DYLAN ||

Bennett is alive.

He's right here, standing in front of me, he's alive.

Taj's arms are wrapped around him to help balance him on his good leg, I'm assuming because he's limping on the other one and his eye... his left eye is completely white with the deepest scar starting above his eyebrow, going across his eyelid and stopping below his eye..

He looked older, so much older. How old is he now? If I'm 23, then that would make him 26, but he died 7 years ago.

He's supposed to be dead!

Dad said he felt his tether snap, he said he knew my brother was dead.

Dad said the rogues attacked him, the fell in the river and he died.

But he didn't..

He's right here..

Was dad wrong? Did he actually feel his tether snap? Did the rogues attack him?

That had to be true, he looks awful. Well not muscle wise or height wise, he looks amazing, he is a true Alpha, but as far as health goes, his leg and his eye looks awful.

Why is Taj holding onto him like that?

Gabe told me not to worry.. did he know my brother was alive this whole time??

What happened to him?

"B-Bennett?" I whisper again, out of sheer disbelief. I didn't want to believe he was standing in front of me. I didn't want to believe he's been alive this whole time, but then again I did, my brother is alive!

"It's me Dylan, I promise I'm right here."

I didn't even try to stop myself or be calm about this anymore, I rushed across the room and slammed my body into his. He stumbled backwards until his back hit the wall behind him and let out a groan at our sudden impact.

"Careful little brother, I'm not as solid as I used to be." He chuckled, while rubbing my back.

I didn't even care how stupid I looked or sounded right now, I cried so heavily into my brothers shoulder. He was right here in my arms and he was alive. The man I've looked up to my whole childhood, the man I loved more than anyone else on this planet, besides my Raiden. The man I would have given anything for just to spend a few more hours with him before he left me.

I can't believe he's right here, holding me too, rubbing my back and laughing while I cried like the big ass baby that I am. My brother is right here and he's alive.

"Dylan, I can't breathe." He whispered, despite his discomfort, he laughed.

Besides Raiden telling me that he loved me, my brothers laugh was the best thing I've heard in 7 fucking years.

I nod against his shoulder and slowly pull away, my legs felt like they would give out any second, I just couldn't believe that he's alive.

"I love you Bennett." I whisper through my tears as I hold his gaze.

I felt such a tremendous weight lift off my shoulders as I uttered the 4 words that I never got to say to him all of those years ago. The words that I so desperately wanted to say to his face and not to his empty coffin or to his picture at the annual remembrance ceremony.

I finally got to say them again and to his face. I would never forget this moment and I thank Goddess that she gave me, my everything again.

"I love you too Dylan."

With his words, I let out the heaviest sigh before smiling at my brother and with a sense of calm rolling over me, I was finally able to fully focus on on his appearance. I don't know what's he's done these last 7 years, but he looks like he's been in the worst fight of his life.

"What happened to you Bennett?" I ask, allowing my eyes to travel across his features and down the length of his body as I finally pulled away enough to actually look at him.

Taj walked towards us from his spot by the couch and slid one arm around Bennett's waist and the other around the front of his chest.

I frowned at his comfortability with my brother, especially after all the bullshit I've heard from him and Gabe. I growled protectively and went to remove his arms from my brother, but Bennett stopped me.

"Calm, Dylan."

"Why? I can't trust him." I gesture towards Taj, then look at Gabe. "Or him."

"Yes you can Dylan." I look back at my brother and bare my canines at Taj again.

"Prove it Bennett, because so far what I've seen and heard, I can't trust the wolves in this room." I chuckled at the thought of Taj telling me what he actually is. "Or should I say the feline."

"Dylan, you can trust Taj and Gabe.. everything they've done was for you. They helped get you back to us, where you belong." Bennett tells me as he wraps his arms around Taj's that we're still on his body.

I narrow my eyes at his romantic gesture.

"What. . . What is this?" I ask, pointing between the feline and my brother.

A huge part of me already knew, knew what they would say. I could see it, the way they looked into each other's eyes, the way they smiled at each other, the way Taj held onto my brother, protectively and possessively, as if to claim his territory.

It was the same way Raiden held me, the same way I held him. They way we looked at each other and the way only he could make me smile.

Then came my brothers words and all doubt and hatred for the feline went right out the window.

"Taj is my mate."

Shit..

More and more about the felines actions over the last few weeks was coming together. The fact that he hid his scent wasn't just to keep his true form a secret, but to also hide the fact that he smelled so much like my brother.

Taj said he didn't trust my pack, he didn't trust the wolves there and I shouldn't either. He said there were things about my pack that I wouldn't like once I learned of the past, but what the fuck did that even mean?

Does it have something to do with the fact that my brother is here? The fact that he's alive?

The fact that my dad lied....

"Bennett, what happened to you?" The tone in my voice was rough, not because I was upset, but because I was scared of what the answer would be.

"That's a long story." Taj says.

"And one you may not like." Bennett tells me.

"Trust me, when you hear the truth, your life will change as much as mine has." Gabe says.

I look between the 3 men, desperately trying to find some sort of comfort in their eyes, but I found nothing. So I turn my attention the only man in the room that's remained silent, the man on the couch, who's never taking his eyes off me. Not even once.

I continued to stare at him, he smiled softly at me and I couldn't help but return it, even though I was confused as all shit. I look away from his gaze and turn my attention back to my brother, bracing myself for what he would say.

"Tell me."

Bennett looks at Taj, who nods for him to start his explanation. My brother blows out a breath then nods to himself before looking back at me.

"You were 16 and I was 19 when it happened, when what I thought was the rogues attacking." He pauses to close his eyes, taking another deep breath before opening them. "Our pack thought it was the rogues attacking 7 years ago, but what I've come to learn is that was never the case."

"I'm sure Gabe and Taj explained to you that it was never rogues attacking our pack, it was the wolves of the Shadow pack."

I nod in remembrance.

"Well that day, the warriors, the alpha, the beta and myself went out to battle, ready to kill any rogues that had caused damage to the pack... this was the worst rogue attack our pack had ever seen, so we all fought together, destroying every wolf we thought was a threat. The Alpha and Beta got separated from the rest of us and called me for help." He took a deep breath. "They were by the river."

The Alpha and Beta? Why is Bennett referring to our dad and uncle as "the alpha" and "the Beta" why won't he just say dad and uncle Jake?

"I answered the pack link and called out to them, they said they needed help and there were too many rogues by the river, they were there by themselves." He paused again, his jaw clenched. "So I went to help because our alpha and beta needed it and besides them, I was the strongest wolf in the pack."

My heart starts pounding in my chest so hard, I thought I would get lightheaded.

"When I got to the river, I seen no rogues." He shakes his head. "The only wolves I seen were our alpha and beta." My brother tightens his grip on his mate.

Taj peeks his cheek and nods for Bennett to continue as tears brim my brothers eyes.

"They attacked me."

I flinched at his words.

No... that can't be true! That can't be true! It's not fucking true! Why would our dad and uncle attack him? Why would they hurt him? No that's not true..

"Bennett, that's not-" I breath out before Taj roars, completely cutting me off.

"IT IS TRUE!"

My entire body stiffens under his aura, it was domineering and aggressive, full of such hatred for the wolves and the day that Bennett was trying so hard to explain.

"One more word of nonsense towards my mate and I won't hesitate in-" Taj tries to threaten me, but Bennett grabbed his face and kissed him, leaving his words of sheer anger in a pile of mush as he melted into his mate.

Once Bennett pulled away, he stared into Taj's eyes and held his gaze until the feline gave in, nodding in understanding.

"I apologize Dylan, this is a sore subject for me, but I shouldn't have lost my temper, so I'm sorry."

The moment he drops his aura, I let out a heavy sigh and nod, accepting his apology.

"It's true little brother, they attacked me... I didn't understand why, I didn't know why they would lie to me, I was confused." He smiled softly before frowning. "The worst of the damage was the left side of my face, one wolf bit down onto my head, while the other ripped my leg to shreds."

"Ares fought as hard as he could before he took too much damage and was forced to shift back... when my form laid before their wolves, they shifted as well and threw me in the river."

My heart dropped..

I didn't want to believe what my brother was telling me, but it made sense. His injuries, the fact that my dad was the only one that knew what happened that day with Bennett, what he didn't tell me though, was that uncle Jake was there too.

I'm hurt...

"I don't know how long I was actually in the river, but at some point, I drifted to the edge and my body was halfway on land." My brother looked at his mate again. "Taj found me 4 days later."

"I was on my solitary journey, I had been for 3 years at that point, when my leopard, Bane, stumbled across Bennett's body.... He did all he could to heal him once we figured out he was our mate, we stayed with him for another 3 days because he wasn't strong enough to move." Taj explains, never taking his eyes off my brother.

"After those last 3 days, another wolf showed up claiming to want to help Bennett." Taj says looking at the man on the couch.

I follow his gaze and look at the mystery man again, his cheeks were stained with tears as he stared at Bennett.

"Liam.." Bennett nods towards the mystery man. "He found me and Taj at the edge of the river after that and was desperate to help us, I didn't know why and Taj fought him because Liam was trying to touch me, even if it was to help, Taj was on edge." Bennett says with a smile.

"And rightfully so." Taj argues back, my brother nods.

"Liam explained why he wanted to help us and what his intentions were, but of course Taj didn't believe him and Liam asked him to command him for the truth, which Taj did happily and the words came out the same... Liam was there to help."

I looked back at the man I know now as Liam.

"He brought us back here, to the shadow pack, a pack that he's built on his own after being forced to go rogue and everything was taken from him 23 years ago."

He was a rogue? Wait... was he always a rogue?

Everything was taken from him...

What was taken?

It had to have been something very important that he wanted revenge on my pack, but what?? What was taken??

"Once Liam brought us back to his pack, I learned of my injuries. My hearing in my left ear is completely gone, as is the sight in my left eye... my leg had permanent damage due to not getting medical attention fast enough, so now I walk a little different." Bennett explains, my eyes travel back down to his right leg, that he wasn't placing slot of weight on.

It made complete sense as to why Taj was holding him upright now.

"After learning about my injuries, Liam explained everything else and I learned the attacks on our pack were never random, the wolves were never rogues and I learned why he did what he did.. Why he wanted revenge."

I look back at Liam, who was never staring at me with the same tear stained cheeks, but even through his severe emotion, he smiles at me.

My heart starts pounding even harder.

"Dylan."

I look back at Bennett.

CONFUSION.

I watch as Taj, my brother and Gabe make their way to stand by Liam's side.

SHOCK.

"Some people would do anything to keep a secret.

FEAR.

"Liam is our father."

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