5. The Brothers

Chapter five

The Brothers

*ARDEN*

I feel my phone vibrating, noticing an incoming message from Vander. He sent me a couple of cheeseburger emojis and then a dinosaur pointing at his mouth. I chuckle softly. He is so silly.

School done for today? I type.

Yep, and the holidays are starting. I want to celebrate my two weeks of freedom with you.

Got you. I still have work in the Council.

I can pick you up, he offers. And then you can treat me to dinner!

I snort. You are such a brat.

Pleeeease? And after that, he sends me a GIF of a puppy with huge, miserable eyes.

Of course, I am going to treat him for dinner. He knows it, and I do too. I love him. He is the only safe place I have in my pack. My brother and best friend. He is younger than I am, yet he never judged me for my hearing impairment, or for my wolf not being as strong as he was supposed to be.

My wolf, Cato, projects an image in my mind of a burger place we saw recently. It's more expensive than the usual fast food and is said to have more distinctive options. I nod. We are used to not talking a lot and resorting to projecting images to each other.

I swiftly type a reply to Vander. It's not like I can say no to my spoiled little brother.

Vander sends a laughing emoji back, making me chuckle. I can't help it. I just like to spoil my little brother. When I put my phone away, I can feel it vibrate once more, thinking it's Vander again. The message isn't from him, though, but from Coralie, the girl I've been dating for two weeks. She went to high school with me. I didn't have many friends in high school. As an alpha's son with a disability, I was more the laughingstock than anything else. Coralie, however, never made fun of me. So, when we coincidentally met again a few weeks ago, I wasn't too surprised that she talked to me like I was a normal person. It was a surprise that she showed an interest in me. We connected and became friends until I asked her out two weeks ago.

She didn't run like I expected.

I am still not sure if it was the right decision. I hope to meet my mate eventually, and I hope she won't reject me. For an alpha's son, I'm pretty much a disappointment, yet I hope she will see something in me. Coralie and I discussed this in advance, as she is waiting for her mate, too. We are just friends who go on occasional dates.

Hi honey, I will finish my shift early, she writes while adding plenty of little hearts to her message. How about dinner?

I'm taking Vander out today, I reply.

Aw, can't you cancel on him, loverboy?

There are many things I would do to meet her for a date, but I'm not desperate enough to ditch my little brother. Not really. But I can take you for dessert later.

Perfect, just give me a call or write me a message once you're finished. See you later, chéri.

I shake my head, amused. Her endearments caught me off-guard first, and I still find them weird, but it's Coralie's thing. She is a bubbly kind of person. I don't always know how to respond to her. Going with the flow and articulating what I mean and how I feel has always been hard for me. The only people I'm good at socializing with are my brother, Eric, and Valerie. Well, and I guess Coralie, at least, doesn't see my lack of social skills as a shortcoming.

I shove that thought aside for now and focus on the task ahead. Eric plans on suggesting that his uncle take over the throne in a few years and wants to know if there are any loopholes or grey areas the other opposing parties could use. I skim through the books, putting post-its on the pages that deal with the problem at hand.

Eventually, Eric returns, surprised by how far I've come. "This is amazing," he mutters. "Arden, you are a genius."

"I am not. I am just a fast reader and have a good memory."

Eric glances at me. "This is not you just being a fast reader." He shakes his head. "Did you think about college?"

"My father doesn't want me to waste time on it," I say.

"I know he said that," Eric says, the tone of his voice chilling all of a sudden. "I know he thinks an alpha doesn't need a broad education. But, what do you want?"

"I would like to," I say.

"I told you I would finance it," he says. He glances at me. "You already applied, didn't you?"

I feel my cheeks heat up. How did he know? I did so secretly so that no one would know. "How?"

"I just know you." He smiles. "I know how much you enjoy learning and studying. I promise no one will stop you from getting a higher education. How did you do it?"

"I got a full scholarship," I admit.

"And what did you apply for?"

"Philosophy, physics, math, and linguistics."

"You got into all of them?" Eric asks. "Which one did you choose?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, uncertain as to what he is talking about.

Eric stares at me, scanning my confused expression. "You are doing all of it!?"

"Shouldn't I?" I mutter. "Is this weird? Prince Eric, is this one of the things I shouldn't do or say?" Eric has been my only mentor in terms of social cues so far. He is truly a social chameleon and also a very kind person. He has helped me a lot.

"It's not weird," Eric says with a bright smile. "It's amazing. You do you, Arden. There is nothing wrong with you."

We are still chatting when Cato pops into my mind again, projecting an image of Vander. I allow my senses to come forward, easily taking up his scent. Before he can jump at me to scare me, I grab him in a headlock.

"You need to try harder if you want to scare me," I tease.

"Oh shoot, I thought I got you," Vander complains, looking at me through his innocent blue eyes.

Eric laughs, smacking Vander with the folder he is holding. "Your brother is right. Your scent was all over the room."

Vander grins. "It was worth a try, though."

I let go of him, shaking my head. "I should let you treat me to dinner, as punishment."

"But I did so well on my exam this week," Vander says, making huge puppy eyes at me, which instantly win me over.

"I got it, I got it," I say. I don't want to appear like a doting, overprotective brother, but I am really proud of Vander for many reasons. He is kind and strong and is growing into a commendable young alpha wolf. He is very well-liked in the pack, and with his dark-blond hair and current growth spurt, the girls in his school flock to him, too.

Eric looks amused but doesn't comment on it. "Just have some fun, the both of you. The winter solstice is tomorrow. We will be busy the whole day. Do you have the finalized list of attendees from your pack?"

I nod, handing him the list my father prepared. Vander and I will both attend, so will our pack's beta and gamma. Our father will stay home to watch over the pack. He is not too keen on joining these social events. He claims it's enough when I come and, for once, make myself useful for the pack. I think part of him just doesn't want to spend too much time with the Council. Most French packs like ours are lycan packs and very close to the Council. Dad's not good at pretending he agrees with their ideals and causes, though, and I believe he is rightfully scared that Eric will look right through him. Meanwhile, Vander and I love it here. Vander is jobbing here besides school, and Eric has already told me he wants me to work here full time.

Eric wouldn't be Eric if he didn't look through my father's scheme, though. He scans the list before shaking his head. "So, the alpha is sending his sons and ranked members but doesn't want to show up himself? What am I supposed to make out of that?"

Vander swallows thickly, casting a glance at me. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to answer either.

"I think we need to have a talk with him, eventually," Eric says.

"Please don't," I hear myself say. If he does that, Dad will just blame me. I usually try to avoid him as best as I can, unless for training, where he enjoys beating me up. But I don't need to feel his fist outside of training.

Eric looks at me, the question marks clearly in his eyes. "Is something wrong?" he asks.

Oh shoot, I don't want him to get suspicious of how awful things are at home and with the pack. "No," I say.

"You know our father," Vander helps me. "He is just weird about these things."

"Is that so?" Eric mutters, casting us another glance.

My father hasn't officially announced an heir yet, but the Council thinks it will be me as his firstborn. They don't care that I have a hearing impairment; they believe my other traits make up for it and that my mind will bring the additional strength I need to lead the pack.

But Dad doesn't think that. He thinks I'm useless, even if I find my mate. In his mind, no she-wolf could be good enough to be a leader. I've already made peace with his rejection of my abilities, and if he announces Vander as his heir, I will make sure to have my brother's back, but there is no way Dad can just do that behind the Council's back… not without any explanation.

I don't want my pack to come into a crossfire because of me.

Cato disagrees. I can feel his emotions and that he believes we are strong, but I think Vander would be a great leader, too.

Well, it's nothing that can be solved in a day.

"Are you two bringing dates tomorrow?" Eric asks us.

I, for one, am glad he is changing the topic, but a bit confused by his sudden question. "A date?"

"Yes, you can't fool me!" He grins. "I know you are not always messaging your lil bro."

"Of course, Arden has girls interested in him. He is cool!" Vander tries to back me up instantly. I groan inwardly. I hate being the center of a talk, especially, such a talk.

"I know that," Eric says. "That's why I am asking."

"I am sure you can bring someone, too," I tell Vander.

"Can I?" he asks.

Eric smiles. "Of course you can."

"Then I want to invite one of my classmates. She is from my pack," he explains.

"You haven't told me that you like someone," I say with a smile.

"You haven't either," he argues.

He isn't wrong. "It's… just really new," I admit. "We are actually only hanging out and spending time with each other. Nothing serious, because we aren't mates."

"Who is it?" he wants to know.

"Coralie," I say.

"Really?" Vander looks surprised, and for a split second, it hurts me.

"We were schoolmates and coincidentally met each other a few weeks ago and reconnected," I explain. "What about you?"

"I like Léna."

Now it's my turn to be surprised. Léna is a very nice girl, very smart. I am actually happy my brother likes her.

"Did you think she wouldn't be my type?" Vander mutters. "I think she is pretty, you know? And I can talk to her!"

"I agree. She is a great girl. I am happy for you."

"Then why are you surprised?" he pushes.

"Why were you?" I ask. "You thought Coralie would never ask me out because she is cute."

Vander looks flustered. "It's not like I think a hot girl wouldn't like you," he hurries to explain. "It's just… I always thought of her as shallow."

"You know," Eric intervenes. "How about you two leave it at that? From experience, I can tell you this talk isn't leading any of you anywhere and will just ruin your evening. Coralie and Léna are welcome to join you tomorrow, and I am sure they are both lovely young women."

The tension around us gets lighter, and my annoyance subsides slightly. I know it's due to Eric's gifts, but I'm glad he stopped me from arguing with my brother.

"He is right." I squeeze Vander's shoulder. "Happy to meet your girlfriend tomorrow."

"WHAT!?" Vander looks flustered. "I didn't say she is my girlfriend… just a friend," he groans.

"But you want her to be," Eric says. "Obviously."

"Just… don't embarrass me tomorrow."

I smile at him. "I would never."

"I wasn't talking to you. I know you wouldn't." He turns to Eric. "Please, Prince Eric."

Eric grins, smacking him with his folder again. "We'll see."

I chuckle, making sure to pull Vander away from Eric, so the latter can't tease him anymore. I wrap up a few things before taking Vander to the burger place Cato had projected in my mind, earlier. Once I have dropped him in our pack, I pick up Coralie and invite her to a bar where we can have dessert and a few drinks.

When I return home, fortunately, my father has already gone to bed. It's a relief not to bump into him. I can finally switch off my hearing aid, allowing silence to engulf me. I've been out the whole day, surrounded by so many people and noises. It's always a bit draining for me.