Born to be Sacrificed to the Alpha

Chapter 4

Austin sits in his vehicle on the side of the road staring wistfully out at the trees. He doesn’t want to go home just yet.

He is treated as royalty within the pack house, but he isn’t going to the pack house today. He is going to the alpha house to see his parents. While he is treated well everywhere he goes, within his parents house there is a certain disconnect there. He used to not mind so much when his elder brothers were there, but now with one finding his mate on the other side of the world and staying there, dropping all contact with the family and one brother in college over the other side of the country, who only sends one simple email a month and says that he is too busy for visitors or even a phonecall.

Of Austin’s younger brothers, the oldest is four years younger, so there is a certain separation there. Austin was closest with his second eldest brother. They are very close in age and very close in general, so Austin was surprised when Cody suddenly packed up and moved to school the day after his eighteenth birthday without a goodbye. Austin never even got to wish him a happy birthday.

Home doesn’t really feel like a home.

He usually resists going home, but not to the point that he stops the car. Today his mind is flooded with images of Harlow’s lips.

“Get a grip Austin”

Austin chastises himself before starting the car once more and continuing his drive. As he enters the house, his five younger brothers come running over excitedly. Sometimes he feels like the parent more than the brother.

His brothers will come to him with their problems, they will come for sleepovers and request his presence for even such things as parent-teacher interviews or family days. Austin never minds any of those tasks and takes it upon himself to take them under his wing and make sure they eat right and train well. His elder brothers used to share the task with him. Now it is on him alone. He often wonders if that is the task that drove his brothers to escape and cut off almost all contact.

It seems unlikely as his brothers love the family as much as he does. Being in a parent role to younger siblings is hard work, but he still enjoys it.

Austin looks at his brothers smiling faces. It makes the extra responsibility worth it. He speaks gently to them. The next in line Noah and there is a whole three years between Austin and Noah.

“What do you need today?”

“Help with my homework”

“Help with girls”

“Help with my special move”

“Help with my game”

“Hugs”

All of them answered at once, the varying ages garner a varying responses. Austin laughs as he rubs their heads one by one. The youngest is only three.

“Well, this week it is youngest to oldest”

Austin's youngest brother is only just walking, so Austin walks forward and scoops the small boy into his arms. One of the only words his youngest brother knows is hugs.

Austin covers any other tasks that his brothers need, but he only steps foot in the alpha house once a week. He reaches out and picks up the youngest, embracing him tightly.

“Austin, join me in the study now”

Alpha Preston's gruff and uncaring voice barks from the study. Austin places his brother back on his feet and kisses him on the top of the head before patting the rest of his brother's heads and throwing them a half smile before walking towards the study. He tries to make light of his parents lack of affection and he tries to cover up his brother's lack of parental attention, but it is not that they're cold to just Austin, they are cold to each and every one of them. They're closed off and cold. He cannot understand the reason for having so many kids if they are seemingly uninterested. Have they never heard of contraceptives? While he loves his brother's dearly, growing up without a parent's affections is a hard thing and the amount of siblings he has is just astronomical.

One for a heir, maybe one is an accident, but eight sons is beyond belief. Are they waiting to have a girl that they can shower love on?

Austin walks towards the study. The door is left open but he still knocks lightly on the open door. The door is rarely open and it is rarely a place for a casual chat, most commonly used for listing out all the children's wrongdoings and reprimanding them.

Preston nods at his son to grant him access. He looks at his son. Austin is one of the more exceptional of his sons. Austin probably had a good chance of making it through but the stuff up with communication with the Bailey family pretty much signed Austin’s death warrant.

How is a man that is getting his wolf on the same day meant to handle him? It is an impossible task as it is and there is no one capable of it except for the Bailey family.

Austin looks at his father, who looks very similar to himself. All of the sons of the sapphire pack look uncannily similar. If it wasn't for the varying ages, an outsider would think that they're identical twins, all have the same hazel eyes with brown hair, all of them with the same striking and chiseled features.

The difference between him and his father is the fact that Austin will have a gentle look in his eyes or a slight smile on his face, whereas Preston will never have a look like that. There is a constant hard look on his face and Austin has never, in his nearly eighteen years of life, seen his father smile. At the birth of a new child, stony-face. At any achievements of his children or even the pack, stony-face. Austin has even seen photos of his parents wedding, same old stony-face.

Austin is not sure whether that face is even capable of drawing a smile.

"Yes father?"

"Austin, come in and sit down"

Austin moves slowly forward with a quirked eyebrow. It is about the gentlest his father has ever spoken to him. He is quick to compose himself and walks in to sit down. What is it today, the day of oddities? He has heard more words out of Harlow than he ever thought he would in his life and seen part of her face and now his father is actually speaking to him as an equal? Something is definitely up.

“Austin, it is nearly two weeks until your eighteenth birthday"

Austin is not quite sure what to reply to the obvious fact. They don't have parties or celebrate the numerous son's birthdays within the sapphire pack. Neither has his parents acknowledged any other of his birthdays. Austin never forgets his own birthday or any of his brothers, he just assumed his parents forgot his, so for Preston to inform him like that is another unexpected thing to chalk up to his strange day.

"It is"

"In preparation for your first shift, you will be training with a member of the Bailey family"

Austin has only heard a few things about the Bailey family. They are incredibly well known but there is little to no information about them. He studies his father. Wondering why, with two weeks to go, would he randomly start training with a member of an elite enforcer team?

Even though his Dad seems rather hospitable today, he is still not silly enough to question his father's order.

Austin likes training, so isn't about to turn down something like that.

"When will I start?"

"You'll be starting on the weekend, so in two days time"

“Okay”

“I will give you directions on Saturday morning. Pack a bag as you will live there for now”

Preston pauses and looks at his desk, a long claw extending and cutting lightly into the timber, into a groove that is very well worn and can be seen that this process has repeated many times before.

Preston sighs slowly before his eyes move back up to rest on Austin's, the hazel depths flicker with something so quickly that Austin doesn't even have a chance to understand it before it disappears.

“Try your hardest during training Austin”

Austin nods, he always tries his hardest at any and every training. He will definitely try his best when he gets a chance to train with one of the Bailey family. Austin can’t help but think that his dad is being really weird, this is the most he has heard his father speak in a civil tone.

“I will”

“Just try your best. Let him guide you through and you will be fine"

"Sure dad"

"Your trainer will be Harlow Bailey. I've heard really good things"

Austin's mouth drops open and his hand grips his thigh in shock. Preston eyes him curiously.

"What is the problem?"

"Nothing Dad"

"I have heard that Harlow is one of the best that the Bailey family has to offer. He will be able to guide you well"

Austin nods as his grip on his leg releases. He thought too much, but of all the coincidences in the world.

While he has never seen Harlow in her entirety. She is definitely a she. Maybe he is just a bit too sensitive to the name Harlow now.

"Okay Dad. I will learn what I can from him"

"Good Austin, that is good. I won't have a chance to see you again before your birthday, so….. good luck"

Preston pauses as his one hand of claws extends and he taps the desktop in a seemingly impatient manner, but there is a conflicted look on his face.

"Umm goodbye Austin, and if you have a chance, go up and say goodbye to your mother"

"Okay, I will dad, bye I guess"

Today is just getting weirder and weirder. What is with the strange sentiments and his father's somewhat reluctant demeanour, he called him in here to say goodbye. That is really strange.

Austin walks out of the study thoroughly perplexed. He walks up to his mother's room. She spends most of her time just in her room, rarely coming out at all. He knocks on the door quietly.

The door opens and his mother's face appears.

"Yes?"

"Dad said to come here and say goodbye"

Austin’s mother only briefly glances at his face before looking at the wall behind him, her hand resting on her slightly enlarged stomach. Austin’s eyes drop to it. He hadn’t even heard news that they were expecting again, he thinks it may be time for his father to get the snip. Are they trying to populate the whole world with Mitchell’s?

"Oh he shouldn't have done that"

His mother's perfunctory reply with her emotionless eyes let him know that everything is still right in the world. This is her usual attitude.

"Okay, well anyway, goodbye Mum"

Austin is only lukewarm to her, he has tried to be an affectionate son, but sometimes some people are just not receptive and he can’t force his love upon her. He has his brothers. That is the only family he needs. He doesn’t offer congratulations on the new baby because unfit parents don't, in his opinion, deserve a pat on the back once they unleash another child on the world that they have no interest in.

"Yep, goodbye Austin"

His mother's flat voice replies as she flicks her wrist casually as a wave and the door is shut promptly in his face.

Yep, that is normal, he is still unsure of why his father would request him to do that. Is it meant to make him feel something? Both parties got no enjoyment out of the exchange. It was just another lesson in a failed mother-son relationship.

Austin spends the rest of his evening chatting and playing with his brothers trying to get the strange thoughts out of his head, half about his parents and half about the strange girl at school, the one that refuses to exit his thoughts, the one with the sharp tongue and beautiful lips.

Harlow.