Chapter 13: No Matter What, The Brother Is Being An Ass

Logan and Liam had been chilling in the Narcissus Garden for hours and somehow after some time, Liam ended up falling asleep with his head on Logan's leg.

    Every once in a while, Logan would absentmindedly caress Liam's face or play with his hair.

    Logan hadn't stopped looking at his mate. Liam's soft hair was tangled around Logan's finger.

    He's just so beautiful. Logan thought to himself.

    Liam stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked and looked at Logan who was staring at him with soft eyes.

    "You know…" Liam grinned. "It's weird to stare at people when they're asleep."

    "It's not weird when the people, are my mate." Logan bent down and nuzzled Liam's cheek. "You have slept for more than three hours."

    "Oh my god!" Liam sat up quickly. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

    "Why should I?" Logan smirked. "You had a very good place and I was very comfortable."

    "Shut up!" Liam mumbled and turned away so Logan wouldn't see he was blushing.

    "I know you're blushing!" Logan's grin never left his face as he shouted after Liam who mumbled something that Logan only caught 'up' and 'why'.

    Logan walked after Liam who was walking toward the packhouse with a faint blush still on his face.

    Logan looked at the space between them. Crimson was urging him to close the space and do some unspeakable stuff but all Logan did was taking Liam's hand.

    Liam looked up at his mate with a little smile playing on his lips and then looked at the road ahead again.

    "Do you think there's something ahead of us?" Logan asked as they got closer and closer to the packhouse.

    "Well of course." Liam looked at Logan as if he couldn't believe he asked such a thing. "We have the packhouse ahead of us. And a pack of werewolves. Maybe a bunch of other stuff but I can't see anything else."

    "I meant the future." Logan looked at his mate with amusement and laughed. Liam's cheeks tinted red but he laughed too.

    "Okay. Yeah. That makes more sense." Logan rolled his eyes at Liam's answer. "But yeah. It's like I can feel it. Like I know there is something big in my fate."

    Logan hummed. "I feel it too and it's kind of weird." Liam looked at him questioningly and Logan continued. "Not weird. Just weird. The type that has you wondering not the one that scares you. you know?"

    Liam nodded. He knew the feeling better than anyone.

    They finally reached the packhouse and as expected, everyone where there. The pups were playing and adults were either watching them, thinking, or talking.

    "Hey, Liam," Nathan smirked and with a swift movement of his hands pulled Nathan away from Logan that earned a low growl from Logan but Liam gave him a warning look and he instantly shut up.

    "Stop calling me that." Liam rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. He squeezed Logan's hand and then they parted with Logan still carefully watching Liam's back.

    "Never." Nathan grinned.

    "How is your life here?" Liam asked. "I know you haven't been here that long but you must've seen a little of the pack."

    Nathan shook his head with a frown but quickly replaced it with a smile as he felt Liam getting tense and worried. "It's good."

    "No, it's not," Liam said. "I can feel what you're feeling Nate. Sure, I didn't feel that you were alive but that was because I thought you died and you were in a scent-proof room. But now I can feel your emotions as if they are mine. Just because you're older and have a more dominant wolf, it doesn't mean that you can't talk to me about your emotions."

    "Well…" Nathan thought for a moment about what he said and continued. "People here clearly are not as trusting as you are. Even your mate doesn't trust me."

    "You must give them time!" Liam protested. "They are not me. They will open up when they feel safe. You can't just expect them to trust you."

    "I guess you're right." Nathan shrugged. "But I thought at least William and Jordan will trust me a little."

    "Just give them time." Liam didn't know what else to say. "Maybe go around the packhouse and instead of sulking try to help and talk."

    Nathan elbowed him and chuckled. "Maybe you're right."

    "I'm always right," Liam smirked.

    "Don't feel too proud," Nathan warned playfully. "I'm still the older brother."

    "Uh-huh." Liam smiled and leaned to him. "I missed you though Nathan." This time that he said it, there was no crying and no tears. Liam was just simply smiling. "I never thought I see you again. Those years… it was awful."

    Nathan didn't say anything. Of course, he missed his little brother too but Liam looked very far away this time. Then for the first time, Nathan thought about how they first met again.

    "Liam." He suddenly stopped. "Why were you in the infirmary?" He asked and immediately his eyes caught Liam who subconsciously hid his bandaged hand.

    "I―" Liam didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say as he could feel Nathan's realization.

    "Why?" Nathan whispered. He didn't originally plan on saying it but it was all he could think about. Just why. Why would he do such a thing? Why didn't his wolf stop him? What made him do it? Was it that bad?

    "Don't," Liam whispered. "Please just… don't."

    "But why?" Nathan pressed. He knew deep down that he shouldn't be doing it but he couldn't help it. He just needed to know.

    "Please Nate…" Liam was feeling okay just moments ago but Nathan had ruined it.

    "No," Nathan said. "I won't let you bottle things up. Not this time. Why?"

    "I don't want to say!" Liam shouted. He was frustrated. It wasn't Nathan's place, or anybody else's for that matter, to push him to talk about things that he didn't want.

    "Tell me, Liam!" Nathan shouted back and by now, they have captured the attention of the pack members nearby. "Are you sick? Just like mom?"

    "Fuck off Nate!" Liam shouted. "Don't you dare say that one more time? I don't want to talk about it and that's the end. Not you nor anyone can push me!"

    They were both breathing heavily by now. Nathan just wanted to know or that was at least what he said to himself.

    "You will tell me!" He said with his eyes shifting to his wolf's eyes with anger. "I am your brother and you should be able to trust me!"

    He grabbed the collar of Liam's shirt aggressively which resulted in one of the pack members sprinting after their future Alpha.

    "What the fuck Nate?" Liam pushed him away with all his strength. "What has gotten into you? You were okay just one minute ago!"

    "Why don't you trust me?" Nathan said.

    "It's not about trust!" Liam said and finally, he felt himself breaking a little. Why didn't Nathan understand? "I'm not ready. I can't…"

    "Liam―" Nathan was forced to stop talking when Logan's fist got collided who his face.

    "I knew I couldn't trust you." He spat and nodded at Lily and Derek, two of the best warriors in the pack, to take him away.

    Liam just stood there without saying anything. Normally, he would have cried, or at least a single tear would have come but he couldn't find it himself to cry. He just stood there and watched Nathan struggle with a blank expression.

    "Are you okay?" Logan grabbed his face and examined him. "Did he hurt you?"

    Liam looked at Logan and suddenly he realized why it was easy to not care. The taller boy made it easy for him to cope. To know that he will never be alone.

    "I'm okay." Liam attempted to smile but he only managed a half-smile. "A little shocked at what just happened and how things went downhill so fast but I'm okay." He sighed and finally smiled as he realized he wasn't just pretending.

    "I'm okay." He said and connected their foreheads.

    "Good," Logan said. To some outsider, it may have looked like he didn't care but Liam, and the pack members nearby, knew how much those words meant.

    "Get a room!" Sara, one of the omegas who work in the kitchen, said and everyone laughed including Liam.

    Logan just looked at his mate and smiled a little smile that only Liam could see.

    "Oh, we will." He answered back. The pack members were shocked for a moment that he answered but then everyone laughed as Liam blushed.

    "Kindly shut up." He mumbled but hugged his mate. For now, they could enjoy the peace that was three. For now.