Uncle Dean closed the door to my dad’s den and then stalked toward me. “Have you lost your goddamn fucking mind, Mason?”

I frowned at him and remained silent as his annoyance with me grew. Suddenly he reached out and slapped me across my face. Blood boiled in my veins. I glared at him as I raised my hand to rub the warm spot on my face with the back of my hand.

“I seriously doubt that you could ever lead this family, Mason.”

“What? No...I can. I promise, Uncle Dean—"

“Mason! You say one thing and do another. That is not the sign of a leader.”

I closed my mouth tightly and listened rather than spout my mouth off any more than I already had tonight.

“Kyler is light years ahead of you in terms of maturity and poise. Martin is ahead of you.” He grabbed my lower jaw and tugged me closer. “And if you aren’t careful, Wesley will surpass you.”

Uncle Dean let go of me with a light shove.

“Wesley’s not even a Van Doorn,” I mumbled.

“Oh, really, Mason? Well, guess what? Your father, the head of the family, might I remind you, treats Wesley just like one of his own. Wesley is very much a Van Doorn to him, no thanks to you.”

I looked down and tried to think.

“Just remember that your birth position holds zero weight with your father. Unlike your grandfather and great-grandfather, birth order means nothing to Thom. He is of the new thinking that ‘whoever does the best job gets it’ type of shit. It doesn’t matter if you’re his firstborn.”

I refused to believe that my dad would give my position to one of my other brothers over me. I was next. I was supposed to be.

“You’re such an utter disappointment, Mason.” I looked up at him as he continued. “You want to know why Wesley is still around the family? It’s because of your inability to make him feel unwanted.”

“Uncle Dean, I’ve tried! I’ve followed your directions and made snide comments to him ever since he moved in. I’ve tried to make him feel like he’s not part of the family. But fucking Martin and Kyler like him and shit. It’s made my words have little effect—"

“Because you have failed,” he sneered.

I stared at the ground of my dad’s den trying to figure out what end was up. What could I do? What could I say?

“I thought hyping you up with tablets would help you with your task of making Wesley feel unwanted so he’d leave as soon as he turned eighteen. But you’ve even managed to fuck that up.”

“No, Uncle Dean...I’ve been taking the tablets like you’ve said.”

We both looked in the direction of the door when my dad burst in. He stared at me with his hands on his hips.

“What has gotten into you, Mason?” Dad asked.

I remained quiet and got ready for his speech.

“Our family has a handful of opportunities that are in front of us. I can’t have you running off with your own agenda.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Your display of maturity at the dinner table was appalling, Mason. It disgusted me to hear you act like a teenager.”

“It was inappropriate to act like that especially during a business dinner, Mason,” Uncle Dean added.

I stared at him and nodded to play along.

“Then that stunt you pulled outside. Fist fighting, Mason? You’re thirty-two years old. We are NOT violent,” Dad scolded. “He is your brother!”

“Yeah, Mason. And you know what kind of background Wesley has with fighting. He was forced to fight as a child. What you tried to start with him...well, it was repulsive. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Dean reprimanded.

I stared incredulously at him. Who the fuck did he think he was? He’d been doing this fucking shit for years. Always pretending to have my dad’s back and then he would change his mind when he’s not around. And every time, I was the bad guy even though I was just doing what he said.

I remained silent while Dad fed me his “I’m very disappointed in you” speech. But then he said something that made me worry that there was possibly some truth in what Dean had said earlier.

“You’re really going to have to prove to me that when the time comes, you’ll be ready to step into my role.”

“Dad, I’m ready. I’m sorry about tonight. But I’m the right son to lead this family when needed. I can make the right decisions,” I pleaded my case.

“I don’t know, Mason. After tonight, I just don’t know,” Dad said.

With my heart thudding in my chest, Uncle Dean added more gasoline to the fire.

“Mason, have you been taking the tablets?” Uncle Dean asked even though he knew the goddamn answer.

Shocked, I stared at my uncle and then looked at my dad. I wasn’t even sure how to answer this. My mind wandered to several occasions in the last ten or so years that Uncle Dean had put them in my hands and encouraged me to take them. He said it would help me not have a conscience and snap at Wesley.

“Mason!” Dad sternly said my name. I looked over to him and blinked the fogged memories away. “Are you struggling with the tablets?”

I glanced at my uncle for some help as to how to answer, but I was left standing with my dick in my hands. When he finally spoke, I realized how this looked and was going to go. Everything was collapsing around me.

“Mason, man up. If you’re taking them we can help you to stop,” Uncle Dean calmly said. “We don’t want you to suffer like Bram did.”

Why did he have to throw Uncle Bram into this? Uncle Bram got addicted to them and was so high or depressed that he killed himself. I still thought that there’s a chance another family killed him. But Dad maintained it was a suicide.

“I’ve been taking them here and there,” I admitted.

My dad nodded and asked me to be honest with him and tell him if I felt the tablets were controlling me or if I felt I needed them daily. I shook my head and told him I would be able to stop and that they weren’t an issue.

“They’re not an issue, Dad. Honestly, I’m just taking them occasionally,” I said with confidence while I looked at my uncle.

“You need to get over this shit with Wesley, son. He is your brother...he is part of the family.”

I nodded at my dad.

“I’d like for you to go to the Okura Hotel and patch things up with Shadow,” Uncle Dean added.

“What?” I blurted out.

Was he on drugs?

“I think that’s a fantastic idea, Dean,” my dad agreed. “Wesley will just be sitting and hanging out in the lobby. Go apologize to him. He’s your brother, son. A leader of this family knows when to admit that he’s wrong.”

My dad left the den, and I glared at my uncle. The smirk he had on his face made him look every bit of the asshole that he was.

“Go apologize and make daddy proud, Mason.”

As he headed out of the den, he stopped beside me and curled his hand around the nape of my neck and tugged me close.

“Remember, Wesley will never be your brother.” He gripped my neck tighter. “But if you ever want a shot at leading this family, you need to apologize and make it believable. Your father loves little Shadow...maybe more than he loves you.”

He released my neck and pushed a tablet in my hand before he left the room. I wanted to throw it across the room, or better yet, shove it down his own fucking throat. I tossed the tablet in my mouth, and my saliva was just enough to swallow it. I drove to the Okura Hotel to apologize to Wesley so it looked like I was making a conscious effort to do what’s right.

As I drove, my head was overcrowded with too many thoughts and worries. I knew that the tablets tended to make me paranoid, so it was difficult for me to decipher what was a real valid concern or cause for concern.

Did I really need to worry about my father skipping me to hand the reigns over to Kyler or Martin, or worse…Wesley? My uncle was perhaps concerned about the same thing. Technically, Dean would be next in line, and I would be the first in line of the next generation.

But, maybe Uncle Dean was trying to get me to lash out and screw things up so Dad would get pissed at me and wouldn’t turn the family over to me. Maybe it would make Dean feel better the worse I fucked up and acted out.

No.

Uncle Dean was right. Wesley was a threat, but I needed to play nice and apologize so Dad would think I was trying. I tossed the valet my keys and wandered around the lobby looking for Wesley.

After making my third pass around the large lobby, I decided to go to the crowded bar. I leaned against a small high-top table and propped my foot up on the rungs of the high-top stool. I ordered a scotch and sipped on it as my mind wandered again. I searched for the right words to say to Wesley. I really had to dig deep and make it as believable as possible.

Kyler and Martin liked Wesley. They always had. I had to admit, that when Wes came to live with us that I felt sorry for him. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

The noisy patrons at the bar were annoying to me. The effects of the tablet were starting to take place. I glanced at my watch. Right on time.

I decided to finish my drink and then scour the lobby again. As I tipped back my glass, I saw a small group of people move away from the bar. Once the crowd cleared, I saw Chloe Olsen laughing loudly and getting close to some guy. And when she peeled her face away from the guy, I almost dropped my glass.

I was staring right at Wesley.

“Holy shit,” I mumbled.