Chapter 22
Braxton
A fter almost two months of being a pack, we’d all settled into a sort of routine. We all enjoyed coffee and breakfast together in the mornings, before I went to the clinic, Nash and Devon went upstairs to get ready for their days, and Wren and Shepherd went to tend to the animals.
Wren was a vegetarian so whatever Shepherd, Nash, or I made had something she could enjoy as well. Devon and Wren were trying to cook but they were both honestly hopeless and decided to tag team dishes and cleanup instead.
I’d been so wrapped up in my bubble that I hadn’t noticed the missed texts from my younger sister. Guilt hit me as I sat at my desk and read the multitude of messages, a weary sigh escaping as I caught up on what had been happening at home.
A knock on the door had me looking up, my office manager Mindy poking her head in.
“Hey, boss, we had an emergency appointment fit in this morning, Moxie the mini schnauzer got caught in the rabbit wire. She’ll need help getting cut out and her wound looked at. They’re on their way.
“Thanks, Mindy. I’ll be ready,” I promised, giving her my best smile.
She saw right through it, eyes narrowing and hands on her hips.
“We have a solid ten minutes. Five of those can be filled with talk. What’s going on?”
For an older beta, she was sassy.
“So, I found my pack,” I said, as if she didn’t know. Mindy snorted and waved me on.
“Yes, we all know. So, why the long face?”
“My sister messaged.” Her smile dropped. She’d been around long enough to know some of what I went through before I became a vet. That and about my siblings.
“What’d they do?”
“Apparently, they think the oldest sister that’s still at home is seeing alphas and not working, so they took her phone… which I paid for. She snuck back in to grab it so I could know but only has it when they’re either passed out or gone. They’re getting worse, I swear. And she thinks Mom is pregnant again.”
“At this point, they should all be banned from having kids,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, Braxton. Just remember, you are one beta and can only do so much.”
“I know,” I admitted. “Is it wrong that I’m a bit terrified that if someone finally decided to step in that I’d have to take all my siblings in. I have a pack now and I’ve done that for long enough. I don’t want to do it again.”
“No, doc, it’s not. That’s not your responsibility,” she said gently. “And we both know it won’t come to that. They’re terrible parents, but somehow always convince authorities they’ve met the kids’ needs.”
“Bare minimum and only have food around with my help,” I grunted. Sometimes, I really hated my older siblings for running away and leaving me to face this burden alone. Then I felt guilty because I understood why they ran.
And now my sister was following in my footsteps.
“What’s the age gap between the youngest?”
“At home, the youngest is four, then six, then almost eight, eleven, thirteen, and sixteen,” I said. “The ones between me and the sixteen year old, aged out and left, too.”
Her eyes widened. It was one thing to know my parents had more kids than they should, but another to hear their ages laid out like that. Hell, I wasn’t even the oldest at twenty-nine.
At some point, I wondered when my parents would finally step up, or stop having more kids. We were hopeful with the four year age gap, but if my sister suspected, it was likely true.
“The worst part is, they have enough money to give them all a great life. They’re just so wrapped up in each other and their lives, they simply forget to parent. Or ignore it.”
She gave me a sympathetic look. “There’s an empty slot around lunch. I’ll keep it open and you can take a long lunch. Call your sister or swing by the house and handle things. We’ll be fine. The appointment after is for a nail clipping which we can handle just fine.”
“Thanks, Mindy,” I said, glad to have a chance to check in on my siblings. Our lunch was generally later in the day so people could use their lunch breaks to schedule quick appointments. That also meant that the kids would be home from school by the time I got there.
The bell over our front door chimed and I got up quickly, sliding on my white lab coat and heading out to greet the wounded pup.
My morning and early afternoon was a busy blur, which was kind of nice. It kept me out of my head and there was a soothing peace at doing my job. I loved working with animals and despite the random bites and scratches, it was rewarding work.
“Alright, you’re free, doc,” Mindy said before the door chimed again. We both froze and she winced until I saw who it was.
“Wren,” I breathed out, smile widening at the sight of my omega. “Mindy, I’d like you to meet one of my omegas.”
“Oh, Wren! You’re gorgeous and I’ve never seen doc so happy. I’m so glad to meet you,” Mindy gushed, pushing her hands to her cheeks as she took in my girl. Wren blushed furiously and gave her a shy smile until I saved her by tugging her into my arms and out of Mindy’s reach.
“What are you doing here?”
“A little birdie told me this was your lunch break. I thought I’d swing by and see if you were up for a little lunch date?” Her hopeful smile had my heart sinking. Watching it fade at my reaction was a punch to the gut.
“It’s not you. I’d love nothing more than to have lunch with you,” I explained as I took her hand and led her to my office before she could overthink it. “However, I got a text from my sister.”
There was no point hiding what a mess my family was, so I simply gave it to her in a nutshell. The good, the bad, the gritty details that explained why I had to go.
“Can I come with you, then? If it’s something you struggle with, let me share the burden. We’re pack now,” she said, no longer sad, but determined.
My heart slammed against my ribcage at the thought.
“I don’t know if my parents will be home. They’re… not good to me, Wren.”
“I’ll behave. Maybe,” she offered with a snort. “My omega is a bit protective of you guys.”
“You’ll have to meet them sooner or later, I guess. Just promise you won’t run from me?”
“Hey,” she said, putting her hands on my cheeks, her soft skin a soothing balm to my rising worry. “Your family doesn’t get to scare me off. I know you, or I’m working on it, and nothing they say or do will change that image.”
“Lunch after, then?” I offered. Maybe a little something to look forward to would get us through this nightmare.
“Do you want an alpha to go with us? I could call someone,” she offered.
“No, it’s fine. They’re not violent or anything, just assholes,” I promised. She nodded and moved toward the door. I dropped my lab coat and grabbed my things before leading her to the back lot where I parked.
“I don’t know why I thought you drove a beat up truck,” she said as I clicked the fob to unlock my Charger.
“That’s the clinic’s truck, I use it for animal pickups so they don’t ruin this one,” I admitted as I opened her door for her. When she climbed in I leaned over and buckled her seatbelt for her, brushing a kiss over her forehead.
“Thanks for embracing this and coming with me,” I said as I looked into those big blue eyes of hers. She was so pretty and sweet that I couldn't believe she was mine.
“Braxton,” she laughed. “You saw me have a meltdown. Now we can be even.”
“Well, when you put it like that,” I teased back, hurrying around to get in the driver’s side.
“So, how was your morning?” she asked as I pulled onto the main road. I regaled her with today’s adventures, from saving Moxie’s leg to dislodging a ball from a lab’s mouth, and doing the routine checkups of all Rockwood Valley’s crazy animals. They may not have the same psycho flair as Harding’s animals, but they were characters all the same.
It didn’t take long to pull up to the old, two-story house I grew up in. The yard was littered with outdated yard toys that my siblings and I swiped from being taken out with the trash. The yard was at least two weeks past needing cut, and the house itself wasn’t anything to look at.
The front door opened and Trinity stepped out. She lit up as I stepped out, but she was looking far too thin. I held open my arms and she rushed forward, desperate for a hug. An omega needed touch and the only ones she got it from were my hugs and the younger siblings clinging to her all the time.
There were dark circles under her eyes and I was about two seconds away from marching in there and giving my parents a piece of my mind. It would only end in a blow up fight again. I’d done just about everything to try and fix things and nothing ever worked.
“You look rough,” I said as gently as possible.
“Braxton!” Wren gasped. “You don’t say that to an omega.”
Trinity’s eyes widened and she peeked over at my mate.
“Wren, this is Trinity, my sister. Trinity, this is Wren, my omega.”
Trinity’s high-pitched squeal had my ears ringing before she crushed me in another hug.
“Oh my god, finally!”
It was my turn to protest. “What do you mean, finally? I’m not that old.”
She gave me a look that was all teenager before rolling her eyes.
Before the conversation could turn into an interrogation, I got us back on track. We were, sadly, on limited time.
“What’s been going on, T?”
She looked at me, shoulders slumping and green eyes shadowed. “They’ve been staying in their suite nonstop. They don’t come out for dinner or anything, I’ve been running it all.”
Anger boiled in my blood. I understood more than ever the draw of a mate. Yet, one week after finding my scent match and we were all getting back to our lives. You’d think over forty years of being packed up they’d be able to handle their responsibilities.
“How do they pay bills?” Wren muttered. “Don’t they have jobs?”
“No,” Trinity answered for me. “Two of our dads are trust fund alphas. Remind me to never give a rich alpha a chance. They’re selfish.”
“Maybe we can have you guys out to the farm some weekends. Get you out of the house and give you time to rest,” Wren suggested. Trinity’s eyes lit up at the prospect.
“Your pack wouldn’t care?”
“They’d never tell me no,” Wren said with a wink. Trinity giggled but her smile fell again as the front door slammed open.
“Trinity, go inside,” I urged. She gave me a look but nodded before turning to Wren.
“Please let us come.” Then she gave her a quick hug and ran off, right past my mom who was walking out, eyeing us both. My fathers were never far behind. I heard them yell something before rushing out after her.
They looked disheveled, hair wild, stubbled faces, and my dad’s were either lacking shirts or the buttons were undone. I forgot how much of a mess they were.
Wren’s hand slid inside mine and held on tight. I didn’t think she was worried, more bracing herself and reassuring me.
“What the hell are you doing here, doc?” Mom asked, sneering and making the last word sound like an insult. Her once glossy, brown hair was a mess. Tangled and stuck in a messy bun that was anything but cute.
“Checking in on my siblings. Someone has to,” I said, keeping my tone even. Usually I wasn’t this defiant or bold, but I was done letting them act this way. That and I knew my omega was watching. I couldn’t let her think I was some complacent, enabling asshole. I wanted to be more than that, for her and for myself.
“Excuse you, boy?” my father, Tanner spit out, his tone and narrowed eyes told me he’d be screaming if it wasn’t for our guest. Like I said, they’d never been stupid enough to raise a hand to any of us. Though, he could be scary enough, yelling and puffing out his chest to intimidate us into listening.
“Oh, you become a vet and think you’re so much better than us,” Mom challenged, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at me. It should hurt more that she looked at me with disdain and hatred, but I was too numb to them to care. I’d found my family. They didn’t matter, only my siblings did. “You don’t know anything about this house anymore.”
An idea formed in my mind. It could be dangerous, a gamble, but at the end of the day my parents were narcissistic cowards. Their pack was truly made for each other.
“I do, in fact, know what it’s been like here. Not just because I lived it, but I’ve taken pictures of a few things, including the state of my siblings. Clothes that don’t fit or are too worn down, matted hair, thin frames from lack of food that you never provide. There is also video evidence and before you complain, this is absolutely legal without your consent, especially seeing as how this house still technically belongs to Uncle Ian. I’ve got it all saved in a backup account, too, so don’t even bother asking me to delete it.”
Watching their faces pale was satisfying. Wren’s hand tightened in mine, giving me even more courage. I’d never felt so fucking strong in my life. I’d let this part of my life bring me down for too long and if no one would intervene, I was going to have to find a way to handle it.
“Frankly, you’ve been terrible parents and even worse people. Fucking stand up for your family, treat those kids like your children and not a burden. You brought us all into this world, one after another without a fucking care for our wellbeing. I made something of myself, despite you. Half my siblings ran far and cut contact the moment it was legal, because of you. It’s not because we’re entitled or think we’re better, it’s because we don’t even know you. This is pure and simple neglect. You should be fucking ashamed.”
“How dare you,” Marco growled, chest puffing up to defend them. It didn’t escape my notice that no one argued my points, they were simply offended that I said it out loud.
Tears were welling in Mom’s eyes and they kept shifting to the omega at my side, as if asking for sympathy. She wouldn’t find it there.
“Every one of your children can’t stand being around you. They brace themselves for your yelling and think Trinity is their parent, just like they thought I was before I left. Hell, even I was raised by Sam. Is there a single one of your children that you truly raised?”
“Don’t come here and tell us how to run our house,” Adrian tacked on in a huff. For a beta, he hardly had any empathy. I don’t think I’d even talked to him more than a handful of times, which was insane if you thought about it.
Their fight was draining out of them quickly and my plan absolutely was working. It wasn’t fair that I had to blackmail them into parenting, but if it could make them step up and take care of my siblings, then it was worth it.
I wasn’t naive enough to think there was love there, and I knew damn well that my siblings deserved better, but it was a start. I knew damn well my pack would pour all that love into those kids every time we had them. I’d even call up my uncle and see about summers for the older ones out at his ranch in Texas if he was up for it. Maybe having more family around would change things for the better. Or at least keep my shitty parents accountable.
“You have one month to turn things around. I’ll be taking the kids, all of them, once a month. I’ll come for them Friday after school, and will bring them back Sunday. I swear to everything in me and all the power I possess with my pack and this town, I will spread your names and these pictures far and wide in every fucking social circle I can until your reputation is ruined and your families disown you. One misstep, one dirty, unfed kid, and it’s over for you.”
They paled at that. I’d hit them where it hurt. They were far more worried about their inheritances and friendships than their own children.
“I’m thinking a call to Grandma would be wise. She keeps saying she’d like to come visit Rockwood Valley again.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Mom choked out but the others were silent. They were taking me seriously for once in my life and I was done with this fight. I’d follow through on everything I could.
“Watch me,” I said sharply, turning and pulling Wren back to the car. I helped her in before rounding it, giving them one last scathing look before leaving them behind.
Neither one of us said a word until we were back in town.
“Damn, that was hot,” she said with a chuckle. “I guess we better figure out some guest rooms, huh?”
If I wasn’t sure before, this moment would have solidified it. She saw my past, and my character, and was right here to support me every step of the way.
“But you have to tell Shepherd,” she tacked on with a grin.