The Alpha's Secret Legacy

Chapter 27

Tim's Pov

For some reason, today felt like the kind of day you don't just let pass by.

Like if you blinked too hard, you'd miss something important.

So I made a decision.

A proper one.

We were having a family picture.

All of us.

Chrissy, Gemma, Greg, Harry, Louis, Danielle, Liam, Niall, Zayn... everyone. Every last one of them under one roof, under one frame, like chaos finally agreed to sit still for a moment.

It wasn't perfect. Nothing about us ever was. But it was real. And that mattered more than anything.

I had planned to leave a week ago, but something kept holding me back. Maybe instinct. Maybe responsibility. Or maybe just the fact that every time I looked at them, I knew they still needed direction—whether they admitted it or not.

"Alright," I said, clapping my hands once. "Everyone, gather up. We're starting."

The photographer—Mandy, if I remembered correctly—stood by the tripod, already adjusting angles and muttering something about lighting.

"Think of this as a memory shot," she said cheerfully. "Something you'll all look back on."

I didn't say anything.

Because I already knew I'd remember it.

Zayn was the first one I noticed fussing over his hair again, checking a small mirror like the world depended on it being perfect. Niall nudged him, laughing quietly.

"Mate, you're fine," Niall said.

"I always say that and then regret it in photos," Zayn replied seriously.

Across the room, Liam and Danielle were in their own world—she was fixing his shirt while he looked far too relaxed about it. Danielle looked mildly offended by his outfit choice, which somehow made Liam even more amused.

"I swear you did this on purpose," she muttered.

"I did not," Liam said innocently.

"You absolutely did."

Then there was Harry and Louis.

Those two didn't even try to behave normally anymore. They were laughing about something completely unrelated, leaning into each other like gravity only worked between them.

And Chrissy...

She stood slightly apart, quieter than usual. Watching. Thinking. Recovering in ways she didn't always say out loud.

Greg was beside her, arms crossed, pretending he wasn't also watching everyone else.

"Alright," Mandy said again, pulling us back in. "On three. Smile big. Think of something happy."

I glanced at them all one last time.

Funny thing about happiness—it never arrives all at once. It shows up in fragments. In moments like this.

"One... two... three..."

I heard it before I saw it.

"LONG LIVE!"

The room lit up with smiles, laughter, flashes going off one after another. For a brief second, everything felt still. Like the world outside didn't exist.

Just us.

Just this moment.

After a few rounds of photos, Mandy finally lowered her camera with a satisfied nod. "That's it. Got it."

Everyone immediately started moving, stretching, talking again, the tension breaking apart like it never existed.

But I wasn't done yet.

"Oi," I called out.

They all turned toward me.

I gestured toward the hallway. "Follow me. All of you."

Groans. Confused looks. A few sighs. But they followed anyway.

We ended up in the last unused room of the house—clean, empty, waiting. Ten chairs were already placed in a circle.

Chrissy tilted her head. "What is this?"

I looked at all of them carefully.

"This," I said slowly, "is important."

That got their attention immediately.

I stepped forward, hands behind my back. "This house... isn't just where we live. It's where everything happened. Good, bad, everything in between."

Liam crossed his arms. "Tim, you're scaring me."

"I'm not finished," I said calmly.

I turned toward the center of the room. "We're creating something permanent."

Gemma frowned. "Permanent how?"

"A vault," I answered.

That word made the room go quiet.

I continued. "A protected space. Only accessible to us. Our secrets. Our truths. Everything that defines this... family."

Niall blinked. "That sounds intense."

"It is," I said.

I looked at each of them. "And to bind it properly... it requires something from all of us."

Greg stiffened. "You're not saying—"

"Just a drop," I interrupted. "Nothing more."

There was hesitation. Of course there was.

But slowly, one by one, they agreed.

Because somehow... we trusted each other. Even if it didn't always make sense.

A small drop of blood, one after another, sealed into the space we prepared. The air shifted slightly each time, like the room itself was acknowledging what we were doing.

When it was done, I exhaled slowly.

"From now on," I said, "this vault belongs only to the ten of us. If anyone outside tries to access it—they can't. Not unless they are blood or chosen by us."

Louis raised a brow. "So basically... we just made a supernatural group chat in real life."

Zayn snorted. "That's actually terrifyingly accurate."

Despite everything, I almost smiled.

Almost.

"Any future additions," I added, "will require all of us to agree."

Chrissy crossed her arms lightly. "So basically... family rules."

"Yes," I said.

And for once, nobody argued.

After a few more quiet exchanges, the tension eased again. Slowly, naturally.

I stepped back toward the door as they started talking among themselves, the energy shifting back into something lighter.

But before I left, I looked at them one more time.

This wasn't just a group anymore.

It was something stronger. Something messier.

Something that would either protect them...

or destroy them.

And I just hoped I made the right call.