Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 380

Karl

The sound of soft voices on the other side of the office door is the first thing that greets me. I pause for a moment outside the door, listening quietly.

“Hmm… Yes, I think that if we could just get Alpha Brown here for a brief meeting sometime next week, we should be able to resolve this issue.”

“Got it. I’ll call his secretary and set up an appointment.”

“Thank you, Marcus. Oh, and I recall Alpha Brown is fond of the game… squash. Let’s see if we can make the meeting at the local squash court.”

“That’s an excellent idea, Ethan. Maybe a little bit of friendly competition will soften his opinion toward the merger.”

“Exactly. That’s all, Marcus. Thank you.”

Before I can jump back away from the door, it swings open. I’m met with Marcus, my Beta’s face.

He splits into a grin when he sees me for the first time in what feels like forever; I haven’t exactly been around to handle my Alpha duties for a while now. At least, not in person. But I don’t know if one can really be an Alpha from afar.

“Karl!” he exclaims. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”

“I came back a little early,” I say. “Is Ethan busy?”

“Not at all, brother,” Ethan’s voice calls out from his office. “Please, come in.”

When I step into Ethan’s office, I’m met with the soft sunshine streaming in through the large circular window behind his desk. It illuminates him from behind, making him more of a silhouette against the bright light.

But as I move into the room, my eyes adjust and I can see my brother grinning at me, a pen in hand and a stack of paperwork in front of him.

“Finally,” he says as the door closes behind me. “I thought I’d never see you in person again.”

I can’t help but feel my face turn a bit red at his words. Rubbing the back of my neck bashfully, I nod. “I’m so sorry, Ethan. One moment I was agreeing to this joint-Alpha situation, and the next…”

“You’ve done plenty from afar,” Ethan says, referencing our countless video call meetings and email chains. “But it’s good to see you.”

“You as well.”

Ethan gestures for me to sit in the chair opposite his desk, and as I sink down, exhausted after a long plane ride and a long drive, I get a closer look at the files scattered all over.

Mergers, business deals, trade agreements. I’ve had my part in all of these from afar, of course, but I feel strangely disconnected.

“Sorry for the mess,” Ethan says, shuffling the papers into a neat pile. “It’s been… Well, I suppose you’re aware of all of the business dealings that our co-Alpha agreement has caused.”

“Yes. I am.” It’s true; our announcement has garnered quite the spree of attention. That’s what makes the fact that I’m genuinely considering leaving it all behind even more pitiful.

Ethan looks at me for a moment before he speaks. “So,” he says. “How was the, uh… the visit?”

There’s a brief silence between us. Ethan knows about my father now, although he didn’t know before. Our parents kept it well-hidden from all of us, or so it seems. I guess neither of us will ever know for sure, seeing as how we’re the only two left.

“It was… enlightening,” I say softly. I lean forward a bit and stare down at my lap. My leg is bouncing nervously of its own accord, and I don’t even know where to begin. All the while, Ethan listens silently, not saying a word.

Finally, once I’ve regained my composure, I straighten and meet his gaze. “He wants me to move there. To train to take his throne. And he wants Abby to come with me.”

Ethan’s eyes widen, but only a little. I think part of him already knew that this would happen, in a strange sort of way.

“Are you going to do it?” is all he says.

I swallow and blink at my brother, unsure of how to respond. “Truthfully, I… I don’t know,” I admit. “I don’t want to leave the pack behind. Especially not so soon after we worked so hard to make this whole co-Alpha situation work.”

Ethan nods slowly and tents his fingers on his lap, thinking deeply. “The timing isn’t exactly impeccable,” he says. “But, Karl, to become a king someday… Wouldn’t you want to follow the path of your ancestors?”

The path of my ancestors. Just hearing it out loud sends a shiver up my spine.

“I’ll admit something,” I say. “Being there, with my father, in the land that belongs to our family did feel right.”

“Right?” Ethan asks.

I nod. “I was telling Abby that, all my life, it felt as if there was this void inside of me. Being there seemed to fill it. I don’t know, Ethan. It was as if I finally felt… peace for the first time in my entire life.”

Ethan listens to me, and when I finish, he leans forward. “Then why not go?” he asks. “Don’t get me wrong; I want you here, beside me. You’re still my brother. But if you feel this way… Won’t you feel as if you always missed out on something bigger, something more important than we realize?”

My brother’s words hit me, but not for the first time. I’ve been having these exact same thoughts; Ethan and I have always been on the same wavelength in that regard. But…

“But what about you?” I blurt out. “Ethan, we’re all that’s left of our family. The pack is one thing, but I don’t want to leave… you.”

Ethan is silent for a moment. He’s trying to be strong, but I can see the flicker of emotion pass through his eyes. And as he stands and crosses over to the large circular window, looking out, I know he’s hiding the tears that are threatening to come.

“We’ll always be brothers,” he says softly. “No matter how close or far we are from one another, nothing could ever change that.”

His words strike me to my core. Slowly, I stand and join him in front of the window. We look out in silence at the gardens of his estate below. And down there, off in the distance, I see her: a woman in a pale blue dress, wandering through the flower garden.

Gianna.

“Ethan,” I say softly, “how are the two of you…”

“It’s a work in progress, as always,” he says quietly as he gazes down at his mate. “But I love her. And she doesn’t always like to say it out loud, but I know she loves me. Is that wrong?”

As I watch my brother gaze down at his mate below, something in me softens toward her. Despite everything, despite what she did, I can’t help but be glad for my brother that he’s found love.

And seeing him now, working so hard to make things right with her, just reminds me of my relationship with Abby.

I gently put my hand on my brother’s shoulder and give it a squeeze. “Love is about growth and change, not perfection,” I reassure him. “Trust me; I know what it’s like. For her and for you.”

Ethan slowly looks over at me, and it’s now that I can see the tears misting over in his eyes. He still looks so much like he did when we were kids; he was always crying over something. At the time, we just teased him for being the crybaby of the bunch.

But I don’t feel that way now. Now, as I look at the tears in my brother’s eyes, I can see the truth: that perhaps he’s simply the most honest out of all of us.

Without a word, I throw my arms around my brother and hold him tight. We hug there, in the warm light of the sun, and in this moment it feels as though I’ve made the right decision.

“Brother,” Ethan says when he finally pulls back, clasping my shoulder. “You know what’s best for you.”