Chapter 3
1921 Words
Brandon
Z,
First off, happy birthday. Or, I guess if you’re just choosing to spend it away from home again, I kind of hope it’s shitty.
Not really. I’m not bitter.
That much.
I’m supposed to be getting this whole Alpha job today, but I told Jack and my mom that I didn’t want to do it yet. Holding out for the other half of my soul to come home to me. Jack understands, but I know he won’t be understanding for long.
I’m not trying to guilt trip you, but also, I hope it works.
I hope whatever is keeping you out there and away from us makes you happy. I hope that you’re happier than you could ever be out there. Delivering babies or whatever else you do.
I’m sure my brother and your sister are living it up today in Diamond Sky for our shared birthdays. He didn’t f**k things up by getting mad at her. In case you’re wondering, I’ve got this new thing where I don’t overreact and get mad at petty s**t anymore.
I won’t go into detail about everything, but I recently went somewhere I never thought about going, and got a new perspective on life. One where I realized I should hold on to the people in my life a little tighter. Not let them go on pointless s**t.
Again, I’m sorry for getting mad at you. I don’t care how many times I have to say it or how many times you tell me it’s okay.
Because it isn’t. If it was, you’d probably respond to me.
Whatever, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just keep shamelessly flirting with an older married woman until you come back to claim me. Or when her husband lights my ass on fire. Or her god-children melt my insides or something. See? You’re missing out on a lot here.
In my last message, I asked if you were the one I thought I felt in Hell. But I know it isn’t right. You’re not dead. You’re alive. Even if you were, you wouldn’t be there.
Please come home, Z. I miss the s**t out of you and just want to know you’re okay. If we’re mates and you don't wanna be, fine, reject me if that’s what you want.
Just please come home.
Always yours,
B.
He slammed the laptop shut after the message sent.
“I’m losing my f*****g mind,” he said to no one in particular. He was in his room alone, anyway. The near-real hallucinations, the dreams, all the feelings he’d been having lately…
“What the f**k is happening to me?”
He didn’t know, he just knew she needed to come home. She would be the cure. He just f*****g knew it.
The “all-day” calendar event was going off on his phone. Toby sent it to the family. “BIRTHDAY! B-ALPHA, T-MATED!”
Loser.
Try actually having to flirt with a girl before you know she’s interested. Ayanne practically threw herself at him since the day she and Zuri showed up at school and hadn’t let him go since.
They were probably tearing into one another’s skin already. Probably skipping school. It was Friday, so who really gave a s**t, but still.
Toby didn’t have actual expectations set. Didn’t have a birthright—unless Brandon died. Didn’t have to search for his mate and didn’t have to impress her.
Everything was being handed to him so damn easily because everyone thinks he’s sweet and kind and generous.
It’s the quiet ones that are the most dangerous, everybody f*****g knows that. They have no clue the damage Toby would inflict on a person if the situation called for it. Where Brandon would readily get into a fight, Toby was always just prepared for it.
Striking only when necessary.
He could be a damn killer and no one would be the wiser to suspect him.
“Brandon?” his mom opened the door with her eyes covered. “Are you decent?”
He stared at her from his desk chair across from his bed in his sweats and a plain t-shirt. He leaned his elbow against the black surface of his desk and his chin into his hand. “Yes?”
She peeked between her fingers to make sure and then dropped her hand. Her other hand held exactly what he expected. “I made you a cake.”
Devil’s food with cream cheese frosting and a single candle on it. Lit and dripping cheap wax onto the choppy, uneven, and highly unprofessional frosting. It was his favorite. “Thanks, mom.”
He accepted the cake and set it down before taking her in for a hug. When had she become so damn tiny?
He could feel her easiness, her calm easing into him. Her head barely came to his chest. “How are you, mom?”
She seemed happy with Jack so far. Happy with Amara. Happy here.
“I’m worried about you.”
“Me?” he asked. “Why?”
“I know you’re only putting off this ceremony business so you can try to go back to that awful place.”
Guilty. “I’m not—”
“Don’t lie to me, I wasn’t born yesterday. I already told you Nora was going to have Royal check it out.”
Royal. Yugh. He hated that that guy wasn’t as bad as he seemed. Shady and a bit guarded, but apparently noble as f**k. But, maybe it would be better if he tested the waters—or fires?—before Brandon ended up in a coffin.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Not unless he knew where the f**k Zuri was. Then it would be the first plane to thatplace. Demanding she come home. Dragging her, if he had to. But, nicely.
“Good,” his mom pulled his head down to kiss his cheek. “I’ll see you downstairs in a bit, then. Alex came over, he brought pancakes for you.”
“Sick.”
Was he supposed to get excited over another man making him breakfast? Hopefully not. Alex was cool and all, but his wife was the second most exquisite creature on the planet. Not that he would consider anything. Nora was old as f**k, still.
And had kids.
A shiver ran down his spine.
The door shut behind his mom before he walked over and fell back onto the bed.
He had plans. Plans for this girl.
He switched rooms with Toby for f**k’s sake so he could get the adjoining bathroom with the room next door.
They called it the Luna suite or some s**t back in the day, and he readied it for her. He wasn’t so out of touch to think she was gonna move into his room with him right away once they went through the whole “oh, we really are mates” drama. He knew better. She’d want space. She’d want to take it slow.
The room was crafted exactly to her liking with the help of Carter, Zack, Ayanne, and a little breaking and entering into Zuri’s actual bedroom. But no one else knew that last part.
The only thing they would share was the bathroom.
It made it easy for her to enter his room if she felt so inclined.
For any reason. Like sharing books or some s**t. Whatever she wanted. Didn’t matter. It was there.
But she wasn’t. She was nowhere to be found.
Jack’s voice carried from outside, so Brandon headed over to the window to see what was going on. He walked over to the driver side of a car that just pulled up and opened the door grinning. He helped the driver out…
Lauren.
“Hey, Lauren,” Jack leaned in and gave her a hug.
Brandon didn’t wait to see what was happening next. She was home! She was home.
He fumbled down the stairs, past the kitchen, toward the entry of the house. When he ripped the door open, Jack and Lauren flinched backward. “What is it?!” Jack asked concerned.
Brandon stood on his toes looking for her. Lauren was home, so where was she?
“She’s not here,” Lauren answered.
Brandon tore his eyes away from studying the little blue sedan she just parked. “What do you mean?”
Lauren wore plum purple scrubs and looked like she just got out of delivering a f**k ton of babies overnight. “Zuri. She’s with her boyfriend, I think.”
“Boyfriend? … You think?!”
“Come on,” Jack ushered Lauren inside. “We can discuss it inside.”
Brandon nodded and followed behind. “Yeah, we—”
“Not you,” Jack said. “When you decide you’ll be the Alpha, you can join this, but it’s a private family matter.”
What the f**k was he hiding?
“She’s my m—”
Jack held up a finger. “You don’t know that, Brandon. You haven’t seen her. You could be wrong.”
Brandon stood there, jaw slackened, while Jack led Lauren toward his office down the hall to the right.
What the f**k was going on?
A truck pulled up on the gravel and Brandon immediately recognized it as Brady’s old Ford Ranger. He had Toby and Ayanne inside, coming home for their birthdays.
He made his way over to the truck where everyone was standing and Brady was holding Ayanne’s luggage.
“Do you live in the pack house?” Brady asked her.
“I live in a house over there, actually,” she pointed over to the familiar house across the path.
“Okay,” Brady nodded. “Well, I’ll be here for the weekend. If you need anything, you can always ask me.”
Ayanne smiled and took her bag, headed over toward her house. Toby didn’t say anything, but watched her make her way across the gravel.
“She mad at you already, bro?” Brandon asked.
“Shut up, Brandon.”
Brandon frowned, “The f**k is your problem?”
“Brandon,” Brady put a hand on his shoulder. “Might be a conversation for later. But happy birthday.”
Brandon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, happy alright.”
Brady knew all about the Brandon and Zuri drama. He offered advice to be patient, wait for her to come home. Thing is, she wasn’t coming home. “Come on, mom said Alex made pancakes earlier and she’s going to want to know why you’re all here early.”
They made their way to the porch. Brady stopped behind them, looking around.
“Brady? You good?”
His eyes narrowed as he searched everything behind him. “Yeah, just—” he turned his body around and stared at something in the sky for a second.
“Brady?”
“Sorry,” he turned around shaking his head. “Thought I heard something.” He composed his face. “Alright, show me my room.”
They went inside, passing the hallway where Jack’s office was, and led Brady upstairs to their floor. He’d be staying in one of the extra rooms on the top floor with them. “I’ll be out in a while, guys, I think I need to lie down for a bit.”
Brandon and Toby left him there, shutting the door behind them.
Before Brandon could say anything, Toby was already behind his own bedroom door, shutting it.
Okay…
- Writer
