Page 95 of Trust No Alpha
“You are welcome to it,” Kris said.
Mathias shifted back and forth as if ready to explode. “It’s gotta be some trick you’re playing yet again,” he said to Kris with a sneer.
“Mathias, it’s not,” Kris said. “I don’t care if you all think it’s a trick or not. It’s on record and legal.” He turned to his father once more. “And Father, you can never touch me again. If you do, Thorne has the right to press charges now.”
“I would never. Kris, you know that.”
“But you did, Father.”
“How dare you accuse me? I was impaired by the Burn!”
Mathias was frowning. Trigg just looked sad.
“Yeah, the Burn.” Kris nodded. His smile was cold. “We Alphas use the Burn as an excuse for everything, don’t we? To be assholes. To be abusive. Or to cut ourselves off from the real world.” He turned to Thorne and his face softened.
Thorne nodded encouragingly. He loved to hear Kris refer to himself as an Alpha. To be honest, it was Kris’s Alpha side that had awakened Thorne and saved him from more years of isolation.
It turned out, they had saved each other.
“You’re not Alpha and you never will be no matter how many ways you say it,” Mathias said. He crossed his arms.
“All right, then,” Kris said, ignoring Mathias. “Father, I just wanted you to know. You can stop worrying, if you ever were worried about me. And you never have to see me again.” He sighed.
“Good, because you’re not welcome here. Ever.”
Kris blinked hard, then lifted his chin. “I assumed I wouldn’t be. But if you ever want to see me, I’ll be living right across the road. I won’t forbid you to visit, though I know you never will.”
“Reilly,” Vandergale barked. “See them out!”
With that, Vandergale turned, followed closely by Mathias, and went back up the stairs.
Thorne was used to Alpha arrogance but this was downright hateful. A spark of pain lanced through him, then receded.
Only Trigg remained, running an unsteady hand through his short, dark hair and making it ruffle.
“This way, sir,” Reilly said, steering them to the door.
“I know my way out, Reilly,” Kris replied. “I lived here for eighteen years.”
The Alpha servant said nothing as he opened the front door and then the screen door.
At the last moment, Trigg ran to Kris, pressing a hand to his shoulder.
Kris turned at the threshold.
“Kris,” he said softly. “I want you to know. I love you. I’m so glad you ran. And that you have found happiness. It’s right for you, I can see that. Father and his pride...” His eyes glistened as he looked from Kris to Thorne, and then back to Kris. “You got away from Father and this place and everything. And you found love. I’m so glad.”
Thorne watched the two brothers, litter-mates, and saw how their images reflected in each other’s tears. They had shared a womb. Even if their other triplet turned away, these two still had something left of that caring sibling bond.
They embraced fully.
When they parted, Kris said, “Will you give my love to Mica and Bren?”
“I will.” Trigg pulled back. “And we can keep in touch online. I’m eighteen now and Father can’t rule everything I do anymore.”
“I’d like to keep in contact.”
“Thank you.” Trigg glanced up at Thorne. “Thank you,” he repeated. “For taking care of my brother. He’s very precious to me.”
