Alpha's Brother

3 - two brothers

E M B E R H A R P E R ' S P O V :

Giving me a filled to the brim cup of chamomile tea, Martha sat herself right by my side and watched as embers flew around a big spacing of the fireplace. The fire thankfully warmed up my numb body, already making my whole face flush with excessive heat that came from the fully blown orange flames.

"I am so sorry that you found yourself so close to the two." She apologized as she referred to her two sons, as if she was the one who started physical contact between them.
Turning my head, I noticed as her eyes started pooling with water of sadness. The look on her face told me all things needed for that given moment, so I put down the comforting cup of tea and wrapped my arms around her body, hoping that I would help a slightest bit.

"Martha, it can't be your fault. I am incredibly sorry I am the reason to this feud, I did not know it was even possible." I said as she rested her head to on my shoulder that was ready to take any tears that she could maybe start spilling.
She parted herself from me with a frown decorating her surprisingly smooth face. She looked really young for her age and it was really strange seeing her like this. She would usually be cheery and enthusiastic, but now it seemed that she lost that peace of herself for a little while.
Connection between our looks told me that she was deep in her own thoughts, her mind lingering with certain questions and secrets that were way too deep and dark for my mind.
She obviously had something not so small on her mind, which woke slight curiosity inside of me.

My curiosity would lead to bad things, most of the time. My gut was kicking and clutching inside of me, telling me that the time felt altered and that Martha had only something deep in her mind.

"Oh no." She croaked out as her eyes still would not leave the crackling fire in front of us, the tone to her voice making my skin crawl with goosebumps.

"This all started way before, unfortunately." Informing me, she made questions flood my mind the same instant.
It seemed almost impossible to me that two brothers could hate each other, especially if they were apart if such a loving family.
It made me wonder, what went wrong?

"Before?" I questioned with a lack of understanding for the situation, making her nod her head weakly and close her eyes for a small second before opening them again, the same sad look pooling like endless blue oceans in her now lifeless looking eyes.
Taking a deep shivering breath, she spoke lowly "Tristan was always a difficult child, ever since the start. He was the younger one, which meant that Brutus was the one to inherit the pack. Tristan did not like that. In fact, he despised that fact."

I already sensed to where the story was eventually going to come to, which made a crease appear in the middle of my eyebrows as my jaw hung open.

"They were never acting like brothers, no. They were always rivals, and Brutus was always winning." Looking down, se adjusted her body into a more comfortable position as her body stared to look more numb.

"Again, that did not sit well with Tristan, nothing did unless he was the one to take the credit for it. One thing unexpectedly let to another and he eventually... started to plot things." She breathed out in misery as a tear fell down her already tear glazed cheek. I wanted to reach for her, comfort the woman that already comforted me many times with success. But unfortunately, she wanted her own space for this session of mourning which I respected, so I sat back and let her words pull me into a pool of shock.

"So you're saying..."

"He tried to kill his brother." She choked out as she calmly put a hand up to her probably crippling heart. I could not even imagine how it was, feeling misery to the fact that her sons erupted with hate towards each other.
"And one night, he got so close. Too close. While Brutus was sleeping, Tristan took a silver knife and stabbed Brutus in the back. Five times, he ripped through his flesh as he enjoyed seeing it burn with pain." She said as sorrow laced around her tone, a close loss hitting her feelings even more than before.
My own eyes teared up now, the thought of Brutus in so much pain was horrid and unbearable to me.

"He still has the scars." I spoke quietly, realizing what those five scars in Brutus' back meant. They meant firing pain that he has experienced and lived through it surprisingly. Martha nodded curtly, grabbing my hand and letting her warmth radiate through my body

"Remember this, Ember." She whispered as she opened her eyes and looked at mine with much determination this time. It was almost scalding, scaring me slightly as I felt my heart's beat starting to pump faster.

"Choose how your heart wishes. Both of them are willing to fight for you, until death. It is up to you to choose the one who makes you feel amazing things. Tristan and Brutus, they are both equally as... messed up." She warned, making nervousness unwillingly course around my body with rush.

"You will send one into heaven with yourself and you will send one to inescapable death. Choose wisely, darling."