"It is my fault; I let him roam while guests were in the castle." Julius fell at Rufus' feet. This problem could merit being dismissed from Arlen's side, but he would not let his friend face this storm alone.
Ari could not tear her eyes away from the youngest as fear eroded her thoughts. In Arlen's case, having contact with a Beaumont was taboo, not to talk of emotional attachments.
"Did he see your face?" Rufus skipped to the next question. "Answer me!" He yelled when his cousin remained mute.
"My Prince, the Beaumonts never saw Master Arlen's face." Julius shuffles on his knees to grab a leg, interfering with the alpha's interrogation.
Rufus did not hesitate to kick him in the gut. "You do not speak unless you're told to! You foolishly encourage him to make life-threatening mistakes. Do you want my brother dead?!" He took it out on the servant. Arlen flinched, shaken by the harsh treatment.
"Maybe I should lock you up in a cell or cut off your head this instant!" The sound of his blade screeching an inch out of the scabbard stirs Arlen to react.
Arlen understood that his cup was full. He would not sit tight and let Julius get punished for something entirely his fault. "Leave him alone!" He grew a voice. "You want answers; I'll give them." Arlen forsook his sister's protection to shield Julius.
"Bother, maybe we should discuss it tomorrow- when you're both calm." Ari could not get past the red glare in the youngster's pupils. Arlen was new to this kind of life and was yet to suffer an alpha's pheromone supremacy. It would be painful to watch if Rufus tried such a thing and succeeded.
"No, Ari, I want to hear it. Let's hear what this idiot has to say. I have long suspected you were behind Luca Beaumont getting attacked and surviving those sirens, but this is proof of something worse. You spent more time around that asshole, didn't you?" Rufus swung the paintings in Arlen's face, hitting him on the chest several times. Those red eyes did not tickle him at all.
"Rufus, that's enough!" Ari exclaimed.
But Rufus was not deterred. "Say the truth, little brother. Did you truly see that stuck-up Beaumont just once? Or were you following him around like those dumb omegas that think he would choose them as his mate?!" Rufus shoved him.
"YES! Is that what you want to hear?" Arlen raised his voice. "I stalked Luca day and night, breathing down his neck, wishing he would see me! So yes, maybe I'm one of those dumb flowers that want him." His heart raced out of control- a combination of anger, anxiety, and despair.
"Arlen, no." Ari cupped her mouth with both hands.
"..." Rufus grits his teeth to the confession, dying to strangle his cousin a thousand times over. This was a betrayal to him, his Uncle Caeser and the entire family. For years he had to watch his father pretend to stand with the masses to avoid more bloodshed and protect what was left of the Braddocks. Arlen was supposed to be the strongest, the beacon of hope. He must restore honour to the broken family and punish their enemies.
Arlen simmered instantly, startled by his brother's careless hold on his precious portraits. "Rufus...Brother, please stop." His fiery eyes quiver innocently, and it doesn't end well when the alpha realizes this.
Grabbing the sheets with malice, Rufus meets his brother's gaze with a message on his lips. "No sibling of mine will chase after a Beaumont. Never!" He ripped the paintings without a hint of restraint.
The room became heavy with silence.
Heaven knows Arlen tried to hold it in, but these prickly hormones shut him down.
Rufus' expression softened when a tear escaped his brother's eyes. Then another, then a lot more.
'Darn, it!' His initial statement about not caring if Arlen cried turned to chaff. Alphas could not stand it when an omega they cared about was distressed, especially close relatives and mates.
Arlen wipes his face with his sleeves. He calmly walks to the bed and picks up his weapon. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Rufus intoned as Arlen turned toward the exit. Ari helped the servant off the floor.
"Do not let me use pheromones on you!" Rufus barked.
"See if I freaken care!" Arlen cried.
Rufus huffed and puffed but did not carry out his threat. He could not bring himself to control Arlen with such methods.
"I'll go after him." Julius bowed and quickly doubled behind his Master while Ari gave Rufus a disapproving look.
Luca is shallow compared to their cousin. He did not smile or talk much; above all else, he despised anything involving the Braddocks and Ingram.
"Rufus, I know Arlen misbehaved, but did you have to shove him?" Ari disrupted his brother's thoughts.
"I'm sorry, I went too far. I just hate that stupid wolf. First, he humiliates me. Now he's messing with my innocent brother. Arlen deserves someone better, not that blockhead." Rufus sat on the bed. He let out a weak sigh and buried his face in his palm.
"I understand, but try to be gentle with Arlen. He is at a complicated stage in his life." Ari was beside him. She did feel sorry for what had ensued.
"Did you see that look in his eyes? He hates me," Rufus said.
"You made him upset; Arlen doesn't mean it."
"But what if he does? You were not this destructive at his age."
"Well, that's not entirely true. Remember when I threw a fit because my mate postponed our wedding?"
"Pfft! You're right. An angry Ari is scarier." Rufus conjured a faint smirk.
Ari giggled in response, hugging him blindly. "Let's give Arlen some space to cool off. We should tell Mother about his return."
"Okay, but she cannot know about the Beaumonts. It's not like Luca would accept a union. I don't want Father thinking he can patch things up with other Kingdoms by getting my only brother engaged to a moth!"
"Hihihi, don't you mean butterfly?" Ari rubbed shoulders with him.
"No! That one is an annoying moth." The alpha rolled his eyes.
Surprisingly, Arlen was let off the hook the following morning. He did get scolded for causing fear and panic, but nothing more. The Loughtys established that the teenager was already going through enough.
They chose to bury the ordeal with birthday preparations and spoiled him in small ways, hoping to ease his frustrations. Arlen pieced himself together bit by bit, creating smiles that naturally dropped behind closed doors.
As for Rufus, he distanced himself. They spoke less, and things stayed awkward for days.
***
Rumour has it that Arlen Braddock took refuge between Cloverdale and Kellet in No-Man's-Land.
Before it earned such a name, the vastness was of two lively towns, Elery and Ode City.
The towns became too damaged to salvage. Not only did corpses roam the streets, creatures never seen before marched out in all directions, attacking every living being in sight. Thus the Kingdoms set up barriers to keep them in. No mortal or beastman dared to step there or set camp around its borders.
Beaumont Castle
Axel did not question his father's decision to not include him in the task at hand, but seeing his brother go, he wished he could tag along. "Do you have everything you need?" He entered Luca's room without permission. Of course, the latter did not mind.
You won't need more than fifteen men. Father says you'll be working with the Agnors."
"I prefer working alone," Luca said.
That reply was not strange to Axel, considering how reserved his brother is. "They are waiting for you downstairs."
"..." Luca fastened a watch over his wrist and checked his appearance in the mirror. He was hurrying to leave when Axel held him by the arm and said in all seriousness, "Be safe."
"I will," Luca said. As the future of his kingdom, it was mandatory that he earned his name and made a distinctive mark to show his dominance. He was not the only prince embarking on this mission. Many others, like Jackin, Clive and James, sons of the Agnor and Prescott houses, were stationed at different points.
Although the plan was birth out of impulse, the Kingdoms had confidence in their success.
***
Loughty House
Rufus stood at his brother's door, waiting with a burdened look.
Arlen was returning from a night stroll with Julius and the other guards when he set eyes on the alpha. It was somewhat comforting. Rufus peered at the entrance like he was waiting on a lover. The omega could not help but conjure another faint smile looking at him.
"Brother," Arlen called out.
Rufus stiffened for a moment as he parted his lips to respond. They were quiet, each thinking of how to apologize. Julius gave his Master a slight nudge to give him a head start. "I went for a walk. How long have you been here? Do you want to come inside?" Arlen craned his eyes at the taller man.
The alpha inched forth, one hand clinging to the hilt of his sword while the other stayed glued to his side.
"Arlen, are you...do you..." Rufus took another breath to catch up to his mind. "It's hard not to worry about you," he had to start from somewhere. "I may seem cruel, and my methods might make no sense. Perhaps it doesn't, and I'm unreasonably hard on you," there was humility in his tone and the softness of a concerned brother.
"I don't have to be your favourite person in the world to protect you, Arlen," Rufus struggled with words. His mind screamed, 'I don't want you to hate me.' Yet his mouth translated it to, 'It doesn't matter if you don't realize how much I care.'
Arlen lowered his eyes a few times, scribing every word in his heart, amused when he concluded that his cousin was stuck and it was his turn to speak. "I'm sorry." Arlen took off on a submissive note. "For what I said the other night, I didn't mean them. Can you forgive me?" He pouted.
Rufus scoffed at the adorable creature, knowing it was a ploy to dissolve his defences. And it worked. He comes here with no pride tonight, no walls, and no angry words. He was sober. " Arlen, about Luca..."
"I was kidding. Luca means nothing to me. I only said it to get even."
"..."
Arlen did not expect the alpha to hug him in the coming steps. His eyes widened as a scent similar to cedar bore into his nostrils. "Do you like it? Does it make you feel calm?" Rufus asked after a while.
When poured out in careful amounts, an alpha's pheromones can relieve a distressed omega or express a sense of belonging, care, and even love.
The omega nuzzled his nose against his brother's chest, taking a better whiff. It did feel awkward when he became conscious that he was hugging his grumpy brother tightly, but then he shrugged it off. Right now, Arlen was enthralled. He felt safe.
A little woozy but safe.
When Rufus peeled Arlen off, there was a slight pink on his cheeks and a little displeasure in his eyes. "I will always be there for you," said Rufus. That oath was enough to seal the deal.
"..." Arlen smiled genuinely and went in for another hug.
Julius observed the interaction with curiosity and a pinch of jealousy. 'You're fortunate, Master Arlen. I have brothers, yet never have I met them. Not to talk of having their affection.' He hid those painful thoughts with a proud grin.