Chapter-7: The Elder Step-brother Is Guilty

Irwin was striding left and right feeling tense while Maven was in his thoughts seeing his step-brother with whom he never talked once properly after a long time.

He was also confused about why Hael thought he and Arik were in a relationship. Was it because of his parents who never shut up about how much they wanted to see the both of them getting married?

It was not just wishful thinking of his parents but a selfish scheme to increase their wealth and fame by forming a strong bond with the powerful Esmerays.

Maven knew how much his parents loathed him when he was presented as Alpha. They expected him to be an Omega or at the least a Beta after Arik's second gender reveal.

Of course, coming from a powerful blue-blooded family Arik would be an Alpha. It was expected so his family was hoping him not to be an Alpha for their ruse to turn out to be fruitful.

Yet, to everyone's dismay, Maven presented as Alpha and he was happy. Cause not once the friends thought of having any relationship with each other.

They were comrades- in-arms, not anything less nor anything more. Maven was crushing over his friend's cousin Irwin at that time.

After his eighteenth birthday, he started pursuing Irwin bravely who was four years older than him. 

In a way, we could say Arik had a hand in the successful start of their dating life. So, it was absurd for Maven to be in a relationship with his friend who was the first one to support his feelings for Irwin.

The both of them were lost in thoughts when they heard the frightened cries of Hael from downstairs.

That was it, Irwin rushed down, anxiously. He saw Hael on the floor crying his heart out while Arik was in a panic trying to calm him down.

Irwin ran to the younger and crouched down, "Hael..." 

Hael immediately hearing the elder's voice hugged him tight, "T-Take me... *hic* away... I don't want *hic*..." He couldn't form any word.

Irwin shot a glance at Arik who was on the verge of tearing up too so he didn't want to judge the situation and come to a conclusion without hearing from his side.

He patted the back of Omega in his arms, "Shush, stop crying, Hael."

The Beta took Hael in his arms and walked to his room.

Maven who followed Irwin downstairs saw the scene and felt glum seeing Hael in such a state.

He sighed seeing his friend all wretched. He walked towards him and gave him support to stand.

Arik was completely heartbroken. The fearful expression directed at him from the Omega made his heart throb painfully.

He couldn't contain his tears anymore. It wasn't his intention to scare Hael in any way and the fact that the Omega was terrified of him thinking that he would kill their babies...

>>>Why will I kill...

Drops of salt water slid through the Alpha's cheeks and to the floor. He was desolate.

All these three months he spent sleepless nights trying to find out where Hael was. The letter left by the Omega, he read again and again until the paper became old and crumpled.

Arik never took a break he was worried and horrified thinking about the unmated Omega somewhere all alone. It didn't let him be in peace not even for a moment.

If not for his Grandpa who requested him to visit his cousin to solve the problem of their project bidding he would have never come to Sigor.

Reluctantly he drove all the way, his thoughts still occupied by the runaway Omega. He never in his wildest dreams would have thought to see Hael in his cousin's home.

That was shocking yet he was in the seventh heaven seeing the Omega but it had never occurred to him that Hael would be this scared of him.

That was it... the Alpha's strong exterior was broken. He cried like a child in Maven's arms asking him repeatedly why would he kill his babies. Was he that cruel in Hael's eyes?

Maven was shocked to see the ever-so-powerful Alpha all fragile.

An hour passed. Both of them calmed down. Hael was fast asleep in his bedroom tired from weeping.

Irwin brought some coffee and handed it over to Arik and Maven who were in the hall.

Before the Alpha could ask him, "He is sleeping." Irwin spoke first.

Arik exhaled loudly, rubbing his palms on the warm cup.

"Tell me, what happened? What did you say or do for him to become this fearful of you?" Irwin inquired with a raised brow.

"I didn't... I just exposed his lies telling him that he won't be comfortable around my pheromones if he wasn't pregnant with my babies and then..." Arik paused with a frown.

Hael was completely fine before he touched his belly, was that the trigger to his panic?

"I touched his stomach to feel our babies and for some reason, he thought I would kill them. That was when he became agitated and pushed me away." 

Arik completed his sentence and then looked at both in front of him with widened eyes realizing something.

"Did... someone threaten him before?" 

The Alpha gritted his teeth.

"What do you mean by that, Arik? Who will threaten him like that? No one can gain any-...!" Maven too discerned something.

"What are you both getting at?" Irwin narrowed his eyes.

"What if my family was the one to first approach Hael and threaten him to stay far away from me?" Arik presumed.

Irwin crunched his nose, "That's not possible. I was with him for the last three months and no one came for him. In fact, I only thought of him as an orphan who was played by a powerful Alpha in the capital city Frostburgh so he escaped and came to Sigor for shelter. I never knew he was the step-brother of Maven."

Arik and Maven stared at each other for a moment.

"Then, it must have happened in the hotel fortune that day," Maven assumed.

"Right, the night I was drugged. It was suspicious how we both ended up in the same room. If it was a ploy of someone else and Hael happened to be caught in it then there is a ninety percent chance of that someone threatening Hael to leave me to cover up their deed." 

Arik theorized not knowing it was actually Hael himself who drugged the Alpha to sleep with him to avoid getting sold to an old man by his parents.

The three of them talked for a while and came to a conjecture that it must be either Esmerays or Lucians who threatened Hael in such a way that he had to run away from Frostburgh.

"Huh, this is so fucking messed up. Maven, how the hell did you not even care for your younger brother?" Irwin became angry at his boyfriend.

Maven downcasted feeling guilty of never trying to approach the younger and left him on his own all these years.

When his father brought an eleven-year-old Hael home, he was a twenty-year-old young man with his own dreams to pursue.

He didn't like the idea of a younger step-brother all of a sudden. It was not like he hated Hael but he didn't like him either.

Maven's only thought seeing Hael in the flesh was his father who was always stern and proud about his honor in society was a scum who cheated on his mother with a maid.

Before he could sink in and accept Hael as his brother he had to leave abroad for his studies and when he returned he had his hands full with problems and the pressure from his parent's side to be in a relationship with his friend, Arik.

He was an Alpha too. How could he put down his pride and become a lover to another Alpha? That would be impossible so both of them planned to open up a different company aside from their family's business which could give some power to go against them.

This was why it never crossed his mind to care for his step-brother whom he had long forgotten until Hael started interfering in the talks between him and Arik to get the attention of the true blue-blooded Alpha.

Maven found it strange at first cause Hael was an extreme introvert to his knowledge who would shy away just locking eyes but he crossed it out thinking the Younger was in his adolescence and had just presented as an Omega so getting attracted to powerful Alpha was normal.

Then after some days, Arik came to his mansion causing a huge scene searching for Hael. That was the first time Maven looked at the room where his younger brother lived.

Far from the mansion, a small room which was in servant quarters. He was shocked and after Arik left he asked the old servants as to why Hael lived there.

The servants told him everything and how Hael was almost non-existent in the mansion and he just did what he was told.

He couldn't understand how could his father treat him that way when he was the one who brought him home. Even though he was illegitimate he was still his son.

Well, in the end, he understood he was also at fault and everything was excuses Maven gave to himself till this day for not trying to get close to the Omega who must have been lonely at home without no one to take care of him.

"It's indeed my fault," Maven opened his mouth after a long pause of self-reflection.

Irwin clenched his jaw and didn't say anything more to his boyfriend and looked at the messy Alpha, "What are you planning to do now?"

"I... " Arik took a deep breath and exhaled, "I can't see the fright in his eyes for me, brother Irwin. I just can't, no matter what, I am going to make myself reliable enough for him put his trust in me."

"Right, you have to do that. You are staying in Sigor for a month and half for the project bidding anyway," Maven voiced out.

"Hm," Arik nodded and looked at Irwin.

"I searched for him all these three months to take responsibility brother Irwin. I am not going to leave him all by himself again now that I found him and know that he is pregnant with my children. He needs me now more than ever," Arik paused for a second thinking something.

"Even if he doesn't want me in his life after giving birth that's the matter in the future to discuss. I must be with him now," he declared.

The both of them nodded and stared at Irwin who put his coffee cup down with a bang, "Alright, I have listened everything you have to say so now you both can leave and give me some peace."

"Irwin?" Maven had a pleading look on his face but Irwin totally ignored his boyfriend.

"Brother Irwin, I can't leave him... No! I can't live one second without him anymore. I went crazy searching for him. Do you think I will go back as if nothing happened leaving him in such a situation?" Arik asked with a determined look on his face.

"Who said you to go back and leave Hael? You must take responsibility or else I will fucking kill you," Irwin spoke.

"Then?" Maven and Arik frowned.

"I said to leave my home. I can't let you stay here in the same space as Hael when I know how much he is scared of you. It will be uncomfortable for him," Irwin reasoned out.

"But Irwin if they don't stay together how can they solve their misunderstandings? Let us live here, we will tell Hael-" Maven was cut off.

"Why will you live here too when they both are the ones to solve misunderstandings, dude?" Irwin sassed out.

"Irwin~... let me stay here too. Don't you know how much I missed you? I came to Sigor especially for you making the project bidding as an excuse, don't you want to spend time with me too?" Maven whined with a visible pout on his face.

Irwin rolled his eyes at his overdramatic boyfriend, "No. If you want to stay in Sigor then do it but go search for a place and live there. My place isn't a hotel for you guys, now get the hell outta here," Irwin smiled with sarcasm and showed the door to both the Alphas.

Arik took a longing glance at the room Hael was in and Maven was giving puppy eyes to Irwin as they walked with their tails between their legs and droopy ears to the door feeling dejected like lost puppies.

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