SWNOVELS Chapter 29: Brody
“We need to talk now.” Brody said urgently.
Despite his condition, he forced himself to leave the bed. Joshua had just done talking to some men when Brody barged into the basement. He couldn’t rest as he thought of the things he had done with Zia and that she was his half-sister. It was so fucked up just to think about it. He couldn’t believe that despite the fact he had known the truth, he still wanted to have Zia to himself. That was the most fucked up of all. What kind of a man had he become to be this obsessed with his own sister?
The men left the basement, leaving Brody to deal with his father. Technically, Joshua was just a father by name, not by life. All Brody’s life, he was raised by a man who had no blood connection to him because it was obvious that his father was ashamed of his origin as a hybrid of a human and a werewolf.
“Have a seat,” Joshua pointed to the chair but Brody didn’t budge. The older man sighed, “Son, have a seat.”
He almost flinched when Joshua called him son because the things he had committed with Zia—his half-sister. As much as he wanted to feel disgusted with himself, Brody didn’t have the heart to do that. He loved Zia more than a sister. That was how it had always been. It could have been avoided if Joshua didn’t keep this matter as a secret. Now, it was too late to back away. Brody had done something that he didn’t expect a brother to do with his sister.
“Are you thinking about Zia?” Joshua asked him as he had a drag on his cigar.
“Why wouldn’t I? She’s my sister and yet I love her more than that.”
The older man gave him a weak smiled, “She’s not your sister, Brody.”
“What?”
“We used to have a very close hunting friend. He was a great man and had been there with us since we started the business. His name was Kyle. He was married to a woman, Betty—local waitress in the town where we lived. He was head over heels for her. Six years into their marriage, they weren’t blessed with children of their own. Betty suffered several miscarriages throughout their marriage and the doctor suggested they shouldn’t try it anymore, feared that Betty would put her life at risk. But there was another alternative. They were given the option to do surrogacy. Betty consulted with Laura about it and she agreed to be the surrogate mother. About seventh month of the pregnancy, Kyle and his wife were killed in car accident. So, we decided to raise the children as our own instead.”
“So, Zia and Samuel—”
He nodded, “They’re not your siblings. Clay and you are siblings. But, not with Zia and Samuel.”
“Was that why you didn’t stop me from dating her?”
“Yes.”
“Is this the truth? Or another deception?”
“This is the truth, son. If it wasn’t the truth, I would have stopped you two from committing incest in my home.”
Brody let out a breath of relief because he trusted his words. There was no sign of lies in Joshua’s eyes. Maybe this was the truth. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let Brody dated Zia for years long.
“Then why did you take me from my mother?”
That quickly changed Joshua’s calm demeanor into a cold-hearted demeanor. Brody knew he had hit a sensitive button but he wanted to hear his father’s side of story. He had listened his mother. All that left was Joshua’s story.
“I loved your mother!” the older man fumed at the topic. “I gave everything she ever wanted and yet she still chose that bastard over me! I didn’t take you from her. She left you for him.”
Brody wanted to have a calm conversation about his origin. There was no need to have anger involved. Knowing Joshua, everything angered the older man. Was it hard for him to speak without having his anger as a third-wheeler? All brody wanted to do was to understand both parties. To understand Joshua and Clara—and the reason of their falling. He knew how important mating bond was for a werewolf but Brody had seen many werewolves chose to marry their love partner instead of their mate. So, who was on the fault in the story of Joshua and Clara? Was it Joshua? Was it Clara?
“She left because her mate was more important than her own son,” Joshua added, still with the anger in his tone.
The knock on the door stopped everything in the basement. Laura walked in.
“Brody dear, it’s time for your medicine.” she reminded him.
He sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t get the full truth of his origin out of Joshua. Clara’s story was the only one that Brody could understand now. Even if she was really abandoned him, he believed in her story. She did mention that she didn’t mean to leave him with Joshua. She also apologized that it was her fault he had to live this kind of lifestyle. Having a same mother with an Alpha, Brody knew his own existence could mean a threat to the current Alpha. He didn’t desire to be a part of the pack or coming into the Creighton’s family. As long as he could see his mother and knew that she was happy with her life, that was good enough for Brody to survive on his own. His mother’s happiness was more important than being a part of her family.
Brody went upstairs to his room with Laura. She made sure he at the right amount of his meds before she left his room. There was no happiness in this house. He could see that Zia was suffering too. Maybe it was Joshua’s fault that Clara decided to leave him. Brody had witnessed his personality at a firsthand. There was no love in his eyes. Joshua’s heart was as barren as the desert.
Brody picked his phone that he kept in secret. This phone was the only thing that connected him to his mother. Joshua had ruined every chance he had to reunite Brody with his mother. Now, Brody wasn’t going to let Joshua ruined another family. He’d risk himself just to see his mother happy once more.
Brody typed a simple text to her which read; Mom, I know where Jain is.