Page 14 of Alpha's Rise

“This will never work,” she said aloud. Walking over to the door, she placed her hand on the knob to exit the room. It was funny that he thought he could keep her locked behind a flimsy door. Little did he know, she could have exited this room any time she wanted. Romi was only staying here within these four walls because she allowed it to happen.

Sighing, she released the doorknob and went back to pacing. Although she’d given Tobias twenty-four hours, Romi still felt it was taking too long. A whole lot of shit could happen in that time. What if they were being hurt? What if they were dead?

Briefly closing her eyes, Romi tried to rid herself of that thought. If Layla or Christopher had been harmed, she would feel it. Because even though they weren’t connected by blood, they were the closest thing to a family she had.

Having an entire pack of strong ass shifters could help in her search. They had super strong scent receptors. If she needed to hunt down the motherfuckers who dared put fear in her friend, then she was probably in the best spot.

Romi took a deep breath and told herself not to panic just yet. She had to give Tobias the time she’d promised.

But, if he failed to do what he said, then she would have no qualms with showing him exactly who and what she was.

Determined to calm her need to fuck some shit up, Romi sat in one of the large wing-backed chairs near the small table in the room. If she wasn’t so agitated, she could appreciate the space she was in. The king-sized bed, the large ensuite bathroom, the view of the forest from the large window, and the beautiful mahogany furniture. It was the perfect room.

Even when growing up, she didn’t like the pink and purple girl colors so many people tried to force on her. Wearing a skirt or dress was only done under duress. And she’d rather work on an engine than play barbie dolls. Other kids thought she was weird, but it didn’t matter. Romi had always played by her own rules. If other people didn’t understand it, that was their problem, not hers.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Might as well get some rest while she waited for Tobias to come through. Plus, if he didn’t follow-through on his word, by this time tomorrow, the entire town would be razed to the ground.

That evening, guests were arriving. As family and friends descended on the town, Tobias felt uneasy. He didn’t know why he was feeling this way, but he knew something was about to happen. Glancing around at his family and some of the others arriving, he tried to see if there was anyone or anything that caught his eye. Was anyone out of place? Did anyone look as if there were up to no good?

Because his parents were the Alpha Triad, he had to always be on point when it came to their safety. Yes, he was the heir, and his job was to survive to take over for his father. Yes, there were guards all around the family. His parents would say it was their job to protect him, but Tobias felt the very opposite. He was the first line of defense, and nothing would try to harm his parents without going through him first.

“Tobias, why the look on your face?” His second father, Brayden, approached him as Tobias stared at the people.

“Father,” he greeted. Tobias looked around the room, staring into everyone’s faces. “I have a feeling.”

Stopping next to him, Brayden looked around the room as well, eyeing the guest arriving. “Do you think someone is trying to harm your parents?”

Glancing at the older man, Tobias shook his head. “No one will harm any of my parents. All three of them.” Sometimes, he had to make it clear to Brayden that even if he was not his biological son, without Brayden, he would not be here. Tomas and Maria would not have been able to come together and create Tobias without Brayden being their third. Brayden would never have a biological child of his own, at least not with his true mate. The Goddess had deemed that only the Alpha could produce a child with the Luna. Their Beta, or third, was the conduit to making that happen. Tobias knew and accepted that he had two fathers, even if one of them had no blood ties to him.

Brayden looked at him with eyes filled with emotion. “Thank you for the reminder. Sometimes my words are spoken without thought.” The two men stood in silence for a few moments as they both let the words sink in.

Tobias was the first to speak. He was positive that all three of his parents were aware of the woman locked away in his wing of the house. That’s why Brayden had come to him. “He’s on his way here.”

“Yes, I know.”

“When he left all those years ago, I didn’t care if he ever returned.”

“Why?”

Trying to control his emotions, Tobias focused his eyes on a group of people talking to the Alpha Supreme and Luna. “No matter what we may have wanted for our lives, our paths were chosen for us by the Goddess. He had no right to reject her blessing for us. A part of me wishes he would never return. That way, I can have my mate to myself and not have to share her with someone who is not worthy.”

His sharp words seemed loud in the room, even though only he and Brayden could hear them. As soon as he finished speaking, Tobias looked into the eyes of the man who helped him raise him into the Alpha he was today, and he almost felt ashamed for his words.

“Brayden. Father. I am not commenting on your role with my mother and the Alpha. What you three have is different.” Silence met his words as the surrounding air became uncomfortable and stifling.

“Walk with me,” Brayden said as he began walking away.

Tobias didn’t want to leave, but he knew his father was not asking. No matter that Brayden wasn’t Alpha, he was still his father. Catching the eyes of one of his personal guards, he nodded to show that he was stepping out. Cutting his eyes to his two parents across the room, he made sure the guard knew he was to stay and watch out for them. Only once he got a nod in response did he move to walk with Brayden.

After they left the main room, the two men stepped into the study used by all three parents. It held three large mahogany wood desks, situated with the Alpha’s desk in the middle and the other two desks to the side, facing in, making a triangle shape. Whenever they needed to speak with him privately, this was the place they took him. Tobias closed the door behind him before leaning against the hard barrier, waiting for his father’s next words.

Across the room, Brayden leaned against his desk. “When I realized I was to be our Alpha’s third for his Triad, I wasn’t happy. At the time I found out, I was older than you and Nathan. I was already in middle school and thought I was a normal teenage wolf. Then your father and I crossed paths at the market one day and that was the beginning of a whole new life for me.” Brayden paused as if lost in a memory before shaking his head and glancing over at Tobias. “As soon as he saw me, he knew. We hated each other on sight. It’s one thing to be told you’ll have to share your mate with another man. It’s something else altogether when you meet your second mate for the first time. Especially when neither of you were expecting it. That’s when things get real. The fates don’t let you escape, even if you want to.”

“I never said I wanted to escape.” Tobias couldn’t help but respond to the unspoken accusation. “That was all him. Nathan.”

Ignoring the jibe, Brayden continued. “Your dad made my life hell. We fought every single week from that day. I am not the Alpha of this pack, but I am a shifter, so each battle was bloody. A few times,” he paused and sighed. “A few times I almost died. Our hate for each other was so strong, the elders considered breaking the bond between us. There was concern that your dad would never accept his Luna taking me as her second true mate. They feared he would one day kill me. I felt the same. Everything inside me wanted to leave my land, my pack. I was tired of fighting for my rightful place. I didn’t ask to be part of the Triad, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him kill me to get his way. So, every time we saw each other, one of us attacked the other.”

Shock flowed through Tobias. He’d never heard this story before. From the time he was born, all anyone said about his parents was that they were blessed by the Goddess. Brayden was the only one who could stop the Alpha from losing his shit. Tomas relied on both his mate’s counsel for ruling the pack. Their happiness was the only thing he’d experienced in his entire life. In the privacy of their home, his father treated Brayden as his equal. “I’ve never heard any of this.”

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