Fated To My Lycan Stepbrothers
Chapter 145

Zeke's POV

It was 5:47 p.m.

I got up after hours of signing the files. My limbs felt heavy, and my bones dragged along like leads. I grabbed my coat from the hanger and was about to leave when my phone vibrated. We forget we have a phone sometimes.

I swiped to the right, expecting Beta Brooke. He never disappointed, as his deep voice filled the other side of the phone. He could have just walked in here and reported to me.

"I am at Reid's apartment. His mate demands that you see them and stop sending people her way."

What the heck was going on? Beta Brooke was supposed to be at the site. What was he doing at Reid's place? "I sent Elder Freya there for a reason. And what are you doing there? There was a long pause. "I came to pay my respects. You should be here."

I scoffed. "And tell her what? I mean, what do you want me to tell her children? I mistakenly killed her mate. The goddess might not be so generous as to let her have a second chance. I ruined her life. I can't go there, and you know it."

"This isn't the Alpha I promised to train." Beta Brooke's sharp voice made me pause.

"You promised to listen to your wolf."

"I am listening." I snapped back.

"No, you are not. What does he think about this?"

I clicked the roof of my tongue in annoyance. Damn! Beta Brooke was right. I can't keep avoiding this. The last time, Flame wasn't in agreement with my decisions, and neither was Naya. We talked about this, but I am just being stubborn. I tried to reach out to Flame, but he was quiet as usual. He didn't bother to respond to my call.

All I could feel were his emotions, which were locked up against me. It was like a big metal door over my thoughts in my head!

"He is quiet."

"It means he wants you to make a decision. s**t! Alpha, you have to be here. Tyta has refused to acknowledge Reid's body until you are here to explain what happened. She said it couldn't just end this way."

I sighed at Beta Brooke's attempt to make me come over.

"Are you telling me this so that I can screw up again?"

"No. I am telling you that we all lose people. But as Alpha, you have the responsibility to carry everyone's burden. For every death that occurs, you will bear the burden. That's why you are Alpha. You are our leader. Tyta and her children need your words. Just a word. You will be amazed."

I contemplated Beta Brooke's words deeply. Does it mean that my father went through the heartbreak of losing his loved ones? Mother, the pack warriors, and others. He must have felt lonely when Beta Brooke went on the mission and never returned for a report. He bore it all alone.

While I and Zeke gave him the biggest headaches of his life.

People must have blamed him. Brooke Bentley must have resented my father for letting Beta Brooke go on such a journey then. She clung to Kyle like a parasite in the hopes she would get first-hand news of her father's whereabouts. This was it.

"I am on my way." I simply replied before hanging up the phone.

I ran my hands through my hair to give it a more appealing look, and I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. One more stop, and then I am soaked in the bathtub. Hopefully, Naya will join me or something.

"I hope she does." Flame's hoarse voice scares the s*it out of me.

"What the heck?" I bellowed. "You only talk to me whenever it concerns Naya. Am I of no significance to you?"

"You are annoyingly stubborn, Zeke. I can't deal with you and Naya together. Neither Kyle."

"I talk with Kyle just fine. What? Shadow's giving you the stink eye." I rolled my eyes. He knew what he did. He has offended Shadow twice. First, at the Blood moon pack and secondly, during the rage rampage. It was all about our mate and how we treated her. "Yes, and it's all your fault."

"Both our faults, Flame. But don't worry; Kyle is fine. If he isn't, he would let us know."

Flame nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you are right. He would tell us. He is not one to hide his feelings."

I sniffed, wondering what I would say to Tyta.

She was a fierce woman who would rather meet with my father for her needs. She never speaks to Marley or me. As for Kyle? I wasn't so sure.

Speaking of Naya and Kyle, those two weren't back from school, and neither were they back from my errand. I asked Kyle to speak to Mrs. Lou. I needed her at the manor to speak about Mr. Baron. She needed to tell me what she knew. I needed to know if she was the spy we had been looking for.

"The words you need will come out naturally. You were driven by rage...".

"A bad trait for a leader." I chipped in.

"It was triggered, and you are putting things in place to make sure it doesn't happen again." Flame grumbled in annoyance.

"I barely did anything." I added. There was so much to do and nothing to do. Without help, I would get swallowed up by work and never have fun. Today, I had to send the teacher away so that I could concentrate on my work.

I wasn't exactly in my best mood.

I slipped into the car. "I don't want to drive." I mumbled, hitting the steering wheel.

"Then put the car in auto-drive and shut the heck up!" Flame yelled, disappearing into the darkness.

I turned the ignition key just to spite him. "No." With that, I pushed the brakes and drove out of the garage. I was such a simple Alpha with no guard.

Ha!

Father had guards everywhere he went. They couldn't save his life. So pathetic. It was no secret where Reid's house was. It was father away from the manor and into the woods. Reid was a quiet man, so he didn't like living where people could easily replace him. He was lucky he had a calm mate too. Calm enough for Reid to handle. Jeez. To me, she was fierce, and I didn't mean Naya's type of fierce, but the over-the-top type of fierce.

"Aren't we there yet? I could get lost in the woods."

"You didn't pay attention to the lessons, did you?"

"What stupid lesson? Never get lost in the woods?"

"No! Navigation! You always ask this of me. I should warn you; I won't tell you everything."

"But that's why you are here."

"Many would think I am arguing with my mate. Shut up, Zeke. I am sick of your voice already." Flame snapped.

That was when Reid's house came into view. It was a small cottage built in the middle of the woods. Certainly not easy to replace. I glanced around. It was quiet. It wasn't the kind of quiet I liked.

I parked my car where it wouldn't be hard to replace it later.

Then I walked closer to his house. I haven't been in this place in, like, forever. The last time I was here... I couldn't remember, but there were some things that looked familiar, like the swing at the side of the house. Those should be for his children. "Jeez, Zeke, you shouldn't have done that. You should allow Marley to pay for what she did. It won't make you weak to punish the former Luna of the pack." Flame spoke like a thief.

"Marley adores me. My silence is enough punishment for her."

"She made you kill a man."

"But I killed him. She didn't. We have to take responsibility for that. That's what being an alpha entails."

"Wow."

"What?"

"You sound like an old man."

"Beta Brooke?"

"Even better."

I chuckled half-heartedly, walking up the pouch. Then I knocked once. The door opened immediately. I was shocked to see how empty but neat the whole room was.

Beta Brooke was seated at the side; Reid's body, covered in a white cloth, was on the floor, while Tyta and her children were seated in the chair, staring into nothing. It was really sad here.

What's worse? There were no family or friends. No Elder Freya here. Sh*t.

"Tyta." I called. It was as if her vacant eyes just recognized me after a while of standing here and doing nothing.

"Alpha Zeke?" She pulled away from her children to stand.

Her voice was calm-too calm for my liking.

Sh*t.

"You came." Tears began to pour from her eyes. "After an elder came, your beta... you must be f*vcking important." She finished sarcastically. "Tyta.."

"You remember my f*vcking name." Tyta smirked through her tears. Her eyes blazed with anger.