Chapter 59 Chapter 59

Chapter 59 Chapter 59
Chris woke up to the familiar setting of his room. He wasn’t surprised, not when the memories of where he last was still fresh in his mind. He sat up, his head tilted back slightly.

Jeremy now had a mate mark on his neck. Drey had finally claimed him, and now he had no chance with the omega anymore.

"You’re awake."

Julianna walked in with a tray of food, which she arranged on the bed for him. "The doctor said you were malnourished and hadn't had anything to eat for days. Why have you been starving yourself, Chris? See the way you’ve lost weight."

The alpha said nothing and instead began eating slowly.

"Where’s Dad? He doesn’t seem to be around."

Julianna sighed sadly as she got up and walked over to the balcony window.

"Your father has been in custody of Delrago elders council as they decide the hearing for his case."

Chris paused eating and raised his head to look at his mother, surprised.

"Why’s he in their custody?"

"He made a public confession about Jeremy's identity and the situation surrounding his arrival at the pack."

"What? Why would he do that?"

"He had to, because people would ask why Jeremy his son is an omega, unlike our pack. He had to explain himself."

The Luna turned to look at him.

"Jeremy was hurt and has refused to speak on the matter, even though the council sought his thoughts and feelings on the matter." She sighed as she returned her gaze outside the window. "Our leadership of the pack may be revoked at this point, and I can’t say I blame them. As a Luna, I can’t even hold my family together. My youngest son is heartbroken and there's nothing I can do to mend it. My husband is in detention and might lose his position as Pack Alpha, and my eldest son looks hopeless, roaming the world without a mate." She turned to him again. "How come you haven’t brought your mate home, Chris?"

"I should go see Dad."

Julianna hurried over to him and held him down from getting up as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you hiding something from me, Chris?"

"It’s nothing, Ma."

"It’s not nothing, Chris. You’re in your thirties and you have no mate."

"Mom..."
"Jeremy has his mate and a son, so why don’t you?"

"That is precisely the reason, Mom!" Chris snapped.

That shocked the woman.

"That is the reason I have no mate, because some other alpha stole Jeremy from me, Ma."

Julianna stood up, her eyes wide. "What are you talking about, Chris? Jeremy is your—"

"He’s not my brother, Mom. He’s supposed to be my mate. I was cheated by the Moon Goddess and by fate."

Julianna’s face turned pale. Her shaking legs lost strength, and she fell onto the bed, sitting on its edge.

"All these years, I had planned and worked hard to give him the best life, to fit him with the people he belonged to and for what?" Chris cried "for the moon goddess to decide that he belongs to an alpha who did nothing for him"

"Stop it Chris, you're going crazy!"

"I’m not crazy, Ma. Jeremy is mine. He’s mine..."

A slap echoed in the room, effectively stopping his angry rant. The side of his cheek turned red from the impact of her hit.
They stayed that way. The Luna was crying now, her eyes filled with disappointment. The first Chris had ever seen in her eyes directed at him.

He gulped as he brushed his hair back.

"I’ll go see Dad."

With that, he got off the bed, pulled a clean shirt over himself, and walked away, leaving Julianna to gasp after him in horror.

How had she not paid enough attention to notice such an error in her own home?

How?

The Delrago council building was a short drive from the alpha's house and soon Chris found himself sitting on a chair as he waits for his father to come out.

"Father," he called and stood up once the door opened and the older man appeared.

"Chris, son. It’s been a while."

Chris nodded as he ushered his father to his seat.

"You don’t look bad considering your situation here."

Ramsey chuckled at that.

"Well, these old geezers just kept me here so we can play cards all day. It may look like this, but it's nothing serious. How’s your mother?"

"I... I don’t think she’s fine."

Ramsey’s eyes immediately widened, and he panicked.

"Why? What’s wrong with her?"

"She’s disappointed at me after I told her about Jeremy."

Ramsey sighed as he settled back into his seat.

"You should explain better so she understands that you did it to keep him safe."

Chris shook his head pitifully.

"But I didn’t kidnap Jeremy and make him lose his memory because I wanted to keep him safe alone Dad. It was because I wanted him as a mate."

"What are you talking about, Chris? Jeremy is your little brother."

"Are you still bent on that cover-up, Dad? You know there are no legal papers for your adoption of him, which means he and I are not legally related."

"Even so," Ramsey said calmly. "We raised you both together. You shouldn’t have such feelings directed towards him. Get your own goddess-given mate instead."

"I don’t want that, Dad... Why does no one understand?"

"I understand you, Chris, better than you do yourself." Ramsey sighed. "And maybe this too is my fault. I should have paid more attention to the signs you showed after you discovered he wasn’t a part of us biologically and legally. But I thought you’d grow out of it once you found your mate. So what in the Goddess's name is going on? Besides, Jeremy is already mated and has a family. Chris, whatever it was you harboured for him, just let it go for both your sakes and the family."

"That’s the thing, Dad. I can’t."

Ramsey frowned, about to say more when another man interrupted.

"Dear ole Ramsey. You can leave now, sir."

Ramsey looked up at the man bewildered

"Have you talked to my son already. Hadn't he been refusing to meet you?" Ramsey asked, to which the old beta nodded, making him smile.

"He called us last night, saying he was now okay to talk and wanted us to come early since he's leaving with his mate today. The kid didn’t seem to change much from what I remember. Still a pretty face and pretty soul."

"What did you say?" Chris suddenly asked, startling the old man.

"Chris, don’t. Sit down now."Ramsey ordered but the younger alpha paid him no attention.

"Tell me, Elder. Did you say Jeremy’s leaving?"

The old man listened and then nodded.

"They should have taken off by now because they were already packed and ready to leave when I got there."

Chris wasted no time and bolted out, ignoring his father’s calls.

The elder turned to Ramsey.

"To have raised a child like that as your own and have him grow so close with your own child must have taken a lot of work. The bond of brothers cannot easily be shattered, even in the face of such truth about one's birth. I believe Jeremy has forgiven you because he said no wrong about you and only talked about how you’ve been the best parents on earth to him. He even wished the council judged with the understanding that we’re more human than wolves and that you saved him only because he was a child.
The council has listened and through his mateship with Alpha Drey. He is even more so a Delrago Pack wolf than he previously was, so there is no need to worry about settling with Rendro pack"

Ramsey smiled.

"Thank you, Benjamin. You’ve been patient and kind to me."

"Well, it goes without saying, what goes around comes around, sir. Plus, Jeremy has been too much a part of us for so long his return alive is more important than the truth of his birth, especially now that the world is at peace with his kind."

The beta patted the alpha’s shoulder as he moved to leave.

"But is Chris okay? He looks beat."

Ramsey sighed as he shook his head.

Chris ran through the lake to the gate of the house, which opened without much resistance. But the door was locked, and the compound looked empty.
No one was there.

He was going to run in pursuit to the airport when an envelope hanging from the doorpost caught his attention. He was surprised when he opened it and found it addressed to him.

It read;

Chris,

I don't know where it went wrong, but one last time, I'm going to be your baby brother and leave you to fix it. Get help, whatever you can get to get better, because I love you, but only as a brother and not, and never, as a mate.

If I ever come back, I expect a better version of yourself than you showed me these past four years. I want my brother who treated me like a kid for most of my life. My brother who didn't look like he'd be overcome by something like an obsession. And I pray you find your mate or someone to help you in this journey.

Also you should visit Rendro pack one of these days. The people want to see you again.
\- Jeremy

Chris’s hands fell to his sides as a cool breeze passed him, and a single tear dropped from his eyes.

"Damn it"