'Niall!"
Arwen's alerting howl echoed through my very soul.
No fucking way! No! No way he's actually here.
My heart was pounding through my chest. The foot work in the room further down the hall was key to letting me know. She was right. He's here. Of course she was right. She hardly ever lied to me. Plus my ears do not deceive me. I kept a light footing as I reached the doorway. I wanted to catch him because if I did... He would have no choice but to confront me. I found her pointing like a dog as her nose was locked on his door.
'Good girl, Arwen.'
'Let's eat this betrayer.'
'Not yet. He's our brother.'
'What? Squirrel Shit. He's on Lamia's side. As far as all things are considered... Let's kill the betrayer and bring his heart to Brendon. He will love it so much and we will give him babies~'
'Please shut up.'
I kicked the door wide. It had already been slightly open. How did I miss that coming down the hall earlier? No, maybe I did see it but didn't think anything of it?
There he stood. My big brother. The big bad wolf. Niall's room wasn't a bedroom anymore. Because he moved out to be with Lilith and the baby. He left sometime while I was away at college. Instead of being a bedroom it was now a filing room. Lots of paperwork. It looked like a busy office room. He obviously kept all his secrets here. We just never knew it, but there might be evidence he's got here. Of course, he was clearing out the room. Boxes everywhere. He had plans to move these things out.
"Niall?" I blurted out. His eyes met mine and I felt cold.
If this was some ordinary family I'm sure he would have come to my rescue the moment he heard me struggling in my room. But, this family was going straight to the abyss. There's no love in between us siblings. We're tearing each other apart.
I wanted him to be a good brother.
But, unfortunately that wasn't the case.
No, I got stuck with him.
The one who chose a vampire's den over us. One who chose our enemy over us. One who betrayed his ancestors! Over dead pussy. Wow, ouch. What did I just assume?
I want Niall to be my big brother, my knight in shinning armor. I wish he had rushed into my room earlier and held my head. Told me everything would be okay. I was just overreacting. But, here he is packing shit up. Leaving for a bigger issue to be created.
For moon's sake!
He had a child with Lilith.
And, he turned around and set her father up to take the fall for Mal's injury and disappearance. That man died not knowing the pack was soon going to offer their serve apology. He died thinking his family... abandoned him.
I want to confront him.
"Hey," he spoke out casually.
It was like he didn't understand how much trouble he was in.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I growled out.
More importantly, how is he here and no one saw him? Are they sleeping on the borders? I get that we're closer to Lamia's turf then the pack house but get real.
He irritated me at his confidence he radiated.
My big brother. He was someone I had idolized at a younger age. Because his whole truth was family. He was a better father figure then my father ever had been. He made sure we all had good grades. He taught me how to tie my shoes. He pulled all my baby teeth when mom was too busy to be home to care. He had been there for me until I was old enough to not need him anymore. He made me waffles in the mornings! Checked my closet for monsters before bedtime. I don't remember when he stopped showing interest in taking care of us.
The lines of knowing my brother's life seemed to fade past childhood. Somewhere between him meeting Lilith and me going away to college... He had become someone distant to me. Like the rest of the family.
"You really think... I'm just going to leave all this shit here?" Niall asked.
"What even is all... this?"
"Documents for my business."
"Why... what made you choose her over us?" I asked him softly.
"I don't want to be a domesticated pack member. I never wanted that. I never wanted a forced soul mate. I didn't want my child. I don't want a family. I already raised enough kids. I don't want this life. It just feels like every day is on repeat here. I know this is all hard for you to understand... but I want to make my own destiny." He spoke so much that I could relate to him. I didn't want a life on repeat. No one wanted that. If he was feeling like that? How trapped has he been all his life? He glanced around and then cleared his throat. He looked happy suddenly as he glanced at me. "I haven't been able to say that to anyone before." He looked at me with a hunter's look as he smirked. "So. To answer your question, Because, I fell in love with Lamia." SHE LITERALLY HAS TRIED TO KILL HALF YOUR FAMILY, NIALL. "And, I like what she's about.
"B-but she's a monster, Niall. You could have picked anyone."
"She showed me so much."
"Like what?"
"Do you want to know what your big brother has been doing?" He asked.
"What have you been up to?"
"Lamia and I started a business." Before I could ask what it was he held up his hand to stop me from asking. "We started up a blood cartel business. It's to help her kind from lashing out and eating us all alive."
"But, Niall that's her plan anyway! Alpha Mabel has been spying on Lamia. She told us everything about Lamia's plans. How she wants to sell us in some auction house."
"And, start selling the land to vampire royalty so she can have more allies close by," he noted as he nodded like he knew.
"You're okay with that?" I dropped my jaw. He already knew about her plan?
"It's one of the first discussions we had. She said I get this place back when it's all over and the same amount of land we gave up to be one with Scarlet Moon pack. So all the land originally for our ancestor Calix will be rightfully mine."
"W-was this all because you wanted to be an alpha?" I asked nervously.
"No, you idiot. But, very close. I want to be king. Of both the vampires and the wolves. All packs will bow down to queen Lamia... and me." This was probably one of the most cleverest men in my life before me. He wanted to be on top. He was bored of being at bottom and it's probably because he was an alpha's decent. We all should have seen this coming. Of course we never mixed the two blood lines. So he had no allegiance to Alpha Brendon. Somewhere deep down in me I loved him so much for taking a step back into being a true ruler... but not in this way. Not in bloodshed.
"This has to be your inner alpha wanting these things," I muttered to him. The more I remembered how far apart he is from being loyal to our pack the worst off it was all making sense.
'Should I call Steele? I could alert him you're in trouble,' Arwen barked out. 'I feel like you better wrap things up here.'
'Niall is more then I thought he was.'
'A domesticated pack Beta? Apparently not. He's greedy. It's going to get him killed.'
"No, just my ambition."
"So you're not worried at all she might kill you after she gets what she wants from you?" I asked in concern. It doesn't matter. Brendon will kill her and he'll die before the moon goddess and she will deal with his treason in the after life. None of this matters. Brendon will succeed.
"Sometimes I think she wants to kill me... But, you don't got to worry about your big brother. Because, I'm a big wolf and I know how to take care of myself."
I shook my head in disgust. He really is on her side. He needs to leave soon. Maybe I should help him pack things up? Take a glance at the documents.
'Should I remind you about Donovan?'
That's right! I wanted to confront him about Donovan.
"Niall... Donovan killed himself, earlier." I blurted out as I broke his thoughts. "It's all because of you."
Niall looked slightly pissed as he bit the inside of his cheek. He looked me in the eyes then. I swear I saw slight emotion. Like he was sad to hear it.
"You mean today?" He asked softly. "Did he die thinking everyone thought..." He stopped as I nodded. Of course. "Vivienne... It was either him, dad, or me that was going to take the fall for that. Fucking Lamia... She sat me up."
"That's what I'm talking about! You shouldn't want to be with someone that's constantly trying to take your head off." I warned him. He looked like he knew that aleady though.
"I asked her not to bring my family into this mess... But then Innath, Cole, and Calcifer and even you got hurt. Mal almost lost his life because she doesn't understand how to feel."
"She's dangerous..." I trailed off as I tilted my head. Speaking of Mal...
"You- wouldn't happen to know where Malakai is?"
He smirked and looked at me with a devilish smile.
"Knights from Dragavei," he whispered quietly. "Snuck him off. I let them take him when I realized it was them. But, don't go telling anyone." He held out a pinky. "It's for his own safety sis." He looked at my hand. I groaned and sore with my pinky.
"You promise he's safe?" I asked.
'We can't trust him even if he promises.'
"Viv. I might be on her side but I don't want to hurt my family, it's all her." He said and let my pinky go. "Trust me... if I could convince her to back off- I would. But she's blood thirsty. I have her occupied at the moment. I told her to kill Eder. In the meantime. Pack up and leave," he begged me. "You're only going to die if you stick around." I growled.
"I should tell you the same," I warned. "You're going to die when Brendon gets finished with her. You'll die for your sins against the pack. And face Luna in the after life."
Hunt. Hunt. Kill. Kill. Eat. Eat.
'Kill him now! It'll be one less body to worry about later.'
I silenced growls that were coming out my throat. Arwen was trying to break through me and eat him herself. I could feel the change happening. Slow. Skin moving around my bones as they were throbbing in pain- ready to change into the beast. I felt like I was moving out of control. I blinked a few times and took a deep breath.
"My wolf hates you," I husked out. "You better leave." I don't want to kill him. He's still family in my eyes. He doesn't want to kill me, why should I want to kill him?
"Just let me clear this out," he told me and looked alarmed.
'NO!' Arwen growled. 'Traitor is a traitor. Tell him to leave!'
"Go," I warned as I heard Arwen let out an alarming howl. Niall finished as he seemed to hear it.
"Are you tattling on me?" He growled out.
"I told you she doesn't like you," I warned. I looked towards his bedroom window that was open. He had climbed up a tree to get in. Probably to avoid seeing anyone on his way in.
"Fucking bitch," he barked out but I felt it was aimed at Arwen. I shrugged as I looked at the window again. I was holding Arwen back the best I could. It's up to him to make the decision to leave. He groaned before grabbing one box and left through the window.
"Wait," I ran to the window as I remembered one thing I needed to know. He hit the ground and looked up at me. "Lamia still has Cal and Cole in her castle…" I trailed off.
"They'll be okay," he promised me before taking off to the tree line.
They better be, Niall. I'm going to hold you accountable if they're not.