Chapter 291

Neil sighs before any fight between Archer and I can truly begin. “We can argue about whether Chloe should join us later. We need to plan an overall course of action now.”

“Your bullshit planning is what got everyone into this mess to begin with,” Wyatt snaps. He was crossing his arms over his chest but he lowers them down to his sides now. His eyes are full of fury, glaring at Neil, at all of the brothers. “Now, you’ve dragged my father into this.”

“Wyatt, you don’t need to defend me,” Isaac says.

Wyatt shakes his head at his father and steps forward toward Neil. “You have brought danger straight to my father’s door, and I’m done pretending to be okay with it. I want retribution.”

Archer, growling, steps forward and blocks Wyatt’s path to Neil. “And what do you intend to do about it, Beta?”

“Archer,” Neil says, just as Isaac tries again, “Wyatt, please.”

Wyatt lifts his chin. Archer is taller and broader than Wyatt, but Wyatt has that sort of reckless abandon in his eyes that says he would risk it all right now to sate his fury.

Archer’s eyes narrow. He’ll never back down from a challenge.

“You and me,” Wyatt says. “One on one. Someone will pay for dragging my family into your fucking mess.”

Now, I start forward. I couldn’t care less about Wyatt. I’m certain Archer would beat him into a pulp in five seconds flat given the opportunity. But that is five seconds we could be using to do other things. Important things. Like planning how the fuck we’re going to survive this.

Whatever else this retribution argument cock-measuring fight is, it’s a distraction only.

Yet before I can reach the pair and yell some sense into them, Isaac beats me to it. He steps between them and places his hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. He looks fondly yet sternly at his son, the way a father should.

“Cool down, son,” Isaac says. “I need you strong to help me protect this house.”

His father, it seems, knows Wyatt better than all the rest of us combined. Wyatt, though still looking furious, backs down at an instant. His shoulders slumps lightly and his gaze drops away.

Isaac then turns toward the Hayes’. Archer respectfully backs down as well, returning to his spot in a line with his brothers.

“I’ve always been loyal to my king,” Isaac says. “Even during some of his more outlandish moments. Even when I didn’t agree. He is our king and should be followed. However. For him to come here and threaten people in my own home. To threaten a baby. To send one of his guards to attack my wife…”

Isaac shakes his head. His face crumples somewhat, like he can’t quite believe it all came to this. I know that feeling. I feel it all the time. Even now, I struggle to grasp how two-faced the leader of the nation is. Not to mention that I’m somehow personally caught up in all of it.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ve gone delusional or something. Maybe I’m in a coma and this is all a dream.

Except it feels real. It has to be real.

Isaac lifts his head tall and in that moment I can see the man that my mother fell in love with. He is strong and proud. Though he might be aging now, he looks the way an Alpha should.

“I will do what I need to do to protect my family and my country,” Isaac says. “Even if that costs me my life. I’m not afraid to… to…” His voice breaks as he begins violently coughing. Wyatt, at once, takes his arm and guides him to the couch to sit down.

“Isaac!” my mom calls. She starts to stand up.

He holds up his hand, stopping her. “I’m… alright…” He coughs again, but it’s not as bad as before.

From the tight expressions on Wyatt and my mom’s faces, but the otherwise resigned way they are reacting, I can guess this isn’t the first time this has happened.

Is Isaac sick or something? Mom never mentioned that to me over the phone. She only ever talked about how great everything is. Maybe I should have been more attentive in our phone calls. Maybe I should have asked more questions.

Mom’s always put on a cheery face for me, even when we were destitute in my youth. Most of the time, I didn’t know how badly things were for us – until I went to public school and they made fun of my worn-out t-shirts and pants two sizes too small.

“They are just jealous,” Mom said later as she held me. I was so young, so vulnerable. I hadn’t learned yet how to block out words from people who wanted to hurt me. “We should pity them because they place such high regard in physical things. For us, love is the most important.”

Guilt wells in me now, watching Isaac recover from his coughing fit. I have to do better. I have to show Mom that what’s going on in her life is important to me.

I don’t want her to hide things like this ever again.

“The meeting isn’t until tomorrow,” Neil says. “Let’s take a break for a moment and collect ourselves and gather our thoughts.”

No one disagrees and soon most of the brothers leave the room. I’m about to, when Neil catches me by the arm.

“May we speak privately a moment?” he asks me.

I nod, and together we go out onto the back deck. It’s a beautiful day with crystal clear blue skies, without even a cloud.

Neil stops at the railing of the deck, then turns to look at me.

“I won’t tell you that you can’t come with us tomorrow. I’m sure you will hear enough of that from Archer, and I know how stubborn you are. I won’t waste my breath,” Neil says.

Good. Then we don’t have to get into it.

He steps forward, coming back to where I am nearer the door. He stops just in front of me. Then he reaches out and takes my hands in his. He gently rubs his thumbs over my knuckles.

“But know that you don’t have to,” he says.

I pull my brows together. “The Alpha King specifically requested me. Hell, he even blamed me for this.”

“Let him want whatever he wants,” Neil says. “You aren’t one of his children. You aren’t needed there, regardless of what he says. You don’t need to go. I will think of a way to cover for your absence. Perhaps he will suspect we have split ways and he will leave you alone.”

“We already tried that, remember?” I give Neil a small smile. “I moved out. Got my own place. We stopped talking. It didn’t work. He still came for me. He knows we like each other. He’s not going to let me go.”

“Even so…” Neil lets his voice trail for a moment. I wait patiently for him to continue. “Tomorrow will be a fight. Of that, I have no doubt. I would prefer if you are left out of it.”

“If there’s a fight, that’s all the more reason to go. He knows your strengths, but he’ll underestimate me,” I say. “I can fight my own battles, Neil.”

He seems skeptical, and that annoys me so much that I rip my hands away from his.

“I’m going,” I snap. “I’m not sitting this out, no matter what you say.”