The Alpha and The Fool novel Chapter 13

Dean’s confession about his father’s games only made my anger with Father’s defeated attitude grow. How could he be so ready to give up when all that happened was he lost to Dean while throwing a fit? At this moment, I was starting to believe Dean would be better for the pack than Father, seeing as he was taking me to let Father out or so he claimed. It wasn’t that I doubted him. Dean so far hadn’t given me any reason to, but with the games his father seem to be playing, I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

My stomach roiled with nerves as the question of ‘what next?’ Pressed against my mind. If all went according to plan, Father would be free, and we’d leave. What would happen with Dean? I chewed on my lip as we walked. I had to be honest, Dean made the whole mate thing seem not so bad. We’d have to get to know each other more, obviously, but how? I couldn’t stay here, not after everything that had happened. Maybe he’d be willing to come with us. It didn’t have to be anything permanent, but something like a couple of weeks or a month.

“Hey Dean, what brings you this way,” one of the enforcers said to him when we walked into the holding area.

“Dad’s little game is over, and we’re here to get her dad out,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

The man looked at him confused. “Uhm, we’ve already let him out,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “The new alpha demanded it, and Alpha Brent told us to comply.”

“What new alpha?” I demanded. There was no new alpha, and if they wanted to be stupid about it, then Dean would be the new alpha.

“Yeah, what she said,” Dean said when the enforcer didn’t answer me.

“That one,” he said turning and pointing as Father and another man walked into the room.

My jaw dropped as I stared at the man with Father. How was he here? He was...no, Father couldn’t have…

“Hello, Sis,” my long lost brother, Brandon, said.

I ignored him and instead focused on Father. “Father, what are you doing? You’re still alpha. Dean didn’t challenge you, right Dean?”

“It wasn’t even close to a challenge.”

Father scowled. “Doesn’t matter, I lost. The pack was at risk.”

“It wasn’t, and it isn’t,” I said, feeling my voice rise. “You can go home right now, and everything can continue as it always has. God, Father, if you are so obsessed with giving up, you can’t seriously think that this…” I waved my hand at Brandon. “Is our best option to lead the pack. Hell, he’s not even a good option.”

“Nic, it was always going to be this way. I’m his son. It is my birthright,” Brandon said.

“Not anymore! You gave it up when you abandoned us,” I said back at him in a snarl.

“You don’t understand, Nicole. You were too young. I had to leave.”

“I may have only been six, but I understood perfectly well.” My hands curling into fists.

“Look, that’s ancient history. It doesn’t matter. All that does is I’m back, and I’m getting Dad out of this mess you’ve created, Sis.”

“Don’t call me ‘sis.’ You are not my brother. You are not my family,” I told him and looked to Father. “Don’t do this. He left the pack and us. He doesn’t deserve to be alpha. You may not like Dean. You may see him as a clown, but he’d be a hundred times better alpha than him. Please, after everything I’ve done, don’t do this.”

Father shook his head. “It’s too late, Nic,” he said with guilt in his eyes. “It’s already done. Brandon is now alpha of the Golden Plains pack.”

“What about me?” I asked, hating how meek my voice had gotten.

“Seeing how you oppose my position so much, I think it’s best you stay here,” Brandon said, lifting his chin and glaring down at me.