The Bigger Better Beta

DECLAN

Declan's pov

The rain poured down, the skies seemed to also be weeping, but unlike the gloomy weather, the members of Gronge pack seemed unmoved, infact, they seemed rather happy.

Declan sucked in a breath and released it out slowly. He had just watched the cremation of his very own brother. The cremation didn't last all too long, he had purposely come late and been the first person to leave at the closing.

He wasn't sure if he could listen to the insults for much longer. The people seemed glad that the Alpha had already died. After all, his brother was the infamous Alpha Zayn, who had suddenly turned insane sometime before he died, commanding the pack members to do stupid things and abusing them physically and especially sexually.

One of the pack warriors had whispered how the pack would finally be free from the tyranny of the Alpha and it had taken all he could not to punch the warrior to death right there and then.

People just needed to know how to shut their mouth more.

Not many things seemed to move him, but he had genuinely cared about his brother. Although, he was the type who preferred to stay quite far from family, that didn't mean he didn't love them any less.

True to his nature, as the Beta of the Gronge pack he had asked the alpha for beta duties that made him work far away from the pack most of the time.

But in all honesty, he wasn't exactly like that in the first place, they say life changes people and it took one day to reset his entire persona.

He remembered how him and his brothers had been very close, but at that time, both brothers had a crush on Cynthia, their childhood friend. However he never knew about his brother's feelings.

Like every single childhood relationship, it first started as a pure relationship, till Cynthia had hit puberty, her smallish ass had suddenly grown wider, and those two mounds of flesh on her chest were now much more noticeable, the pretty face became even more accentuated. She began exuding so much phermones, that most couldn't help thinking of her. He knew how many he wolves and and even she wolves had confessed to thinking of her when using their hands.

Like moth to flames, all unmated werewolfs were attracted to her, but he had made his move and in no time, he had gotten her. He knew it wasn't just because of her body, his love for her had began long before then.

He told his brother who advised him to go for her, everything was going great till he found her kissing and pumping into his brother in a cramped up closet on her birthday.

Of course, he never had business in the closet, but it had been where he had hid her birthday gift that year. Imagine going to grab the surprise gift from the love of your life all the while receiving a surprise gift of your own.

Perhaps, he wished he ever regretted finding out, maybe it was better if he never knew and he wouldn't be in this situation.

Cynthia had immediately separated from Zayn and he noticed that Zayn was a bit intoxicated, still he couldn't still bring himself to ever forgive his brother too.

He loved Cynthia and he still believed he did.

Although, both Cynthia and Zayn had tried a lot of times to apologize and although, he accepted the apologies, but still, things never went back to normal. Their relationship was made even more strained at the death of their parents.

With the death of their parents, just like Scooby Doo in every show, the whole gang split from the last glue holding them together.

Funny enough either of them didn't get Cynthia, her parents had sent her abroad to Florida, attending college, and staying on her own, in the end, the trio seemed to have moved on with their lives, each doing what they knew best, ignoring each other like stupid children.

If you had told him a week earlier, that he'd be this deeply touched about his brother, then he would never have believed. He would have probably just laughed it off.

But now, here he was, wiping the small tears that were forming at the corner of his eyes for the tenth time in five minutes, he had really regretted his actions. Now his brother was dead.

He remembered two months ago, his brother had suddenly sent him a letter, telling him all was well in his life and that he was greeting him. At first it seemed very strange for his brother to do something like that.

Just like all the other letters he had sent me. Declan chalked it down to the stupid fact that he was seeking for forgiveness, so he wrote back to him in the kindest of manner, telling him he was good but he would continue to attend to pack matters from far away. And that he should focus on running the pack by himself.

Ofcourse, Declan would have just preferred to gladly leave the pack, still it was their mum's last wish that the boys took over the pack, as Alpha and Beta.

Still he should have noticed something was wrong when Zayn didn't seem to give up. Zayn had always had a type of personality where he only told you something once, never for once did he try to force his opinions on someone else. The only time that had happened was when Declan was leaving for Beta duties, he had begged him for two weeks straight not to go. Profusely apologizing for everything. But Declan knew if he had stayed, he wouldn't be able to focus with Cynthia in the picture.

So when his brother continued sending more letters, Declan saw it as a kind of disturbance and began to dispose of them.

The letters became too much and he had intended to write to his brother to leave him alone.

However, the morning he was to write the letter, he received an official letter from the Wolfen council; The 'Devils' themselves, notifying him of his brother's death. To say he was shocked was an understatement, he had stared at the letter for good twenty minutes, deliberating whether what he was reading was real or not.

Wasn't his brother supposedly healthy? Wasn't his brother living a good life? Declan had questioned himself.

After getting notified of his death, he had this great foreboding of fear.

Tracing back the letters to where he had dumped them. He applied their secret code that they had always used as children. And as he had newly come to suspect, every single letter from two months before his death contained some kind of code, some hidden message asking Declan for help and begging him to return.

Declan was shocked and the guilt that tore at his heart was so severe. He immediately had the urge to find out more and investigate.

Eventually after much of investigating, the only thing he could find were coordinates to a safe, of course Zayn wasn't foolish to write the right cordinates. He knew it was just a dummy. There was only one place a safe was in the pack house back home.

As children, the two of them hid things in a secret safe in their parents room, it was the first thing he had sought out on his return.

Luckily for Declan, the passcode was still the same as it was as children. Opening the safe he was met with a small liquid vial and a letter boldly written in what Declan recognized to be his brother's blood.

"If this message ever gets to you, then it means I am long gone and you were able to decide my message, they're everywhere Declan, if they caught me entering the room with a pen then they would know where I've left the real message, with that I must use my very own blood.

I know you will be back and when you do, you must beware Declan, for the pack is in danger, what is in the vial is a deadly poison made by the same people I run from, beware Declan, for this only the beginning. I am unable to say much or even anything, because they might destroy all evidence, look for the 'fifth of the sixth' and stay alert brother, nothing is ever what it seems. I can hear footsteps, they ar.....

I am unable to finish this, but I have to say, I am truly sorry for everything and goodbye brother."

That was where the letter ended, it seemed whoever he was running from had almost caught him and he had to stop there. Zayn left a small liquid vial which Declan would later find to be poison, traces of said poison were later found in his brother's blood.

Whatever "the fifth of the sixth" meant, he still didn't know.

Slamming his hand on the wall, Declan was angry, very angry at myself for being so stupid, angry at my own foolishness for being so childish. The signs were all there, if only he had just paid some more attention then all this could have been very much avoided.

Picking up the letter, Declan skimmed through the contents, trying to figure out if there was any clue as to what was bothering his brother few months before he died. But deep down within him, he knew he wouldn't find anything, not here atleast.

Dammit, All Zayn had been asking for was that he returned so he could talk to me.

The mere fact, that he resorted to our secret code, meant that his letters, and pack dealings were most likely being monitored by somebody in the first place.

Who could it have been Declan thought to himself. He had his suspicions and he wanted to find out. Was it the Angels or was it those......

Declan was pulled out of his thoughts as Astonio appeared before him.

" Beta Declan," Astonio seemingly appeared with a shiver in the air, dropping on the ground next to Declan.

For one who was on the smallish side, Astonio was a short stounch warrior of muscular build. Even with the build, he was blessed with a face most people would term as 'beautiful' seeing as he looked more like a beautiful man than a handsome one.

He wore a black coat and blue stripped tie, which was the symbol of Gronge pack. Even though Astonio was still powerful in his own right, he still retreated back seeing as to how Declan's aura wasn't in the best of moods.

"It's just as you said. It wasn't a suicide." He said.

Astonio was Zaynes closest confidant, Zayne appointed him to take care of pack matters nearby while he took care of pack matters far away.

Zayne had also written letters in his secret code, telling Declan to fill Astonio in on everything that was going on. It was one of the reasons why he trusted Astonio. If Zayne trusted him then so did Declan.

Astonio had earlier believed the Alpha committed suicide, but when Declan showed him the small vial, he seemed to have a change of mind.

"One of the maids, Mylia, also reported to Astonio, that the Alpha came out of the pack the night before he died. Further evidence showed he received a letter to meet with a certain person, although I can't seem to trace the person as the tracks of the person that night suddenly disappeared, plus, there seemed to be inks and empty envelopes trashed away. He looked to be sending out messages to somebody that night."

Declan grit his teeth, swallowing the lump he felt in his throat. "Zayn", he muttered lightly under his breath.

He signed. Looking Astonio in the eye.

"Things will change from now on." Declan told him.

Declan noticed Astonio response to his statement, his hands balled into fists.

"I'm fully aware of that sir." Astonio replied.

"Good, then you know we don't have all the time. You and I both know that Zayn was murdered. The council would most likely bring in a new Alpha soon. Pending the time that happens, then we would have to find out the people who murdered him or there might not be any more time left for it." Declan explained.

He knew the council was going to bring another alpha soon. Zayn was one of the three great Demon alpha, a Diablo.

It is a big deal, and representatives from the council would most likely be coming soon. The council was going to take their time appointing a new Alpha. But once appointed, Declan knew he would have no choice but to take commands from the new Alpha, leaving investigations to the council who believed it was suicide.

If he didn't find the killers before then, then it was pointless, he was going to be sent away soon after that and merely thanked for his temporary Alpha duties with some honorary bullshit title.

He had to find out who killed his brother or prove that his brother's death was not a murder so that the council could re open the case.

Astonio nodded sharply." I understand sir."

Declan turned around backing him.

"Good, so I want you to rake through that bloody place where the Alpha met whoever he met, rake it till you find out anything that can be used, anything, we can use as a clue."

"Remember Astonio, the smallest step forward is on its own a bloody step itself."

Yes sir. I understand, Astonio replied giving an understanding nod.

Astonio made to go once again before Declan stopped him once more.

Turning around to face him, Declan said, "Do it discreetly, no one can know. It's especially dangerous at this time with a skilled murderer out there, so be careful, we don't know how deep this whole s**t was. We might be the ones chasing but one wrong move and we would be the ones being chased."

"Yes sir, thank you for your concern." Astonio thanked his Beta.

"If that is all, you may leave now." Declan told him

Another curt nod from him again and he shimmered and disappeared.

Declan signed

Call it what you want, but truly, he couldn't help the bad feeling that was rising in his guts. All that was going on wasn't making any sense. Zayne was strong, being a Diablo, he was part of the three great houses, Declan truly wondered what it was, what had driven him to the point of insanity and who or what had been strong enough to kill him.

Declan signed for the millionth time that minute, something he did when he was very stressed. He plopped down to his seat. Honestly, he didn't like where all this was going, the bad feeling in his gut just kept on growing stronger.

Something told him, that whatever was going on was the just the bloody beginning of a very bumpy ride he wasn't all too sure he would like.