Chapter 193


    #Chapter 193 – Family Reunion


    “Nothing’s wrong,” Ian says, shrugging, drawing Alvin’s gaze back to him. “That was just awesome.”


    Alvin freezes for a moment and then both boys start tough. Brent crosses his arms, not joining in,


    pissed off to be under these kids’ control.


    “You have to teach me how to do that!” Ian says, jumping down from the couch and running to take


    Alvin’s hand. “Really, what do you do? Is it hard?”


    Alvin shrugs. “I don’t know – you just get really bossy –“


    Suddenly, Brent lunges forward, reaching for him, and Alvin gasps – spinning and putting his hands up.


    “STOP!” Alvin screams and – inches from him – Brent freezes in ce, loosing his bnce and falling


    to the floor. But he doesn’t move forward anymore.


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    Ian looks at Alvin again, scared and wide-eyed, and Alvin grimaces a little. “I guess…I’m still new to it. I


    can’t do it from far away, not without a megaphone, and I guess…I didn’t realize you had to hold them


    to it, once youmanded it.”


    Ian shrugs, considering. “I think you did a good job.”


    “Thanks,” Alvin says with a smile, pleased, as he moves forward to a tied-up Beta and takes a set of


    zip ties from his pocket. Then, he and Ian move over to Brent. “Hands behind your back, please,” Alvin


    says, his voice light.


    Scowling, the Betaplies, and the boys bind his hands, his feet, his legs, and his mouth.


    Then, they run from the room, determined to find their parents.


    Evelyn and Victor both turn their heads towards the stairs, hearing the pounding of feeting down


    them – but they both frown when they realize that the feet don’t sound…quite right.


    Not heavy enough.


    Evelyn gasps as she realizes what is happening just before the twinse into view, a ring of keys


    dangling from Ian’s hand.


    “Hi mom!” Alvin says, rushing over to her bars. Ian goes directly to his father’s cell, peering in at him,


    his face worried.


    “Alvin,” Evelyn says, reaching through the bars to take her son’s face in her hands. “How did you get


    down here?”


    Ian appears next to his brother. “Alvin did it,” he says, shrugging. “He learned how to do the Alpha


    command – it’s super useful – he’s going to teach me how to do it too –“


    Evelyn just shakes her head, staring at the two of them as Ian fiddles with the keys and works to find


    the right one for her lock.


    “Thank you, boys,” she says quietly, “but Alvin – you have to be careful with themand – it’s not a


    toy, and should not be used lightly –“


    Alvin frowns at his mother as Ian twists the key in the lock, smiling to hear it click. “Should I not have


    done it, mommy?” Alvin asks, worried.


    “No, baby,” Evelyn says in a rush, pulling the door open and wrapping her boy in a hug. “You did right –


    it’s just –“ she nces over at Victor’s cell. “Well talk about itter – daddy now –“


    It hasn’t passed her attention that Victor hasn’t said a word since the boys came down the steps.


    Ian nods, rushing over to his father’s cell, trying the same key. Luckily, the locks and mechanisms


    haven’t been reced in years, so the same ancient key works in Victor’s lock as well. The family spills


    inside.


    The children rush to their father, but hesitate when their mother calls to them to be careful. Instead,


    they kneel down next to him, going pale when they see the puddle of blood in which Victor lies. Evelyn


    kneels at his head.


    “Papa,” Alvin says, wrapping his hand around his father’s finger. Ian stays silent, but takes his father’s


    other hand.


    “It’s all right, boys,” Victor says, working hard to smile at them. “You did good – you did so well – I’m=


    proud of you.”


    Victor closes his eyes then, exhausted. Evelyn bites her lip, working hard to hold herself together.


    “We need to get him out of here,” she says, looking to the boys. “What’s the situation upstairs?


    Specifically – where are Joyce and my father?”


    “We tied them up,” Ian says, looking up into her eyes. “Them and four Betas, in themand room.”


    Evelyn just blinks, shocked, at her boys. “Seriously?” she asks.


    Alvin looks at her and nods in confirmation.


    “Okay,” she says. “Then, it’s done.” She looks down at Victor. “We’ll go outside right now – get Rafe –


    call a medical helicopter –“


    But Victor shakes his head, his eyes still closed. “The house,” he says, his words slow and dragging


    between his breaths. “It’s still…under siege. Enough Betas…still under Walsh’smand.”


    Evelyn frowns, trying to understand.


    “We won’t get out,” Alvin says quietly, putting the pieces together before she does. “They don’t know


    we’ve got grandpapa locked up, and they’ll grab us, and I won’t be able tomand them all to stop.”


    Victor nods, confirming that Alvin is right.


    Evelyn bites her lip, looking away from her family, trying to think. “We’ve got to find some way to end


    theirmand,” she says quietly. “To walk out of this house without protest. Or to let our Betas in.”


    Victor nods again, agreeing. Alvin and Ian look between them, waiting for a n to form.


    Evelyn closes her eyes, letting her mind race. She knows that the house is under siege, and that


    Victor’s Betas will eventually get in. But she knows that they don’t have time to wait for that. So what


    they need, now, is for her father’s Betas toy down their arms.


    Her eyes fly open.


    “Alvin,” she says, looking down at her boy. “How did you talk to all of the Betas all at once? Out on the


    field? Tomand them?”


    He blinks at her and then reaches out to tap the radio still attached to his father’s shoulder. Evelyn


    looks hard at it.


    “And the cars with the speakers on top, attached to this,” Evelyn says, thinking aloud, “they’re around


    the house? Right now?”


    Victor nods shallowly, confirming it. They’re all ringed around the house, part of the siege.


    Evelyn stares at the radio.


    It would be so easy. So easy, now, to have Alvin speak into those speakers. Tomand Walsh’s


    Betas to let them pass.


    But. She has a bigger n. A better one.


    But one that would take more time.


    Would it be worth it?


    “Victor,” she says, cing her hands on either side of his head. “What do you want me to do.”


    His eyes flutter open as he looks at her.


    “We have…” she bites her lip, hesitating to even mention it. “We have two options. We can leave right


    now, get you out. Or…we can take out my father and Joyce first. Discredit them forever. Take their pack


    now, so we never have to do this ever again.”


    Victor’s breath leaves him in a rush and he closes his eyes, thinking. Then he opens them again,


    looking at his boys.


    Thinking, clearly, about their future. About what he would do, could do, for them.


    “Do it,” he says, his voice quiet. “I can hold on…I can hold on, a little longer, Evie. Let’s end this war


    now, if we can.”


    “All right,” she says, closing her eyes and leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead.


    Then, determined, she opens her eyes and looks directly at her boys.


    “I need the two of you to be very brave,” she says. “Just for a little bit longer today.”


    They nod to her, ready to follow her to the end of the world, if need be.


    “Good,” Evelyn says sharply. “We’re going to move very, very fast. Alvin, take your father’s radio. Ian, I


    have a job for you too, as soon as we get upstairs.”


    “Upstairs?” Ian asks, confused.


    “Yes,” Evelyn says, her eyes flint and steel. “We’re going to go have onest chat with my father and


    my ex-husband.”