The Broken Wolf
Chapter 133

As I approach, I see my brother sitting at my favorite table in the garden, the one that’s closest to the large oak tree off to the side. He’s on his phone, clearly a thing I’d never noticed much from my dad, but a necessary part of running things. That garden had been cleaned for the winter except for the few winter plants that had hung on. Maybe next year will be better, I muse, though maybe next year they won’t even plant. It’s not mine any more.

Robbie looks up and smiles when he sees me. I take a seat at the table across from him, thankful that he doesn’t stand or bow, happy that he’s, for this moment, just my brother.

“Why are you smiling like that?” he asks me, placing his phone on the table.

“I was just thinking about how you’re actually my big brother,” I say and a soft smile appears on his face. “You always acted like it. I think deep down, we both knew.”

“You were so damn tall when they found you,” he chuckles. “I thought you’d be at least 6 feet tall.”

I giggle a little, thinking about how that would have changed everything for me growing up. “Maybe I was supposed to be. The spell that blocked my wolf changed some things.”

He nods, lifting a glass of wine and taking a sip. “Sorry,” he says, looking at the table in front of us. “I kinda forgot you can’t have it.”

“It’s fine,” I tell him, taking my glass and moving it towards him, moving a glass of water over for myself. “How’s it going being Alpha? I feel bad. I haven’t called you at all.”

“It’s alright, Molly,” he says, leaning back and crossing his legs. “The day I became Alpha, you became a princess. You just couldn’t let me have my own moment. We’ve both had a lot going on. Things are alright. I’m not going to lie, helping the rogues has been difficult, and then your mate taking my Beta for the foreseeable future. What happened out there?”

I sigh and look up at him. “Dad and Seth didn’t tell you?”

Robbie shakes his head at me, taking another sip. “I know you got hurt, and I knew your wolf couldn’t heal you. I don’t know anything else though. It happened so fast, and Mom and Dad left so quickly, Benjamin with them. Then Lily showed up at the border…”

“I’m sorry. You deserved to know what was going on,” I tell him, feeling terrible that they’ve treated him so poorly. “There was a challenge- B***d Moon and Buck Moon packs. There was a… situation… with the beta at B***d Moon. He’s been disposed of now. The Alpha there won, but decided not to assume the pack and suggested the old alpha’s youngest son.”

“Robbie,” I pause, looking up at my brother who is listening intently to me. “You should have seen the poor kid. He hadn’t even shifted yet. Seth said that naming him Alpha would force his shift that night. I don’t honestly know how it went, but I assume everything is ok since they’re sending him for training.”

“Why did they pick his youngest son?” Robbie asks, confused.

I pause, unsure how much I’m actually allowed to tell him, but this is my brother, and he’s Seth’s friend. He seems to trust him, too, as he’s taken his word about people crossing from our territory lines. “Robbie… the missing shewolves from the rogue lands…” I begin and he nods in understanding. “They’re connected. The B***d Moon Beta was involved in smuggling them OUT into a territory that was once human.”

“Once was? They’re the northern most packs?” Robbie says, shaking his head like I’ve misspoken.

“They were,” I say softly, looking at my hands. “…hold on…”

How much of the situation with your uncle is classified?

You can tell your brother anything. I had planned to update him on everything while we’re here.

I nod and my brother chuckles. “You’re the princess but you still have to ask permission. Probably for the best, someone has to keep you in line.”

I smile at my brother, always keeping my grounded. “I wasn’t sure how much was considered classified from you mere Alphas,” I say, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably. “Seth’s Uncle, King Peter’s Brother, he’s formed a pack to the north of those packs. There’s a tiny sliver on the B***d Moon property that touches, and they’ve been filtering wolves through.”

Robbie’s eyes bulge as I see him absorbing the gravity of the situation. He looks at me, with a look where I know he now understands why mom and dad left, and he realizes I’m not safe.

I place a hand over the babies and look down at my stomach. “There’s a prophecy, that an heir will have a first born that has magical abilities. They think that it will be the heir,” I whisper, meeting my brothers eyes with my tear filled ones. “It’s a boy and a girl… and we’re pretty sure the girl will have my magic. I’m sure she’ll be the first born, but she won’t be the heir… baby Andrew will be.”

“You’re not safe, are you?” he asks, sitting up taller, his shoulders looking somehow larger as he feels a sudden need to protect me.

“No,” I whisper to him. “None of us are. His uncle and his new pack showed up after the challenge and attacked us. It was bad. The terrible beta was about to attack Seth’s wolf, so I shifted and attacked him. I saved Seth, but he pinned me down. Mom killed him to save me, but he bit me.”

“s**t, Molly. You’re alright now, right?” he asks and I nod. “I can’t believe mom actually killed anyone. Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“You’d have left the pack and come straight to me,” I tell him with a small smile. “You have to keep everyone here safe, though. I’m not your problem, anymore.”

“Molly,” he tells me, grabbing my hand from the table. “You have never, ever been a problem. Next time something happens, tell me. I swear, I won’t leave my pack, but I need to know.”

I nod to him, knowing that he deserved to know. “Seth wants me to deliver the babies here, and I agree. It’s the safest place for us at the moment.”

“Of course. Do you want my room? It’s bigger. Or we can move stuff around on the top floor and fix it for you guys, and a room for the pups,” he says, clearly thinking of anywhere else. “There are houses available, but it’s better for you to stay in the packhouse in case Seth needs to leave. I’ll be close that way.”

“Robbie, it’s fine. My old room is perfectly fine,” I tell him with a giggle. “Do you want to know the good news from this mess?”

He nods at me, a smile across his face.

“Bad news, Sofia thinks I’m farther along than we first thought and the babies will be here sooner,” I tell him and he tilts his head in confusion. “The good news, though, is that I’ll be here when Stella comes of age and realizes that you’re her mate.”

“Wait,” he says, trying to figure out exactly what that means. “You’re sure this time? I was heartbroken last time.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I really thought her birthday was then, but I was never great at keeping birthdays straight, so I bought a calendar and hung it in the kitchen with everyone’s written on it. I checked last night. I’m sure.”

A smile grows on his face that’s so big and genuine that it melts my heart a little bit. I’m not sure that I have ever seen my brother so happy. “It’s been killing me. Seeing her every day, smelling her, but not being able to touch her.”

“I heard,” I tell him with a smile and he looks confused for a moment.

“He told you?” he asks and I nod. “I’m sorry. It just… you deserved better than that. I was mad when I first found out, but knowing that Stella is my mate and not saying anything because she’s under age makes me feel so angry all over again. I don’t know how he managed to hold his wolf back enough to do all that he did.”

“Did he ever tell you WHY?” I ask him and he shakes his head, causing me to sigh. “It was wrong, but it’s done, and we’ve moved past it. He treats me well now, and that’s just how it is.”

Robbie nods at me and he clearly wants to say something else, but thankfully, an Omega comes out with diner for us, causing him to drop the conversation. We eat and catch up, him telling me about the difficulties of being Alpha and me filling him in on everything else that’s happened at the palace.

It feels good to be back home and with my brother, the only person that’s never treated me differently and just accepted me as I am.