Oscar raked him with a look of utter contempt. “He said that Austin is his older half brother. He says that his father Christopher had an affair with your mother, and Austin is his little bastard.”
Austin’s brows flew up to his forehead. That was absolutely the last thing he’d expected to hear. Jason was hisbrother?God, how disgusting.
“What?” Savannah cried out in shock.
Austin looked at Cliff, who stood there, arms folded across his chest, not saying a word.
“That’s got to be a lie,” Savannah protested. “If that were the case, then Austin being the older brother…wouldn’t he be eligible to challenge Jason for the position of Alpha?”
“According to their specific pack charter, the oldest male descendent of the Alpha inherits the position unless any other male descendant chooses to challenge,” Oscar said coolly. “So Jason has no reason to pretend. But we can do DNA testing if necessary. By the way, word’s getting around that Austin has been either going crazy or seeing visions. The Seer gene is only passed down from father to son. Lloyd, as we all know, was not a Seer. But Christopher was. His talent was being able to predict stock market fluctuations – that’s why the pack is so rich.”
That was it! That was what made no sense about Cliff telling Austin that he was a Seer! Because, although there were both male and female Seers, the gene was only passed down through the father.
Which meant that Lloyd could not possibly be his father.
Austin stared at Cliff, who actually shuffled in place and dropped his gaze.
It was true.
That was why Lloyd had hated him so much. He hadn’t known the truth, of course, or he would have just ripped Austin’s throat out as a baby. But he’d sensed it on some level.
“If I were a Seer, why wouldn’t it have shown up until now?” he asked, his mind whirling.
“Most likely because you instinctively repressed it,” Oswald said. “It wouldn’t have shown up until your teens or early twenties anyway. But any male descendent of a Seer begins training from a young age, to encourage his abilities. You never had that training, but there were probably signs. Did you always have vivid nightmares?”
After growing up with parents like mine? Hell, yes.
“Don’t answer that,” Grant snapped. Grant was the pack’s lawyer. He had the pack charter memorized to the last apostrophe.
Oswald looked at Cliff. “How long have you known? How long have you violated our laws by protecting him? You convinced his father to send him to military school in case he started showing signs of being a Seer, didn’t you? You didn’t want anyone in the pack to know.”
“Excuse me,” Savannah said hotly, her eyes blazing with anger. “Why would protecting him be violating the law?”
“Who, exactly, are you?” Oswald said haughtily. “This conversation has noo— aawwwk!” Austin’s hand closed around his neck, and his face went purple.
“Stop him!” Minnie screamed, but she didn’t move a muscle to help.
“Austin. Don’t kill the Elder,” Cliff said in a mild, very unexcited tone.
Austin let go of Oswald, who staggered backwards, choking and frantically rubbing his throat.
“I’m his mate, you senile windbag,” Savannah said. “Why would Cliff be violating the law by protecting his brother?”
“Half-brother,” Oswald wheezed. “And he would be violating pack charter by protecting the bastard issue of an adulterous affair. Jessica Bronson dishonored her Alpha by cheating on him and bearing a child who was not his. The pack charter is very clear on this. If they were still alive, Lloyd would be within his rights to put them both to death. And if they managed to escape, they could never set foot on pack property again.”
“Excuse me, your pack was okay with Austin’s father cheating, but not Jessica? Why wasn’t Lloyd Bronson kicked out of the pack for cheating onhismate?” Savannah’s face was flushed with anger.
“Because the pack charter was written hundreds of years ago,” Grant said wearily.
Oswald’s gaze fixed on Austin. “His very existence is proof of the dishonor done to our Alpha. By pack charter, he is forbidden from setting foot on pack property. He is forbidden from inheriting. He is forbidden from associating with pack members.” He gave Cliff and Grant a glance loaded with meaning. “If you associate with him, you forfeit your position as Alpha,” he informed Cliff. “And like him, you would be exiled.”
Grant grimaced. He looked at Austin. “I’ll go back over the charter, but basically…what he’s saying is correct.”
“Pack charterssuck,” Savannah growled, hands on her hips. She scorched Oswald and the Elders with a look of disgust. “Austin is too good for you twat-waffles anyway.” The haughty, offended looks on their faces were priceless.
Austin slung his arms around Savannah’s shoulders. “I know you think you’ve scored some kind of big victory there, but frankly, this doesn’t change shit,” he said to Oscar. “I haven’t set paw on the pack lands in years, and you all knew I was never going to take a cent of pack money anyway.”
There was a storm of emotion swirling inside him. He’d apparently just traded one asshole dad…for another asshole dad.
