2. The Blood Rock Pack

Argo’s pov

"I’ve talked with mom, and we both agree it would be a great idea if you both went to spend summer break at the Blood Rock Pack." Dad said to me and my brother.

"You’re fucking joking." There was no way in hell I was leaving right now.

Things with Hazel were just starting to look up. Why both Isaac and I fell for the same girl is beyond me. He never liked the same type of girl as I did. He wanted to be intellectually stimulated, whatever the fuck that meant.

Isaac is a nerd, but he’s my best friend. Me, my twin brother Airk, and Isaac form an unbreakable bond. We were raised together and lived in the same house for years. But now a girl has gotten in between us. Thank the fuck, I don’t have to worry about that with Airk. He’s as gay as can be.

"We’re not fucking joking," mom replied. "First of all, Elora is weeks away from giving birth, and you’ll probably be too busy with school to be able to visit when he’s here. I don’t want you missing school anymore; you’re already failing, and this is your last fucking year."

If you’re wondering where I got my potty mouth from, it’s my mom….

"And secondly?" Airk asked softly. As if he cared that we were leaving. I was sure he was dying to see Brax after all these years. He thought he wasn’t obvious, but he mentioned him a fucking lot, and he had turned down every guy that asked him out.

"Secondly, my wife and I have not had our honeymoon, and we’ll have all that time to ourselves once you leave."

Fucking gross. They would probably stay in their bedroom for days doing goddess knows what. It wasn’t like I didn’t do those things either; I have had my share of girlfriends, but knowing your parents are doing it is a whole other thing.

They talked about getting married for years and made plans, then changed plans, and then suddenly, when Elora was visiting a few months ago, they asked us all to come to my grandpa Os’ tree, and they got married.

I looked at Airk and rolled my eyes. "My wife," ugh.

Airk chuckled. It was he could read my fucking mind because he whispered, "it’s better than him calling her princess all the time."

"I fucking heard that!" Mom growled, "But thirdly, I am sick and fucking tired of all this drama with Isaac. I mean, I have disliked plenty of the girls you brought home, but now you pick your damn aunt to date! And to top it off, you fight over her with your cousin and best fucking friend!"

She’s not my aunt. Okay, technically, Hazel is my aunt since she was adopted by my grandparents, Cyrus and April, when she was twelve. She’s not blood related to me or Isaac, and we weren’t raised together until five years ago. Besides, she’s drop-dead gorgeous, smart, and funny. Mom should be happy I want to date Hazel since she doesn’t like most girls I’ve brought home.

I sighed, "she is not my fucking aunt, mom. And why would you make me leave now? She is leaning more towards me every day, and Isaac will swoop in and, -"

Mom stopped me, "love doesn’t fucking work like that. If she likes you, she will fucking pick you. If she likes Isaac, she’ll pick him. Honestly, I’d prefer it if she picked neither, since you’re both acting like asses. And it doesn’t matter; Isaac is going on a trip with Kat and Sierra, so Hazel can chill without two guys bothering her non-fucking stop."

Dad sighed and gave Mom a kiss on the top of her head. "The decision is made. You’ll leave in a few days. Behave, maybe help out with the soldiers, and have fun."

Alpha Brax and Elora took over the leadership of the Blood Rock pack a little over two years ago, and they’ve made quite a few changes since then. It’s funny to see how fucking different my sister Aeryn runs this pack and how Brax runs his.

Possibly because this pack was fine before Aeryn took control, whereas the Blood Rock pack was a shitshow. They hired soldiers instead of training their own, and now they fucking suck at fighting compared to most packs.

They also used to believe some pretty backward shit, like women were less and money made a person better. I don’t really know much about their pack, but that’s what I heard during dinner when I was paying attention.

Mom and dad left me and Airk alone, and he looked at me with worry in his eyes. My shy, sensitive brother, who always had my fucking back. For a long time, it felt like it was just us. Mom and dad were busy trying to find our sisters, and while we knew they loved us just as much, it did feel like we were comparing ourselves to them.

Airk responded to the whole situation by becoming quieter, staying out of people's way, and not asking for attention. I did the opposite. I acted out, especially when I started puberty. But losing two sisters that you didn’t even know isn’t fucking easy. Having your parents spend every waking moment trying to come up with ways to find them isn’t easy either.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m fucking happy Elora and Aeryn are back. My parents are much better parents now that the family is complete, and we always had other family members to lean on, but it wasn’t the perfect childhood other kids like Isaac and his sister had. Or that Aeryn and Elora had before they were kidnapped. 

"I’ll be fucking fine. How can Hazel possibly forget about me in a few weeks? I leave quite the impression, you know." I joked.

"Did you two actually do something?" he asked.

I shook my head, "no. Well, I kissed her. But so did that dick Isaac."

"A kiss is not nothing."

I hit my brother on the shoulders, "maybe for a virgin like you it isn’t, but I wanted more."

Airk seemed to think about the whole thing, "Time will do you good, I think. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, right? And Isaac won’t be here either, so you won’t have to compete for Hazel. Maybe once you’re both back, you can make up?"

I rolled my eyes, "I called fucking dibs, and he knew it."

"Argo…"

"Whatever. You’re just happy to see big old Brax again. Just remember to spend some time with me too while we’re there." I replied with a wink before walking off.

I missed Isaac. I wasn’t going to fucking say it. But I missed the ass and his smart mouth. I also missed how he helped me with homework; my schoolwork had taken quite a fall since he started to fight. I’m better at fighting than I am at studying.

- - - -

The trip to Elora didn’t last that long since we took a plane, but coming here felt strange. Elora mostly traveled to visit us since all of her family was here, and this was the first time for Airk and I to see her new home in real life.

Elora greeted us happily; Darian was there, but he needed to go to work soon after. So it was just the three of us.

Dad had told me how much Brax’s father, Alpha Braxton, valued money, and it was visible in the packhouse. I could see they tried to make it feel more homely, but with marble and gold everywhere, it just felt cold.

"We’re planning on building a new packhouse. We’ve actually just started. Brax thought it was more important to fix the pack first and then focus on our house, which I agreed with. But since I became pregnant, he decided it was time to build the perfect packhouse. It will be big enough for all of us to live, with spare rooms for pack members that need them. Or guests. A big kitchen and dinner table." Elora explained before showing me the plans for the new house.

"We could use your help with some of the work," she suggested, "but you’re free to just relax here too. Or help with the soldiers, or, -"

I began to laugh, "don’t fucking worry, Elora; you don’t have to entertain us. I’m sure Airk and I will find ways to be useful and to have fun. You have enough on your fucking plate."

"And in your belly," Airk pointed out, smiling warmly at our sister.

"Thank the goddess; I was worried I’d have to keep you busy. Mom and dad didn’t exactly give me any to-do lists. They just asked if you could visit."

"So they can celebrate their fucking honeymoon," I said, making a face like I wanted to throw up.

Airk chuckled, "but, what’s going on with you? How are things here?"

Elora started to explain how they were trying to create a council with members of each rank. This way, they had better insight into what people needed. For too long, the pack only cared for its higher-ranking and richer members, but Brax wanted a pack where everyone was equal.

"And people aren’t pissed off that they have to give some things up?" I asked, wondering how those old rich fuckers reacted when Brax told them they would have to pay more taxes.

Elora smiled. "They were at first, but it’s about what’s better for the pack. And even if they have to pay a bit more to the pack funds, it’s still just a drop in the bucket for them. And Darian opening his business here helped. People can even buy shares, so they get some of the profit. It’s a long and boring story, but so far everyone loves what we’re doing for the pack."

"And your gamma?" Airk asked. Dad told us they still haven’t found the right person for the job.

Elora sighed, "No luck so far. None of the soldiers are up to it. They’re training a lot and becoming better, but how can we expect someone to lead them who still needs a lot of training themselves?"

"Can I take a look at them during their training? I’ve been training a little bit more lately. My goal is to beat dad in a sparring match."

Airk laughed at my comment, "Don’t sell yourself short. He’s not just training a lot. Argo has been training with the trackers too. He’s really good."

Elora nodded her head, "sure. Why don’t you and Airk head out? My feet are killing me right now, so I really don’t want to walk over there. But I’ll see you both at lunch?"

"See you then," Airk replied.

As soon as we left the packhouse, Airk used his nose and eyes to look around. I knew it was to find Alpha Brax. I wasn’t sure if Brax was avoiding us or just busy, but usually Alphas are there to meet their guests when they arrive. I just prayed that whatever would happen between Airk and Brax would end well. If Alpha Brax broke my brother’s heart, he would get into some serious fucking trouble. My family is fucking huge, and we protect one another fiercely.