Page 28 of My Brutal Alpha

Smiling, I felt a rush of joy for the two of them at the thought of their family growing by another. "I can tell he's getting more and more excited about it. What do you think it'll be?"

Lydia grinned. "I think it'll be another girl, but he's really hoping for a boy."

"One of each, hm?"

She chuckled and nodded. "That's the hope anyway. But regardless, we'll be just as happy with the outcome."

"I know you will be," I murmured, letting a hint of teasing fill my voice. "So long as they adore their aunt Zoe, I'll be more than content."

We both chuckled at that, and I was relieved for the change of topic.

Even if things were certainly strange with Ezra, and everything seemed to be getting messier with every passing day, I was glad to have another addition to the family to look forward to.

Chapter 13 - Ezra

The old garage in town was quiet aside from the radio I had playing while I was busy underneath the frame of a beater I bought from an auction some time ago.

When I took over the small town, the three-door garage was abandoned. With some elbow grease and spare time, I fixed it up and hired a few guys from the pack to run it, mostly for the locals.

Fixing cars was a hobby of mine, but since I didn't always have the time, I tinkered whenever I could.

Luckily, my Saturday was free, and with Zoe busy at the gym, I finally had a chance to get lost in my work.

I eventually slid back out from underneath the frame and grabbed a spare rag to wipe my hands on. Glancing down the street as I took in the sights and scents, I watched as several pack members went about their day casually, chatting with one another and heading into the various stores on the strip.

Even if I was typically busy either moving between territories or occupied in the office, I always did my best to appreciate everything the pack and I built. Being able to witness the fruits of our labor taking hold and seeing how happy everyone seemed to be there made it all feel worth it.

Watching the other wolves meander around reminded me that it had been some time since we last had a pack run, and it would be good to have another. It always brought us a deeper sense of connection, and that was something I found myself wanting more and more.

I even wondered if Zoe might join us…making the idea feel even more tempting.

Tucking the thought away in the back of my mind, I perked up at some kind of commotion on my right.

Curious, I stepped out further from beneath the garage doors and peered out as I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

My beta, Nick, stood some distance away down the street, hand up to try and stop my parents. He dwarfed them with his tall, muscular frame, but that didn't stop their angry expressions from settling into their features.

"Not right now," Nick said, urging them to stay away.

Of course, that wasn't enough. Dad gave him an irritated look while Mom scoffed and determinedly walked around him. Nick huffed out a breath and followed them.

Their immediate anger caught me off-guard as I stood there, sweating and covered in grease. A part of me wanted to laugh at how my beta was struggling to hold them back, looking vaguely nervous at the idea.

But at the same time, I couldn't ignore the flicker of irritation in my chest, well aware that they were likely there to give me an earful. I didn't take too kindly to them being demanding about anything.

Still, Nick didn't need to deal with them on my behalf.

"There you are," Mom uttered, throwing an annoyed glance at Nick. "We were looking for you, and this one was no help at all."

Nick put his hands up with a breath, looking defeated. "I tried, man."

Shaking my head, I waved him off. "It's fine. You can go ahead."

Looking vaguely relieved, he nodded, then gave my parents one last warning look before leaving.

With a sigh, I looked between my parents and mentally prepared myself for whatever they had to say.

I already knew what was coming, so at least I had that preparation going for me.

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