Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
Once they were gone, my father let out a loud sigh. It reminded me of the time I got a flat tire on my bike, and I could hear the air slowly escaping while my tire deflated.
My dad sat back down at the table and ran a hand through his graying hair. He pulled his notes on the meeting toward him and then grabbed our pack’s budget report from our meeting with the Elders earlier this week.
Once a week, my father, his Beta, and I met with the Elders of our pack to discuss everything from the pack’s budget to how to protect them against the increasing Rogue wolf attacks. Most of the time, we focused on the latter. Ella’s father, Delta Theodore, attended as well, since his role in our pack was commanding our small army. Whenever I saw Ella’s dad, he looked just as stressed as mine.
“I’m going to have to find more money. We need those warriors,” my dad muttered to himself.
“Dad, why do we have to work with the Alpha King? Remember what I told you last week about what I heard from Evan of the EchoLight Pack? How King Ezekiel might be betting on outcomes of wars with the kings of other kingdoms? What if that’s true? What if the king is corrupt in some other way, too? Why would we want to align with him? Can’t we find another way to protect our pack?”
My father scrubbed a rough hand down his face and put his other hand on my shoulder.
“Son, I’ve heard those rumors as well. When I had the idea of the arranged marriage between you and Olivia, the Elders and I conducted an investigation to see if they had any truth to them. We couldn’t find any. King Ezekiel might be a jerk, but he isn’t corrupt. I’m sorry. The reality is that the only way our pack will survive these Rogue wolf attacks is for you to marry Olivia,” my dad said.
I could see the pain in his eyes. I knew it hurt my father to take away my choice of a partner. My parents are Fated Mates. They met when they were eighteen, and it was like a lightning bolt struck them, creating a supernatural bond. Ever since then, they just knew that they were meant to be together in their very souls.
Even though they’d been through hardships, my parents’ love had never wavered for each other. My mom and dad had always wanted me to find the same kind of love that they had until the Rogue wolf attacks started in our pack. Now, they thought this political marriage was the only option. Even if I were to find my Destined Mate, I believed my parents would still want me to go through with the marriage. They thought it was the only way to ensure our pack’s safety.
But what if it wasn’t the only way?
“Dad, can’t we just talk about other ways to protect the pack? You, me, and Delta Theodore could meet and-“
“Liam, Delta Theodore, and I have talked about this. Numerous times. Don’t you think, after his own daughter was attacked, Delta Theodore didn’t look at every possible option to increase our pack’s army? Aligning with another pack isn’t possible because no one else but the Alpha King lives close enough. If an attack were to happen, it would most likely be over before any warriors could get to our pack. Even if we did live close enough to the packs we are aligned with, they don’t have the warriors to spare because they are dealing with the increased number of Rogue wolf attacks, just like us. We just don’t have enough strong shifters in our pack to create an army. I’m sorry, but this marriage is our only option. I just have to find the money somewhere.”
He looked down at the budget report again, and I knew that I was dismissed.
I walked out of the meeting room with only one thought in my mind.
There must be another way.
Liam POV
“Should we ditch today?” Noah asked me from the passenger seat of my old truck. “Maybe hit up a casino?”
I was driving us to school, and like every other day, we passed by Val’s Diner, a small grocery store, and the car repair shop that ate up most of the money I got from my side job fixing up my friend’s computers at school. The route to Brindle Creek High was as familiar to me as my name. Pride washed over me as my brother and I coasted through our small town. The Alpha King’s daughter was wrong yesterday. Brindle Creek wasn’t a dump. Sure, some of the buildings could use a new coat of paint or some landscaping, but our pack members were good, hard-working shifters. The people of Brindle Creek made the town what it was.
“No, man,” I answered as I stopped at a light. “Today’s our last day of exams.”
Noah chuckled and lightly punched me on the arm.
“I was just kidding, dude. Relax.”
I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. Ever since Noah turned eighteen two months ago, he’d been going to the small casino in town every so often. I’d been with him twice, and each time, he spent more than five hundred dollars. Sometimes he won big, but other times he would lose it all. Noah had a part-time job at the car repair shop, but he didn’t make enough money to blow a paycheck in one night. I was worried that it might become a problem and tried to keep a close eye on him.
“Did you study for your history exam?” I asked as I put my blinker on to turn.
“Yes, Dad,” Noah joked and rolled his eyes.
This was our ongoing joke. He thought I worried about him too much. And maybe I did. But after his parents passed away so young, I had assumed the role of a protective brother. Noah was too reckless for his own good.
If you’re so protective of him, why do you keep thinking about his girlfriend?
I shoved that thought into the back of my mind.
“If you get an A on your test, I’ll give you a gold star,” I said sarcastically.
“Can I have a pony, too?”
“Only if you eat all your vegetables at dinner,” I quipped.
I flashed him a sardonic grin as I drove into our school’s parking lot. Brindle Creek High was a small red brick building with a faded yellow lawn. With graduation only a month away, handmade posters reminding seniors to purchase their caps, gowns, and tickets were hung up on the bulletin board by the parking lot. Part of me couldn’t believe Noah, Ella, and I were about to graduate soon.
Last night, I dreamed of a long-forgotten memory of the three of us starting first grade. That was only a year after Noah’s parents died in a car crash. He was quiet that first day of class, even when the teacher asked him a question. Ella and I would do all his talking for him. Eventually, Noah started speaking up little by little.
First grade was when the three of us became a tightly knit group. But when Noah and Ella started dating, I gave them their space. Over the past two years, I’d been avoiding spending any time alone with Ella. I had this irrational fear that I would confess my feelings for her. Then, the thought of Noah would shove itself into my mind, and my guilt would pound me over the head with a hammer.
I shook my head and quietly sighed as I turned off my car. Why was I overthinking everything lately? Maybe since high school was ending and everything felt like it was about to change? I needed to get a grip. My Computer Science exam started in fifteen minutes, and I had to have a clear head so that I could focus on difficult questions about programming, algorithms, and databases.
I opened my door, but Noah cleared his throat before I stepped out.
“There’s actually, uh, something I wanted to talk to you about.” There was a nervous edge to his voice.
My mouth became as dry as a bone. Did this have something to do with Ella?
The door creaked as I closed it, shutting Noah and me into the truck again.
“What’s up?” I asked. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah, things are great, actually.” Noah smiled and rummaged in the pocket of his jeans for something. “I just wanted you to be the first one to know.”
“Know what?”
He pulled out a little black velvet box, and my stomach lurched with horror.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?