Alpha Brothers - the King (book 1)

Chapter 20

Chapter 20
Olivia
"Where in God's name did you find all this?" I asked Allie as she through old gowns from an old dusty chest to the ground.
"Storage. They were all owned by my family when they first became the royal family."
I froze, "okay two things. Number one, are you telling me that these are very dead women's clothing."
All she did was nod, inspecting a grown.
Trying to get past it, I asked, "okay, number two. Your family wasn't always 'the royal family',"
She hummed, "we were the first royal family back when Vikin's were around. The story goes that it became anarchy amongst the werewolves. Sheep killin's, town villagers goin' missin', that sort of thin'. So when the villagers started killin' our kind off, they decided to create the royal family. But we've been kicked out of the power over the years."
"Who was the last family in power?" I asked.
She froze and became silent.
"The M-Macangus pack, back in the eighteenth century."
I didn't know what to say. I saw the guilt and pain wash over Allie's face as she tried to focus on the gowns. It wasn't like Callum's face. His was filled with anger at the very mention of Hector.
Not knowing what else to say, I stated, "it must have been hard, losing your parents like that. How old were you?"
"Graham and I were just eighteen," she told me.
"I was nineteen when I lost my parents."
She looked surprised, "you lost your parents too. How?"
"Car crash. Seven years ago."
She nodded.
"Okay," she sighed, "enough with the heavy. Let's focus on these ugly gowns."
I giggled, surprised how much she sounded like Amy.
"You sound like Amy. She hates sad things."
Allie giggled, "is she goin' to come to Scotland?"
I shrugged, "I guess. Callum said that he wants to meet her and I can't imagine my life without her in it. So I guess, she has to at one point."
"I have to tell you, Liv. You have takin' this all in very...well."
I frowned, "well? That's not the word I would use."
"What's the word you would use?" She asked.
I paused, thinking, "wishy washy."
She burst out laughing at my choice of words.
"Oh hell no! Allie!"
We froze at the sound of Graham's roar from the ensuit. I had forgotten that he was even in there.
"This is your doin', isn't it?" He growled, storming out of the bathroom.
My eyes widened and I burst out laughing at the sight of him. A kilt that was shorter than some of Allie's skirts showing off his manly legs.
"Stop it, both of you," he ordered, sending our laughing uncontrollable, "this isn't funny!"
My laughs became wheezes as I struggled to breathe.
"Oh God stop Brother, stop. I can't breathe," Allie struggled to say.
We took each other's hands for support as we struggled to stand.
"You won't be able to breathe once I'm done with you," he warned.
Finding my breath, I asked, "why do you have to wear a kilt, aren't you playing?"
"Graham never plays. He hates rugby," Allie told me, trying not to laugh.
"Well, I might have to if Archie isn't back," he grumbled.
I frowned, remembering what Donald was saying yesterday, "Why is he even in Paris?"
Graham froze and soon Allie started to death stare him.
"Graham," Allie started, in a quiet voice, "what's goin' on?"
"I'll tell you later," he muttered.
"No, you tell her now," I ordered him.
He looked stunned. I guess I hadn't really been able to stand my ground around them.
"We have the wolf that tried to drown you in the basement," my eyes widened, not expecting that, "But he won't answer any of our questions unless we give him what he wants."
"And what exactly is that?" I asked.
"Blue Flower."
I frowned, "Why on earth does he want with a blue flower?"
"No it's – I don't know what he wants with a blue flower. He didn't say."
Allie's eyes narrowed even more if that was possible.
"What, Allie? Spit it out!" he snapped.
"Do you honestly think I don't know what you're talkin' about?" she yelled back, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"We didn't think –."
"If you say we didn't think you needed to know then I swear to God Graham, I'll rip out your throat!"
My eyes widened at her threats but Graham didn't seem affected.
"Do you think I have a say when it comes to decisions? Even Malcom – the Brother that has disowned his family – makes more decisions in this bloody house than I do!"
"What the hell is goin' on?" Callum yelled, bursting through the door.
"Why didn't you tell me about the wolf down in the basement?" Allie asked, not waiting a single second to answer.
"No, better yet, why didn't you tell me?" I asked, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes. I felt courage that I had never had before. A combined feeling of Callum's courage flowing through me and seeing Allie stand up for herself with her brother who was twice her size.
Callum froze and my eyes narrowed even more. I didn't move my gaze when Graham took Allie's arm and dragged him out of the room.
Callum waited till the door was shut till he said, "Liv, I can explain that."
"Good," I started sitting on the bed, "Because you don't have a choice."
He sighed and nodded, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. The way we ask question isn't very...humanly for a better word."
"So you torture them?" I asked.
"It's not like we don't give them a choice. If they answer the questions, nobody has to get hurt. But this situation is different."
"How?" I asked.
He frowned, "You. How could you forget? You almost died, Liv!"
I stood and turned away from him, feeling that water in my throat.
"Yes, Callum, I remember –."
"You still don't get it, do you?"
I frowned and turned to face him, "What?"
He looked in absolute pain as he tried to keep the words in his mouth but couldn't.
"Liv, if somebody ever killed you or if you ever died, I would kill myself."
My mouth dropped, "Don't be stupid, Call –."
"I mean it, Liv. I wouldn't even think twice about it."
I couldn't get the thought inside my head. The image of him killing himself flooded my head before I could stop myself, I fell to my knees and dropped my head in my hands and started to cry. I jumped when I felt his arms come around me and I felt myself being pulled to his body.
"Don't," I forced through my lips, "Don't ever talk about stuff like that."
He tensed against me but then sighed, "Fine, I won't."
"I mean it, Callum," I told him, finally looking at him, "I can't stand the idea of you being hurt, do you understand me?"
He nodded and hugged me tight.
"Yes, of course I do."

Callum
After I took Liv back to our room to cool off, I thought I should go check on Allie. Before I could, another sibling got my attention.
Malcolm sat hunched over just outside his old bedroom door. I don't think he had been inside since Bonnie died. He looked in uncontrollable pain. I was surprised that I wasn't used to seeing him like that. But I suppose I was so used to seeing my brother that tried so hard never to hurt anyone and always felt guilty when he did.
"Malcolm?" I asked, cautiously, remembering how he reacted yesterday.
I was surprised that he didn't bolt as soon as he heard me. I was even more surprised that he allowed me to sit down beside him.
"Are we goin' to talk about yesterday?" I asked.
He sighed and dropped his hands from where they covered his face.
"I suppose so. Where do you want to start?" he asked.
I shrugged, "At the beginnin', I suppose."
He nodded, "the beginnin', right. Bonnie."
I frowned, but didn't stop him.
"I kept on thinkin' about what Harrison had said yesterday and what Hector had said that night Allie and Graham took Liv to that club."
I struggled to think about what he meant but couldn't think of the connection.
"See, the thing is, unlike me, Bonnie knew her mate," I watched as guilt and pain washed over his face and his hands started to shake, "She did try to make things work with him but he was...abusive to her," I swallowed at the thought.
Bonnie was one of the sweetest people I knew. I didn't like the thought of someone hurting her like that.
"She never told me who it was because she knew exactly what I would do to him. But I think –."
"You think it was Hector," I buttered in.
He nodded.
I wouldn't put it past him. His father was a foal being like that and Hector was just as bad.
"W-what makes you think that he was her mate?" I asked, knowing that if it was true then he was most likely the alpha that sent Harrison to kill Liv.
"When he said that his mate was killed, he looked at me. I-I thought that he was lookin' at me because everybody knows what I have done. I-I'm a mate killer."
"Malcolm your not –."
"Please Callum, don't," he stopped me, "don't try to justify what I have done."
I opened my mouth but decided to stay quiet.
"Anyway, Harrison had said yesterday that his Alpha hated me and that he knew what I was. It makes sense."
I nodded agreeing.
"You know what this means, don't you?" he asked.
I nodded, "it means, that Hector sent Harrison to kill Liv and that Archie is on a death mission to find a stupid witch for no reason."
Malcolm groaned remembering about Blue Flower.
"He hates me," Malcolm muttered, more to himself.
"No he doesn't. He's just hurt," I told him.
"Because I turned my back on him."
I nodded.
He groaned again.
"He doesn't understand what it feels like to love a mate and what it's like to loose one. All he understands is that he had a brother and then he didn't."
"I didn't mean to turn away, I mean, I, my wolf," he sighed, "everybody knew that I could never control my wolf. I shifted later then all of you so I never had the patience to learn. I had no choice, Callum."
I nodded. I could remember when we were training. We could all follow our father's instructions so easily when he had trained us but Malcolm's once whiter than white wolf could never be controlled. He had been able to control it enough that he could control his shifts but every time he did, the wolf was always ready to take over.
"I could help you, Malcolm," I offered, realising that I should have tried when we were kids.
He shook his head and stood.
"No Brother, I'm past help. You just focus on your Queen and your life. I will help you when I can but everybody knows what I have done. I don't feel the wolf inside of me anymore."
It didn't surprise me. He had disowned his wolf, of course he didn't feel it.
"Don't you feel incomplete?" I asked him.
He looked away and his face went blank as he returned to another universe.
"It's better to focus on the emptiness than the reality of what I have done."