Page 180 of His Forsaken Alpha

“It’s Warden’s last words to Papa.”

“Definitelynot in the mood,” Vaughan said. He exited the door and slammed it behind him. “Get out of my way.”

“Where are you going?”

“None of your business.”

Wilder was suddenly looming in front of him. “I knew you were only hungover this morning—so I didn’t question you driving home.Now,I can scent you’ve had a few. You’renotgetting behind the wheel.”

“Do you really think you can stop me?”

“I know I can… and Iwillmake it hurt if I have to.”

Vaughn chuckled mirthlessly. “An excuse to beat me while I’m down, hmm?”

Wilder sighed.“No,you stupid alphahole—because I don’t want you killing yourself, or others, behind the wheel of that car that shouldn’t even be street legal.”

Vaughn fought the idea that Wilder gave two shits about him. “Emphasis onthe others,right?”

“I know I lost my cool with you and I said some shitty things, but you’re not the only one hurting here. I lost a father, too.”

“Heisn’tyour father,” Vaughn snapped.

“No, but I grew up assuming he was. Finding out I’ve been lied to my entire life hasn’t been easy, either. You’re not the only one with shit going on in their lives, so stop being so fucking self-centered for once in your life.”

Vaughn pushed past Wilder, not ready for another talking down to. Wilder snatched his arm and spun him around.

He shoved against Wilder’s chest with both palms. “Get your fucking hands off me.”

Wilder grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him closer.“Notif you’re getting behind that wheel.” He held out a hand.“Keys.”

“Fuck you.”

Wilder grabbed Vaughn’s hand, twisting the fingers until he was able to pry the keys away. He leapt back, out of Vaughn’s reach, and pocketed them.

“You know I have more than one car,” Vaughn muttered.

“I’ve got the time and the inclination. I’ll take every last set away if I have to.”

Vaughn chuckled, but there was no humor left within. A tide of mixed emotions swept over him, and he fought the pain slamming against him. “Just leave me alone.”

“Under any other circumstances, I would, but I won’t allow you to harm yourself.”

Vaughn glared at him.

“You think I don’t care about you, butnothingcan be farther from the truth, Vaughn. I know we’re very different people, and we’ve said things in anger over the last few days—hell, we’ve said things in anger most of our lives. For a long time, I wasn’t sure I’d wantor needto have a relationship with you. But the last few months working together have proven that I do. I want it… and I need it. I need my brother in my life, Vaughn. Even if it’s only a half.”

Vaughn held his stare, silent.

“The more I think about things, I wonder if Warden was pitting us against one another on purpose, knowing when the truthcame out, that we’d likely go to war with one another. Give everything to me, the supposed pretender for the throne, so that one day hisrealson might be sent over the edge and retaliate.”

“You both keep trying to turn Dad as some kind of psychopath, capable of atrocities we’ve never seen him come close to committing. Did he make mistakes? Sure—but this? Stop painting him as a monster just because you need him to be.”

Wilder pulled the envelope from his pants pocket and slammed it against Vaughn’s chest. “Read this—in Warden’s own words and his own hand—and tell me he’s not a monster.”

Vaughn wasn’t in the mood to hear one more terrible thing about his family, yet he took the letter and opened it anyway, his curiosity winning out. He recognized his father’s handwriting and tone. The beginning rehashed some of the same basic points his father had said in the will—but by the second page, what he read took his breath away. And it sobered him. He lifted his gaze to Wilder before returning to read more. When he came to the end, he sat on one of the stairs leading to his front door, stunned.

“Warden tried to expose Papa at the reading and lit a match to the powder keg—only it had been dampened by the fact we already knew the truth. But what if that hadn’t happened? Did he imagine you’d learn then that I wasn’t his son, right after hearing the J&A stock had gone to me, and you’d explode?” Wilder shrugged.

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