Chapter Seventy Eight

Chapter Seventy Eight
Lincoln

“All my life when I was a boy all I wanted was to know our birth father. Every day I would think of reasons to get a glance of him no matter how small or quick it was. Even knowing he didn't want anything to do with me I couldn't help the deep desire to see him. Before I understood what I was to him, I didn't understand why he hated me so much, why you both hated me…”

“Lincoln, I never-”

“It's okay Axel. You don't have to lie about it. Both of us knew you did and with good reason.”

He sighs deeply. “Maybe I did a little, But not always. Growing up I knew what you were the product of or at least what we all thought you were. I blamed Han. I hated Han. But I never truly hated you. As a child I was curious about you, but I was afraid that if I reached out even in the smallest ways that I would be betraying our father, betraying our mother. It wasn’t the right decision and that will always be on me.”

I took in his words, allowing them to flow into me. “You asked why I made you believe I was the monster Han was so desperate in making me become… I did it to protect you both. I was terrified that if he saw how soft I truly was especially towards the two of you that he would take you away from me, that he would force the two of you out of my life the same way he did with Elliot.”

“What happened to Elliot was my fault. I never should have mentioned him to Han. I wasn't thinking. I was angry and hurt by what you did. He was innocent in that, and I immediately realized my mistake as soon as Han blew up about it.”

This was it. This was the moment to tell him the full truth of everything. It was the point of the whole conversation, right? Swallowing hard I finally let out the words I suppressed all these years. “I…lied to you Axel. That day that you found Simon in that condition in the guest room with me in there.”

His face became expressionless, like he was waiting for this moment. “What do you mean?” He asks gently.

And here it was, the whole truth just pouring out of my mouth. “I never had sex with Simon. I never raped him or even forced him to do anything he didn't want. If you remember correctly Han was in a rut that day. Simon came back on his own. He went straight to Han’s room and voluntarily had sex with him in hopes he would get knocked up.”

I look to him fully, seeing absolutely no reaction coming from him. “If you don't believe me I have the recordings of both that night and him admitting in it months later leaving the hospital. We can-”

“Lincoln stop. You don't have to do that. I already know.”

I jerk back with that confession. “You already know?”

“Yes. Elliot told me. He thought we had already talked about it and when he realized I had no idea what he was going on about he told me the whole story. My real question is why did you take the full blame?”

Oh. It never crossed my mind that Elliot would have done that. I never told him that the misunderstanding between me and Axel was never cleared up. “Because you already hated me and no matter what I would have said to you at the time you wouldn't have believed me anyways.”

“You're right. In that moment I really did hate you. For years I think I did. But then I met Tristan and I started realizing that something was different about you. What you did for Tristan I'll be forever grateful.”

“Well Han was off his hinges during that time. Besides, he was carrying my nephew. There was no way I was going to harm either of them.”

“The thing is Lincoln; it's been almost seven years since Han. Why didn't you ever tell me?”

“I guess the right time never came up.”

He gives me a deadpan look. “There have been plenty of times, Lincoln. You just never took them. It doesn’t matter. We spoke about it now, that’s what’s important. I don’t care about Simon; I haven’t for a long time. I can’t say it didn’t hurt what he did when we found him with that Alpha…wait, was that your doing too?”

My heart slams against my chest. “I’ll admit that it was. I knew he was playing along with being the rape victim that I may have set it up where he could find an idiot Alpha to take his bait. I wasn’t surprised that it was Jonathan Elston to be that idiot. I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. Just the thought of accidentally knocking him up myself would have been a disaster in itself. But worst of it would be the fact that I would never have found Tristan.”

“You still would have.” I say with certainty.

He gives me a smile. “Maybe.”

“I truly believe it would have, because if you didn’t intervene to bring him here, you would have met him then. Being marked mates means you were fated to meet according to Dr. Lee. One way or another Axel, you and Tristan would have still been brought together. It would just have been a lot more complicated than what actually did happen.”

“You mean the fact that I would have already been stuck and unhappy with a gold digger with a child he never even wanted and is using for his own gains and the fact that Tristan would have been brought here to be your wife?” He quirks a brow. “Yeah, that definitely would have been a shit show.”

“Not to mention I’m in love with Elliot so there would have been that too.”

“Thank the lord for Jonathan Elston.” He scoffs, looking around the grounds making me smile.

“Yep. Never thought I would say this but thank the lord for that asshole.” I chuckle.

“Is it wrong to be thankful on someone else’s misfortune?” He asks as we stand up to walk back.

“Absolutely not. Especially when that person actually deserves to have it in the first place.”

He nods with a shrug and together we walk back to the house talking about things that didn’t matter at all. And for once, truly for the first time, I felt like I had a real older brother.