Omega's Stepbrother

by Anna Wineheart

  “Uncle Raph visits us every weekend.” Hazel shook her phone, looking between all of them. “Dad, I just got a text.”

  “Can it wait?” Wyatt winced. On second thought, maybe they should all hear it, to take off some of the pressure in his chest.

  “It’s from Uncle Raph.”

  Raph texted Hazel? Wyatt reached for his phone, hesitating. Was that why it buzzed?

  “Hang on a minute,” Dad said, his forehead furrowing. “You’ve been pregnant for how long, Wyatt? You’re only telling us now? This thing with—with Raph? What the hell were you thinking?”

  He wished he were halfway across the world, where no one knew him. “I thought you might not like to hear the news,” Wyatt said. “I’ll leave Meadowfall, if that’s easier on you. I’ll—”

  In the distance, a car rumbled. An escape? Wyatt glanced at Hazel. “Could you ask Aunt Penny to pick us up? Or Uncle Sam.”

  Hazel nodded, tapping into her phone.

  Mom squeezed his arm, her eyes reluctant. “Do you really have to leave, Wyatt? You’ve only just got here. I’ll get Dad to calm down.”

  Dad had stepped away from Wyatt, his eyes filled with confusion. Disbelief. He couldn’t accept this. And that was fine. An upstanding person like him shouldn’t have to deal with Wyatt and his transgressions.

  Further down the hill, the iron gates pulled open. A sleek black car crawled through, climbing the winding driveway.

  “Oh no,” Mom said. “Grandma’s back.”

  Wyatt’s stomach plummeted. I need to leave. “Hurry, Hazel.”

  “I’m hurrying!” she said, her little fingers flying across the screen. And the car crept ever closer, its presence a growing weight on Wyatt’s heart. Hazel was still looking at her phone. Wyatt needed to get away from the garage, get out of this place. Maybe hide in his old bedroom, where Grandma couldn’t find him.

  First Max, and now this.

  His heart thudded. He looked at his feet. And the car pulled to a stop in front of them, engine humming. Its driver stepped out, someone tall with broad shoulders.

  “Uncle Raph,” Hazel said.

  Wyatt looked up, his pulse skittering.

  Raph was standing by the car, frozen, his eyes darting between Wyatt, Mom, and Dad. There were shadows under his eyes, and his suit was rumpled, like he’d gone to sleep in it. But he was still Wyatt’s alpha, still beautiful, strong and brave, and Wyatt ached to fall into his arms. He hadn’t seen Raph in a week. Hadn’t felt safe with him for a month.

  “What’s going on?” Grandma snapped, slamming the passenger door. Wyatt jumped.

  “Raph,” Dad said, the lines on his face deepening. “Is it true? Wyatt says you’re his alpha.”

  And Wyatt felt the full weight of Grandma’s glare on him, the whites of her eyes terrifying. “What in the heavens’ name is going on? Raphael?”

  Raph’s lips thinned. He glanced between Grandma, Wyatt, and Dad, breathing in, then out.

  And Wyatt realized that this couldn’t possibly last. Not their bonding, and certainly not any peace in the family. Grandma would force Raph into a job he hated, or fire him, or sink him further into debt. All because of Wyatt.

  “Hazel,” Wyatt said quietly. “Please call Penny or Sam. Texting won’t work right now. Head into the garage and out the front door.”

  She frowned at him. “But what about you?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  She hesitated, then turned, darting into the house. And Wyatt leaned into his mom, wishing he’d made different choices. That he hadn’t slept with Raph. That he hadn’t decided to come here today. That he’d never told Raph about the baby at all.

  Raph stepped forward, meeting Wyatt’s eyes. “Wyatt is my omega,” he said. “That child is ours.”

  In front of so many people, his words sounded like a death knell.

  Grandma’s face turned ashen. She prowled forward, raising a bony finger at them. “That omega whore isn’t my grandson, Raphael. He doesn’t deserve to be part of this family. Break this off right now. I want that child aborted.”

  Wyatt tensed, his pulse thundering in his ears. He wasn’t losing his baby.

  Raph narrowed his eyes. “He’s not a whore. He’s my bondmate. We’re not aborting the child.”

  Grandma’s mouth twisted into an ugly scowl. “Don’t you dare tarnish my business and my family name, Raphael Fleming. End this, or I’ll see that you’ll never find work on this side of the country. You’ll have three months to pay that debt.”

  Three months? Raph had shown Wyatt the calculations. He had two and a half years to pay off his debt. Wyatt glanced at Raph, but Raph wasn’t looking at him.

  And that felt like a lie, somehow. Why didn’t you tell me that?

  “I’ll pay it,” Raph said.

  Grandma’s sneer grew. “You think being a chauffeur pays off your loans? And that other side job you’re doing, the research? You won’t make enough, boy. Grow up. Think about your future, instead of fooling around with your twisted whore brother.”

  “He’s not a whore,” Raph snapped, eyes narrowing.

  But Grandma’s words spun in Wyatt’s head. Chauffeur? The other side job? Raph hadn’t mentioned those. He’d disappeared, and left Wyatt when Wyatt needed him. Why didn’t you ask me for help? Do you think that little of me?

  If Raph was no longer Wyatt’s alpha, he’d be free to pay off the loan at his own pace. He wouldn’t be saddled with two children and Wyatt. He could find a more deserving omega, not an omega who was helpless, who curled up and cried in grocery stores.

  “Look, Elizabeth,” Mom said, stepping forward. Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t cast your judgment on Wyatt. He and Raph go a long ways back. They’re stepbrothers. Marriage is legal between them.”

  Grandma glanced at her, lips curling. “Are you getting smart now, Tanya? Don’t forget—you still have a loan with Alpha Associates. Half-paid. You’re starting to take my charity for granted, aren’t you? Have you gotten tired of a roof over your head?”

  Mom paled. Wyatt gulped, taking a step back. And Grandma looked hard at him. “Carry on with Raph, and I’ll make sure your restaurant closes before the end of next year.”

  Wyatt’s stomach dropped. Not the drive-in. Not when he’d spent so much time building it up, seeking comfort in Hazel and his own business, so he wouldn’t have to depend on another alpha again. He needed to keep his job, so he could feed Hazel and the new baby.

  And between Raph and Wyatt’s children... Wyatt would choose his children. Raph didn’t need him.

  He swallowed hard, stepping back. “I’ll leave,” Wyatt said. “I’ll forfeit my bond with Raph.”

  Raph’s gaze snapped to him, horror flickering through his eyes. “Wy—”

  In that moment, all Wyatt could feel was Raph’s disappointment, his shock. He couldn’t breathe. Maybe he was always going to let his alpha down, like Grandma and Max had said he would.

  Wyatt backed further, putting distance between himself and Raph. He needed an escape. Needed to hide from Grandma’s accusing eyes, and Dad’s disbelieving stare. He carried Raph’s baby. If he left Meadowfall, and no one knew who he was... that would be for the best.

  “Starting today, I’m no longer Raphael Fleming’s omega,” he said. “This severs our bond.”

  Raph paled, his eyes growing wide. In a few strides, he rounded the car door, crossing the space between them. His shoes clicked on the driveway, and his eyes... Wyatt couldn’t look away from those sea-blue eyes, their breathtaking beauty, and the pain in them.

  “Don’t go,” Raph said, stopping in front of him. He smelled like teak, like Raph.

  And the world stopped turning, when Raph cradled his face, leaning in, his mouth catching against Wyatt’s.

  Raph kissed him hard, stole his breath. Wyatt swayed on his feet. He loved Raph. And if he really wanted Raph to live a better life, he would have to step away. Return Raph his wings so he could fly.

  Wyatt flattened his hands against R
aph’s chest, and shoved. Raph broke the kiss, his chest heaving, his lips red with a sheen of damp.

  “I’m sorry,” Wyatt said, his chest squeezing tight. “This can’t happen. I’m sorry for waiting so long to say it.”

  Raph’s gaze fell to his belly. “But the baby—”

  “It’s not yours.” Wyatt looked away. “It’s—it’s someone else’s.”

  Raph looked at him, his face a mix of shock and disbelief. “You—you said it’s mine.”

  “I was lying,” Wyatt croaked, hating every word that left his mouth. “I was using you.”

  “I always knew he was a conniving little bastard,” Grandma said, her voice grating in the silence. “He knows I have a weak heart, and what does he do? He tries to give me a heart attack.”

  Wyatt ducked his head. He didn’t want to know how Raph saw him, now.

  Raph caught his hand, his grip warm, firm, like all the nights he’d held Wyatt in his sleep.

  Wyatt swallowed hard, tugging his hand away. Where was Hazel? They needed to go. Maybe he’d need to move his restaurant elsewhere, too. Start afresh so his children wouldn’t be the victims of shame.

  “I don’t understand,” Dad said to the side, his voice faint. “Where did we go wrong?”

  Wyatt strode down the driveway, looking at the shimmer of asphalt, his family’s gazes heavy on his back. He was almost to the front door when shoes clicked behind him. Raph.

  “Wy,” Raph said, snagging his hand. “Look, we can work things out.”

  “No, we can’t.” Not if Raph wanted the rest of his family intact, and his parents with a roof over their heads.

  “We’ll move. Anything.”

  “The baby isn’t yours, Raph.”

  Raph’s footsteps faltered. When Wyatt glanced at him, he found Raph’s eyes dark, the corners of his mouth turned down. He would be a terrific alpha for someone else. Wyatt could see him walking down the aisle with a faceless omega, their family smiling all around, proud of Raph, the prized son of the Fleming family.

  Raph deserved so much more than him.

  Wyatt untangled their fingers, turning away. “You can’t solve this. Don’t screw things up even more.”

  Raph flinched. “I got your text,” he said. “From earlier. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

  “You promised you’d be there for me.”

  Raph looked down, silent.

  Hazel was waiting by the front door. When she saw them, she hurried down the stairs, her forehead crinkling. “What’s wrong?”

  “Raph won’t be your dad,” Wyatt said. “I’m not marrying him.”

  Raph sucked in a breath.

  Hazel looked between them, frowning. Then a car rumbled, and the front gates swung open again. Sam’s Cadillac pulled in, roaring down the driveway. Wyatt closed his eyes, breathing out.

  “I guess this is goodbye,” he said. “I’ll have Penny return your things.”

  He strode away before he could second-guess himself, pretending he didn’t care. “Hazel! Come on, we’re leaving.”

  “Dad loves you,” Hazel said somewhere behind.

  “Tell him I love him, too,” Raph said.

  Wyatt’s heart cracked. He didn’t deserve Raph’s love.

  When Sam pulled up beside them, Wyatt had no words to explain himself. Hazel hopped into the backseat, and Sam glanced at Wyatt, his eyes knowing.

  They drove away from the Fleming mansion, Wyatt with his babies, and his heart aching for his alpha.

  27

  Wyatt

  “Why won’t Uncle Raph be my dad anymore?” Hazel asked when they paused by the front door of their apartment.

  Wyatt’s key missed the keyhole. “I decided that it... would be best for us to stop seeing him.”

  “Why?”

  Because I can only keep some of my family, and you need me more than Raph ever will. Wyatt blinked hard, shoving the key home. Then the door opened, and they were back in the safe, quiet shadows of the apartment, the space that would never hold Raph again. “Remember how Raph and I are stepbrothers?”

  Hazel nodded, pulling her shoes off.

  “Great-Grandma doesn’t approve of our relationship,” Wyatt said. “Neither does Grandpa.”

  “That’s it?” Hazel asked, turning back to him with incredulous eyes. “But the people in the movies get married anyway.”

  The reasons seemed so small when she said it like that. Wyatt sighed. He headed to his bedroom, pulling off his sweater for something that fitted his mood better. “This is real life, Hazel. We don’t always get the things we want.”

  He looked down at his swollen belly, smoothing his palm over it. The baby kicked, and Wyatt’s chest squeezed. I’ll be there for both you and Hazel, regardless.

  Hazel hopped onto his bed, kicking her legs. “But Uncle Raph visits Grandma and Grandpa, right? Will we ever see him there?”

  Wyatt paused at the closet. Would they? He didn’t know. Not when reality was just starting to sink in.

  He’d broken up with Raph. Raph had been the only alpha to really care for Wyatt, to hold him like he mattered. Raph had started playing the violin again, had talked to Hazel and asked to be her dad. He’d looked at Wyatt with those warm eyes, like he’d never seen anyone so beautiful.

  Wyatt had left Raph behind, and there’d be no more of that.

  He trembled, his heart aching.

  Was it worth it? Leaving Raph so Grandma wouldn’t shut down Wy’s Drive-In? Leaving Raph, with his mountain of debt? Gods, I’m a terrible omega.

  They’d talked about the future in bits and pieces, building a nursery for the baby. They’d talked about a wedding, and baby names, and car seats, and Raph learning to change diapers. Would Raph hate Wyatt if Wyatt never let him see the children again?

  He leaned into the side of the closet, tears trailing down his cheeks. I miss you already.

  And maybe he shouldn’t have let Raph go.

  Wyatt peered into the closet, his gaze snagging on the stack of folded T-shirts that had moved in between his sweaters and pants. He had to return these, didn’t he?

  He took the first T-shirt in the stack, the one with the Jaguar print, its cotton soft in his hands. It smelled like teak, like Raph, and Wyatt’s throat closed. He’d pack up Raph’s things tomorrow. Tonight, when Hazel was asleep, Wyatt would wallow in the piles of Raph’s clothes, pretending he still had an alpha.

  Soft footsteps padded behind him. Then Hazel’s arms wrapped around Wyatt’s belly, and she leaned into his back.

  “Did Uncle Raph make you cry, too?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “He... wasn’t very honest about some things.”

  “I told him he’s not supposed to lie to you.”

  Did you? Wyatt swallowed, reaching behind to hug her. Then why did Raph keep secrets from me? All the times Raph had said he was working overtime... he’d been juggling different jobs. He’d hidden the truth about the debt. And Wyatt didn’t know what to feel about that.

  “I don’t like it when people make you cry,” Hazel said.

  Wyatt gulped. “It’s not something you need to bother with, hon.”

  “I want to. You’re my dad.” Hazel squirmed around to his side, a tiny frown on her face. “When I grow up, I want to get even with anyone who makes you sad. Like Max.”

  Wyatt quailed. They’d get to the Max discussion some other time. “Not Raph. He... I’ll forgive him.”

  “You’re crying.” Hazel glowered. “Uncle Sam says anyone who makes you cry is bad.”

  He wiped away his tears, his heart heavy. Maybe it would be best if Hazel never wanted to see Raph again. Then they’d all move on with their lives, and Raph didn’t have to concern himself with Wyatt and his children.

  “Promise me you’ll consider other solutions before fighting,” Wyatt said. “Many times, the best alternative is to walk away.”

  She digested his words, looking at the floor. “But what if they’ve hurt you? Like Great-Grandma? She’s ev
il.”

  He had no answer to that. “We’ll save the answer for another day, okay? Let’s go to the kitchen and get you some food. What about some chicken stir-fry?”

  Hazel brightened, hugging him tight.

  With luck, things would settle, and Wyatt would learn to deal without Raph. He had Hazel, and the baby. His children had to be enough.

  Except deep down, he knew he’d found the alpha he’d always wanted, and then let him go.

  28

  Raph

  For the first three days, Raph drank.

  He drank to forget the distraught looks on his parents’ faces, the satisfied smirk his grandmother wore. He drank to forget Wyatt’s soft lips against his, the way he’d shoved Raph away, his eyes full of broken glass.

  On the fourth day, he thumbed through the messages on his phone, reading the ones from Hazel over and over.

  Dad’s in trouble, you gotta come help.

  We’re at grandma’s place.

  Dad’s crying.

  Raph paused at the last text, closing his eyes. Gods, he’d been a shitty alpha. He’d neglected his omega, had been absent when Wyatt needed help. He’d probably lost his credibility with Hazel, too, not answering her messages like that.

  Nine years ago, Raph had failed Wyatt. Now, he was doing it again.

  He groaned and pulled his pillow over his face, willing his pounding headache to go away. How do I even fix this?

  It wasn’t like working overtime had helped. Over the past month, Raph had driven himself to the ground, and barely put a dent in the loan.

  The chauffeuring had gotten him an extra thousand. The consultation service on the side, another grand. They were all minuscule drops in the bucket—nothing against a $150k debt. Far better than the $600k he’d started out with, but still.

  Six days a week, he’d woken early, stayed up late, driven to and from Meadowfall to pick his grandmother up, only to listen to her shit about omegas who were good for him. And that last ride... He’d been driving Grandma back when Hazel had texted. Raph hadn’t a chance to answer until he’d turned off the highway, and then it had been too late.