Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
The commotion was coming from mine and Griffin’s bedroom, so I stalked through the kitchen, down the hallway past Sierra, who was flipping the station on the TV, and into the room. Griffin and Killian were only a few steps behind me, ready to fight.
Usually, this room, with its warm blue walls that reminded me of the ocean and the dark walnut furniture that reminded me of the forest, was my sanctuary.
But not today.
Julius had dug through Griffin’s room and found the family album, journal, and notes that I’d hidden under the bed. Angst, confusion, and hurt swirled inside him, spilling into me.
The album lay on the floor, open to the picture of Mom holding my brother and me on a bed. Blood spotted our bodies, proving that we’d just been born. Dad had his arms wrapped around Mom’s shoulders, and they both looked so damn happy.
Each time I looked at this photo, it stole my breath.
My brother having been stripped from us was horrible, whether it was due to death or kidnapping. The man who sat on the floor was rocking himself as he read Dad’s journal, his face crumpled in agony.
For him to be looking so desperately for answers, he had to be Cyrus.
Rosemary stood over him, her body coursing with anger. The angel wasn’t the most empathetic person, and being ignored didn’t sit well with her.
“You heard her,” Griffin growled as he appeared to the right of me, with Killian flanking me on the left. “Get the hell out of here. What do you think you’re doing?”
All they could see was a threat inside our house, but I saw a lost, broken man. “He’s looking for answers.” It was that simple.
He wanted to find himself.
“Well, this is the wrong fucking way to do it.” Griffin waved his hands around the room. “He’s in our bedroom and digging through my drawers.”
Sierra entered the room with a smile—or grimace—I wasn’t sure. She arched an eyebrow at me as she inhaled sharply.
“I’m so sorry,” she said in her usual talking-shit voice. “But when you say drawers, do you mean the shelf or your actual underwear?” She waved a hand to the still-open drawer with his boxers shoved to the side and spilling out. “You can see where I’d be confused.”
Killian closed his eyes and shook his head. “Now isn’t the time.”
“Get out,” Griffin rasped with rage, directing it toward her and away from Julius. “Now.”
I couldn’t help but grin, appreciating Sierra diverting some of his anger toward her. But Griffin would have to come to grips with Julius. He wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon, and there was too much other shit to focus on for us to waste energy on something that wouldn’t change. Hey, give me a moment alone with Julius. I already knew how he’d react to that comment, but I needed a chance to talk to Julius alone.
Hell, no. Griffin turned his icy glare on me. Not happening.
His outright refusal pissed me off. That wasn ’ t a request , I snapped. But if you’d rather I leave with him, that can be arranged. I wasn’t some meek mate who would bend to his will—I was my own person. Whether he liked it or not, I made my own decisions.
He organized a kidnapping to hand you off to some limp-dick prick who hoped he could get a hard-on long enough to impregnate you. Griffin’s body was so tense, he could pass as a statue. So excuse me if I ’ m not thrilled to leave you alone with him.
Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I thought through my next words. He was my mate and deserved some sort of consideration for how he was feeling. I had forced him to watch me walk into a dangerous situation earlier today, and he saw Julius as a continuation of that threat. I understand, but I can feel him spiraling out of control. Stay right next to the door, and if anything feels wrong, you can barge right in. Just give us the illusion of privacy. I knew in my heart that he loved me and that he was reacting from fear.
“Why aren’t you listening to me? I told you to get the hell out of here.” Rosemary faced us with her brows furrowed. She pursed her lips as she tilted her head. “Do you think he’s deaf? Can wolves suddenly go deaf?”
“It’s called selective hearing,” Sierra hollered from down the hall. “All men suffer from it. I’m surprised it took you so long to learn this.”
“She can’t keep her mouth shut,” Killian grumbled, and ran a hand down his face. “It’s like she gets worse instead of better. She used to only be this bad with Olive.”
Olive—his late sister. She’d died a couple of years ago, along with the rest of Killian’s family. He rarely spoke of them, so for him to say her name startled me.
Griffin sighed, making it clear that he wasn’t happy. “Let’s give Sterlyn a few minutes alone with him .”
“You wolves have such a weird sense of humor,” Rosemary said as she crossed her arms and stared at Griffin. His somber expression didn’t change. “Wait…you aren’t joking?”
“No, unfortunately, I’m not.” Griffin’s voice was strained, and he stomped over to Julius, sneering, “But one wrong move, and we’ll be back in here in a flash. Don’t get any stupid ideas.”
Julius’s irises darkened to gunmetal as a stormy expression crossed his face. “I’m here with a stronger silver wolf and an angel. That alone would give anyone pause.” He made it clear that he wasn’t scared of Griffin and Killian.
Great, these guys were going to have a power struggle, which wouldn’t result in anything good. Just more anger and tension. “Okay, we got it. You’re both strong alphas. Noted,” I said. “Now I’d like to have a few minutes with him.”
Rosemary strolled over to me and spoke into my ear. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“Yes, I think it might help,” I replied, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “But thank you for your concern.”
Her face tightened, and she picked at her nails like she was suddenly uncomfortable. “I just…like you better than most. Even those of my own race.”
My heart seemed to keep growing, making room for more people. Whether the angel admitted it, she cared for me and probably every other person in this group. She and Killian didn’t argue nearly as much as they had when I’d first met her, and she’d even smiled at some of Sierra’s absurd comments. This was one reason the great divide among the races had to come down. Inherently, we’d always remain more separate, but we didn’t have to work against each other. “I feel the same way about you, but I need you to trust me.”
“Fine. Shout if you need me.” She nodded and marched out the door, not even giving a backward glance.
Why couldn’t Killian and Griffin be that conciliatory?
“If you so much as fart weird, Griffin and I are in here,” Killian warned Julius as he pulled me into a huge hug, wrapping his arms securely around me. “And I swear, you’re trying to see how far you can push us.”
I returned the embrace, knowing that this whole situation had been hard on him, too. “Not on purpose. I promise.”
“All right, let my mate go,” Griffin grumbled, and he kissed my cheek. “You don’t have long. That’s even pushing it, considering the way I’m feeling.”
That was something to start with. Julius and I wouldn’t be able to discuss everything in one conversation, anyway, and I was exhausted. Now that the bed was only a few feet away, all I wanted to do was climb into it with Griffin. “Okay.”
One thing out of line, if he’s even breathing funny, you let me know. Griffin linked, staring deep into my eyes, looking like he could see into my soul. I can’t chance losing you again.
I’m not going anywhere. I kissed him gently. He has to be my brother. I need to talk to him and connect with him. Otherwise, he’s not going to help us. He’s vulnerable right now, and he needs me.
Griffin nibbled on his bottom lip and looked away. “Come on, man,” he said to Killian.
The two of them exited, and Griffin glanced at me one last time before shutting the door.
The room somehow seemed overwhelming with just Julius and me inside, despite there being fewer people.
He didn’t acknowledge me, but instead kept flipping the pages of the photo album. I casually walked over to him, trying not to seem threatening. This was something I couldn’t alpha out of him. He needed to come to grips with it on his own terms, but that didn’t mean that nudging him in the right direction was out of the question.
Pictures of me at my first birthday party was where he’d gotten to in the book. A birthday he should’ve been a part of.
“I didn’t know you existed until I found the album and journal barely a week ago.” I sat next to him and pointed at a picture of me with pink icing and chocolate cake all over my face. Mom and Dad stood on either side of me. My eyes had been more purple then, before the silver set in, and my silver hair was pulled into short pigtails. I had a large smile on my face, proving that I was happy and loved. However, now that I knew about my brother, I noted a sadness in my parents’ eyes. That must have been both a horrible and joyful day for them, remembering the death of one child while celebrating the life of another.
His jaw flexed, and he flipped the page to the next set of pictures. “Do you think that makes me feel better? It makes it worse.”
“Did you know that you’re my brother?” And yet, he’d still tried to hand me over to God knew who.
“My parents gave me up because they only wanted you. The girl alpha.” Disgust and hatred rang clear in his words. “I was reminded daily by the person who took care of me that I should be grateful that I had them, since my parents didn’t want me. That despite my uselessness, they still took me in.”
My heart hurt for him, but he couldn’t be angry with me over that. “Did you not hear the part about me not knowing you existed until a few days ago?” Maybe Rosemary was right. Could he be hard of hearing?
“And what’s their excuse?” He pushed the picture album away. “They didn’t even tell you about me.”
“They thought you were dead .” His accusation stunned me. “The witch assigned to heal Mom told them that you died while she was cleaning us up. The witch had to be in on it. She brought you back out with me, and you didn’t have a heartbeat. She must have spelled you or something.”
“I want to hear this from them.” He climbed to his feet and waved his arms around. “I’m assuming they’ll be here at some point. They wouldn’t want to leave their precious daughter unattended for long.”
Wait. He thought our parents were still alive? He had no clue that they were dead. But then who else was in play? I wanted to break the news to him gently, but I wasn’t sure how that was even possible. In some ways, their death would be worse for him because he’d never have the opportunity to know them. At least I’d had that, and selfishly, I wouldn’t change it for the world. “They’re no longer living.”
“What?” He sagged against the wall. “They’re dead ?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t hide the pain in my voice. I missed them so damn much.
“But…when?” The strong young man I’d met today now looked broken. Like every bit of hope he’d clutched had been destroyed.
“A few weeks ago.” I should tell him more, but I wasn’t emotionally ready for it. If I tried, I’d fall apart. And that was something I couldn’t do. Not in front of him. Not yet. I didn’t trust him, and the only people you should ever show weakness to were the ones who had your back even in the worst of times. Killian, Griffin, Rosemary, and Sierra had proven that. I deflected the situation. “I’m curious about who raised you in their absence, though.”
“Just some person who was paid and forced to do it. Don’t worry, she wasn’t the one who wanted you. When I got old enough to take care of myself, she disappeared just like everyone does with me.” He frowned and glanced around the room like the answer would magically appear. “How did you find out about me?”
I wanted to push the conversation more, but there was so much pain in his words. Besides, this was where I’d hoped we’d land from the very beginning. He could read the stories in Dad’s own words. That would mean so much more than coming from me. He’d be able to read the heartbreak in them and maybe find a sense of peace over time.
I gestured to the journal that lay closed on the shaggy carpet. “In there. I found the journal and album back at my pack house.” I grabbed it and opened it to February fourth of the year we were born, then handed it to him. “Here, read it.”
Julius took the worn leather book in his hands and turned it around. As his eyes scanned the pages, my heart broke in two, watching and feeling his pain.
His hands tightened on the book, and I forced myself to remain quiet. I didn’t want him to hurt the pages, but he had to go through his process, and I didn’t want to interfere.
His jaw clenched, and he began to swallow like his throat was dry. When his eyes watered, I wasn’t surprised; everything he’d ever wanted to know was right in his grasp. But sometimes, no matter how badly we wanted the truth, we weren’t nearly as prepared for it as we thought.
“This has to be some sick joke.” Julius slammed the book closed but didn’t put it down. “There’s no way that happened. You’re manipulating me, trying to turn me into one of your brainless followers like those idiots out there. I won’t fall for this act.”
I could only imagine what he was going through. I took a deep breath and sighed. “Cyrus—” I hated calling him by his fake name.
“No!” he yelled, and his face turned red. “Do not call me that! That’s not my name. And even if it was, your lying ass better not call me that. All those years, my caregiver told me the truth about you. You’re just a piece of shit who’ll do everything possible to be on top. You’re only good for breeding an army.” He shook his head and marched to the door. “I can’t do this.”
He yanked open the door, revealing Griffin. My mate snarled, “What the fuck is your problem? You can’t yell at her like that.”
And he was right—Cyrus couldn’t, but only I would be able to demand his respect. Griffin couldn’t command it for me, so I knew exactly what I had to do.