My warm shower was absolutely perfect after the release Nathan provided. Now I’m completely relaxed but still excited for our second round. Tousling my hair with a towel again in attempt to get the last drops of water that are clinging to the strands, I head into my room.

“Nathan, are you back with the journal?” Silence greets me as I zip up a pair of jeans and grab a t-shirt from the closet. Assuming he can’t hear me from downstairs, I move toward them, calling for him as I descend.

“Hey, Nathan. Did you find it?”

Silence.

He should be back by now unless he couldn’t find what he was looking for. I look out the front window, hoping to see him on his way back across the street. An upstairs light is on as well as the light in the living room.

That’s when I notice Joseph’s ride parked out front. The noise from my shower must have blocked me from hearing his loud engine as he pulled in. Annoyed at myself for leaving Nathan in a vulnerable situation, I slip on some shoes and quickly head for the Greenly house.

The front door isn’t fully shut so I walk inside unannounced. There are muffled voices coming from upstairs, so I head up before Joseph’s voice stops me. The words are sharp but don’t seem threatening, so I listen without making my presence known.

Something about what he’s saying tells me I don’t want to interrupt...yet.

“What are you doing in here, Nathan?” There’s obvious anger in his voice, but they have both been on an emotional roller coaster where their mom is concerned.

“What’s going on, Joseph? What is this, and why is this medicine bottle filled with baby aspirin?”

Nathan’s words surprise me. What is going on?

“Why are you going through Mom’s things? You think you can just come in here and do what you want?”

“The things in this house belong to both of us, or do I need to remind you of that? The will left half of everything to me too.”

“No, you don’t need to remind me. You don’t deserve any of it. You haven’t even been around, and then you show up here and try to take what’s mine.”

Nathan blows out an exasperated sigh. “You’ve been drinking.”

“That’s none of your business either.” Joseph’s slurred words are confirmation enough that Nathan’s correct.

“What are these, Joseph?”

“You are such a fucking tease...my little omega.”

“I’m not yours, Joseph. Don’t call me that.” Nathan sounds angry, not scared. Good boy.

I swell with pride as Nathan stands up for himself, but as the situation continues to build, I quietly move up the stairs, getting closer in case I need to intervein.

“Answer me. What is going on?”

Joseph takes a moment to answer, but his words are unmistakable. “I should have been a little more careful I guess. Although, I don’t know where you found that red one. I thought I counted those…”

“More careful?” Nathan sounds as confused as I am.

I never trusted Joseph, but as he continues to speak, all the air in my lungs seems to be sucked out.

“Yeah. I forgot I was holding two of those babies in my pocket. I guess one slipped out. But that doesn’t matter, the other one did its job.”

“What the hell are you talking about. What job?”

Joseph ignores Nathan, impervious to the question being asked as he continues with the story at his own pace. “Those little aspirins helped make sure she wasn’t getting any better. The damn bitch owed me, and I couldn’t have her getting better again, could I?”

I listen in shocked silence at the realization of what Joseph is saying.

“For years, I had to play the dutiful son, taking her to doctor appointments and nursing her back to health. If only she would have just let go the first time, I could have avoided all this.”

“All of what? What did you do, Joseph?” Nathan is trying to hold it together, but the quiver in his voice is so heart wrenching, I’m not sure how much longer I can stay hidden. I ease closer, not wanted to alert Joseph or cause him to stop confessing his sins, but I can’t stay away.

“But no...you had to come along. After all these years, you had to traipse back into her life. Just when she’d lost all hope of ever seeing you again. Once you were here, she had a reason to get better. And I couldn’t have that. Not after dealing with this bullshit for the past three years.”

“Joseph, I can’t believe you would be capable...”

He scoffs, and I hear his heavy footsteps move deeper into the room. “Of killing our mother?”

“Yes.” Nathan’s voice cracks.

“She would have died on her own eventually. Honestly, it’s not like I murdered her. I put her out of her misery. It was a mercy killing, really.”

“With the red pill?”

Joseph’s laugh is more like an evil chuckle. “The doctor said the poison would only take twenty-four hours. Hell, I saved you months of playing nurse too. You should be thanking me.”

“Thanking you?” Nathan is pissed again so I exhale and lean against the railing at the stop of the stairs. “You’re a monster. You always have been.”

“You loved it, little omega.” Joseph’s voice is more of a sing-song. “You loved it then and you’re gonna love it again.”

“Mom loved you…and me. She wouldn’t want you to hurt me.” Nathan’s voice is still shaking.

Joseph’s tone becomes spiteful. “She loved herself. If she loved me, she would have been there. And we both know she didn’t give a shit about you. I laughed for a week when I heard what she said to you. She might as well have given me a written invitation to be your alpha.”

“She didn’t understand. She always had to work...to take care of us.”

“Please.” Joseph’s slurred voice raises in pitch before returning to its normal, anger filled vibrato. “That bitch didn’t take care of us. I took care of us... I took care of you.”

“You never did anything for me.”

“Oh yeah, that’s not what your sweet omega ass thought.”

“You’re disgusting.” It comes out as a whimper, and I can tell tears must be streaming down Nathan’s face.

Now, he needs me.

“I’ll show you how much you liked it.”

As I’m approaching the doorframe, Joseph’s figure vanishes into the room. I race behind him just as Nathan cries out.

“Hey,” I scream from behind Joseph and place a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn toward me. When the shimmer of the blade comes at me, I shift my weight and twist to avoid contact. The blade misses all but a small piece of flesh at my side. Pain shoots through me, but I ignore it and press forward, ducking as Joseph swings the knife at me.

Nathan screams out again. “Joseph, stop!”

“Just shut the fuck up.” Joseph turns to me, brandishing the knife again. “And how much of that did you hear, you nosey fucker?”

“Enough. Joseph, you need to give yourself up. You can’t take us both down, so it’s time to give up.”

“Watch me.” He lunges again, aiming for my stomach. I’m able to move back and to the left, so I can grab his arm and pull him forward. His momentum face plants him into the door jamb, and when he turns around, blood is spewing from his broken nose.

“You’re dead now, Dodge.” Joseph scrambles at me again, but I lunge forward and duck under the blade, grabbing him around his midsection and pushing him out of the room.

“Nathan, call Oliver.” The words are barely past my lips when Joseph hits me against my back, causing me to stumble and release him. The knife drops from his hand as we both tumble onto the floor, and it skitters across the landing toward the stairwell opening.

Joseph and I glance at each other before we both jump toward the blade. I’m unable to reach it before he grasps the hilt and begins swinging it again. I continue to move, hoping that I can find a way to unarm him again before he does serious injury.

Waving the knife around, Joseph is like a mad man. Blood is still dripping down his face and a few other bruises are beginning to show. His eyes are crazed, proving his desperation to get out of the situation he’s found himself in. His mind isn’t right and now that he has nothing else to lose, he’ll do anything to protect his secret.

Another jab comes flying at me, and as I dunk, he crosses me with a blinding hook from his left hand. The sound of bone against bone rattles my jaw as shooting pain crosses my right eye and everything becomes blurry.

I continue to dodge and duck, wishing now that I’d taken boxing in high school. A burning sensation shoots up from my left arm as he slices the blade across my skin. Blood seeps from the wound as I try to avoid his next attack.

“Oliver is on his way with backup!” Nathan’s voice distracts me as Joseph comes toward me with the knife, I step backward into nothingness. In the split second it takes me to realize I’m falling, I reach for his hand to keep from falling. Instead, I wind up pulling him with me as we tumble down the stairs.