The second Amias steps out of his room, the scent of coffee and testosterone hits him hard. He barely takes three steps down the grand staircase when a voice cuts stops him off in his tracks.
"Well, look who rolled out of the wrong side of the bed." Grayson sucks his teeth.
What a start to one's morning! Amias loves his brothers, but it didn't change the fact that they are rivals—half brothers born of pure familial feud.
Amias doesn't bother to glance over. "Funny. I thought it was just your face."
Morgan chuckles. "My God, you're crankier than usual. What did you do, wrestle your sheets all night?"
Amias grits his teeth. "You two are like hemorrhoids. Irritating and hard to get rid of."
"Love you too, brother," Morgan chirps with a wink, and they fall in step behind him.
The foyer opens up below them, flooded with golden morning light from the chandeliers. Standing right in the center of it, like a prize pony on display, is Lira.
Perfect Lira.
She sits on the velvet bench, legs crossed, her expensive school bag resting delicately on her lap like she's posing for a magazine. Her straight dark hair bounces as she looks up, smiling sweetly.
"Good morning, boys," she calls.
"Lira," Grayson greets, offering her a roguish grin. Morgan bows slightly like she's royalty. Amias, however, stiffens.
He barely gets out a greeting before she rises and steps closer to him like they're in the middle of some romcom. Arms stretch out, but before she can complete the hug, the front door opens.
And hell walks in…
… More specifically, Alpha Tobias and his third wife.
They're dressed in their riding gear; dusty boots, hair windswept, cheeks flushed from a morning gallop through the forest. She's laughing at something the Alpha just whispered in her ear, and her head rests lightly on his shoulder like they're teenagers.
All four boys straighten reflexively, and Lira offers a flawless curtsy. "Alpha Tobias. Mother."
"My special boys." Their remarks, clasping her hands together.
"Morning," Father says, eyes sweeping over Grayson and Morgan with approval. "You two look sharp. Ready for college?"
"Yes, Father," Grayson beams.
"Always," Morgan adds, full of effortless charm.
Then comes the pause. The Alpha's gaze moves to Amias and stays a little there, albeit, with no affection or pride. Amias knows he doesn't deserve his Father's affection, and has not bothered for it ever since his mother's deception caused him that.
It doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt when you're the one thrown into the bad pile in the house. It doesn't mean he doesn't scrape his own flesh off and watch them rejuvenate because it is better to feel the physical than the one that lodges in your chest and coils around your heart like barbed wire.
Amias shifts his weight, trying not to show the way the Alpha's disapproval carves new hollows into his spine.
He bows his head slightly. "Father."
Tobias offers the barest of nods before his expression changes as he spots Lira again. His eyes light up like someone just handed him his favorite scotch.
"Well, well. Lira," he booms, stepping forward with outstretched arms like she's his long-lost daughter. "I didn't realize you two were still seeing each other. Is this becoming something serious?"
Amias opens his mouth, unsure whether to laugh, cry, or throw himself out the nearest window. The only time his own Father seems to take note of him is whenever the Beta's daughter, whose marriage to him would fatten his Father's pocket and enrich his reputation.
Then, Lira smiles up at the Alpha and replies brightly, "We plan on getting married soon."
Amias's stomach plummets through the floor.
Married?
She says it like it's the next logical step after breakfast. Married?
The word detonates in his chest like a grenade. His ears ring. He's not sure if it's from the blood rushing to his head or the unbearable pressure rising behind his ribs.
He tries to swallow, but his throat is dry. His legs feel too long, too far from his brain, like he's floating above his own body, watching the disaster unfold.
Grayson and Morgan's mom clutches her gloves, tilting her head in mock curiosity. "So soon? Wouldn't it be wise to wait until after college?"
Before anyone can speak, Grayson pipes up, "Well, Mom, you know Amias. He's very… eager."
Morgan adds with a theatrical sigh, "Can't keep his hands to himself. Love makes you rash."
Both chuckle. Bastards. Amias burns under their grins, but he doesn't retaliate. Their grins are arrogant, stretched wide across their faces like wolves circling a wounded deer. And he… he stands there with his fists clenched so tightly the veins on his hands bulge.
But he doesn't retaliate.
He swallows it instead, every boiling ounce of fury, every shame, and it burns all the way down like acid. Because that's the game, isn't it? The moment he snaps, they win. So he smiles and lets the silence reign, even though his bones scream for violence.
He feels the man's eyes on him like twin daggers, dissecting him, weighing his worth against his brothers. His mouth goes dry. Say something. Deny it. Do something or you'll be trapped forever.
But all he does is stand there like a frozen idiot.
His wolf snarls. "That's your mate out there, fool. Not Lira."
Amias pushes the thought down hard. Mate? He'll tell his Father he's got an Omega for a mate and reject Lira? Tch. Unless he wants to spell doom for himself and his mother, he'll stay away from Heidi like his life depends on it.
Darien, Grayson, and Morgan? They can go off with her all they want.
Tobias claps Amias on the shoulder. "That's good, son. A proper mate will shape a proper Alpha. You keep making decisions like this, and who knows what the future holds."
Amias's jaw clenches. The future? He doesn't want this future. He doesn't want Lira. He doesn't want to pretend. But the grip on his shoulder tightens. The Alpha's message is clear: Smile, obey, and perform.
And so, he smiles. Not because he wants to, but because the alternative is worse. The alternative is showing weakness. And in this house, weakness is blood in the water.
He forces a nod. "Yes, sir."
Lira beams like she's won a prize. The Alpha and his third wife continue on, their boots echoing down the hallway, leaving behind a silence filled with awkwardness.
Grayson whistles under his breath. "Damn. That went well."
Morgan fake-wipes a tear. "Our big brother is growing up so fast."
Bloody fools! Amias doesn't respond. He just turns and walks out the front door. He needs air. Outside, the sky is an unforgiving blue, birds chirping far too cheerfully for how thoroughly his morning has just imploded.
Grayson and Morgan follow, still chuckling among themselves.
Lira walks beside him, clutching his arm like a barnacle. "Don't be mad," she says lightly. "I only said it because he was asking. You know how your father gets when he doesn't hear what he wants."
Amias stops walking. He turns to her and speaks through gritted teeth. "You shouldn't have said that."
She blinks. "Why not? Isn't it true?"
"No. It's not."
Lira looks hurt, but her eyes sharpen. "You think he would've been more pleased if I said we've been pretending?"
Yes. That was the deal: pretend until college ends. Pretend, until he figures out what to do with his life without soiling the family name. Pretend, until he figures out a way to sever the chain that binds him to Tobias without dragging his mother through the mud. But now? Lira has just set fire to the whole plan with a single smile.