The Challenge Two Alphas, One Girl

Chapter 31: Big Brother Beta

Theo’s POV

I was standing on the porch of the pack house with a huge smile on my face as Fang parked his car. He got out looking startled to see me. My smile widened. He was freshly showered. Interesting. He went somewhere else to shower? What smell was he trying to hide from us? I highly doubted he was cheating on Astrid. Werewolves practically never cheated on their mates. If a werewolf or she-wolf was unfaithful, it was usually because they were married to someone else who was not their mate and the mistress or mister was the fated mate the wolf was craving. Astrid and Fang were fated. I had noticed her moping around lately. She was feeling neglected by our favourite secretive Beta Fang.

“Fang, my Beta brother from another she-wolf mother!” I yelled.

Fang actually rolled his eyes at me. All the perfect brother pretentiousness had been dropped. I grinned, my eyes darkening a little. The Marigold pack had never really seen the warrior side of Thaddeus or me as he was here to woo not to fight. Fang strode up the steps, neglecting to greet me. I blocked his path. He snarled at me. I laughed.

“Whoa, easy there buddy!”I exclaimed. Fang glared at me. “I’m not in the mood, Theo. It’s been a long day,”growled Fang.

“It has!”I agreed. “It’s been terribly long and you’ve been gone since the crack of dawn. Friday has been worried sick.”

I added that last part to jog his fake-protective big brother memory. Fang’s gaze softened.

Was he faking?

“I’m sorry to have worried her. Let me pass quickly so I can go check on her,” Fang said.

“She’s with her two alphas now,” I said dismissively. Fang narrowed his eyes. “All three of them are where exactly?”

“Upstairs in her bedroom. Heard them all laughing a little while ago,” I murmured absentmindedly.“ But I’m more interested in your activities Fang. Let’s talk. Beta to Beta. Tell me about your long day.”

Fang’s POV

Friday, Thaddeus and Maze were up in her room laughing together ? So they were all getting along suddenly or was Theo just trying to f**k with me. I was in no mood for this. The moment after I had left the Van Der Windt Manor, everything in my life suddenly got ten times more complicated.

After I shook Lord Ezekiel Victor Van Der Windt’s hand, I breathed a sigh of relief. We negotiated the details. What was done was done. I was to benefit greatly from all of this regardless of how it played out. The vampires had offered me asylum in case I was found out and could no longer be the Marigold Beta. If | remained undiscovered (which I hoped to high heaven / would), I would continue on as the Marigold Beta but still be added to the Vampire Council payroll as an informant. I was not too thrilled about turning traitor

for all to see so I hoped everything would go smoothly. I did not want to disgrace the Fenestra name. Friday had done enough damage to it with her wolf-less-ness and her fraternising with the neighbouring Alpha whom / was pretty sure she preferred over Maze. Maze was kind of an asshole sometimes to be fair but Friday should be accustomed to assholes by now. Marigold was a much tougher environment than Berryndale where she-wolves were babied and coddled. Just on to the side of the ground roor’s main entrance. Sne pusnea me against the wall. She was pretty strong for a female vampire but I could have easily overpowered her if I was not so highly curious. / smirked wondering what this was about. Was she about to threaten me or something? To make sure/ wouldn’t double DOUBLE cross them? Not quite. Her reasons were vastly different. Her cold grey eyes stared at me. She bit her lip.

“What?!” I demanded, getting annoyed. Vampires were so melodramatic.

“Ugh, I don’t have all day, Katrina, tell me what…” / was cut off my Katrina crashing her lips to mine eagerly. I immediately gripped her arms and easily pushed her away from me.

I moved towards the exit of the secret side room. “Wait!” She squealed.

“What?” I asked, pained. Vampire stench would be all over me now and I felt a sharp pang of guilt already despite not instigating that kiss. Astrid was my fated mate. No one else really mattered to me in that way.

“I love you, Fang!” She squeaked, her eyes briṁming with tears.

Oh good grief! She barely knew me. Maybe it was the Fenestra Family genes or something. Pheromones? First my sister had two tough alphas acting like school boys with crushes on Valentine’s Day and now a Vampire Princess was trying to jump my bones. I could not overtly offend her.

“Katrina, you are very pretty, ok. There are probably tons of vampires, humans and maybe even single werewolves that would be interested in you,”stried, hoping she would calm down.

“Don’t patronise me,” she said, sniffling. “I’m not stupid. I know you have a mate…but I just want you to know I’m here for you. I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe here at Van Der Windt Manor with me ok. If anything fishy happens with your pack and your cover is blown, come straight to me ok?” She was pleading with me with her eyes.

I sighed. “Ok, Katrina. I’ll take care all right,” I said. “But I’m really not looking for a girlfriend. A wife is all I can handle right now,” I chuckled, thinking of Astrid’s reaction if she knew some vampire chick was hitting on me. It’d be a blood bath and Katrina reminded me of someone.

Katrina laughed sadly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have…um…jumped on you like that. I know you’re married. I’m not that way. I just…want you to be safe.”

I nodded, feeling a little bad for the girl. She was so…naive and yet she had a fierceness to her.

“I won’t let my stepfather double-cross you or anything. And watch out for my step-brother Ezra. He’s against this whole idea. He thinks you’re a jerk for selling out your sister…but he doesn’t know you like / do,” Katrina said.

Ugh, ok.

“Ok, Katrina,” I said quickly. She moved towards me as if to hug me goodbye. She had already coated me with her scent. What was the use? I gave her a bear hug. She seemed thrilled at just that small gesture. She giggled and looked up at me, her eyes wide and hopeful. She was probably just lonely living in this house with her stepbrother and stepfather. Her mother was dead. She seemed to have no friends. She felt alone. The way she was looking at me reminded me of something.

Ileft hurriedly before Katrina could chain me to her bed with silver shackles or something. I was pretty sure most vamp chicks were Doms. They had that vibe. I went to my childhood home to hop in the shower. Dad was passed out drunk on the couch clutching an empty tequila bottle. I scrubbed the stench off of me. Katrina did not smell gross like the others but her scent was distinctly vampiric, the scent of a high-born. It was incriminating. I scrubbed until I was satisfied. I wrapped a towel around my waist. I anything. Gooa.

“Fang, honey? Is that you?” Called a familiar voice. “Mom?” I said. I went to my parents room and heard the master bathroom shower running. “Wait a while please, I need to talk to you,” she said.

I dressed and waited, sitting on my parent’s bed. My mother came out in her robe. She seemed jumpy.

“I was surprised to find your father home. I had thought he would still be at his poker game,” she said more to herself than to me.

My mom had that dullness to her natural scent that I had right now from scrubbing my skin so harshly. I raised my eyebrows. Was she hiding something? I pushed that thought away. Being sneaky made you

think everyone else had secrets too. My mother took her clothes to the bathroom and dressed. She came back and sat next to me.

“Fang,” said my mom hesitantly. She held my hand and ruffled my hair. “Yeah?” I asked.

“Um, remember how you told me you would drop off food for your sister on Fridays?” She recalled. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

I snorted remembering one of my more ridiculous lies. “Yeah, yeah,” I said quickly. “It was easy to remember to do it if I did it on Fridays.” Get it, Friday, Fridays. Of course I did no such thing. I did have time to play grocery delivery boy for a wolf-less she-wolf. If I’d known she’d one day be Luna, I might have. / grumbled inwardly.

“Did you do as I asked?” My mother inquired gently, squeezing my hand. I narrowed my eyes. Good grief!

“What did Friday say?” / snapped. “She’s lying, Mom. You know how conniving she can me. She loves to play victim. I could tell you all the horrible things she says about you to Maze!”

My mom flinched. “Well,” she sniffled. “She wouldn’t be entirely wrong. I won’t be winning any Mom of the Year Awards where Friday is concerned.”

My mom started crying softly. I could not take any more women crying today. Astrid and I had had a fight in the wee hours of the morning that had ended in tears. Then, Katrina professed her undying love for me in tears. Now my mother was crying over groceries and my wolf-less sister. I groaned in exasperation.

“Mom, don’t cry, please,” / mumbled, patting her head. Friday looked a lot like Mom.

“Fang, you didn’t drop off the food, did you? Please be honest,” my mom whispered, clutching a handkerchief in her hands.

I looked down at her hands, avoiding her gaze. The handkerchief was quite fancy. It had letters stitched on it. Initials. MM. Maze Mason? Her new son-in-law to be had put her up to this.

“Maze told you I didn’t feed Friday?” I asked. My mom was silent

“Who do you believe Maze or me? Your eldest son or your soon-to-be son-in-law?” I asked, my temper rising.

“I’ll believe you, whatever you tell me,” my mom said resolutely.

A pang of guilt hit me. Today was just not my day. My mother could be a little gullible, a little naive at times. Her wide-eyed expression was reminding me of Katrina and Katrina reminded me of…Friday. That was who she reminded me of! The desperation in her eyes, that yearning to be loved. That guilt thickened deeply Dunea. something not a single soul knew. Not even Friday even thougn it directly concernea ner. I pushed that away. I never wanted to think about that ever again. Jealousy sprang up within me and I shoved that away too.

“Fang, your eyes are black,” my mom said calmly. “There’s no need to be upset. I just want the truth.”

“I would forget sometimes to feed her,” I said, shrugging. “She’s not a fish in a tank, Fang, she’s your sister,” my mom said. I snorted. “Ok, Mom, I’m sorry,” I said smiling and standing to leave.

“Friday loves you, you know,” said my Mom. Igroaned inwardly. “She really adores you. I can tell. She’s always wanted you to accept her. She’s always wanted that from all of us but especially you.”

I shut my eyes tightly.

“Please, just say you’ll try for me. To take care of your sister? Please? I won’t ask you for anything else. Just take care of Friday. She needs you so desperately. She needs her family. She needs a male figure in her life who isn’t Maze or Thaddeus. Someone to talk to and count on outside of her mate-bonds.

“Ok,” I whispered just to make her stop. I sighed. I shut my eyes tightly. I did not want to see my Mom’s or my mate’s or Katrina’s or Friday’s large hopeful eyes on me.

End of flashback “Fang!” Snarled Theo, losing his patience with me and grasping me by the shoulder.

I was ready for a fight if he was. I needed to blow off some steam. I knew he was my Aly because of the Treaty but he was provoking me. I smelled something strangely familiar. A soft flowery scent but magnified. Theo caught a whiff of it too. I was annoyed. That was Friday’s scent. Why was it so strong?

Impossible!

I heard low growls and snarls coming from upstairs. Alpha Maze and Alpha Thaddeus? I tried to mind- link Maze but his mind was foggy. I tried reading Thaddeus but his brain had turned to mush. Their wolves were taking over. Their wolves were taking over. Panic ripped through me. I actually shoved Theo out of the way with more force than he was expecting. I ran up the stairs heading to Friday’s room.

“Friday!” I bellowed, my heart racing. I felt something I was not used to when it came to her. Worried. Anxious. Overprotective. Hang on, Baby sis, I’m coming!