Page 36 of A Chance at Redemption for the Alpha

“And you?” I ask him curiously.

“I am the second,” he says. “Dear Aloysius is the firstborn. And that traitor there is number thirteen, the youngest.”

Durant looks flustered. “I am here now.”

“Barely enough,” Silas mutters. “If it weren’t for your help, Aloysius wouldn’t have bested me that easily. He can’t kill me, but he definitely made sure to hurt me as much as possible.

Durant looks crestfallen but doesn’t say anything.

“What’s that about the no-killing part?” I ask Marcellus, my curiosity beating my anxiety for once.

“The siblings can’t kill each other,” Marcellus says. “It’s an oath they swore.”

“The oath is binding us to this promise,” Silas adds.

“For better or worse,” Alexander adds. “My actual name is Alexandrius, by the way, but I adapted it. Feel free to call me Alex.”

Silas gestures towards us. “These are Benjamin, whom I am mentoring, and the alpha of the pack, Marcellus.”

“Oh!” Alex’s head perks up, and he eyes Marcellus curiously. “Finally, I see you in person. It was about time. Technically, you are family.”

“Shut up,” Silas huffs, his cheeks flushing lightly.

“Oh, you are a thing?” Durant asks. “Did you finally choose a beloved?”

“That’s none of your business. The last time I was close to choosing one, he conspired with you against me, in case you don’t remember.”

“For what it’s worth, he thought he was protecting you,” Durant mutters.

“For what it’s worth, he helped strip me of my rank and got almost everyone killed who sided with me.”

“I know,” Durant says quietly. “Listen, I know I am not your favorite person. Once you left, Aloysius went crazy in his rush for power.”

“Took you long enough to notice,” Alex mutters before looking at Silas. “But Durant is right, we are here for a reason. Actually, he did help me a lot; I have to give him that.”

“How about something to drink?” Marcellus offers. “Let’s sit down and have a talk.”

“It’s midnight,” Alex points out.

“Well, we are all awake anyway.”

The three vampires exchange some gazes and nod. While Marcellus and I go to fetch some wine and glasses, Marcellus rests his hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you are feeling well?” he asks me.

“I am better now,” I say, for once not lying through my teeth. The pain has subsided, and I feel more like myself again. The two visitors managed to chase my demons away for a moment, making me able to put my issues with my mate aside. “I am not sure if I completely followed what just happened,” I add.

“You are not the only one,” he mutters. “Silas’s family story is complicated.”

“He had a fallout with his older brother?”

“Yes, they led one of the most prestigious covens together. As the two oldest of their family, they had the most power. From what I know, Aloysius-”

“That’s the older brother?”

“Yes. Aloysius always had a short fuse, while Silas was more the voice of reason. Over the centuries, Aloysius’s views turned more extreme. Well, you caught all that bullshit about his bloodline and only wanting a worthy heir. That’s when he went as far as to hunt down his previous affairs. He wanted to kill any child of his that he didn’t deem worthy. Silas couldn’t stand by him anymore and summoned some of his allies around him to take Aloysius down.”

“But he was betrayed,” I add quietly.

“Yes. Back then, he had a partner, someone he wanted to make his beloved, but he betrayed him and told Aloysius about Silas’s plans. Aloysius killed everyone who conspired against him. This led to Silas and the remainder of his allies fleeing.”