(BL)Alpha Made
Chapter 59: Clearing the air

Chapter 59: Clearing the air

The balcony overlooked the downtown core proper, but also showed off how the city flowed out, like petals of a blooming flower. It was a spectacular view, especially for the conversation Andrew planned to have. The balcony was huge, flowing along the whole wall before ending at the edge of the building.

Several lounge chairs peppered the space, with a small elaborate ashtray tucked near where Maxwell’s brother was standing. He wasn’t quite next to the railing, but was close enough. Andrew wondered if this was going to go over well, or if it was going to sound like an excuse. Gods, he hoped it went well.

"I am sure since you’ve been in this world a lot longer than I have that you can probably guess that my Father is a true alpha, and not a great man." Andrew began, glancing at Maxwell’s older brother, Ben, as he inhaled from the cigarette, and exhaled slowly. He didn’t look at him, and kept his gaze on the city skyline below.

When he didn’t say anything, Andrew continued. "Maxwell is aware that I don’t like to talk about him, hell, I’ve been in denial that I’m his son for most of my life. So this sudden manifestation has really thrown a wrench into everything. I..." Andrew sighed, running his hand through his hair before looking away. This was going to a bombshell no matter how he told this. "I’m sure Max would tell you at some point, but I think it’s better if you understood it now. My ex kidnapped me and experimented on me with drugs she’d made to force me into becoming an alpha. And it worked."

The cigarette fell to the floor.

"What?" The words sounded choked and disbelieving coming out of his mouth, and Andrew gave a bitter laugh.

"It explains a bit more, doesn’t it? I was never supposed to be an alpha, let alone a true alpha. Your Father knows, but I don’t think your Mother or other brother do. I want to believe that Max didn’t tell you because he was worried about what his older brother’s would say about a guy like me, but I also think he was worried that you would try to chase me away. He seems to think that you don’t really care about him all that deeply." Andrew shook his head, laughing. "It’s obviously not true, given how you have treated me so far." Maxwell’s brother appeared to still be reeling from Andrew’s earlier words.

"They...what? Have you filed against them yet?" Andrew shook his head.

"No, and I’m not sure if I want to." Ben bent, picking up his cigarette before taking a deep inhale, the smoke billowing around him as he processed the words Andrew had spoken.

"Fuck. Why wouldn’t you? And I know Maxwell is a little...hesitant to disclose things to us. We haven’t exactly done a lot of things to inspire confidence in us on his part. It’s almost a miracle he told Father, given what he’s done in the past. But you shouldn’t worry about our relationship." Andrew’s chest stung, since his words felt like he was trying to put Andrew in his place. Andrew shoved his hands into his pockets, chuckling, rocking on his heels.

"It’s hard for me not to shove my nose where it doesn’t belong. I grew up with a single Mom, and a Dad who would show up to throw money at us like we were a problem he wanted to get rid of. It broke my Mom’s heart, but what could she do? He’d forced her to bond with him, and up until recently, I thought all alphas could bond with multiple omegas." When Ben looked at Andrew’s profile, and the calm way he spoke about his childhood, a look of horror crossed his expression before he smoothed it out. Andrew was glad to find that he was a good businessman in that regard.

"Did you not sit through the same lessons as we did in school?" His words sounded like a backhanded reproach, but Andrew didn’t take it that way. It might have just been the way he spoke. Andrew shook his head.

"I was usually quite good at remembering everything from a young age. Everyone thought I was going to become an alpha, but I was afraid to become one. I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind that if I became one, I would be taken away from my Mom. So I never remembered anything involving alphas. It also wasn’t like they were going to teach about that stuff when you’re young, and I had no true alphas in my school growing up either." Andrew tossed a grin towards Maxwell’s older brother. "I was the only one."

Andrew laughed, but it wasn’t the warm sound he had in the dining room. It was hollow. "When my score came back aggressively beta, my Father disappeared from our lives, with his cronies coming by to drop off money, or give my Mom flowers. We both knew what he was doing, but because of the bond, my Mom was bound to him. I’ve hated him for a very long time." Andrew told him, and Ben swallowed, fiddling with the almost finished cigarette in his fingers.

"Do you know who he is?" Andrew shook his head, sighing.

"I’ve avoided it. I told Max this, but I fucking hate that I know, I know that he’s powerful. I know that he’s handsome and charming. I know that he’s wealthy, and has a ton of support and that there are a lot of people who rely on him, because of all the little fucking things he did throughout my childhood. But I never wanted to know who he was. It was like, if I knew his name, and I knew what he’d done, what good he’d done, it would outweigh all the bad he’d done to my Mom." Andrew said.

Andrew’s jaw clenched, and he worked on regulating his emotions. He knew his pheromones had to be leaking out, and he didn’t want to hurt Maxwell’s brother. "She died because he didn’t visit her. The bond is what killed her."

The sharp inhale beside him told him all that he needed to know. Andrew laughed, but it was a harsh sound, filled with years of anger and resentment towards a man he shared half of his dna with.

"Holy fuck. What a piece of fucking shit." The words coming out of Maxwell’s brother’s mouth tickled something inside of Andrew and he laughed. Bending over, holding onto the railing in front of him, Andrew laughed.

"Right?" He giggled, feeling a little delirious. Ben stared at him, before he snorted.

"No wonder Max was afraid to introduce you to us. He’s worried we’d snoop." Andrew laughed.

"And he’s worried it would hurt me if you did. He’s very kind." Ben snorted.

"Kind? Dr. Knox, Max is known as a shark. If he smells a weakness, he usually finds it and uses it to ruin any competition in the field." Andrew’s smile was soft at Ben’s words. He wasn’t being rude or mean. In fact, he sounded quite proud of his younger brother.

"I have given him plenty to use against me, and he hasn’t done so. But, his little slip up earlier shows me that he did do some digging." Andrew felt like he was riding a rollercoaster with how his emotions were fluctuating so quickly. Going from pure rage to adoration in a few seconds could not have been good for his heart.

"Oh? What did he slip up on? That doesn’t sound like Max, and I didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary." Ben muttered, putting out the butt of his first cigarette and lighting another.

"I didn’t know he had looked into my ex so thoroughly. Granted, he doesn’t even like me saying her name, which is understandable. Anyone who can do that to someone they were supposed to care about is a monster, even if she also made one." Ben frowned at Andrew, puffing smoke into the sky.

"You are not a monster, Dr. Knox. Whatever that psycho did to you is insane, and I won’t ask for details, but that doesn’t make you a monster. Lots of people manifest, you just went about it a different way." Giving Andrew a sideways glance, he moved towards the railing, leaning against it. "Why are you telling me all of this?" He asked, and Andrew smiled to himself.

"Well, I thought it would be better if you heard this stuff from myself. I...have a complicated relationship with people who have money. It’s been like this because of my Father, and I know that not everyone is like him. It was actually a big deal when I took the scholarship deal, and my Mom had to nearly beat me to get me to do it. She wasn’t going to let me work a job and also go to school, since we had no plans to touch the money my father had given us. I told you this because I don’t want you to think it’s a snub. That wasn’t my intention." Andrew said, and Ben nodded, exhaling slowly.

"You must be giving Max a hard time then." Andrew winced.

"Ah, I really don’t mean to." Andrew said and Ben chuckled, shaking his head.

"No, not like that. I meant that he must be having a hard time since he can’t shower you with money and gifts. Something tells me you aren’t good at accepting them. Am I right?" Andrew winced again at the teasing tone in his voice. Andrew sighed.

"Well, I’d like to argue that could be something I inherited from my Mom." Andrew muttered, and Ben chuckled.

"No doubt she got it from her mother, and she got it from her mother, right?" He was teasing him, and Andrew wasn’t sure if this was a good or a bad thing. Grumbling, Andrew leaned against the railing next to him.

The sparkling city below them looked so small from how high up they were. Andrew wondered where his father was in all of this, for the first time since his Mom had passed.

"It’s a family trait." Andrew said, and Ben laughed.

"Alright. You’ll have to forgive me for my behaviour as well. I knew very little about you, and I did let Will’s words cloud my judgment. The rumours about you in university said you were a sleazeball, and no one wants their brother to date one of those. I had to test you." Ben’s clear eyes stared at Andrew, a slight smile on his face. Andrew relaxed. He shouldn’t have.

"That being said, you accepting my Father’s help is a completely different story. You should let him help you. It isn’t a handout, and if it helps, think of it as him finishing the scholarship he promised you. Especially if you plan to switch to the medical field. I have a feeling because you’ve manifested the way you have, the two of you are going to keep your relationship under wraps for a while." Andrew opened his mouth to protest his words, before he sighed.

"That does sound like something Max and Michael would suggest." Andrew muttered, and Ben glanced at him.

"Michael?" He asked, and Andrew nodded with a sigh.

"Dr. Smith. He went to Harvard with me as well. We were friends before I dropped off the face of the earth when my Mom passed." Ben nodded.

"I’ve only heard good things about him, which is why Max hired him." Ben hesitated for a moment. "You didn’t sound like you wanted to keep your relationship with Max private?" The pain Tracey had left ached in Andrew’s chest.

"I have...some issues about being hidden." Andrew admitted, and Ben exhaled.

"Ah." He answered, and the two stood there in silence for a moment. Ben finished his second cigarette and glanced at Andrew. "Well, I’ve heard you, and understood your words. Again, I think you should accept Father’s kindness. He’s not doing it out of pity, I promise you that. If he didn’t think you weren’t worth the investment, he wouldn’t offer it. Even if you weren’t Max’s partner. He’s a shrewd businessman." Ben offered, and it soothed a part of Andrew that he didn’t know was tense. Andrew smiled softly.

"Thank you. I’ll...think it over some more, but I won’t be as negative about it anymore." Andrew offered, and Ben chuckled.

"Stubborn, huh? Good. Max needs someone who can stand on their own. Come on, Dr. Knox. I believe they might be worried we’ve been out here so long."

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