Page 145 of His Forsaken Alpha

“Maybe so, but it’s beentwo days,”Wynter said. “I can give you boys a little time. It’s only fair.” He glanced out the window and noticed a few familiar sights. Some things didn’t change, yet there were many that had. They soon left downtown and moved into the suburban family spaces. Blacksburg didn’t have the same quadrants Alexandria did, though they did have gated and segregated spaces here and there—as well as an Omega Center—the old fortress that had once been the origins of the province. There was where omegas of heat age went.

As they neared his old neighborhood, Wynter noticed a few of the older houses were gone, or renovated to no longer appear as they once had. And then they turned onto the main street toward the home he’d grown up in. Wynter stiffened. Right into the heart of madness. He struggled to get air into his lungs.

Cav drew him closer.“Breathe,baby. We’re right here.”

Wynter forced air into his lungs but couldn’t get a full breath. It only worsened as they pulled through the gates of the Jaymes estate. Wynter’s heart pounded in his chest, harder with each passing second. As they neared the house, Wynter saw his father standing outside, waiting for them.

“I told them?—”

Only, itwasn’this father. As they neared, he realized it must be one of his brothers because the man was far too young to be his father.

“Told them what?” Cav asked.

“For a moment, I saw my father—but that man’s too young to be Daddy.” Wynter scoffed. “It’s likely Arthuror Anders.The last time I saw them, they were twelve.”

The car came to a stop, and Wynter froze. The last time he’d seen his brothers, they’d all been children. He’d adored them, but would it feel the same? Now men, they might’ve been molded into the same shapes as their parents. Arthur had seemed kind on the phone, but he was one of four. How had his other brothers fared?

Both Cavanaugh and Wilder eyed him, as if waiting for permission to get out.

“Ready?” Wilder asked.

“I don’t know,” Wynter whispered.

“We can leave at any point,” Cavanaugh said. “One word, and we leave. You’re in control here.”

Wynter squeezed his alpha’s hand. “Thank you.” He inhaled and let it out slowly. “No time like the present, I guess.”

Wynter slipped out after Wilder and met the man’s waiting gaze. Tears burned in Wynter’s eyes, and his brother seemed a bit overcome, too.

“Oh dear gods,look at you,”the alpha said before scooping Wynter into a bear hug. “I still had doubts, even after we talked, but not now? How can I? You look like Papa.”

Wynter cringed. “Don’t you dare say somethingthat rudeto me ever again.”

“I promise,” his brother said, chuckling.

They parted and stared at one another, both of them carbon copies of their parents. Wynter dabbed at his eyes. Too much time had passed, and he couldn’t be sure which of his brothers he was looking at, but then he noticed it. The tiny scar over his brother’s upper lip that had been the telltale sign between the twins.“Arthur?”

“After all these years, you can still tell Anders and I apart, hmm? What’s your secret?” Arthur grinned.

Before he could answer, the porch filled with familiar faces and many he didn’t recognize. Wynter turned to eye them. Most stared back wide-eyed and open mouthed.

“The gang’s all here. Your brothersand their families—except for Harris. No family. He claims he’s a lifelong bachelor, even though we all know why he’s still single.”

Wynter chuckled. There weren’t enough omegas for all the alphas in the world, so there were many men who were bachelors but not of their own choice. “Well, before I go introduce and re-introduce myself to that crowd, let me introduce you to my son, Wilder, and my mate, Cavanaugh.”

Arthur shook both their hands. “A pleasure to meet you both.” He offered an arm to Wynter. “Wanna face the family?”

“Sure. Why not?” Wynter fought tears as they neared the porch. Before he could reach it, Anders, and who he assumed were Broderick and Harris broke from the group and raced down the steps. All three wrapped themselves around him, lifting him off the ground to hug him.

Wynter broke, the tears coming full force. Arthur joined in, adding one more brother to the pile. He sobbed. The whole waythere, he’d worried. Arthur had seemed excited to see him again, but what if his other brothers hadn’t been?

After the hug ended, he was introduced to the whole brood waiting nearby. Three of his brothers’ omegas and their many sons, ranging from twenty-one to twelve.

“There’s a few who couldn’t be here,” Anders said. “My twin alphas are away at university—and Broderick’s eldest is off traveling the Palatinate on some quest to find himself.”

“That boy’s going to be the death of me,” Broderick’s omega, Elan, murmured. “He reads some book about traveling the world and decides he’s going to give it a try himself. The idiot.”

Wynter peeked at Cavanaugh, who grinned. “Well, this is my alpha, Wilder Cavanaugh, and my eldest alpha, Wilder Jaymes.”

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