Brothers
Lucas
She nods, her eyes lining with silent questions. I call her Lis in an attempt to remind her that we’re in this together. Jess always called her Lis instead of Calista, and I hope her hearing it helps her realize we’re on her side.
“Okay,” she says quietly, running her fingers through her beautiful brunette hair, glossy in the overhead lights.
I exhale in relief that she doesn’t argue.
I can’t escape the room fast enough, wishing that Calista never walked into our parents’ suite. She should’ve had time to prepare, and I can tell she’s still shaken.
Striding through the archway and out of the dining hall, I head to the long corridor that ends at my dad’s study.
It shouldn’t bother me so much that Nolan has taken it upon himself to claim all business aspects of Pack Kismet.
He’s claimed the library, the study, and even the office building on Main Street.
If he could, he’d waltz into City Hall and claim our father’s seat as mayor.
It’s like he’s been preparing for this day all his life, and it pisses me off.
Without knocking, I push open the heavy door and catch sight of Nolan sleeping at the desk, his head resting on his arms. There are plenty of rooms in the Kismet Estate, but he hasn’t left this one much.
Just like I haven’t left our father’s side.
There’s just something about this house now that we have to return.
Calista wasn’t the only one who was shocked out of the normalcy of her life.
Because Dad was head of our pack, he stayed in our town.
He ruled and created a place betas wanted to stay after experiencing the alphas who fight for power in the big cities.
Poppy Cove is a sleepy town, right next to the expansive Pacific Ocean.
While small, our pack has just as much wealth as those from the city, except we don’t have to worry about butting heads with those in power.
If only I didn’t hate small towns. They are boring as fuck.
Everybody gets into each other’s business.
The most excitement that happens around here is a holiday fair, someone new moving in, or shit like marriage and babies.
Oh, and the death of the beloved mayor. It’s not excitement, but it’s something that rarely happens and gets everyone out of their daily routines.
It’s never happened in my lifetime. Dad has been in control for as long as anyone can remember since his own father passed away thirty years ago.
“You want to wake him up, or should I?” Jensen’s voice draws my attention to the sitting area in front of the bay window with a view of the ocean. He sits with his arms crossed over his plain black T-shirt.
“How about we leave him here? Maybe he won’t be such an asshole if he gets enough beauty sleep.” I say the words loudly, waiting to see if Nolan springs up.
He doesn’t.
“Already tried that, brother. He’s out-out.
” Rising to his feet, Jensen closes the space to Nolan and motions at the pill bottle on the desk.
It’s nothing serious, just some sleeping pills, but I think because Nolan has basically been awake since news broke that Dad passed away, it finally caught up with him.
I ball my hands into fists and turn my back. “He knew better. We have Calista here. Now is not the time to sleep away his problems. That just pushes them on us. We can’t avoid speaking with her for much longer.”
Jensen throws up his hands, his brown eyes narrowing at me. “Nolan made it clear that he is in charge. I’m just here to make sure he does it right.”
“Is that the only reason? How very on-brand of you. Dad would be so proud.” I turn away but don’t get far before Jensen’s muscular arm cuts across my throat, and he yanks me to him.
I can’t break out of his chokehold, and I regret egging him on.
I’m just so damn tired of everything already.
There’s a reason I moved across the country.
I’m not first in line. Not even second. And while these guys were trying to establish their own pack together to jumpstart the transition of power, I was just trying to live my life.
I don’t have the same need that they do.
I’m an alpha, but that’s just my order. I’m more than that.
Calista wasn’t wrong asking for our parents to sponsor her independence.
I kind of wish they had that kind of program for alphas too.
“Who else is going to do it? You’re too busy fooling around, acting like a damn beta.” Jensen tightens his arm across my throat. “You’re never here, Lucas.”
If I could speak, I would tell him to go to hell.
We both know why I’m never here. For one, Nolan doesn’t consider me on his level.
I’m the youngest of us three, even a year younger than Calista.
I wasn’t raised to be a leader. I was never given any sort of responsibility.
When I was a teen, that was fine by me. But now?
I wish Dad had done something a bit different.
He was too concerned about protecting our pack and power.
He was afraid that he might lose everything, which is why he married Calista’s mom, Jessica.
They both needed each other. At least, even after the formal arrangement, they managed to find love.
It helped that Dad was the only alpha in his immediate pack.
Brothers like mine are expected to either live a life without an omega or to share.
And I don’t really think Nolan or Jensen would ever want to share with me.
They still consider me a kid in their eyes, even though I’m twenty-two.
I might be younger, but I’m obviously holding it together better.
Those two are too busy correcting one another.
And me? I’m just accepting my life now. I want to mourn the loss of our dad and keep going forward.
I don’t care about wealth or power. It’s not like I would be in control of it anyway.
I have enough with my paid-off house, my mechanic business, and my quiet suburban lifestyle.
“What the hell are you doing? Let him go. He can’t breathe!
” Calista’s voice snaps through the air, her spicy attitude back.
I should’ve known that she wouldn’t have just stayed in the dining hall, waiting on us.
That’s not her style. She’s always been free-spirited.
That was something I admired about her when we first met.
It’s also why our parents were so quick to agree to get her out of here.
She is quite attractive, bold, and was off-limits.
It would have been against the law if we ever got the chance to get to know each other before this, because I would’ve probably fallen in love with her.
My teen self and alpha order didn’t care that our parents were married.
Except things are different now they’re gone…
“I mean it, Jensen. Let him go!”
I hear the sound of a palm smacking skin before Jensen lets me go altogether. Did she just slap him?
I turn my attention to Jensen as he cups his face. Oh fuck. Yeah, she did.
Calista stands between us, raising her hands up as if she could stop us if we really wanted to brawl. I could easily throw her over my shoulder and out of the way. Jensen would deserve it for being an asshole.
“While you guys are acting like barbaric twits, breakfast is getting cold. The chef put a lot of work into it, and it’s rude for you guys to request breakfast and not even show up.
So get your asses together and go to the dining room.
” Calista shifts her attention to Nolan, who is still dead to the world in his sleep.
She straightens her back, tightens her pouty lips, and struts over to the desk. Grabbing a fistful of his dark hair, she jerks his head back. He doesn’t respond, and a strange expression crosses her face. She thinks something is wrong, her worry clearly lining her forehead.
“Sleep meds,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest.
Her worry vanishes, and she tightens her grip on his hair, shaking his head. “Nolan, wake up. If I have to be awake to deal with your dumbass brothers, so do you.”
Again, Nolan doesn’t react. I wonder how many pills he took. Or how long ago. Knowing him, he probably waited until the sun peeked from the horizon.
“You’re going to have to try harder than that,” Jensen says, his anger melting into amusement. While we fight often, we’re always quick to end shit. We can love and hate each other in seconds. It’s what brothers do.
Calista thins her lips and flares her nostrils, looking cute as fuck.
Her sky blue eyes narrow, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think one look from her like that could knock a man off his feet.
She truly is a spitfire. She gets that from her mom, for sure.
Jessica knew exactly what she wanted from the pack and didn’t take no for an answer.
She was kind and considerate, and she expected the same from everyone.
“Nolan? Don’t make me wake you up how I was taught to wake alphas up who have worn out their welcome at the Omega Resort. You wouldn’t like it,” Calista says, speaking loudly in his ear.
The way she says it scares me yet piques my interest. I’ve heard about the darker side of the Omega Independence Program, but Dad paid even more than the average to keep Calista away from the supposed dating scene that helps omegas leave the program…
or stay long term. We did see Calista out with someone that sounded a bit transactional…
“You really won’t like it,” Calista continues, adjusting her grip on Nolan’s hair.
“That’s what you think,” I mutter, smirking at Jensen.
I’d love to see her follow through with her threat.
Nolan deserves it. The asshole should be awake and dealing with Calista instead of me.
He knew that we couldn’t just drag Calista all the way from Nevada and assume she’d go with the flow of things. She made it clear she wouldn’t.
At least her anger is now directed at him and her tears are gone. Because fuck. Seeing her cry did something to me. I don’t like it.
I move closer to stand beside her, not letting the desk stand between us. I can’t have anything blocking my view. “He’s a different brand of alpha.”
Glowering at me in response, Calista shakes Nolan again.
She’s not going to take my bait. “Nolan, wake up.” Calista raises her other hand and digs her nails into the crook of Nolan’s neck.
She’s messing with his scent gland. That’s one way to handle things.
Leaning forward, Calista sticks out her tongue and drags it up Nolan’s face from his chin to his forehead, surprising the hell out of both Jensen and me.
Nolan’s eyes snap open from his medicated sleep, and he bares his teeth. I rush forward and hook my arm around her waist, dragging her away just in time to save her from being accidentally head-butted as he jerks upright. The chair rolls with the movement and hits the wall.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?” Nolan hops to his feet and reaches for his belt out of habit. He doesn’t actually have a weapon. That’s a house rule. Even though Dad is dead, he would not disobey him, so all weapons are in the safe.
Calista elbows me, getting me to release her.
She doesn’t let Nolan’s state of confusion stop her from stomping forward.
She grabs his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes.
Damn. I’ve never seen anyone manhandle my brother like that.
I don’t know what kind of life Calista had in Nevada, but the big city really did something to her.
She’s bossy. Determined. Unlike any omega I’ve seen.
“What’s happening? What’s happening is you’re about to get your ass handed to you because you made the chef prepare breakfast and you’re not even awake. Lucas said we were having a pack meeting. So come on. Let’s have a pack meeting.”
I step back and raise my hands in surrender. She threw me under the bus. What the hell? I guess I should’ve told her that it was Jensen who arranged breakfast. And it was my idea for the meeting.
Oh well. It was worth seeing her put Nolan in his place.
Nolan doesn’t say anything, but his expression speaks volumes. He’s going to fuck me up later if he gets a chance.
If Calista lets him. It looks as if she’s going to put all of us in our places.
Is it bad that I want her to?
This is going to be hell.