-Chapter Fourteen-
Alphas
{ Braxton }

I had only been here once as a boy, with my dad.

If I was being honest with myself I'd admit that I was missing my dad more and more every day...they say it gets easier but I have yet to see it.

I sighed, There is just so many things I wish I could talk to him about, I would have liked for him to have met Harper...he would have loved her especially how strongwilled she is. He'd have laughed at how she has me like a dog with a leash.

I smiled.

As I looked out into the wide open backyard of this pack house I actually allowed myself a moment of peace.

"Hey man."

My quiet tranquility was gone, as I looked over at Ryder, I could see he had something on his mind. "Hey bro, what's up."

He shook his head..."feels weird being back here." He said with an odd vacant smile "I mean I spent most of my life back home and just a few weekends here and despite my Father's best efforts, this place...it never felt like home ya know." He sighed, "I know in his own way he cared for me, loved me...I don't know."

I remained silent and just let him talk.

"Like I know... I know I should feel sad, it's a sad state of affairs, and yet...I don't, and I can tell my brother is stressing out, you know, Dad was a private guy...kept all of his plans and secrets to himself, so no one knows who he had planned to make his successor when he stepped down or in this case...dies."

I nodded along to his words.

"Yvonne thinks it should be her and Trace will do whatever Dad wants to do because that's the kind of guy he is."

"It'll be up to your dad at the end of the day." I said.

He nodded.

"You know shit will go down if Yvonne takes it...granted she wouldn't technically get to be Alpha." He said now. "No female has ever Alpha'd the Garnet Hills Pack, and if she were the first to somehow do it...people may get pissed, if the more than likely scenario of her husband takes the position of Alpha...people would be even more upset that the pack isn't being run by someone with Johnson Alpha blood."

"I mean it isn't the first time Packs get lineage changes in the Alpha role." I pointed out.

He shrugged, "His family use to be big back in their old pack...but that was years ago, they haven't been anything respectable in a long time..."

I was going to say how I'm sure he'd be a good Alpha and uphold their family's name even though he isn't a Johnson but he continued talking.

"...Not to mention that no one in the family likes the asshole."

"Isn't he your sister's mate?" I asked confused as  to why any family wouldn't like a mate of their family member?

"Which makes it worse...everyone in the pack knows how power hungry he is, he bragged about my sister being his mate but not in how proud he was to find her or how intelligent or beautiful she is, no...no he was more proud of the fact that she the oldest child of Alpha Johnson, He cares more about who our family is, how well off we are, the things we have, the people we associate with...and because he is my sister mate there isn't anything we can do to him without hurting her, so we're stuck with him."

I nodded in agreement, "shit sucks man."

He nodded, we talked a little more before going back inside. Once inside we were greeted by a somber looking Trace

"Hey guys." He sighed.

He looked like shit, hadn't slept in days, needed a shave and a decent meal...someone could easily mistake him as a dingy vagabond. To be fair though, the guys dad was dying, we were told he could go at any second.

"Hey Trace you holding up man?" I asked.

He nodded confidently, "He's asking to speak with us." He said to Ryder, "but Alpha Braxton, I think it'd be a good idea if you stood in to monitor the converstation alongside the council just incase any validations are needed later on."

I agreed and soon the three of us were going up the lavish steps and entering the stagnantly silent bedroom.

The curtains were drawn back to let some light in but it was a cloudy day so it didn't do much in the way of lighting up the room.

"Alpha... Ock-" he croaked huskily in an attempt to acknowledge me.

"Alpha Johnson." I smiled as I took his hand respectfully.

He smirked, causing his face to wrinkle slightly before he pat the back of my hand and I took a step back and let the two brothers step forward to acknowledge their father.

"My boys...I always...love to see...you both...together." He sounded, his breathing labored and uneven. "It is my greatest...wish...that my...boys take...over."

Trace looked at Ryder before speaking, "Father, you know Ryder is Alpha Braxton's Beta, not to mention that Yvonne is claiming the Alpha title as her own already."

Alpha Johnson grew angry now and banged his fist against the bed, this threw him into a fit of coughs and put his eldest son at worry, Trace stepped forward to try and comfort/assist him but his father held his hand up in protest.

"IM NOT DEAD YET!" He shouted and all of in the room could feel the weight behind his words as he used his Alpha voice.

In that moment it was hard to see him as sick, he was clearly still attempting to put up a fight. Of course his outburst caused him to take a moment to get his breathing evened out once again.

We all patiently waited for him to speak again.

"I am Alpha...I choose...my own damn...successor." He sounded, a slight fire in his eyes as he spoke now. "You were...always...meant for this." he said to Trace before turning his gaze to Ryder "You both were."

This time Ryder shook his head and spoke up, "C'mon Dad...you know that it's impossible to have more than one Alpha and honestly...it belongs to Trace."

"No" he sounded defiantly before he shook his head and closed his eyes, huffing out a heavy sigh. "No."

The brothers looked at each other once more.

"It has never been done before." Ryder added once more.

Their father shook his head and held his hand up he pointed right to Trace "Alpha" then moved to point to Ryder "Beta."

They both made sounds of protest.

"Ryder's already a Beta." Trace said once again.

"Yeah and no offense but I don't know this pack...kinda hard to put you heart into a role for people you don't even know."

Their dad held up his hands to silence them both and they complied obediently, "Alpha and Beta...or it...goes to your...sister's Mate."

"Sir, with all due respect...I don't think anyone would want your daughter's Mate running your pack, not to mention they know Trace, they've watched him grow or better yet, some have even grown alongside him..." I sighed heavily, I knew what had to be done for the good of his pack. I just hated that it would ultimately also effect mine as well. "So if it means that I release Ryder from his current Beta duties to my pack then by all means do not let me be a deciding factor, I only want what is right for everyone...ultimately we do have to remember this is Ryder's decision at the end of the day."

The room fell silent for a moment. No one really knew what do say without sounding to pushy or offensive.

"We don't have...much time son." Alpha Johnson sounded strained as he seemed to speak only to Ryder now.

I had never seen Ryder look so lost or confused.

He wore his tough exterior, but even I could see his eyes tearing up a little. "I don't know this pack...a few weekends here doesn't make for a lasting impression and i'm sorry but I don't know these people or to be honest, care for them." He let out a long low sigh.

"I should have...done more...I love you...so much...son" Their father fell into a fit off coughing. Once again Trace stepped forward to help him, but this time it didn't seem like it was stopping. Ryder and I looked at each other before we stepped in to help Trace, but it wasn't working.

Trace and Ryder sat their father up in the hopes it would open up his air way. The coughing stopped but his breathing was irregular very short little huffs of gasped air, Trace held his hand with a worried expression and Alpha Johnson reached his free hand out to touch his youngest sons face in a caring fashion. "So Proud...of you."

I stepped back and watched the touching moment. I wonder if he was seeing just Ryder or possibly his mother's traits written plainly on his face.

He smiled at Ryder and Ryder nodded determinedly , "I'll do it, I love you dad."

Everyone In the room could tell that, that was it. As if he had been hanging on just for he and Ryder to finally say what they had to say to one another.

I stood against the wall and let them have their silent goodbye as Alpha Johnson passed on.

This isn't what I wanted out of this trip.

Yes I wanted Ryder to gain closure with his father, but not in this way. I walked out of the room with the council members (to which none of them uttered on word the entire time) to give them their last moments of privacy.

It wasn't too long after that, that Ryder stormed out of the bedroom, he rushed right passed all of us and exited through the backdoor. Of course I was concerned for my best friend but what could I do?

"Just give him his space." Trace sounded as he came over.

I looked at him briefly as I could see he had been crying.

I could see from the corner of my eye that he cleared his face from any stray tears. "If you wouldn't mind staying the night Alpha Braxton...I'm sure it would me a lot to Ryder, and we may need your help with Yvonne and her Mate."

"Of course, assuming our alliance still stands, Alpha Trace."

I knew it was in poor taste to discuss business during such a sensitive time, but my pack and their safety comes before anything else, and the alliance was originally between our fathers, and now that they are both gone, the treaty could in fact be seen as null and void.

"I suppose so Alpha Braxton...temporarily of course."

I didn't see his comment as underhanded in any way, to be honest I thought he was smart to keep his options open. By him fully committing to an alliance could show that he is careless and uncertain. But by stating that he would temporarily hold onto our alliance that means that he's securing my packs backing for now. But it also tells me that he will at some point he will explore his alliance options and he will (as a good alpha does) pick the best alliances based on their merit and what they can do to benefit his own pack and not just on friendships alone.

"Of Course." I agreed.