Alpha Rick
Chapter 60

Livie

The crowd quieted down. And after his members came and smothered him, joyful to see him back and safe with them, they went about their business to give him time to be with me.

My brother pulls away slowly, after the umpteenth hug. We both seemed to just want to hold each other and frankly, I was very much ok with that. He cups my face and smiles. "I'm never losing you again, understand?" He says, making me smile through joyful tears. He hugs me around my shoulders, placing his palm over my head and kissing me on top of my head. "Alarick, thank you... for all that you've done." Brandon tells Ricky as they shake hands firmly.

Ricky purses his lips, nodding in recognition. "And thank you, for taking such good care of my little sister." He says, making Ricky smile as he looks at me and winks. Ricky's beautiful blue orbs glistened. Truly, I had the best mate our goddess could have ever given me. And now, the best brother as well.

"Like I said before, King, it's my pleasure. I'd do anything for Livie and her family. She's my life." He says as I pull away from Brandon and grab Ricky's hand, kissing his lips and pressing my head against his chest as I engulf him in a tight hug. The all-too-familiar sparks of our mating bond filled me with the comfort and contentment I needed.

"I love you, Ricky." I said lovingly, hugging him tightly. I could feel him smiling as he pressed a kiss on the top of my head.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want. Your pack members as well." Ricky says as the word gets out that Brandon has arrived and his members still keep coming to greet him. Everyone surrounded him in awe, hugging him, older ladies kissing his cheeks as if they were his mom, and kids jumping to his arms and grabbing him around his legs. He was obviously a good leader, and I felt so proud of him.

I won't lie, my pack was a little scared, worried, and skeptical about my brother's pack and his arrival. I mean, who wouldn't? The thought of having rogues in their pack always meant trouble. Danger.

And here we are, having the hopes to see them stay a while with us. Most seemed to be coming around little by little in such little time. But I can't help but realize that many of them look so familiar.

They couldn't help but stand around looking everywhere I went with my brother and Ricky. They watched him with wondering eyes, unable to believe they were in the presence of the notorious rogue King himself. "You are like a celebrity here, brother," I said smiling, making him chuckle. "I'm not. I'm just... another ordinary guy, just like everyone else. I'm no one special." he says, looking down at the floor and kicking a tiny pebble.

I could tell he was blushing, not being used to the praise my pack was giving him. Dad and Brandon had hugged from our reencounter a while back, but he was eager to look around. I think Dad was doing it on purpose to give Ricky and me some time to be alone with Brandon though. He had left while winking at me.

I was at ease knowing Dad had left to explore our pack's territory with Zane and Tate. They had gotten along right away, and Zane had offered to give dad a tour of our pack.

As for Ricky, my brother and I- we have been talking nonstop.

It wasn't until now, that I realized many things. As I sat next to my brother, watching him carefully... I couldn't help but see his many scars. He was no longer the little kid I once remembered. He was a man full of scars. Scars that almost cost his life many times. I cried during my first months in this pack, knowing Ricky was out there fighting, hoping he came back alive.

It was even worse to see him return. Having to clean all that blood which was mainly from the wolves he fought, but some of his own as well. I treated his battle wounds, which always shattered me. To even think that Ricky and Brandon fought against each other many.... many times... It's so overwhelming.

"Shhh.... No...." I hear a group of girls say.

"You!" a boy says, gesturing to the girls. "No, you ask him."

"What?

"Chicken!" Another teen girl says.

I chuckled as I heard the group of our teens trying to approach us. Ricky and Brandon were completely engulfed in a conversation but paused, turning towards the group of teens. The teens gasped, freezing on the spot.

"Boys.... Ladies... it's not very polite to not greet." Ricky says, making their cheeks tint with a slight hue of red. "Good.... Good afternoon alpha Alarick. Good afternoon, Luna Livie." they say, looking at us and lowering their head slightly in respect. "Good.... Good afternoon Sir," they say, making Brandon and me chuckle slightly. "Please, call me Brandon."

"Right. Good afternoon alpha Brandon."

"No-no. Just Brandon," he says waving his hands, chuckling. "But... you are an alpha, your pack said it themselves. You're their alpha, and your aura is as strong as our alpha, so... you're an alpha, right?" the boy says, making Brandon's face fill with a bit of pain. "No, son. I'm just their leader. We don't have a pack, we're just... a group of men, women, and children who stick together, to protect each other." he says smiling with a gleam in his eyes.

By the way... to me, he's totally an alpha, and they totally are a pack.

The teens didn't know what to say. They were timid for some odd reason. "Is it true... that... you're the rogue King?" one of the girls asks.

Brandon chuckles, nodding his head as he places his hand over his left thigh. "I guess you could say that, yes," he says, making them gasp.

"I told you." the boy says.

"What? It's true. I knew it." a girl adds.

"But... alpha Ricky... everyone always says that rogues are dangerous. They're feral creatures with no manners or reason of thought." Ricky and Brandin burst out in laughter, making the girls blush in embarrassment, and earning a warning glare from me. They both stop, clearing their throats in embarrassment. "Uh, no, Tanner. That's not always true. Many do. They become violent and lose their human capabilities, but those who are strong and have a good heart will remain as any normal werewolf. I mean, you saw everyone in his pack,"

"Group." Brandon interrupts Ricky, making me roll my eyes,

"Son, a pack is important not just to give every member a safe haven, but the family and support they need among countless other reasons. Whether that pack has actual territory to rely on for safety set with homes or tents, what matters is the people they are surrounded by. Not everyone can survive without a pack. Loneliness can make the weak vulnerable to losing their sanity. But you have now seen that we should not judge a book by its cover... or in this case, you should not always believe everything that is said about a person based on what everyone else says." Ricky says, making my lips tug into a smile.

The teens stay for a while asking countless questions. Some toward Ricky, some toward Brandon and me. The more we sat with them, the more at ease they felt. All their worries and doubts about all the newcomers into our pack slowly vanished away. "Well, I'm glad our Luna finally found her brother. I hope you can stay with us for a while, Alpha Brandon." a girl says, making Brandon chuckle. Despite his protests and countless times correcting them that he wasn't an alpha, he had given up. "Thank you. I'm very warmed by your hospitality. Alpha Rick and your Luna should be proud that you guys were taught so well by your parents to be so kind." he says, making them smile brighter.

"Mi Casa Es Su Casa." one of the smallest girls says, making Brandon blush, smiling at her. "Thank you."