55. Brothers in Heart

Chapter fifty-five

Brothers in Heart

*AURELIA*

D ad stuck to his word, and he and Eric manage to organize everything Meg needs. Meg wants to leave all her possessions behind, except for a couple of photos from the orphanage and the only one she has from her mom. Val organized some clothes and essentials for her, but we decided to get her everything else she needs once she was in Silverlake.

She says she can't look at anything else from her possessions. When she spotted the gem collection, she had a panic attack, and it took Nox hours to calm her down. She suffers from a severe case of PTSD, and I just hope Dad and Liam can help her.

One thing we did was tell the director of the orphanage that we found her and that she is alive. The man helped us so much and was truly worried for her, which is why it didn't sit right with Leila and me not to inform him. We also told him that she will move, which he accepted.

"You were right," Lion says, while he carries his and Tori's suitcases. "I'm seeing Nox with Meg and realize how lucky I am." He puts the suitcases down and smacks his own forehead before I can say something. "That came out wrong. I don't mean to say that Meg is a bad mate or anything."

"I know," I reassure him.

"Tori is happy and healthy," he says. "And I just realized how lucky I am that my mate was allowed to live through a happy childhood. It's something to be thankful for because it would devastate me to know she got hurt. Meg has nothing here. No family, not even a real past."

"Nox will make sure she has a future," I say. "And we all need to help him with it."

Lion nods. "He has my support for sure."

"Nox already plans on building a library for her," I tell him. "He showed me the plans already, depending on where they will live. He said it works both in the beta suite but also if they choose a small house."

"You are kidding?" Lion blinks. "He is really going to do that? Why is he such a fucking amazing mate? I'm an embarrassment next to him."

"He is the perfect mate for her," I tell him. "And you are the perfect fit for Tori. Don't compare yourself to him."

"Still… amazing."

"I agree with that," I say. "I'm also happy that Meg is already, slowly, befriending Tori.

"Of course she is," Lion says smugly. "Everyone likes Tori!"

"And that from the guy who didn't want her as his mate at first," I tease.

Lion blushes furiously. "Can we not talk about that anymore?"

I grin. "Why? It's the perfect ammunition for when you get too cocky."

He groans.

"Don't make it so easy to tease you." I chuckle. "By the way, I talked to my parents. They expect you to take your training up a notch. Mom's team—Gamma Aurel and Beta Edward—will both train you for your gamma rank."

"Got it," Lion looks pumped with energy. "I am ready to put my all into it. No slacking off allowed."

We stop our chat when the others join us. Emilien and Val have taken it upon themselves to drive them to the airport. We decided not to make it too huge of a gathering so as not to put too much strain on Meg, who is already nervous enough. Leila, Gustave, and Zoé already said their goodbyes the evening before for that reason.

The doctor and psychiatrist gave Meg some meds she is supposed to take when the plane takes off, so she won't have an episode, and both Tori and Nox are briefed for a worst-case scenario.

"I'm so sorry I'm leaving you behind here," Nox tells me. "I know my duty—"

"Your duty is with your mate for now," I tell him. "Also, Vincent already asked about your whereabouts. I think he got bored and misses kicking your ass."

Nox smiles at me. Thank you.

I hug my friends, and to my joy, even Meg reaches out for a hug, looking at me hopefully. I make sure to hug her gently. She is so sweet, I want to protect her by all means.

Arden is here, too, to say goodbye. "Thank you for all you did," he says genuinely. "I'm so glad I met you all and can call you..." he swallows, "my family now."

I wrap my arms around his middle, squeezing him, while he puts an arm around my shoulders. "We'll see you in a couple of weeks," I reassure them.

"Yeah, we'll have Vander's, Matthieu's, and my belongings organized by then," Arden says. He has recently stopped calling Matthieu his dad when he talks about him, and I think it helps him get some distance from him. At the same time, he has begun talking more about Vander again, which is a healthy development in Eric and my opinion.

We wait for our friends to get into the car and drive off before we make our way back into the building.

"Why don't you join me for my talk with Gustave and Zoé?" Eric asks the two of us.

"You are finally going to tell them?" Arden asks in return.

"It's about time, isn't it?" Eric says with a smile.

"They deserve it so much. I want to see their reaction," I say.

"Me too," Arden agrees.

We make it to Eric's office where Zoé and Gustave are already waiting for him. "Well," Eric says while he offers all of us to sit down. "I will just come to the point. Arden and I talked about this a lot, and you know Arden will move soon. He will still work for the Council, but obviously, not here in Paris." He looks at Arden. "I hope I can still rely on you."

"Always, Eric," Arden says promptly.

Eric smiles at him. "Well, as it is, I currently am left without a direct assistant. And I need one. You two have truly proven your skills. I want you to further polish and train them while working for me."

I can see how the wheels in both their heads are turning before Gustave's eyes snap wide open. "Wait… what… is this a real job offer?"

"For me too?" Zoé exclaims.

"Yes, you know what they say: never change a winning team. Arden shares my opinion and thinks you would be very well suited to work for the Council. I know you are still underage, Zoé, so we will make sure you don't overwork and have time for an education, if you want to."

"Really!? Can I go back to school?" she asks hopefully.

Eric smiles. "That's the plan."

"I am honored," Gustave says. "Thank you so much. I will try not to disappoint you, Prince Eric. I know… I know I am not the first choice and that I can't live up to Arden's skills, but I will work hard to prove myself worthy. I've already begun training my memory palace."

"You have already proven yourself and become more confident with your skills," Eric says seriously. "I want you to stop comparing yourself to Arden and instead focus on what you can do. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement. There always is."

"You have this, Gustave," Arden reassures him. "And if you guys need something, I'm just a phone call away. As Eric said, I'm still working for the Council."

"Thank you," Gustave says.

"So, you are in?" Eric asks.

"Of course!" he says promptly.

Zoé nods. "Me too."

*ARDEN*

Eric discusses some more details with Gustave and Zoé before dissolving the meeting. Aurelia has some calls to make but promises to catch up with me over lunch.

"Arden, can we have a word?" Eric asks.

"Of course," I say, feeling my stomach churn slightly. I can't help but feel nervous when I follow him. He sounded so serious, and I worry if I did something to upset him.

"Why do you look so worried?" Eric asks, sounding amused. As usual he easily reads me like an open book. "Did you think I would scold you?"

"I… no," I pause. "Maybe."

Eric's amusement just seems to grow. "Why? Did you do something I need to scold you for? Hopefully something dirty!"

"What—"

"If you need to get your hands on some VIP erotic stuff, I can for sure set you up with something," he adds. "Or if you want to boost your sex life—"

"No, that's not it," I interrupt him with a groan. "My sex life is great." Actually, the only part of my life that's great at the moment is Aurelia. The only comfort I seem to find is in her arms. After losing Vander, it took me some time to allow myself to be intimate with her, but once we picked up our sex life again, it just happened to be one thing that seems to heal me.

The mate bond. I am not sure what I would have done without her. I would have gone insane with my grief for Vander; that much is for certain. I try not to talk too much about him, as it still hurts so much, and at first, I thought everyone would judge me for it. But no one did.

Eric smiles. "At least you stopped looking like a lost pup, scared to be scolded by his mentor." He chuckles. "Let's grab some coffee."

I actually feel like getting some caffeine too, thanks to not sleeping well recently. Only Auralia gives me comfort, but I hate relying on her so much and having her carry this burden. She is giving 200% because I can't do much at the moment.

Eric and I grab a coffee-to-go each because Eric wants to stroll around instead of sitting in an overcrowded café.

"I hope you don't mind?" he says.

"Not at all. I prefer that too."

"Maybe we can sit down outside," he muses before leading me to one of the balconies reserved for the royal members of the Council. At this time of the day, we are the only ones outside. "It's getting warmer," he says.

I gaze at the sunny sky. Despite the temperatures still being low it's indeed getting warmer. From the floors below us, I can hear noises and laughter, the sound straining my ears. I subconsciously move my hand to my hearing device to switch it off.

"Don't," Eric stops me, much to my surprise. "Keep it on. You are switching it off a lot recently."

"The noise hurts me, lately," I admit, embarrassed that he has noticed.

"I know," he says. "But please, leave it on."

Anyone else I might have fought over it, but I respect him too much to not do what he asks of me. He and Aurelia are my two people, and I would do anything for them.

"I will miss you, Arden," he says all of a sudden.

I raise my gaze, looking at him, surprised by his sudden words.

"You are like a brother to me," he continues. "Please, don't believe you don't have anyone left."

I don't know what it is, but his words make my eyes fill with tears. "Fuck," I curse. I rub over my face and then through my hair. "I wish I would have been quicker," I hear myself say.

"I know," Eric says quietly.

"I wish someone would have been faster. I wish I would have seen that he planned to go to Dad… or anyone else would have seen it. No one paid attention," I mutter, not even sure why I'm saying it. Eric hasn't prompted me to say anything; he didn't ask any questions, yet I can't help it. I feel like I'm overflowing with emotions and thoughts that need to get out. "Why did no one pay attention? Why did no one ever protect him or me?" I groan in frustration; mostly frustrated with myself and the ups and downs of my mood. I have to be fucking exhausting to be around. "I'm sorry," I mutter. "You always cared, and Aurelia cares too."

"No, let it out," Eric encourages me. "Let your frustration and your anger out."

"It should have been someone else," I blurt out, recoiling at my own thoughts. "It's so unfair," I add sadly. "I see others being happy, and it just makes me so angry. Vander should be here, and he should smile and be in school. He should be the one being happy." I bury my face behind my hands. "It should have been me," I whisper, feeling how tears fill my eyes. "Eric, it should have been me. I should have died, and he should have been here. Why wasn't it me? I failed him as a brother."

"You were the best brother Vander could have had," Eric argues. "And the fact he trusted you so much and looked up to you and saw you as his best friend is proof of that. All you endured during the last couple of years was for him."

"But what does it matter?" I ask bitterly. "At the end of the day, I couldn't save him. Actually, I didn't save anyone, no matter how hard I tried. I only saved Meg, and even for her, help came almost too late."

"That's not true, Arden," Eric says.

"Tori, Coralie, and Léna were saved by Aurelia and Nox. I didn't do anything for them," I mutter, feeling deeply ashamed for having failed so many victims, and for having failed Vander.

"I'm not talking about the three girls," Eric argues. "You saved hundreds of victims."

"What are you talking about?" I mutter my question.

"All those wolves or lycans who would have been kidnapped, abused, and sold by Night, had you not found him and put an end to him," Eric says. "He would have never stopped. His business would have only grown. Omegas and orphans have a chance to live safely now, thanks to you. That's something to be proud of, and I know Vander would be proud of you. For a fact, I know that he always was proud to have you as his brother."

My heart clenches so much I'm scared it might just stop beating at one point. It hurts so much to think of my brother. I can barely think of him or say his name without the pain overwhelming me. The pain is unreal, like it will never go away. The worst part is knowing that under different circumstances, I could have stopped it from happening; I could have saved him.

I bury my face behind my hands again, not able to stop the tears from flowing. "I'm so sorry. I'm such a mess."

Eric squeezes my shoulder. "You went through so much. No one expects you not to hurt." He pauses. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I will tell you nevertheless. What happened wasn't your fault. It was a string of events that led to it, but none of it is on you. The blame lies with your father and with Night. Deep inside you know that already. I want you to tell yourself, over and over again, that you did what you could, that you worked day and night, and that it's not your fault Vander was robbed of his life. I want you to think of your brother and what he would want for you. He always looked up to you, Arden. You were his role model. Continue to be someone he can be proud of."

I'm not sure if I can believe his words, but it still feels oddly comforting to hear him say them. "What am I going to do without you?" I mutter.

"Well, I think you will rock it in Silverlake. They will love you. You have a kickass mate who loves you the way you are, you made friends, and I know my uncle and his family will welcome you with open arms. As for me, I'm only a phone call away," Eric says with a smile. "And I plan on visiting a lot. And I expect you and Aurelia to visit, too. I'm not saying goodbye to you, Arden, so don't dare to say goodbye either."