“Amelia! Get your ass out of bed! Now!”

Amelia lifted her head off her pillow. Her eyes squinted at the light filtering in through the crack of her curtains. She grabbed her phone on the nightstand and turned it on to check the time. Nearly noon. Crap.

Throwing off the blankets, she attempted to sit up but instead clutched her pounding head. Her stomach rolled as bile rose to the back of her throat. Ugh. She never should have drunk so much last night.

Amelia and her brother had snuck out to a party. A bit of a pre-birthday celebration in their honor. Let’s just say tequila and beer, do not mix. She could barely remember what happened except that she broke up with her boyfriend shortly before puking all over his car. Not one of her finest moments.

She clutched her head even harder as the sound of someone banging on her door increased the pain exponentially. She staggered out of bed, flinging the door open, ready to punch the jerk, when she caught sight of her brother. He looked almost as bad as she felt.

“What do you want?” She gritted out through her teeth, trying to keep her voice low.

“Dad is threatening to disinherit us if we don’t get downstairs. The Alpha ceremony is tonight and we promised to welcome the visiting packs. Some have already begun to arrive,” Damon told her.

He looked like hell. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, purple bruises ran down the side of his face. Had he gotten into a fight? She couldn’t remember. His hair was wet and combed back, wearing a clean black shirt and jeans. He was already showered but she could still smell the alcohol on him. As if it was seeping from his pores. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“You reek bro.”

“I know,” he lifted his shirt to his nose, sniffing the material, coming away looking like he was ready to vomit. “I showered twice.”

“Come in,” she whispered, gesturing for him to enter her room. She closed the door firmly behind him, locking it.

“Can we just do this already. Before dad kills us. We cannot go downstairs looking like death,” he whined.

“Oh, shut up. He’d never kill his favorite son,” she waved him off.

“I don’t know about that. He’s already linked me about a hundred times today. Threats have been made.”

“That’s weird. I haven’t gotten any.”

“That’s because he would never threaten his princess.”

She rolled her eyes and punched him in the shoulder. “Please, he threatens me on a daily basis. He knows I’ll kick his ass.”

This made him chuckle as he tried not to wince at her punch. “Hurry up. He’s yelling,” he whined, wincing at the sound of his father’s voice in his mind.

Amelia shook her head at him as they took each other’s hands. Their arms hung between them as they started to relax. She focused on her wolf, Rey, as she connected with her twin’s wolf, Zeke. Their wolves began to hum to one another, melding their minds and their powers. She could feel the tension in her shoulders dissipate, her headache receding and disappearing all together, along with the lingering nausea.

Feeling like she’d gotten twenty-four hours of sleep, she opened her eyes to find her brother's face. His dark circles and black eyes were completely gone, revealing tan olive skin with a light dusting of freckles. His ocean green eyes, eyes that mirrored her own, no longer looked glazed over from the lingering effects of alcohol. They had completely healed one another.

Ever since their first shift at age nine, they’ve had a different bond than most twins. No matter how far apart they were, they could always reach each other through the mind link. Even if they couldn’t reach the rest of the pack. They also had the nifty ability to heal one another.

When they were twelve, Damon had fallen out of a tree. Tumbling thirty feet to the ground, resulting in compound fractures in both of his legs. Sure, his wolf could have healed him. He wouldn’t have had to be in the hospital for more than a day but Amelia was terrified, watching her brother's blood stain the earth red. She remembered rushing to his side, holding his hand, assuring him that he was going to be fine. Their father was already running for the phone to call the pack doctor.

That was when her wolf told her to close her eyes and follow along, humming a soothing melody. It was a quiet, soft little tune and she obeyed her wolf instantly. When she opened her eyes again, his legs were completely healed. Their father had shown up in the backyard, frantically yelling at the pack doctor over the phone when he noticed his son was standing beside his daughter. Blood was soaked through his torn jeans, but the skin was completely healed, like nothing had happened.

Their father, right then and there, had made them swear on the Moon Goddess herself, to never speak a word of it to anyone.

“Thanks Mia. You’re the best,” Damon said, taking her in for a hug.

Amelia squeezed him back, instantly comforted by his embrace and his wolf. She was nervous to leave on her worldwide adventure, nervous to leave her twin. They had never been separated before at such a distance or length of time. The longest they had ever been apart was a week. He had stayed home over summer break and she went off to Jacksonville, Florida with her friends. The whole time she was gone she felt homesick and completely alone. She hated it.

She was terrified she would feel that way again once she left, that she wouldn’t be able to last long on her own, but she was stubborn enough to try. Once her brother took over as Alpha, she felt she no longer had a place in the pack. Since her brother was without a mate she could take over the Luna duties. Her pack had been without a Luna ever since her mother passed away over ten years ago but she didn’t want to be stuck in the same house she lived in all her life. She longed to be free.

Amelia pushed him away, hearing her father’s voice in her brother’s head. “You better go before he names someone else Alpha.”

Damon chuckled. “Do not take your time up here. Dad wants you downstairs ASAP, the next visiting pack is arriving in thirty minutes.”

“Which pack?” Amelia asked, walking over to her dresser mirror.

Surprisingly she didn’t look too bad. The healing must have done something to her hair. It wasn’t limp or lifeless and still had some of the curls in it from last night’s party. She could work with that.

“I think it’s the Twilight Moon Pack,” Damon informed her, pulling open the bedroom door.

“Oh good. I haven’t met their new Alpha yet. Old Alpha Demetry handed down the title just a few months ago to his only son. Every time I’ve ever met the old grump his son’s been away.” Amelia disappeared inside her walk-in closet, running her fingers along the rows of clothes, looking for the item she had in mind.

The Twilight Moon Pack were their closest neighbors, residing about four hours away over the border into New York. The pack was similar to theirs in terms of size and strength. They had been allies for generations, usually intermarrying to continue the peace. Amelia had visited the pack a few times over the last few years, making friends as she went. Although, some just don’t appreciate the bond of a fist to the face. Strange.

“Twenty minutes Mia,” Damon warned her before shutting her bedroom door behind him.

Amelia quickly picked out a simple white lace, knee length dress. The top of the dress was a simple scoop neck, racerback, exposing her shoulders to the warm summer air. She slipped on a simple pair of black flats. She was already tall and didn’t need the added height from heels. She quickly went into her adjoining bathroom, brushing her teeth, running a comb through her hair, and touching up her makeup. Giving herself a last look in the mirror she ran out of her room, slamming the door behind her.

Amelia Rhea Smoke! Where the hell are you? The Alpha is pulling up now. Her father’s voice boomed in her head.

She hated it when he said her full name. I’m coming! It’s not my fault you have my room up on the fifth floor! She snapped at him, earning her a warning growl in her head.

Ignoring him, she raced down the stairs as quick as she could. Once she reached the second floor she jumped over the banister, landing evenly on the balls of her feet. She pushed through the bustle of the pack house as members gathered around, awaiting the new arrivals. Outside, the humid air washed over her, making her instantly grateful she decided on a dress and not jeans.

Straightening out her dress and running her fingers through her hair, she stepped off the porch to stand beside her brother who waited beside their father. At the head of the welcoming committee she was one of the first to catch sight of three large, black SUV’s driving up their driveway. She bounced anxiously on her toes, unable to keep from fidgeting.

“Will you relax?” Damon hissed at her.