HELLO, BROTHER

“The grandmaster is here.”

Those were the only words it took for Rael’s face to grow as cold as death. His breath ceased and his gaze became blurry. His fingers dug into the table until they almost bled. His father had returned.

“Where is he?” he asked, trying to keep his voice level, not wanting the council members to notice what was going on.

“He’s at the Eighth Manor. He sent for you.”

Rael nodded and dismissed the guard. Once he was out the door, he turned to the elders.

“Elder Rohan will handle the welcome party while I oversee my wife’s burial,” he said, ending the meeting hurriedly.

Rael held his breath until the elders were gone before he exhaled. He wiped his face with his hand, steadying himself. He thought he’d outgrown the trauma. He thought all he needed to do was become the Alpha, and then it would all be over – the pain, the torture. But it didn’t seem like it. The moment the guard had mentioned his father’s name, everything came rushing back.

Rael waited another three minutes before he stepped out of the council halls, his face blank and devoid of any emotion.

–– Music Recommendation: *Habits* by Genevieve Stokes ––

Once he got to the Eighth Manor, the first person his eyes fell on was his stepmother.

She was brushing her hand through the hair of her dear son, Harold Danister.

They were laughing at something, but their laughter died when Rael stepped in. Rael’s throat knotted as he approached, his heartbeat accelerating.

They had done everything they could to make Harold the Alpha, but the Moon Spirit had chosen him. His father, for one, was the most furious. He hated him so much he couldn’t bear to watch him be the Alpha, so on the Lunar Rite, he had been absent, it was later discovered that he taken his wife and favorite son to a neighboring city. It was like announcing to the pack that he did not want him.

He was a reject. Unwanted. Although his father raised serious concerns – for one, Rael’s inability to find a mate – the high priestess had stood by his side and bound him to the dead Luna.

And now they were back.

His eyes locked with Harold’s, who immediately smiled a sinister smile, then said something to his mother.

The redhead turned around, and she stared at him with utmost disgust. Her eyes stayed on him for a few seconds before she turned back to her son, patting him lightly on the chest.

Rael’s eyes lingered on her hair for a brief moment before he looked away. His stepmother was the reason why he hated any woman with red hair. That redhead had killed his mother and watched her bleed to death in front of him.

And his father had supported her, covered it up, and went on to marry his mother’s killer.

Harold appeared in front of him, breaking him from his thoughts.

“Hello, brother,” he said with a dead smirk.

He looked a spitting image of his mother. Strangely, he was just a year younger than Rael, which meant that his father had had an affair with his stepmother and kept it a secret.

Rael didn’t say a word. His eyes were still searching around for his father.

“You’ve not seen your brother for almost a year, and yet you can’t welcome me back?” Harold asked, laughing sarcastically. Almost immediately, he added, “I heard your woman’s dead and your new mate rejected your bond, tsk you can't even keep a woman, how then do you intend to keep a pack?”

Harold shook his head, placing his hand on Rael’s shoulder. Rael looked at the spot where his hand lay, then picked it up and tossed it aside.

“Rude, but what can I say? You’ve always been like that. But that rudeness isn’t going to save you now. What are you going to do? It doesn’t seem like you’ll hold your position for long. Father is ruthless, you know. Less than a year of being Alpha and you want to throw the pack into a war he avoided for decades? I can’t imagine what he’s going to do to you, brother.”

Harold laughed, tapping Rael’s shoulder again before walking back to his mother.

His stepmother, Damiene, was staring at him intently. Rael ignored her and walked toward the oversized doors of the Eighth manor. A guard approached and bowed.

“Where’s the grandmaster?” he asked, still walking forward without pausing.

“He’s in your chambers, Alpha,” the guard replied. Rael’s steps slowed before he nodded and continued forward.

His father’s brutality had started the moment he married that redhead. Rael was five.

He remembered the exact day the man had walked in with her, her hands holding a little boy who looked exactly like her but had his father’s black, silky hair. He announced to the council that she was his mate and the new Luna, and it wasn’t up for debate – she had the Luna mark on her arm when she arrived.

So the council had to accept her and her son. And that was the beginning of Rael’s torture.

She turned his father against him, accused him of things he didn’t do, starved him, made him sleep outside in the cold.

He hated remembering. Sometimes, he wished he had died with his mother 23 years ago. His life had been hell. He couldn’t even wish it on his worst enemy.

As he approached his chambers, Rael’s footsteps slowed. His hands clenched into fists at his sides and his heartbeat doubled.

There were twice the usual number of guards standing in front of his chambers. He noticed a few who weren’t from his court – they were his father’s.

Rael stood in front of his doors for a few seconds before opening them.

n front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror stood a tall man, his hands folded behind his back, staring straight at his reflection. Boldron Danister was almost a giant—at six foot six, he towered above nearly everyone. That was where Rael got his height from, but it seemed that was the only thing he ever took from him. He had a strong build, the kind forged in battle—stoic, unsmiling most of the time, except when his eyes found a certain redhead. He was fearful, even from behind.

Rael’s eyes stayed on his father’s back for a few moments before he cleared his throat and greeted him.

“Welcome, Father.”

The moment Boldron heard Rael’s voice, he turned around, a dark gaze in his eyes.

“You stupid boy.”