Page 135 of His Forsaken Alpha

Silence.

“Wynter?”

Shivers raced down Wynter’s spine, and the waterworks threatened to start again. He smiled when all he wanted to do was sob. “Yep. It’s me.”

The line went silent again for a good thirty seconds. Wynter wasn’t sure what to say and clearly, his brother didn’t either.

And then he heard what sounded like a sniffle.

“They told us you were dead. We hada funeralfor you.”

Wynter closed his eyes. He heard the emotion in his brother’s voice. “How long ago?”

“Right after you disappeared,” Arthur said. “What… you had just turned fourteen or fifteen?”

“Fourteen,” Wynter replied.

Silence fell another few seconds.“Wherehave you been all this time?”

“Banished. Living in Alexandria. Papa said I could never come back,” Wynter answered. “And I was scared of what he might do if I returned.”

“Banished?Why the fuck did he banish you? You were just a kid.”

“Honestly, I don’t know if I have the mental capacity to rehash it all again tonight,” Wynter said. “I’d kept my past hidden from my family—to protect them—but secrets have a way of catching up to us eventually. I’ve just told them everything—and now my son and alpha want to come to Blacksburg to…” He sobbed. “They want to see where I came from, I suppose.”

“Returning to the scene of the crime.” Arthur sighed. “When are you coming? We really should do this face-to-face. Not over the phone.”

“I don’t know how soon we’re planning that,” Wynter said, lifting his gaze to his son.

“I’ve got a helicopter reserved for first thing in the morning,” Wilder replied.

“Tomorrow morning?”Wynter asked. “You work fast.”

“I need to return to the office on Monday,” Wilder said. “Might as well get this over with.”

“Did you hear all that?” Wynter asked Arthur. “Tomorrow.”

“I did. I can barely believe this,” Arthur said. “I can’t wait to see you again, Wynter. I know everyone else will want to be here, too. We’ve missed our big brother.”

Wynter fought the sting at the backs of his eyes. “Everyone is well?” He didn’t know how to ask the impolite question: are our parents dead?

“We’re mostly good. We did lose Autumn about a decade ago.”

“Oh no,”Wynter murmured. There had been a decade age difference between Wynter and Autumn. Autumn had only been four the last time he’d been there.Not so much younger than Jamie.

“Uterine cancer. His alpha followed right behind him, too—though you never met his alpha, I suppose.”

“Uterine cancer?”His gaze flipped to Wilder’s. Wilder frowned. “My eldest son died from that a few years ago, as well.”

“I’m sorry,” Arthur murmured. “Autumn put up an incredible fight, but it was just too much for him in the end. I wish your boy hadn’t had to suffer through that, too. It was a nightmare what Autumn had to go through, so I have some idea.”

Wynter dabbed at his eyes. “Indeed.”

“The rest of us are okay. Our parents? Not so much,” Arthur said.

Wynter tried not to smile at the implication. While he knew he shouldn’t wish ill on anyone, he didn’t hate the idea they were suffering. Particularly their papa. Both men deserved to pay for what they’d done. He steeled his expression and his tone.“Oh?”

“I own the family home now. My omega and I take care of them here. Dad’s physically okay, considering—but he has memory issues. He’s more gone than he’s here anymore. Papa…” Arthur sighed. “You know evil like that doesn’t die easily.”

---