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The blond one—Smith—spies us first. He speaks to the others and then strides over, stretching out his hand.
To me.
I blink, taking it and shaking as he says, “I’m Smith Pierson. You must be Serena.”
I manage a shaky nod as Tristan steps into my back, hugging me around my middle as he extends his right hand. “Tristan Thorne. I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. It was our first heat as a bonded pack.”
Smith almost smiles. “I understand. We just bonded four months ago.”
That makes sense. They all look young—and they have the same harmonious energy the guys behind me share now.
Her alphas wander over, keeping her safely behind them while they all introduce themselves and shake my hand. I swallow the lump in my throat, hoping my voice doesn’t abandon me.
It almost happens when the big one and the pretty one step aside, revealing?—
Well.
My twin.
There’s just no other way to say it. She literally has my face.
Wide blue eyes blink at me, cut with the same gold patterns carved through my green irises. Her scent—some cake-like honey aroma—singes a bit, but she doesn’t look away.
Her mouth opens, but nothing comes out. Which is way too fucking relatable, honestly.
I think about how it felt to choke on my words that first night. How it hasn’t happened in so long, I barely remember the last time.
I think about how many people tried to break me.
And how I’m not.
I’m not broken.
I’m Serena Thorne.
So, I do my best to smile and hold my hand out to her. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Is this normal?”
Remi squints across the lawn, watching while Avery and Jonah somehow maneuver a soccer ball around Damon and kick it toward the trash cans they’re using as a makeshift goal. When Cassian blocks it, Avery roars in frustration while Damon laughs.
“Yes,” she confirms, snorting quietly. “Just thank God there isn’t a pool nearby. They’d be trying to drown each other.”
I believe it. Her alphas seem every bit as extra as mine. Right now, we’re laid out on a picnic blanket fit for a pair of queens—there’s even a duvet under it for “padding.”
The spread her pack assembled is incredible. Mostly baked goods—courtesy, shockingly, of the pretty alpha with the scoundrel’s grin.
I heard Remi call him Trouble, and that totally tracks. I bet if we left him alone with my Menace, property damage would be involved.
Our pack alphas are off to the side with Spencer. The three of them murmur to each other with serious expressions that I’m trying not to think about too hard. Their shades are up, anyway, trying to give me privacy. The anxious look on Remi’s face makes me think she’s in the same boat.
For a moment, awkward silence threatens to descend. Then her gaze catches on my necklace. Before she can ask, I reach up to touch it.
“It was… from her,” I whisper, holding it out to show her the charm. “Our mother. I was wondering… did she leave you anything?”
For a second, Remi looks stricken. But she reaches into her thick, curly hair and pulls out a sparkly pink butterfly clip.
“This,” she says softly.
