Page 23 of Red River

But his overall energy felt different—dimmed—like he’d been carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. Sam mentioned he was showing early signs of depression and even an emotional breakdown. Ever since Thomas’s health had declined, he’d been overworked and exhausted.

My brother also had sent me an email detailing how those last two weeks had gone: a constant warfront with Igor, Stephen often forced to intervene physically, River on sedatives, a walking mess of nerves… There were moments when Sam found him curled in a ball, shaking and sobbing. Yet, he had rejected Sam’s suggestion to bring in a therapist to help him cope with such extreme stress.

His body bore traces of that stress, too. When I first met him, he was small but fit, his ass always pleasantly protruding. He wasn’t super thin now—he still had those nice, round places—but he no longer had that vibrant, energetic spirit. It trulylooked like he’d been carrying a ton of weight, both figuratively and literally, and it had completely drained him.

We stared at each other for a while. River was so small compared to me, so… swallowed up by an anxious, gray aura.

Of course, he must have felt like he was on shaky ground. He didn’t know me—didn’t know how I’d treat his sons. Especially Igor. Would I beat and brutalize him, like so many alpha stepfathers did to their hormonally raging alpha stepsons? Or would I treat him like a black sheep? I couldn’t blame River for worrying.

"Igor was always obedient, respectful to his father," he whispered.

I sighed softly. "I bet he was. In the past. Now, Igor’s hormones are surging—he’s preparing himself to confront me. Sam suggested he may already be in the early stages ofMusth."

"Sam said that? Well, in the last two weeks, when Stephen and Sam were at our house, Stephen stepped in whenever Igor lashed out. Maybe it’s more of a teenage rebellion against new… circumstances?"

"I disagree here, but in any case, he doesn’t see me as an authority figure. And to work on that, I’ll need you on board, River—your acceptance of my methods. Do I have it?"

"I—I accepted you as his guardian. I filled out the papers—"

"That’s not what I asked."

River looked very uneasy. "You don’t need my permission. Legally, you’re in charge now."

I let out a low chuckle. "Again, not what I asked. Sure, I guess I could enforce it regardless of your permission—or lack thereof—but that would turn this house into a rather unpleasant place. And I don’t think that’s the kind of new life you wanted. That’s why I’m asking—do I have your acceptance?"

River looked down, his hands trembling slightly.

"I’ll try to keep things from becoming unbearable. I promise," he uttered, his tone laced with guilt. "This is your space, and we have to follow your rules. But if Igor can’t… I’ll have to find another solution."

"What solution, River?" I kept my voice calm but firm.

He opened his mouth to respond but faltered, coughing and swallowing loudly. It took a lot out of him to blurt out, "If he’s too much… of a disruption… we’ll… leave."

"Where? To your parents? Igor hates them even more than me. He'll fight your father too, and as an elderly alpha, his chances are not great."

"No, I wouldn’t expose my father to it! We would have to find another solution…"

"There are only two solutions. One: safety enforcers take him. Two: you assign him a new government-appointed guardian."

I could see in his eyes what he thought about that. Everyone knew those weren’t people to be trusted. Horror stories circulated about the kinds of alphas Family Services assigned as legal guardians. Nobody in their right mind would recommend it. I tilted my head, my gaze piercing him.

"I—I know…" River stuttered.

After a brief pause, I asked, "Are you worried about how I’ll treat him?"

He blinked nervously before finally admitting, "He attacked Stephen a couple of times. I don't know how you'll react if he does it to you…"

I studied him for a moment, carefully considering my response. "River, I need you to trust me. Either you do, or this won’t work."

"I know," he said, almost whimpering, averting his eyes. "It just doesn’t feel right to push our mess onto you. We barely know each other."

"I can handle a mess, River. Don’t worry about me. It’s you who has to make a decision."

"What do you expect from me?" he asked, his voice so full of stress that I had to stop myself from soothing him. But there were things we needed to establish now, and it required his cooperation.

"I need you fully on board. If Igor senses division between us, his rebellion will intensify. He’ll feel like he has your silent support, and it will fuel him."

River cleared his throat and, after a deep breath, muttered, "I don’t want that."

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