Alpha - Forever #1 (Complete)

Chapter 22 - Part 1

Scarlett

Thankfully, I managed to get to the gym without running into anyone. By the time I made it inside, I was breathing hard and I felt like I was going to explode from the emotions tearing into me.

Tears stung my eyes as I tried to take a deep breath and expel it. A couple of tears slid free and I brushed them away angrily. I hated being so emotional; it made me feel vulnerable.

I stood in front of the punching bag. I swung my fist and hit the bag hard. I repeated the motion again. It was a way of expelling some of the anger building up inside of me.

If I had a brother, it meant that my parents had lied to me. The betrayal was too much to deal with. No matter how hard I hit the punching bag, it didn't ease the feeling of betrayal. Why had they kept it from me?

I hit the punching bag again and again, the sweat pouring down my face as I kept at it.

I closed my eyes and held the punching bag as I tried to imagine what Kyle's life was like without our parents. I swear I felt my heart break for him. I was getting upset over the fact that our parents lied to me, but what they did to him was far worse.

He'd grown up without a family.

The tears I'd managed to hold up to that point broke free and I began to sob. I didn't hear anyone come in, but I felt hands turn me around gently. Through my tears, I looked up to see Cade looking at me with concern and understanding.

Another sob trembled through me as he pulled me into his arms and held me close.

"It's okay, Scar," he soothed as he rubbed my back gently. I clung to him. He was like my anchor to Earth while everything spun out of control.

Slowly my sobs began to ease and finally the tears dried up. I rested my cheek against his chest as he continued to hold me. I felt like I'd cried so much and experienced so many emotions all at once. Now that I'd stopped crying, I felt emotionally exhausted.

Gently, Cade pulled back slightly and tilted my gaze to his with his finger under my chin. He brushed the tears from my cheeks as I closed my eyes.

He led me to Hank's small office and made me sit down in one of the chairs as he got me a drink of water. He handed me the cup and I took a sip. He sat down on a chair across from me and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his thighs.

"Talk to me, Scar," he pleaded gently. I couldn't even look at him at the moment so I dropped my gaze to the floor.

I took an emotion-filled breath and released it like it would help me let go of all the negative emotions I was feeling, but nothing eased them. One minute ticked into two. I don't know how much time passed as I sat there feeling like my whole life had been a lie.

They hadn't told me I was a werewolf. They hadn't told me I had a brother. What else had they kept from me?

I set the glass of water down on the table and stood up. I began to pace back and forth as I tried to come up with a reason why my parents had done what they did. But I couldn't come up with an acceptable excuse.

"Scar." Cade said my name and I turned to face him. I crossed my arms across my chest as I held his gaze. I didn't like people seeing me exposed and vulnerable like I felt at the moment.

"I hate feeling weak and emotional," I said to him.

He let out a sigh then he stood up and walked over to me as I held his gaze.

"It's okay to feel weak and emotional," he said as his eyes softened and I bit down on my lip to keep from crying again. "You don't always have to be strong and in control. You just found out that you have a brother you knew nothing about. I can't even imagine what you're going through."

He paused for a moment.

"I'm here to be strong for you when you need strength. So feel what you need to, fall apart if that's what it takes. I'll be there to pick up the pieces."

I pressed my hands to my mouth to stop another sob that was provoked by his beautiful words. He reached for me and pulled me against his chest. His words covered me like a blanket, making me feel safe and protected.

"I think you'll feel better when you've talked to Kyle and found out why your parents did what they did," he suggested. "Maybe they had a good reason."

He was right. I couldn't guess why they didn't tell me about Kyle. I needed to sit down with my brother and find out what he knew. Maybe somehow he knew why our parents had left their pack and covered their tracks so well that Gary hadn't been able to find out anything.

I hugged him for a moment before I pulled back.

"Come on, let's go and find my brother," I said. It still felt so strange saying that. My brother.

Cade held my hand as we walked back to the house.

"Where's Gary?" I asked Cade as we entered the house.

"I think he's upstairs," he answered.

"Please, would you get him to meet me in the study?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. He pressed his lips to mine and I savored the brief kiss.

While Cade hurried up the stairs, I turned to face the door of the study. It was time to get answers.

I opened the door to find Kyle alone, sitting in a chair with his hands clasped together. His eyes met mine and he stood up. He didn't strike me as the type to be nervous, but I could tell he was.

"Hi," I said. It felt inadequate, but it was the best I had.

"Hi," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"We need to talk." I stated the obvious.

He nodded his head in agreement as he sat back down and I sat down across from him. I felt nervous as Gary entered the study, looking a little confused.

I stood up and gave him a hug.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he scanned my features. The last time I'd seen him was before I'd mated with Cade and shifted for the first time. It hadn't been that long ago, but it felt like a lifetime.

"I'm good," I lied. He was asking about my physical well-being, not my emotional state.

Kyle stood up as Gary turned to face him.

"Kyle, this is Gary, he was our dad's best friend and my guardian," I introduced.

"Gary, this is my...brother."

Gary took a moment before what I said sank in and he turned to me. It was like he wasn't sure he'd heard right.

"Yes, he is my brother," I confirmed.

Gary and Kyle shook hands briefly before Gary sank down in the only other empty chair. He looked shocked. I wondered if that was what I'd looked like the first time I'd heard the news.

"I don't understand," he mumbled.

"I'm hoping Kyle will be able to shed some light on it," I said as I sat down and faced Kyle. At that moment, the study door opened again and in walked Cade. I smiled at him as he came over to me and stood beside me.

"So how do you and Cade know each other?" I asked.

"I'm an alpha of a neighboring pack," Kyle answered. It made sense. That was how Cade and he knew each other so well.

A few questions raced through my mind at that snippet of information. Cade had said I had alpha blood. Did that mean that my father had been the alpha of the pack that Kyle now ran?

But to me there was a more important question than why my parents had done what they had.

"Who raised you?" I asked, bracing myself. It had affected me deeply that I had grown up—even if it was just for a short time—with our parents while he'd been alone.

"Our uncle, Nate, Dad's brother," he answered.

Just when I didn't think there was anything more that could shock me, I had an uncle—another family member. Somehow, I knew there would be a few more shocks before this conversation was over.

I rubbed my hands over my face as I contemplated that the man who was my father had a sibling I knew nothing about. I wondered if they looked similar.