Page 62 of Talk About… Trouble

“Honestly, I’m shocked I’m not more freaked out by it than I am,” I admitted. “I’m excited to see how this all turns out.”

“Plus, just think, we get to put our men to work and watch all those muscles parading through our nest as we boss them around.”

Braxton

After almost two months of being a pack, we’d all settled into a sort of routine. We all enjoyed coffee and breakfast together in the mornings, before I went to the clinic, Nash and Devon went upstairs to get ready for their days, and Wren and Shepherd went to tend to the animals.

Wren was a vegetarian so whatever Shepherd, Nash, or I made had something she could enjoy as well. Devon and Wren were trying to cook but they were both honestly hopeless and decided to tag team dishes and cleanup instead.

I’d been so wrapped up in my bubble that I hadn’t noticed the missed texts from my younger sister. Guilt hit me as I sat at my desk and read the multitude of messages, a weary sigh escaping as I caught up on what had been happening at home.

A knock on the door had me looking up, my office manager Mindy poking her head in.

“Hey, boss, we had an emergency appointment fit in this morning, Moxie the mini schnauzer got caught in the rabbitwire. She’ll need help getting cut out and her wound looked at. They’re on their way.

“Thanks, Mindy. I’ll be ready,” I promised, giving her my best smile.

She saw right through it, eyes narrowing and hands on her hips.

“We have a solid ten minutes. Five of those can be filled with talk. What’s going on?”

For an older beta, she was sassy.

“So, I found my pack,” I said, as if she didn’t know. Mindy snorted and waved me on.

“Yes, we all know. So, why the long face?”

“My sister messaged.” Her smile dropped. She’d been around long enough to know some of what I went through before I became a vet. That and about my siblings.

“What’d they do?”

“Apparently, they think the oldest sister that’s still at home is seeing alphas and not working, so they took her phone… which I paid for. She snuck back in to grab it so I could know but only has it when they’re either passed out or gone. They’re getting worse, I swear. And she thinks Mom is pregnant again.”

“At this point, they should all be banned from having kids,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, Braxton. Just remember, you are one beta and can only do so much.”

“I know,” I admitted. “Is it wrong that I’m a bit terrified that if someone finally decided to step in that I’d have to take all my siblings in. I have a pack now and I’ve done that for long enough. I don’t want to do it again.”

“No, doc, it’s not. That’s not your responsibility,” she said gently. “And we both know it won’t come to that. They’re terrible parents, but somehow always convince authorities they’ve met the kids’ needs.”

“Bare minimum and only have food around with my help,” I grunted. Sometimes, I really hated my older siblings for running away and leaving me to face this burden alone. Then I felt guilty because I understood why they ran.

And now my sister was following in my footsteps.

“What’s the age gap between the youngest?”

“At home, the youngest is four, then six, then almost eight, eleven, thirteen, and sixteen,” I said. “The ones between me and the sixteen year old, aged out and left, too.”

Her eyes widened. It was one thing to know my parents had more kids than they should, but another to hear their ages laid out like that. Hell, I wasn’t even the oldest at twenty-nine.

At some point, I wondered when my parents would finally step up, or stop having more kids. We were hopeful with the four year age gap, but if my sister suspected, it was likely true.

“The worst part is, they have enough money to give them all a great life. They’re just so wrapped up in each other and their lives, they simply forget to parent. Or ignore it.”

She gave me a sympathetic look. “There’s an empty slot around lunch. I’ll keep it open and you can take a long lunch. Call your sister or swing by the house and handle things. We’ll be fine. The appointment after is for a nail clipping which we can handle just fine.”

“Thanks, Mindy,” I said, glad to have a chance to check in on my siblings. Our lunch was generally later in the day so people could use their lunch breaks to schedule quick appointments. That also meant that the kids would be home from school by the time I got there.

The bell over our front door chimed and I got up quickly, sliding on my white lab coat and heading out to greet the wounded pup.

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