while stretching.
“...You mean one of the guest rooms?” Brandon raised an eyebrow. John shushed him.
“Let me have my moment. I have a room in the castle and that’s that.” King Samuel chuckled.
“Our home is your home. Make yourself comfortable and get some rest, all of you.” All of the teens cleaned up their plates and retired to their rooms. After brushing their teeth and changing into their pajamas, they snuck into Reyna’s room where she was searching through Netflix.
“Took you guys long enough,” she said. Kylie flopped onto the bed beside her.
“Not all of us have an annoying brother to give us an excuse to leave.”
“Hey!” Luca protested. Everyone got comfortable as Reyna finally picked a movie.
“By the way Luca, we have to find some Alpha sons at school tomorrow and make sure they’re settling in alright.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” Luca asked. Reyna shrugged.
“You’re the social one, you tell me.”
“I’ll give them my award-winning smile,” Luca announced as he cheesily flashed his teeth to everyone, revealing his extended canines. Everyone ignored him and focused on the movie, eventually dozing off.
The next morning, Luca was the first one awake.
“Reyna, I feel like I have a hangover,” he grumbled as he rolled over, pulling Reyna’s stolen comforter onto the floor and over his body.
“And how would you know how that feels?” Luca shot up at the familiar deep voice.
“Dad! Uhhhh.” Luca scratched the back of his neck, struggling to find his words.
“Well, you see, I was just testing you.” King Samuel lifted a curious brow at his son’s explanation.
“....Sure. Make sure to wake everyone up, you have two hours before school starts.”
“That requires energy-” Luca stopped mid-sentence as a snack bar was thrown at his face.
“Ow!”
“I figured you would say something like that, you’re welcome.” King Samuel laughed as he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Luca carefully and subtly devoured the snack bar in one bite and sighed in satisfaction.
“Showtime.”
He quietly reached over his sister to grab the T.V. remote, switching the channel to Youtube.
“Hmm, what do I wanna listen to today…” Luca hummed to himself as he turned up the volume on the surround sound. “I’m feeling my Nicki vibes.”
Anaconda was the first song that popped into his mind. He hastily clicked onto the title and watched the loading screen with a sinister smile.
Luca’s plan was foiled by a vacuum ad blasting through the speakers.
“Which one of you melted crayon looking ass bitches is vacuuming so fucking early in the fucking morning? Y’all really tryna get popped! Shut the fuck up!” Reyna yelled as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Luca ignored his sister and yanked the blinds open when Anaconda finally started playing.
“Luca, I’m going to stab. you. in. your. throat.” Reyna threatened, still half asleep.
“Wakey wakey everybody!” Luca yelled, causing the rest of the teenagers to finally wake up.
“Bro, she even looks good when she first wakes up,” Marcus whispered to Brandon as he looked at Reyna.
“Wha-?” Kylie asked, wiping the drool off of her face.
“Why is my comforter on the floor?” Reyna grumbled, now finding anything to be upset about. Still ignoring his sister, Luca danced to Anaconda while he waited for everyone to get up.
“Why do you have so much energy?” Reyna muttered.
“A snack bar does wonders,” Luca replied, then dropped into a split.
“Ten out of ten!” John cheered. Eventually, everyone fully woke up and cleaned Reyna’s room before leaving to get ready for school.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?” Luca asked once everyone had left.
“It’s our birthday, so you know we gotta do it to them,” Reyna replied.
“You already know,” Luca said and basically ran out of the room. Reyna took her brown contacts out and hopped into the shower. She left them in last night because her friends were here but after sleeping with contacts in, her eyes felt dry.
Reyna took a quick shower before putting on a white oversized graphic tee and matching knee-high boots. She attempted to style her naturally curly hair, then got frustrated and threw it into a messy bun. She added her favorite hoop earrings, some necklaces, and a spritz of her favorite vanilla scented perfume. Then she stepped in front of her mirror to make sure she looked good.
“I don’t get why dad makes us wear these stupid things anyway,” Reyna muttered as she went to her bathroom to get her contacts. She paused to admire her heterochromatic eyes before putting her bland brown contacts back in.
“Luca, I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready!” Reyna shouted, grabbing her phone and backpack. Being the bad bitch she was, Reyna strutted downstairs into the kitchen.
“Here comes the true legend!” Luca shouted from atop the staircase. Reyna rose an eyebrow and turned around.
Luca slowly turned the corner, revealing his two thousand dollar white, gold sprinkled, fur boots, white, denim booty shorts, and white crop top. A white fur coat speckled with real gold, dangly gold earrings, and gold chains extending to his belly button which complimented his outfit.
He styled his hair into a messy, curly quiff. Some of the naturally burgundy strands stuck out in the light, but most blended in with the majority of his black hair. Besides, the gold embellishment laying atop his curls accuentuated his already stunning getup and distracted from any noticeably red hair. Luca finished the ensemble off with a nice can of Arizona green tea cusped in his real gold stiletto nails.
Reyna’s jaw dropped.
“You. did. not,” she whispered as Luca strutted into the kitchen.
“How did you find the time?” Reyna asked, completely baffled how Luca managed to look runway ready in the same time it took her to look decent. Luca smiled coyly and grabbed a bagel from the cabinet. Reyna grabbed an apple then the car keys out of the drawer.
“Where’s your backpack?” she asked.
“...Never heard of that.” Reyna rolled her eyes and walked into the garage to their shared 2019 Aston Martin DBS. Reyna climbed into the driver’s seat while Luca slipped in beside her. He blasted music as they pulled out of the driveway and sped towards the school.
“Throw it up, throw it up. Watch it all fall out.” Luca started.
“Pour it up, pour it up. That’s how we ball out,” Reyna continued.
“Strip clubs and dollar billlls!” They shouted together.
“I still got my money,” Luca said.
“Patron shot can I get a refill?” Reyna belted.
“I still got my money.” The twins sang Pour It Up all the way to school.
The last notes of the song were fading away as Reyna pulled in and parked in their unassigned assigned spot. When they stepped out of the car, nearly all the students turned to look.
“Bask in the presence of greatness,” Luca said. Reyna rolled her eyes and ignored the attention while Luca relished in it. Since they had every class together, Reyna just trailed after Luca as he went to greet nearly everyone they saw.
“How did he do all of that this morning?” Kylie asked, gesturing to Luca’s outfit as she and Brandon walked up to Reyna.
“I have no idea,” Reyna replied. Brandon and Kylie kept Reyna company until the bell rang and they had to go to first block. Reyna dragged her brother away from his adoring fans to their first block. The twins took their seats in the back of the class right when the final bell rang.
“Reyna, do you have a pencil?” Luca whispered as their history teacher started her lecture. Reyna dug around her backpack for a pencil and threw it at Luca’s head.
“What if that poked me in the eye? Hmm? What would you have done then? You would’ve been sad, exactly.” Reyna rolled her eyes and ignored Luca, though she only half listening to the teacher’s lecture.
A sudden knock on the door interrupted Mrs. Parker halfway into the lecture. She opened the door and talked to someone on the other side. The longer Mrs. Parker held the door open, the more a beautiful scent wafted towards Reyna.
“Do you smell that?” Luca whispered to his sister.
“The cinnamon? Yes,” Reyna replied. Luca frowned.
“What? It’s definitely honey,” he argued. Reyna frowned as well. Mrs. Parker turned back to the class with a smile.
“Well students, we have two new history nerds joining us today.” Two giants walked into the classroom. Reyna and Luca both sat up straighter. Luca sipped on the tea he still had in his hand.
“History might just be my favorite subject now. Reyna, leg check” Luca said as he easily brought his leg up and slammed it on top of her desk. One of the new students zoned in on the action.
“Class, this is Nicolás del Bosque,” Mrs. Parker said as she pointed to the one staring at Luca’s leg.
“And this,” Mrs. Parker gestured to the other stranger, “is Sebastián del Bosque. They’re twins, just like Reyna and Luca. How cute!”
“Find a seat anywhere boys and we’ll jump right back in.” Ignoring the empty seats in the front, Sebastian and Nicolas began walking straight towards Reyna and Luca.
Luca tried to pull his leg off of Reyna’s desk as smoothly as possible, but stopped short.
“Oh no.” Luca whispered as he watched them grow closer by the second.
“What?” Reyna asked as she continued to look at the guys, mainly Sebastian.
“My leg is stuck!” Luca whisper-shouted through clenched teeth. Reyna rolled her eyes and shoved his leg off of her desk.
“OW!”
“Luca, is there something you would like to share with the class?” Mrs. Parker questioned.
“....No.” Luca replied as he attempted to keep calm while his leg pulsated in pain.
Nicolas stopped at the girl sitting beside Luca.
“May I sit here?” he asked with a smile. The girl’s eyes widened as she hurried to fulfill his request. Nicolas thanked her before taking the now unoccupied seat.
“You mind if I sit here?” Sebastian asked Reyna, pointing to the empty seat beside her.
“Si papi,” Reyna blurted out. Sebastian’s eyes darkened as he sat beside Reyna. Luca leaned towards his twin.
“Karma’s a bitch,” he whispered.
“What are your names?” Nicolas asked the twins.
“I-” Luca stuttered.
“Shit, what is my name?” Reyna mumbled to herself. Sebastian smiled.
“Luca,” the younger twin finally answered.
“And that’s my twin sister” He stiffly pointed to her, “Reyna,” he added when he realized Reyna actually forgot her name.
“Yes Reyna. That is me. I am Reyna,” she agreed.
Luca was trying to subtly massage his cramped leg. Nicolas watched out of the corner of his eye.
“So, what brought you guys to the capital?” Reyna asked, finally getting herself together.
“Our pack wanted to move closer to the capital. It was hard finding our mates in such a rural area,” Sebastian answered.
“Wait, are you two the Alphas who just moved here?” Reyna asked. Sebastian and Nicolas nodded.
“Oh, well our father wanted us to welcome you and make sure you were comfortable. Would you guys want us to give you a tour after school?” Reyna suggested.
“You’re the Crown Prince and Princess?” Nicolas asked in awe.
“We’d love to,” Sebastian told Reyna. Reyna was about to reply before Luca interrupted her.
“Reyna, give me your backpack.” He suddenly demanded as he extended his hand.
“Why-”
“Give. it.” Luca spat through tight lips, narrowing his eyes.
“That attitude can go,” Reyna asserted as she threw the backpack at Luca. Reyna watched as her twin brother dug into the bottom, pulling out a miniature pillow.
“When did you-” Reyna cut herself off as she watched Luca pull his cramped leg onto his desk, resting it on the pillow.
“Much better. Now if you don’t mind, keep it down a bit, will ya?” Luca asked as he pulled a face mask out of his pocket and hastily snapped it on. Reyna blinked before turning back to Sebastian.
“Here, put your number in my phone and I’ll text you at the end of fourth block so we can meet up for the tour,” Reyna said as she handed him her phone. Sebastian nodded and saved his number before handing the phone back to her. She blushed when she saw that he saved his name as Papi.
Luca felt a big hand wrap around his cramped leg, rubbing the tender muscle.
“Reyna, what are you doing?” Luca asked, not bothering to lift his head. “And you have man hands by the way.” He felt someone lean closer to him.
“I’m not Reyna,” Nicolas whispered in his ear. Luca froze as he didn’t dare to pull off the mask, but he felt his inferiority complex kick in and ripped it off afterall. Luca posed a challenging look as Nicolas lifted an eyebrow.
“I’ll take a free leg massage any day.” Luca said as he threw his leg onto Nicolas’ lap.
“So, c-can I get your number too?” Nicolas stuttered.
“For what, housekeeping? Of course! My room can use a good clean up.” Luca yawned as he handed Nicolas his phone. When Luca got his phone back, he noticed that Nicolas had put both his first and full last name.
“...Ok buddy.” Luca rolled his eyes.
“What-” The bell interrupted Nicolas mid-sentence, signifying the end of first block.
“Well it was nice meeting you two. Now if you don’t mind, we’ll be leaving now.” Luca stated, though he couldn’t stand on his left leg due to the cramp. Reyna, Sebastian, and Nicolas watched Luca struggle for a bit before he finally spoke up.
“Ahem. Uh, odd request, but can you carry me?” Luca asked Nicolas, who grinned at the helpless twin.
“Of course.”
