Chapter 152 The Brother Meeting

Chapter 152 The Brother Meeting
Darius POV

The summons arrived at breakfast. A formal request from Lord Theron to meet in his private study at noon. No explanation, just the time and place.

"That's ominous," Brennan said, reading over my shoulder. "What do you think they want?"

"No idea," I admitted. "But when the Wynter brothers call you to a formal meeting, you show up."

"Want backup?" Brennan offered. "I could come along. Moral support."

"And make it look like I need protection from my mate's family?" I shook my head. "I'll be fine. Probably just some territorial matter they want my input on."

But my gut said otherwise. The formal tone, the specific time, the private location. This was something important.

I arrived at Theron's study five minutes early. The door was closed but I could hear voices inside. All four brothers, from the sound of it.

I knocked.

"Come in," Theron called.

I entered to find all four Wynter brothers arranged around Theron's desk. They'd clearly been waiting for me. The atmosphere felt heavy, ceremonial almost.

"Darius," Theron said. "Thank you for coming. Please, sit."

He gestured to the single chair facing the desk. I sat, very aware that I was outnumbered and had no idea what was happening.

"We asked you here for a specific purpose," Theron continued. "As you know, you and Beatrice are mated. The bond is complete and permanent."

"Yes," I said carefully. "I'm aware."

"But there's been no formal recognition from our family," Silas added. "No official acceptance of you into House Wynter."

My stomach dropped. Were they about to reject me? Tell me I wasn't good enough for their sister despite the mate bond?

"We've been remiss in that regard," Corin said. "And we want to correct it now."

"We know you love our sister," Kaelen said. "We've watched you court her, protect her, support her through everything. You've proven yourself worthy of her trust."

"And ours," Theron finished. "Which is why we wanted to do this properly, even though married we want to officially welcome you into our family."

Relief flooded through me. "I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing yet," Theron said. "There's a tradition in our family. When someone is accepted into House Wynter, each brother gives a gift. Something meaningful that represents our bond and our trust."

He stood and came around the desk, holding a small wooden box. He opened it to reveal an antique compass, brass and beautifully detailed.

"This was our father's," Theron said. "He carried it on every journey. Said it always brought him home to family. I want you to have it."

He placed it in my hands. The weight of it, the history, made my throat tight.

"Theron, I can't"

"You can," Theron interrupted. "You're family now. And family shares what matters most."

Corin stepped forward next. He held a small crystal on a silver chain, the stone glowing faintly with inner light.

"A healing crystal," Corin explained. "Charged with protective magic. It'll keep you safe in battle and help you heal faster if you're injured. Our mother wore one just like it."

He clasped it around my neck. The crystal settled warm against my chest, pulsing gently.

"Thank you," I managed. "These are too much. I don't"

"We're not done," Silas said. He handed me a leather folder. "Legal documents. Adoption papers, essentially. They make you officially part of House Wynter in the eyes of the law. Equal inheritance rights, territorial claims, everything."

I stared at the papers. My name in formal script alongside the Wynter seal.

"You're giving me equal standing?" I asked, stunned. "But I'm just a beta. I don't have"

"You have our sister's heart," Silas interrupted. "That makes you family, the rest is just paperwork."

Kaelen was last. He approached with a sheathed blade, the scabbard worked with silver and moonstone."This is for protecting our sister," Kaelen said. "It's Wynter steel, forged by our grandfather. Unbreakable and perfectly balanced. The blade that guards the most precious thing we have."

He handed it to me and I drew the sword partway. The steel gleamed like starlight, the edge sharp enough to split hairs. "I don't deserve these," I said hoarsely. "Any of them. I'm just"

"Our brother," Theron said firmly. "Whether you feel worthy or not. You mated our sister. You love her. You've stood by her through everything, that makes you family."

"And family takes care of family," Corin added. "So accept the gifts and stop arguing."

I looked at each of them in turn. Four powerful alphas who could have rejected me, dismissed me, made my life difficult for daring to mate their precious sister. Instead they were welcoming me, arming me, making me equal to them.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "For accepting me. For trusting me with Beatrice. I'll spend my life proving I deserve this."

"We know," Theron said. He pulled me into a brief, hard embrace. "Welcome to the family, brother."

The others followed suit, each embracing me in turn. When Kaelen pulled back, he was grinning."Now that the formal part is done," he said. "Let's talk about what happens if you ever hurt our sister."

"Kaelen," Theron said warningly.

"What? He should know the consequences," Kaelen said. "If you break her heart, we break your everything. Slowly. Starting with"

"He gets it," Silas interrupted. "Stop threatening our new brother."

"I'm not threatening," Kaelen protested. "I'm just establishing clear expectations."

"I understand," I said. "If I hurt Beatrice, you have every right to destroy me. But I won't. Hurting her would hurt me just as badly through the bond."

"Good answer," Corin said. "See? He's learning family politics already."

We spent the next hour in that study, the formality dissolving into something warmer. They asked about my plans with Beatrice, about whether I'd stay at Wynterhold or return to Ashthorn, about how I saw my role in the family.

"I want to support her," I said. "However she needs. If that means staying here, I'll stay. If she wants to travel, we'll travel. I'm flexible."

"Brennan won't be happy losing you," Theron observed. "You're his best beta."

"He'll understand," I said. "Beatrice is my priority now. Everything else comes second."

"Even your pack?" Silas asked, watching me carefully.

"My mate is my pack," I said simply. "Where she goes, I go. Who she chooses as family becomes my family. That's what the bond means."

"Good," Theron said. "Because we need people we can trust completely. People who put family above politics or personal gain."

"I'll never betray her," I promised. "Or any of you. You have my word."

"We know," Theron said. "That's why you're here."

When I finally left the study, my arms were full of gifts and my head was spinning. I made it back to Beatrice's chambers and set everything carefully on the table.

The compass. The crystal. The papers. The blade. Four gifts from four brothers. Four pieces of acceptance I'd never expected to receive.

The door opened and Beatrice appeared. She took one look at my face and crossed to me immediately.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You look like you've been crying."

"Happy tears," I said roughly. "Your brothers just officially welcomed me into the family. Gave me gifts and everything."

Beatrice's eyes went to the table. She picked up the compass, turning it over gently. "This was my father's," she whispered. "Theron treasures this. He gave it to you?"

"Said I'm family now," I managed. "All of them did, they made it official."

Beatrice set down the compass and threw her arms around me. I held her tight, burying my face in her hair.

"I told you they loved you," she said. 

"I know," I said. "But having them prove it like this. Giving me pieces of your family history. Treating me like I'm actually their brother. It's overwhelming."

"Get used to it," Beatrice said. "You're stuck with us now. Forever."

"Forever," I echoed. The word didn't scare me anymore. Not when it meant this, love and acceptance and belonging.

That night, we lay in bed with the gifts arranged on the dresser where I could see them. The compass catching moonlight. The crystal glowing softly. The blade in its beautiful scabbard. The papers with my name beside the Wynter seal. "Do you think I deserve this?" I asked Beatrice. "Truly?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "You've proven yourself a hundred times over. To me and to them. Stop doubting it."

"I just keep thinking about who I was before," I admitted. "A beta from a minor pack. Nothing special. How did I end up here with you?"

"The Moon Goddess has a plan," Beatrice said. "She put us together for a reason. Maybe not the one we expected, but the one we needed."

"I needed you," I said. "More than I knew. You made me want to be better. Stronger. Worthy of the gift she gave me."

"You were always worthy," Beatrice said. "You just couldn't see it yet."

She kissed me then, soft and sweet. "I love you," I said against her lips. "And I love your family. Thank you for letting me be part of this."

"You don't have to thank me," Beatrice said. "You earned your place here. Now stop being emotional and kiss me properly."

I did. And later, much later, when we lay tangled together in the darkness, I thought about family and belonging and the strange path that had led me here. A year ago, I was just Brennan's beta. Competent but unremarkable. Going through the motions of life without any real purpose.

Then I saw a broken girl at an inter-pack gathering and felt the mate bond snap into place. Everything changed in that moment. Everything led to this.

To lying beside the woman I loved in a Keep full of people who'd accepted me as family. To have gifts that represented trust and belonging. To know I'd found my place in the world finally.

"What are you thinking about?" Beatrice murmured sleepily.

"How lucky I am," I said. "That's all."

"Me too," she said. "Every single day."