Twin Alpha's Black Hearts

Chapter 4 — The Moonstone Mansion

Godiva

By the time we left Sycamore Heights behind, my body finally stopped shaking—but the hollow numbness stayed. The city lights smeared across the car window like molten gold, blurring into streaks I didn’t want to focus on.

Somewhere behind us lay the shattered remains of Unit 10, the dead guard, the scent of fear and blood. And all of it—every terrible piece—was because something out there was hunting me.

Castor sat beside me in the back seat. Silent.

Alert in a way that made me feel like the darkness outside the car wasn’t empty at all.

The warrior—Pippo—drove without speaking, his eyes fixed on the road, shoulders tense like he expected something to leap from the shadows.

“So it was after me?”

His knuckles flexed. “When I marked you, the scent changed. Your blood… your presence… everything that makes you you—it amplified. And bloodsuckers are drawn to new marks like sharks to spilled blood.”

A cold chill slithered down my spine.

“Are you saying it would’ve attacked me?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “It already tried.”I pulled the seatbelt tighter. “Then why didn’t it take me earlier?”

His gaze flickered to me—sharp, golden, protective in a way that made my chest twist.

“Because I got to you first.”

The car fell silent again.

But something inside me—fear, confusion, maybe both—wouldn’t let the quiet soothe me.

“So what am I now?” I whispered. “Bait?”

Castor’s expression hardened. “No. You’re mine to protect. And I don’t fail what’s mine.”

I looked away quickly. The word mine always hit like a punch—heavy, possessive, too intimate.

Yet… I didn’t hate how it sounded tonight.

**

Minutes later, Pippo turned onto a road flanked by towering trees. The branches arched overhead, forming a dark cathedral of shadows. Wind rushed between them, carrying scents I couldn’t place—earthy, metallic, wild.

My pulse spiked. “Where are we going?”

“To the heart of my territory,” Castor answered. “You’re not safe anywhere else.”

“So I’m supposed to just live with strangers?”

His tone dipped lower. “You’ll be with my pack, not strangers.”

“That’s worse,” I muttered.

Castor’s lips twitched for the first time since the attack—like he found my terror mildly adorable. Infuriating man.

He leaned closer, voice dropping. “You’re safe as long as you’re with me. You have my word.”

I turned properly this time—and realized he wasn’t smirking. He meant it.

Dead serious.

That scared me more than the bloodsucker.

The forest abruptly parted.

My breath hitched.

A massive mansion rose at the center of a moonlit clearing—white stone walls, tall windows glowing warm gold, and two towering pillars guarding the entrance like ancient sentinels. The night sky framed it perfectly, stars scattered behind the roof as if the house had been carved straight out of the darkness itself.

It looked like something from another world.

Pippo parked near the steps. Before I could reach for the door handle, Castor was already outside, opening it for me.

“Welcome to your new home,” he said.

I snorted. “That’s optimistic.”

He didn’t deny it—just motioned toward the entrance with a softness I wasn’t prepared for.

Despite everything inside me screaming run, my feet moved.

Warm lights spilled across the marble foyer as we stepped in. A chandelier glimmered overhead like a constellation of glass stars. Servants moved quietly along the hall, their eyes respectfully lowered.

One of them—a woman in crisp uniform—bowed deeply.

“Alpha Castor.”

Then her gaze slid cautiously to me.

“Luna.”

I flinched. “I’m not—”

“You are,” Castor said, voice smooth but firm. “Accepting it can come later.”

I shot him a glare. “Stop calling me that.”

He ignored me. Pippo hid a grin. I hated both of them.

**

Castor led me up the grand staircase, his steps too light for such a big frame. I followed reluctantly, gripping my suitcase so hard the handle dug into my palm.

As we reached the second floor, I noticed doors lining the halls—some with guards, some with strange carvings etched onto the wood.

“What is this place, really?” I asked.

“A sanctuary,” he replied. “A fortress. A home. Depends on who you ask.”

“And to me?”

His eyes softened briefly. “To you? A safe beginning.”

My heart stuttered. I hated that he could affect me with just a tone.

We reached a room near the end of the corridor. Castor pushed the door open.

Inside, warm lamplight illuminated a spacious bedroom with cream walls, soft blankets, and a giant window overlooking the moonlit forest. Exhaustion hit me hard just standing there.

“This is yours,” he said. “You’ll stay here until we figure out how to protect you properly.”

“Protect me from what?” I whispered.

He opened his mouth—but a low howl cut through the night, echoing from deep in the woods.

My entire body froze.

Castor listened for a moment, then nodded to himself. “They’re running patrol. Making sure no one followed us.”

“No one like… that thing from my house?”

“Exactly like that thing,” he said.

My stomach dropped. “Are you saying more could come?”

His gaze locked onto mine.

“They will.”

“And you brought me here?!”

“To protect you,” he repeated. “Where else would you go?”

I opened my mouth—then closed it. I didn’t have an answer.

Finally, he stepped closer, lowering his voice to a murmur.

“Godiva… you’re marked. The bond ties you to me whether you believe in it or not. That connection alone paints a target on your back.”

His eyes glowed faintly—gold mixing with something deeper, darker.

“I won’t let anyone touch you.”

I swallowed hard, heat flooding my neck for reasons I didn’t want to dissect.

“Just… keep your distance,” I whispered. “I can’t think when you stand too close.”

Instead of being offended, his lips curved.

“But you are thinking about me.”

“Castor—”

“I’ll keep my distance,” he said softly, stepping back. “For now.”

He turned toward the door.

“Rest. I’ll have Doctor Cian check your injuries soon.”

“Wait,” I called before I could stop myself.

He paused.

“What happens now?”

Castor’s eyes glowed again—just a flicker—but enough to melt the breath from my lungs.

“Now,” he said, voice low and certain,

“we prepare. Because someone out there wants a human blood.”

His gaze sharpened like a blade.

“And they won’t stop until they get you.”

He shut the door behind him, leaving me alone in the warm, too-quiet room with nothing but moonlight and fear curling around me like smoke.

And somewhere outside… another howl rose.

I curled my fingers around the bedsheet, heart hammering.

Maybe this is my beginning, but I won’t admitted it until I lived in peace.