CHAPTER 26 - RICHARD
"I'm fine, dude. Told you already. I bumped my head into something hard and my memories are lagging a bit. But other than that, I'm fucking fine. Don't worry." I say in a firm voice, trying to convince him.
He nods, sipping his drink in silence. I'm not dense. I can see on his face that he doesn't believe me a hundred percent. He's probably just tired of bugging me about it, and that's why he's pretending to believe me.
But then, I don't honestly care if he believes me or not. I just hope he doesn't bother me anymore with his irritating questions about why I'm acting differently. I'm sick and tired of telling the same lies. He should just give it a rest.
We sip our drinks in silence, and I, for once, turn to the crowd to see what's going on. The place is filled with naked, aroused human bodies, caressing each other and fighting to get some pleasure. There's an object of excitement at the podium, I assume, 'cause the men wouldn't quit whistling in that direction. This isn't just any nightclub, by the look of it.
I think it's more like an erotic one. If only I was in the mood…but I wasn't. Not after meeting my mother today.
"Tell me something, man," I say to Ray, and turn to the bartender, signaling for another drink.
"What is it?" Ray replies gruffly. He seems cranky. He has every right to be. Still, that's not gonna stop me from quizzing him.
"Keith. What's his deal?"
"Huh?"
"What's up with Keith?" I ask more clearly. "He seems…odd."
"That's because he is," Ray replies tersely. I hate the short replies he's giving me. I need long, detailed information. That's the only way I can adapt quickly in this world.
"Why? He's one of my brothers, isn't he? Why wasn't his profile in the file you gave me today?"
"The file I gave you was just about the legitimate sons of the Alpha. Keith is illegitimate."
"What?!" I blurt out in shock. "He's illegitimate?"
"You heard me. Keith Riggo is the last son of the Alpha. And he's fucking illegitimate. So he can't vibe like the other sons do. That'll be suicide."
Now that's a huge shocker! I mean, Flair didn't mention this either. The fuck is wrong with that stupid mage?! How could she throw me into a whole new world and not fill me in on the essential details about it?!
She never said I had an illegitimate brother here. All she said was that Thor wasn't illegitimate here. So I thought she meant none of my brothers were illegitimate. But then there's one.
"Tell me about Keith. Every little detail on who his mother was and how Father got involved with her." I demand.
"His mother was a courtesan…"
"A what?!"
"A slut, goddammit!" Ray rasps.
"Yeah, I got it. I just can't believe it." Father sure is the most careless, pussy-hungry man on earth. Who fucks a slut without a condom or making sure she's on pills? Except he wanted a son with her. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Keith has a huge sign of UNWANTED on his big-ass forehead.
"Your father, the Alpha, had some truce to sign with Red Wood Pack, now known as Berlin Hills. A thousand miles from here. It was a 3-day trip and he met her. I don't know the details but it happened and Keith came about. I heard he was just a month old when his Mum brought him here and abandoned him at the packhouse. He was breastfed by the royal nannies…"
"His mother. Was she an Omega, a gamma, an Alpha's daughter…?"
"An Omega slut. How bad is that?" Ray makes a facial display of disgust.
"Real bad." I nod. I can't even imagine it. Being born by an Omega is one huge curse, but an Omega slut? Now that's worse. Poor Keith.
"Being the child of an Omega slut leaves a lasting stigma. Keith might be one of the Alpha's sons but he's not respected as such. Your brothers won't stop taunting him about his fucked up background, making him feel more miserable. I don't pity the dude. He's way too mean and a cold asshole too. I just…hate your legitimate brothers more." Ray finishes, glancing in the other direction.
I'm quiet as I try to assimilate the information I just got. In the other world, Thor is the illegitimate one, and here, it's Keith. The only difference is…Thor was loved by Father and that's why he hid him away for fear that I might kill him too. Thor didn't grow up with us either. My brothers never got to meet him in the other world. They were already long dead before I found out Thor existed. So is Keith gonna be Keith here, or is his personality gonna be like the personality of the illegitimate Thor in the other world? Is this a personality switch or just an identity switch? I don't understand. All this shit is too damn complicated.
"And before you ask," Ray turns to me with a strained expression. "Keith didn't get a dime from your grandfather's properties that were split between you and your brothers."
"Why not?"
"What do you think?" Ray questions back. It's more like a rhetorical question so I don't bother answering. "The dude is living off self-made wealth. He hasn't gotten a thing from your family."
"How rich is he?"
"Rich enough to own half of the mansions in Berlin Hills. Has a well-known art gallery and a martial art center for mostly Omega werewolves. Has lots of cars in his name. Runs a lowkey restaurant in Hemington. Won a few car races in the pack competitions and that's loads of money."
"That sounds like 'a whole lot rich' to me…"
"Yeah. But, it's just…" Ray scrunches his face, looking at both sides. I do the same, as I realize he's checking for any eavesdropper.
"Just what?" I ask.
"There are rumors that he's got some shitty business signed under a fake name. An illegal shit that keeps the cash coming. I don't know. Just rumors." Ray says in a whisper.
I sigh, going back to my drink. This parallel universe sure is a pack of mysteries waiting to be unraveled. And I got like three months to do what I came here for. So how the hell do I unravel everything in three months? Or do I just mind my fucking business, win Jane's heart, and see what happens next?
But why do I feel like I'm gonna get caught up in my brothers' mess even if I try to overlook them? Why does it feel like winning Jane's heart isn't the only thing I have to do here?
The 'whoosh' sound that follows steals my thoughts away and I'm facing the horrible reality of my clothes drenched in whiskey.
"What the fuck?!" I get down the stool, staring at the huge wet mark that runs down my shirt to my pants. "Are you fucking blind or what?!"