Felix

I ground my teeth tightly, coming to a very quick decision. "It was me," I explained. It was hard to keep my eyes on the road, but the sound of Bri's wildly beating heart helped remind me I had to. I desperately wanted to pull over and beg someone else to do this... Anyone else...Gods, I couldn't handle this, any of it. My mind was spinning in dizzying, panicked circles, which didn't make it any easier to drive. Hell, I didn't care anymore. I was just going to focus on getting to the nearest hospital with everyone in my car alive...Anyone else on the road was free game.

I felt my temper raise as some old-ass nurarihyon-a Japanese yokai-in an ancient station wagon changed lanes to get in front of me. "Bastard!"

"It was you?" Willow asked, squeezing Bri's hands tightly around another contraction.

Mom was twisted to mostly face the backseat of the sedan, but she did shoot me a very quick, horrified look. Her attention had to return to the stop watches, but her confused, hurt voice still cut me more than I'd ever admit to another person. "Felix...Why would you do something like this? Why would you keep it hidden that...that you were expecting kids?"

"I don't want them, alright!" I snapped, the pain from Mom's response making my temper spark to life. Like always, when I was angry, I did my best to make everyone else around me angry as well, easily knowing the right words to rile them up.

"Even if you don't want them, that's no reason for you to act like you have!" Mom told me off sternly. "I could see not saying anything through her first trimester, in case she had a miscarriage. But she's in labor now and that's the only way we found out the truth. Were you going to tell us at all?"

I grimaced, voice rising as my panic and anger did as well. "I was going to tell you all, but not until closer to when they were supposed to be born. Fat fucking lot of good that's done me now," I muttered. Swerving very quickly from left to right and back to left, foot down hard on the gas, I narrowly missed sideswiping three cars and running over a motorcycle rider as I weaved in and out of lanes.

"Are you trying to kill us?!" Bri's panicked voice shouted from the backseat.

"No, I'm trying to fucking get us to the hospital, damn you!" I shouted over my shoulder. I didn't dare take my eyes off the road. "I literally just bought this fucking car a week ago and if you ruin it by giving birth here...I swear to the gods I'll strangle you on the girls' umbilical cords!"

I barely paused, though in the back of my mind even I thought that had been more than the necessary aggression. I scowled, fighting down a very inhuman snarl, barely keeping it from ripping forth from my chest. Damn it, could I be blamed if my inhuman side was rearing its head, with all the stress I was under right now?!

"It's good to see some things never change, asshole," Bri said in disgust. "I was wondering what happened to the Pussy Hunter," she grumbled out.

"Felix, what is wrong with you?! Why would you ever say something like that? Bri, just for that comment, I almost want you to ruin his car," Willow growled.

"No...No, I want pain killers. That's what I want...I want a hospital," Bri disagreed around a small squeak of pain.

"Felix, I...I can't believe you," Mom whispered in dazed shock. "Y-you've always been temperamental and rude, but..."

My eyes narrowed as I slammed even harder on the gas. Fuck this whole situation! I snarled internally. Fuck all of these people, all of these gods damn 'expectations' everyone wants from me! I'm not a good guy and I'll never be! So the fuck what if it hurts you to see me like this, Mom? Guess what? This is how I fucking am, stupid bitch!

Gods, I needed to calm down.

If I kept this up...If my emotions kept veering as much as they were right now...I was so close to breaking, to lashing out physically in order to release some of the violence in my mind.

"...Felix, you're growling." Bri's drained sigh slipped through the cracks of my mind, pulling me back from the edge I'd been very quickly about to fall off.

Like a rubber band, I felt more of my sense return with just the sound of her voice. I ground my teeth together, bracing myself against the sneaky tendril of warmth that tried to slip past my guard. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel as I fought back the Beast. The rumbling growls, from something much bigger than my current form, started to die off. Swallowing, I told myself to get a grip and calm the fuck down.

Even so, I was more grateful than I could remember in a very long time when I spotted the large, tan and white building that was Tempus Central Hospital. "Go to the maternity ward entrance!" Willow told me in a rush. Behind me, I could hear her murmuring softly, trying to help talk Bri through another contraction.

Fuck. They were moving much faster than I'd ever thought they could. It didn't make any sense. Wasn't labor supposed to take hours?

Cutting off two other cars, I made a sharp left turn into the parking lot entrance. I thought about going right up to the doors, but there was a free parking space close by, so I slid in real fast. Slamming the gear shift up into Park, I turned off the engine and barely remembered to grab the car keys. I started to get out, but I remembered something at the last second.

Hands shaking slightly, I reached over past my mother, opening the glove box. Reaching in, I pulled out the folded together pieces of paper. Jerking the door of the glove box back up, I leaned back. I could smell the blood and amniotic fluids that still covered Bri's lower region. I fought back a gag, trying not to react. If I reacted, it would show that I wasn't what I pretended to be, which was just a weakling little hybrid. A fuck up, essentially. Shoving my door open, I slammed it close and opened up the backseat. Leaning in, I slid my hands around Bri. "Hold tight," I ordered. She didn't put up any protest, leaning into me heavily.

I could feel the little shakes and shivers running throughout her body. The sound of her heartbeat was like a drum in my head. "I got you, Bri," I whispered into her hair and against her neck. I let myself enjoy less than half a second of the feel of her in my arms, kicking down the emotions that tried to come into being.

Then, shifting my expression to something akin to stone, I kicked the door closed behind me after pulling her out of the car. Not sparing my mother or Willow a glance, I sprint-walked to the hospital doors. Bri's fingers around my neck tightened as another contraction came over her. Her eyes were dilated in pain and her breath was coming out in tiny, faint whimpers.

"F-Felix?" she breathed out in a voice too soft for actual noise.

My hearing was easily able to pick up her words though. "Right here," I promised her as I stepped through the automatically opening glass doors. Going through the small area where they kept wheelchairs not in use and past another set of automatic doors, I stepped in.

Right behind me was Willow and Mom, Willow stepping forward to take charge. I didn't argue, following behind her as she went up to the desk. "I'm sorry, but we're in a bit of a rush. My friend is currently in active labor and she's moving very fast," Willow emphasized to the dark green-haired nurse. The woman blinked, taking half a second to register Willow's words and what she meant before nodding and shooting to her feet.

She and one other nurse came around the desk, rushing toward Bri, still in my arms. The second nurse hurried to get a wheelchair. The first nurse glanced between all three of us, her eyes on Bri's pale face. "How far is-?"

"Three minutes between contractions, lasting about seventy seconds each," Mom reported calmly.

The nurse's eyes bulged in shock for a second, her voice shaky. "Why wasn't she brought in sooner?!"

"She was being stupid," I snarled as an answer.

The nurse blinked, taking in the rage in my eyes. Shaking her head, she pulled forth an air of calm. The second nurse brought the wheelchair. "Sir, please lower her into the chair," the woman asked.

Fighting off the urge to keep holding Bri against me, I did so. Her fingers were wrapped so tightly around my neck it took a few seconds to get them to come undone. As our gazes clashed while I lowered her into the chair, I saw that real fear filled her brown eyes. It made my stomach twist and I opened my mouth to say...something...

Gods damn it, anything!

Say you're going with her. Say you won't leave her side. Say you're going to make sure nothing happens. You need to be her rock. You need to be there for her right now!

"Well, once the twins are born, you won't be worse than a terrorist anymore," I commented.

Her brow furrowed in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "What? What the hell do you mean by that?"

I smirked, moving back and away. "At least you can negotiate with a terrorist. Pregnant women are five times worse," I explained calmly.

Her eyes grew wide in anger, but half a second later, she let out a shaky breath. The breath turned into a small, wicked chuckle as the second nurse began to roll her toward the maternity ward. She spoke softly, but I could still hear her, and I was pretty damn sure she knew it too. "Don't worry. Once the girls are born, you're going to find out what real terrorism is like," she promised.

"Are you the father?" the first nurse demanded, pulling my attention away from Bri's back that was getting further and further away.

I blinked, slowly turning my attention to the woman. Staring into her black eyes, I started to nod my head. "Yes, I a-"

"I need her support person to come with us to the delivery room," the second nurse who was pushing Bri called back.

"That's me!" Willow jerked forward, not bothering to spare me a glance. She rushed after the nurse and Bri, reaching out to hold Bri's hand as they kept down the long hallway.

The first nurse eyed me in confusion, obviously wondering why I, the father, wasn't who ever this 'support person' was. I swallowed, fighting to remain calm and find some sort of façade to hide behind. "I figured having a man in the way while all that business is going down would just be a hassle. Willow's got it. She's already had three kids, so at least she won't have to deal with the whole 'Why don't you give birth to these babies?!' It'll be a lot less stressful if it's more of a 'Now you understand exactly what I've been trying to tell you for years. Pregnancy is awful. Sex is a horrible bait-and-switch that you should never do again'."

Mom reached out and slapped my arm, making me wince and rub at it, turning my head down to glance at her. "Ow! The hell was that for?"

Her grey eyes were hard in irritation as she shook her head. "Stop being an ass and go down there! You should be there when your little girls are born," she told me firmly.

I shook my head, smirking. "Why? It's not that big of a deal. I mean, I'm still going to be writing their child support checks." My mother's grey eyes went wide in disbelief and anger, the first nurse looking awkward but also disgusted by my words. My smirk grew at the sight of their faces. I let out a short snort of laughter. "Honestly, I'm more worried about how much money Bri's going to try and wring out of me every month. Like, what, four hundred jen? Or would it be six or seven, since there are two kids?"

The sound of many people rushing in through the doors, panting to catch their breaths, made the three of us turn to face the crowd.

Here comes the Frost Army, I thought tiredly. Pulling forth a cocky smirk, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Glad to see you all could make it for the 'My Life is Ruined' party. Please make sure you have your invitations ready to prove you're allowed here. There's really only so much misery to go around, so I'm trying to cut down on surprise guests," I explained evenly.

Aiden was the first to catch his breath. "The hell? Why are you here? Where's Bri?"

"Oh, they already wheeled her toward the delivery room, I guess. Willow went with them."

"Why didn't you?" Raja grumbled in confusion.

I shrugged, glancing at Mom. "Well, I explained my thoughts on that earlier and it earned me a slap. So, I guess I'll skip on the details, yeah?"

"...If you would all be so kind as to follow me, please," the green-haired nurse asked. By her expression, it was obvious she didn't know what to make of me or the rest of the motley gang that had appeared. We all followed her, in the direction Willow and Bri had disappeared to.

Honestly though, I didn't really need the woman's directions...mostly. I could still hear Willow and Bri talking, though it was a little confusing with how their voices echoed and were distorted by the design of the walls and hallways.

"Seriously, why did you never tell me?" Willow was asking in a hurt tone.

"...Felix said he didn't want to say anything...Sometimes he can be terrifying. He...a little crazy a few times since I told him...He's just a dick...These moments where I'm honestly afraid of what he'll do...Sure he was going to hurt me...I couldn't...Willow, I couldn't loose these two," Bri's tight, breaking voice.

I scowled, hearing her words, though with how soft she was speaking and the distortion I couldn't make out everything.

It's better this way, I thought in the back of my mind. Hopefully, now that everyone acknowledges I'm an awful person, I'll be able to get away with ditching this situation. Like hell I'd ever actually want my life to change as much as it will with two kids.

Even as I thought it, I could feel a tiny sliver of myself vehemently denying such thoughts. Deep down, I knew the truth.

You're just afraid to commit. You're just afraid of what will happen with change, with letting in new people into your life. You're just a coward that tries to hide it by lashing out at everyone around you!

Grinding my teeth, I tried to fight down the glower that started to fill my face. The nurse walked through a wide hallway and it led out into a large waiting area. She motioned her hand for us to find seats. "I'll have to ask that you all wait here. When we find out any news, a nurse will come by to let you all know," she promised before walking towards the maternity ward's nurse station.

I glanced around the waiting area, seeing a restroom sign further down. "I've got to take a shit," I muttered. Uncrossing my arms from in front of me, I started past everyone else. As I did, my gaze met Bren's and I silently told him to follow me.

Everyone was still in shock and worried, so no one noticed as Bren broke away and walked the hundred feet down the hall with me. Standing just outside the bathroom door, hearing that it was currently occupied, I let a twisted smile lift my lips. "So, all those carefully laid plans have gone to shit now," I chuckled mockingly.

Bren nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I'd say as much. Still, I wasn't expecting Bri to go into labor so early..." He raised a hand to run over his nose and mouth, looking tired. His sea-green eyes studied my face very closely. "You okay?"

I let out a tired sigh. "No, not really," I admitted in a tiny exhale. "I'm waiting for the nuclear bomb to drop. I know it's going to...I just don't know quite what it's going to be yet," I muttered.

He nodded again, looking regretful. "You know you only have yourself to blame," he reminded me.

"Yeah, well, isn't that how it always goes?" I sighed. "But it's all part of who I am, so I'm use to it."

His gaze hardened and he looked ticked off. "No, correction: It's a part of who you pretend to be."

"You know...Damn it, Bren, this is who I am!" I hissed, fighting to not yell.

He shook his head, his expression letting me know he was fed up with me in that moment. "Yeah, yeah, that's what you always say. It's never a 'choice' for you, it's always just your 'nature'."

"But it is!" I insisted.

He reached up to rub at the back of his neck, sighing. "Okay...fine. I...just don't...Just promise me that you won't abandon these three, alright? If I agree to do this, agree to keep up this bullshit...Felix, something has to change. You've been doing this for far too long and you can't keep this up. Here's your chance to let that change happen. Take it and I'll promise to keep helping you with your ways," he vowed firmly, sea-green eyes hard. "That means no trying to wiggle your way out of this. If you agree, then you have to stick to it," he told me. "Don't forget...I'll be watching you, checking up on you regularly, just like I always do," he reminded me.

I growled, glaring death at the older man. "Damn it, you're just as bad as fucking Max! The two of you are always trying to make me be responsible..." I muttered like a child.

"Well, you are an adult, but you don't know anything about being one. You've never had to face reality before. Personally, I feel like reality's decided to give you a good kick in the balls in the hopes that you'll wake up from your little dream world."

Raising a hand to cover part of my eyes, I did my best to resist the sudden urge to reach out and strangle Bren. Sucking in a deep breath, I decided to just give in. It was a lot easier in my mind to do so than to keep fighting in that moment...Especially when, though I hated to admit it, I honestly didn't want to fight anymore. I was...tired.

"Alright. I make a solemn vow upon the New Moon itself that I will not abandon my spawn or the woman who brought them into this world," I swore in a fast mutter. Lowering my hand from my face, I held it out to Bren.

He took hold of it firmly, his grip almost crushing as he stared down into my eyes. "I accept your oath. In return, I vow upon the New Moon as well to continue serving as your helper and secrets keeper."

We shook hands once, eyes never breaking from one another. It was a small bit of magic we'd just worked. Nothing as crazy powerful as the spell my father had used in order to make Bren my family's blood-slave. But it was still powerful enough that if either of us broke this vow, we weren't going to like the consequences. We wouldn't die, but Fate would twist itself to make the life of the oath-breaker's life utterly miserable. The oath would stay in effect as well until both of us absolved each other of our vows.

Nodding my head tightly, I jerked my hand out of Bren's grasp. Rubbing it against the side of my shirt, I let out a long sigh. "Now that that's been settled..." Reaching down into my pant's pocket, I pulled out the several folded pieces of paper. "I need you to do some things for me. Max gave me all this information, as well as a plan on what should be done when this time came...I'm not going to be able to act on it though. Not with everyone finding out before I planned to tell them and exactly how they found out," I sighed.

"You're going to have to play the bad guy, aren't you?" he murmured.

I shot him a offended look. "The hell do you mean by that comment? I don't play the bad guy. I am the bad guy, thank you very much!" I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. My gaze shot to the bathroom door. Really, who ever was in there was taking their fucking sweet time. I moved a little away from it, picking up the odors from through the door. Shuddering, I raised a hand to my nose, trying to block some of the scents.

Bren folded the papers back until he could read them, silent for several seconds as he scanned over them quickly. "Max really did think of everything..." he murmured in shock.

"Well, like you two often love to remind me, he's the more intellectual one out of the three of us. Besides, with how many favors I'm going to owe him after this, he better be worth all this hassle," I growled.

"Don't forget you owe me some more as well," Bren made sure to add as he continued to read, flipping another page. "Hmm...Okay, so he's got all your information, as well as all the information he could dig up on Bri's family and what he could learn from Andre as well. This will be good for the hospital to know about, in case they ask...He's also got here that all of the stuff you guys bought when you went on that shopping trip has already been sent to your apartment?" He glanced up, staring at me in surprise. "Did you two go on a different one than with Bri?"

I nodded my head tightly. "Yeah, I had to wear a disguise though. I couldn't risk anyone catching me, since it was here in the Other Realm. Max was a big know-it-all the entire trip too," I grumbled irritably. "He was keeping track of all the things Bri pointed out that she liked, including the bigger furniture, which we didn't buy when I went with her. Then he started to profile her tastes and psychoanalyze stuff about her that would help him figure out what she likes. So, going off that, he helped me pick out a bunch of stuff he swears she's going to love, once she finds out and moves in."

"Well, considering how much research he's done, is it any surprise?"

A thought came to me and I blinked, realizing. "Oh, right, I haven't returned your copy of the car keys." Reaching into my other pocket, where my phone was, I pulled out the keys that had been in the car earlier. Holding them out to Bren, who quickly took them, I cleared my throat. "Thanks for having the car ready, by the way."

He glanced up slightly from the papers, nodding his head absently. "I just sent one of the Shadow People out to get it ready and in position for you to leave immediately." Yeah, it would have had to be one of the Other servants. Bren couldn't survive the blizzard outside. "By the way, how's the new car? Max picked it out, didn't he?"

I nodded, rubbing at my stiff shoulders. "Yeah, after that weird accident I had, with the brakes failing out of nowhere. It's not as sexy-looking as my McLaren 650S was...But so far the Audi S8 Plus has got one sexy engine for a sedan," I admitted. "It can't handle quite handle the sports racing I use to do with the McLaren, but it handles the country and city roads like an emperor."

"Well, considering you're about to be a dad now, having more room in your car is better."

"Anything is better than a fucking minivan," I muttered darkly. "I told Max that if he even tried to get me one, I was going to break his glasses and burn all his books when he wasn't around or asleep. I know where he lives," I smiled in gleeful vengance at just the thought.

Bren's eyes widened in horror. "The hell, Felix?"

"I will not go around driving some minivan," I continued firmly. "An SUV, sure. At least those have some body to them. A truck...eh...Don't need it. But fuck minivans, man...Anyway, thanks for the quick thinking and the save earlier. I'm not sure we would have gotten to the hospital before Bri popped these kids out without it.

"...Thanks for remembering to give me my keys without me having to ask for them," Bren eyed me darkly.

I chuckled. "Hey, sometimes I have my smart moments. Don't get use to them though. They don't happen often."

His lips pulled up into a reluctant, tired smile. "Yeah, I know..." He glanced further down the hall, where the rest of my family was just starting to grow restless and a few were shooting murderous glances my way. "I think you should go back. You've got a firing squad to face," he reached out to pat my shoulder.

I smiled, but it was more than a little pained. "The truth of your words, Bren...It's actually scary," I sighed, wincing at the thought. "Just...please make sure everything on that list is seen to. Knowing my mother and sisters, after they get done skewering and roasting me, they'll start in on what Max suspected."

"...You mean transforming your apartment into a home for Bri and the girls?"

I grimaced, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, that. So, you've got everything that you need, right?"

Bren nodded, folding up the papers and putting them in his own pocket. "Yeah. I've got a copy of your I.D., as well as a copy of both your car and house keys. I'll make sure to run by and grab all the items Bri will need for the girls, like clothes and stuff. It'll be a lot easier to get it from your place, instead of going all the way back to Aiden's in the Human World. Also, don't worry. If anyone asks, I'll make sure to tell them that I'm just a doting god uncle and I've been buying things for awhile now. I'll also talk
the women folk into taking over your place if it looks like they won't. I've got this secret double agent shit down, Felix," he shook his head at me.

I smirked. "Considering how long you've been doing this, I'd hope so. Otherwise, you're one horrible secret double agent."

He smiled fully, for just a few seconds before the smile left his face. "Ready?" he asked.

I nodded, shifting my stance so I'd be able to take the next event better. "Hit me, baby," I taunted.

Without a second's pause, Bren did just that. His fist slammed into my gut with all the force he could muster. The only reason why I didn't get sent flying back against the wall was because I'd known it was coming. Even so, it fucking hurt like hell!

Most of the air in my lungs came shooting upwards as I gasped, wheezing at the pain that racked through my stomach. I let myself take three stumbling steps backwards, keeping up appearances that Bren really had just kicked my ass, doubling over from the pain. "S-shit!" I groaned.

"That's for being a fucking asshole," Bren told me in a icy voice. "I can't believe you'd try to make me take the fall for you and raise your kids as my own. You're acting like a pussy! Man up and take responsibility for your own actions, Felix!"

Wow, I thought in surprise. Damn, who thought that up? Bren or Max? Pretend I started to 'order' Bren to be the girls' father instead? Damn, even I think that's a low move!

Instead I growled in anger. "I don't see why you can't!" I cried out in annoyance. "You like kids, probably want kids yourself. Where's the problem if I'm willing to literally hand over two of them to you?"

Bren sucked in a long breath. "See, that's what I'm talking about. You're so self-centered and selfish, you'd use babies as tools to get what you want." Without another word, his expression hard, lacking any emotion, Bren started down the hall and back to the rest of the family.

Is it bad that he's honestly right though? I wondered to myself, still sucking in shallow, pain-filled breaths. I mean...isn't that sort of what I'm doing, even right now?

"What is Bren talking about, making him be the girls' father?" Sera's voice, confused.

"Knowing Felix, he's trying to guilt-trip Bren. He's basically our older brother and Felix was most likely trying to use that relationship with Bren against him," Aiden explained in a tight voice.

"That's exactly what the bastard was trying to do," Bren confirmed, close enough now to hear the others. Of course, if I'd really been trying to do something that awful, I would have just ordered Bren. But there was no reason for Sera to know that. After all, it was against the rules of the game Dad and Bren had started playing twenty years before.

I smirked. Ah...the sounds of their hate and anger...My favorite lullaby.

Turning, I let my expression darken in rage. "I own you, Bren!" I cried out after his retreating form. I started after him, storming down the hall, keeping up the pretense of pain, though I was already almost over it now. My mind was spinning quickly, figuring out which combinations of words to say without actually kicking off Bren's curse, insuring he didn't actually have to follow any order I gave him. Despite how much I'd really rather let him do it, if I ordered him to actually be the father to my children, I'd have already broken the oath we just made. Technically by passing off my rights as 'father' to Bren, I'd be abandoning the girls.

Aiden's turquoise gaze was darkening into a odd violet color, his hair starting to lengthen out as he glared death at me. "How can you be such an awful being?"

I raised an eyebrow. "How is it awful of me to try and pass off something I don't want to someone who does?" I was about ten feet away from the other at this point, my gaze quickly seeing the kiddies were sitting down in the chairs on the far wall all together. Prophecy was holding Raja's hand. Raja himself looked weary and worried, but Prophecy looked bored and almost impatient. The M&M twins wore expressions of uncomfortable tension. I didn't really blame them though. They were new to this family, having only been a part of it for the past six months or so. They weren't use to the tempers that ran in the Frost family males. For effect, I let myself power up slightly as well, feeling my eyes start to turn a slight shade of red. I was very careful to keep a tight reign on it though. I didn't want to let myself go completely ape-shit in the middle of a hospital in front of so many witnesses.

"If anything, I'm doing the guy a favor. He's what, thirty now? When is he going to have kids himself, huh? It's not like he keeps a steady woman for long. I'll gladly pass off Bri and the girls to someone who actually gives a fuck about them," I lied smoothly, throwing my hand out in irritation. There was no way in hell I was going to let some other man have Bri or my kids. Damn it, all three of them were mine! "It's a lot better than being around someone who's secretly going to be praying for the day they get sick of me and leave...That or die," I added, realizing that something like that would rile my family up even more.

Even as I said the words, I desperately wanted to take them back. No matter how much of an ass I was, I'd never wish for the three to actually be harmed. To be fair, the thought of it happening sort of freaked me out. Just like I was internally freaking out, way in the back of my mind, about what was going on in the delivery room right now.

Was everything going okay? Had Bri being stupid and not letting on what was going on sooner caused any dangerous complications? Fucking hell, the twins were nearly three months early! Even I knew that was really bad...Would they even live through this? If they didn't, Bri certainly wouldn't. She'd already made that clear to me before. It bothered me that I cared about that, about Bri not keeping on if the girls didn't make it...But what bothered me the most was that I wasn't back there right now, making sure they were safe.

The Beast reared its head, growling deep in my mind. I must be there. I must make sure our mate and the pups are safe. We are failing them, staying out here, consorting with these lesser pack mates!

I growled right back in my mind. No. No. You shut the fuck up and stay in your cage until your monthly play time!

I could feel its massive, intimidating presence pressing down on my own conscious mind. It was trying to take over and force its way through, if only slightly. Our mate needs us. We must go to her, the Beast ordered in its best, most imposing Alpha wolf howl.

My jaw clenched tight, hands at my sides curling into fists. I struggled to fight it down, feeling the Beast clawing at the barrier of my own willpower. Narrowing my eyes, I focused back on the reality of my pissed off and hurt family in front of me. I let the rage and tension of my own internal battle lend weight to my voice. "What I do with my life is my own business. It's not like it means anything to you fuckers anyway," I expertly continued to twist the knife deeper in my own heart.

Max, you are one crazy mother fucker, thinking up this plan, I thought in irritation. But I guess I'm even crazier, since I'm going along with it. Though, truthfully, Max had used up a number of his IOUs he'd gained over the course of the past two months on this one plan.

Aiden's eyes were wide in rage as he stared at me, anger written plainly on his own face.

"Felix!" Mom cried out in shock. Her grey eyes were filling with tears and it was evident that her tears were keeping her words locked up in her throat.

"Son, what's gotten in to you? Where...where is all of this coming from? Of course we care...We love you, Felix." Dad's voice was shaky in shock as well, his bright blue eyes staring at me like he didn't know me. He stepped back to wrap a comforting arm around Mom's shoulders, kissing her temple.

"How can you...?" Sera asked around a sob, raising a hand to cover her mouth. "You're my little brother. Of course I care, Felix."

My lips twisted into a mocking sneer. "Oh, really? Last I checked, all I am to you all is a fuck-up. I'm the family clown, the reject you all keep around because you feel guilty over me. I'm the embarrassment of you're lives, the imperfection among the perfect, powerful Frost family!" I threw my hands out, laughing. "Last I checked, it would be better for all of you if I just disappeared, if I just offed myself."

At my words, I heard the sound of heavy, angry breathing very close by. I frowned for half a second, surprised I hadn't noticed it before. There was an aura of bloodlust and rage moving very quickly towards me. Turning on my heel to face the new person, I wasn't given any time to react.

"FEEEELLIIIIX!!!!!" my attacker shouted. "You motherfucking bastard! How dare you do all those horrible things, say those horrible things to Bri! How dare you treat my best friend like that! A quarter of a million, really?! You thought it would be okay to offer 200 grand to Bri in order to kill her babies?! What kind of sick fuck are you?! How dare you do something like that! How dare you joke about it being her fault her first twins died! How dare you tell her she's not suppose to be a mother, to the point that all her babies die on her! You treated her like some high-price call girl, throwing that money in her face and trying to force her to have an abortion! 'Have them vacuumed out of you'?! That's a whole new level of trash that you've managed to reach!"

While Willow screamed at me, I had to force myself to just take the blows she landed after the first one, which had honestly taken me by surprise. But if I fought back or showed how easily I could stop her, overpower her, it would ruin all the hard work I put in daily. I forced down my instincts to reach out and rip her throat out for harming me. Instead, I ground my teeth and rode the pain, fighting to keep it from activating my feral nature.

Her first blow had been to my stomach (Again, another fucking gut punch today! I really just couldn't get a break, could I?) which I hadn't been expecting and that one had hurt just as bad-if not worse-than Bren's. While I'd instinctively bent forward in reaction to the pain, Willow grabbed hold of my hair and jerked my body further forward and off balance. Unsteady, it allowed her to raise her knee up sharply, slamming it into my crotch. I cried out in horrible pain.

Hell, the crazy woman didn't even give me the chance to try and comfort my manly parts by holding them. Instead, she used the fact that I'd bent forward even further in reaction to that pain and connected my chin with her leg, which might have broken my jaw, if I was a weaker man. By this point I was beginning to panic.

If I fought back, I was seriously going to hurt Willow. But if I didn't fight back I might end up seriously hurt myself. I bit my lip, hard enough to almost break the skin with my teeth. Damn it, if I actually hurt one of my family, even I'd be pissed at myself, besides what my family would think.

She wrapped her arms around my upper body, from my back to my chest, using her strength to try and twist me around. If she'd only relied on brute strength, the woman would have failed. But she was a trained fighter and instead used the momentum of my center being off balance, besides also very quickly kicking out at the back of my left knee, which made me bend down further in pain.

Like some damn WWE heavyweight, she pulled me down and over her shoulders and head, slamming me onto the ground on my back. I coughed violently, fighting to suck in a shaky breath as all the air in my lungs escaped out at once. I blinked, my eyesight dazed, stars and pinpricks in my vision from the pain.

Willow's mass of dark curls were half in my face as she bent over me, her face nearly close enough to kiss me. "If you ever pull some bullshit like this again, I will kill you. That's a promise, little brother," she growled, since she thought I gave a shit if she called me that.

But I wanted her to think that, so I growled in rage. "What the hell? You come flying at me, beat my ass, and then threaten me? What the fuck gives you the right?!" I demanded. My voice was weaker than I'd have liked, struggling to get a correct amount of air in my lungs.

"Listen here, you low life," she hissed, glaring death into my eyes. "The only reason I'm suffering your existence right now is because you are the father of my nieces and I would like them to grow up with a father. But if you keep proving my thoughts right and show me that you aren't worth being in their lives, Bri's included, I will not hesitant to remove you...By force, if I have to. Bri's been through enough shit without having to deal with your pathetic self. Don't put her through any more hardship. I'm serious, Felix," she warned me.

Swallowing, feeling two seconds of real worry over my well being around this woman, I nodded my head curtly. "O-okay," I mumbled quickly. "I get it. I'm a dick and you'll kill me if I make Bri cry again," I summarized.

"Damn straight," she said fiercely as she slowly leaned back out of my face.

"That's my baby girl," Raja said proudly, clapping his hands. It was an odd experience, honestly, seeing the eighteen-year-old look as proud as the father he was. But his humor and pride very quickly faded away. "Seriously though, no more fighting. Do you want to get kicked out of the hospital?"

"I'm sorry, I just..." Willow's voice trailed off in suppressed rage as she glanced back at me.

No one came over to try and help me to my feet, so I let myself take a few more seconds to get my bearings. My vision was still swimming a little, the colors sparking. Squinting my eyes, I tried to make sure the world wasn't spinning any longer before very slowly pushing myself up to a sitting position. I was half sure my ears were ringing, which made my ultra hyper hearing painful and I groaned.

"...You tried to force Bri into an abortion?" Dad's voice, filled with disbelief. I could hear the soft sound of my mother's own shocked, shaky breaths.

"Felix...how horrible can you be?" Sera now, voice shaking with horror.

"...I think it's time you learned a hard lesson, Felix. If you are so secure in your life of reckless abandon, so certain that as long as you throw enough money at it you'll fix any problem..." I turned my head, wincing at the pain in the back of my neck from how quickly I'd moved. My eyes widened in shock and horror at what it sounded like my brother was about to do.

"That's it. I'm stopping all your bank accounts. As of this moment, you will no longer have any of the Frost family money to depend upon." Aiden's turquoise eyes were hard, fierce, holding no mercy in their depths. "I'd disown you from the family as well, but I'll hold off on that particular step. Unless, that is, you do something else to warrant extreme measures such as this. This does mean though that all financial support I have provided you will be frozen and transferred out of the accounts I have given you access to."

My jaw dropped as I clumsily shoved myself up to my feet. "W-wait! Aiden, Big Bro...Please, just stop and think about this, alright? I've already apologized to Bri for all of that, okay? I apologized and she forgave me. No big deal. There's no reason for you to do something rash like cut off from all my money...I mean...I don't have any money besides what's in those bank accounts..." I let my voice hit a tone of desperate pleading, staring into Aiden's hard eyes in the hope that he'd rethink this crazy decision.

"I think it's time you get a job, Felix," he said in a cold, measured tone.

I let an expression of devastated shock fill my face, but internally I was relieved. Well, at least I've done my part of Max's plan now. That's one major accomplishment to check off the list. Its almost a little sad how easy that was too. "I..." I swallowed, staring at Aiden in confusion. "A...a job? You want me to get a job?" I repeated in a slightly stronger, angrier voice. "First you all treat me like shit because I'm not jumping for joy because Bri's having kids. Now you're acting like it's my fault I turned out this way. You're all the people who screwed up when you raised me! Damn it, and now you want me to get a job? Me, a job?!" I repeated in outrage.

"Use those skills you're so proud of," Sera muttered darkly, glaring at me like I was a snake she wanted to chop the head off of.

I glared right back. "Low fucking blow, bitchy sis," I hissed.

"...Sorry to interrupt this much needed dressing down, but you need to go, Felix." Willow's voice made me blink, slowly turning to face her where she'd moved to wrap her arm around Aiden's middle and lean against him.

I frowned, confused. "Are you seriously telling me I have to leave a public building now?" I demanded.

She rolled her eyes, sighing. "No, you fool. I'm telling you that you have to go back there and hold the babies. It's required by the hospital that the parents have an entire hour of bonding time before anyone else is allowed to hold the babies," she explained.

"What?!" Jack cried out, making everyone else jump in surprise. "Felix, get your sorry ass back there and hurry up! I demand lots of cuddling time with these adorable girls! I'm their grandpa, damn it!"

Nisha's lips lifted into a weary smile, but the sorrow and hurt in her eyes had yet to disappear completely. She leaned against Jack before slowly turning her head to stare at me. I swallowed, seeing the emotions in her grey eyes and they were worse than the beating Willow had given me earlier. I sucked in a sharp breath, already knowing the pain her words were going to bring me even as she opened her mouth to say them. "Felix...The amount of disappointment I feel over the kind of man you've grown up to be is overwhelming. I love you and I always will...But it's going to be a good long while before I feel like you've earned my trust and respect as a member of this family."

I ground my teeth in reaction to the pain, letting it be the only sign. Tipping my chin up in an air of defiance, I shot her a smirk. "When have any of you ever felt like that about me?" I asked in a amused tone. "I've never needed any of your trust and I sure as hell don't need your respect. I'm my own damn person and it doesn't matter what any of you or anyone else ever thinks about me. I walk my own path in life and I always will."

Turning on my heel, I started down the hallway Willow had come from, heading towards Bri.