The first meeting between Octavius and his son had gone better than anyone could have ever hoped for. The child was content in his presence the entire time that he held him, and it wasn't until Octavius reluctantly gave control back to Brad, that his son began fussing and crying once more.
"I don't understand…what am I doing wrong?!" Brad whined as he looked towards them for support but Lexi was too busy trying not to choke on her laughter to reply.
"You're too tense Brad! How many times must I tell you?! How is it that you and Octavius are such complete opposites?! He's a complete natural at fatherhood and you…you're just…ugh!" Eleanor sighed as she took the baby back from him and almost instantly soothed his cries.
Brad scowled at her petulantly as she pointedly ignored him and asked one of the passing Omega's to prepare a bottle for him.
"We'll stick around for a few more days just to make sure that everything continues the same way." Allen said with a faint smile playing at the edges of his mouth as they watched him continue to hover uncertainly around his son.
"In the meantime though, it might be wise to arrange for a couple of Nanny's to be available for his care just so that everything doesn't fall on your mother." Lexi added with a knowing smile.
"Nonsense." Eleanor replied instantly, "That's what grandmothers are for. If I can't take care of my little man then what else am I going to fill my time with? Honestly, I've just been floating around this old place most days finding things to keep me busy. I am more than willing to sacrifice my time to see to his needs and teach my hopeless son the ins and outs of taking care of this little thing."
"And when you need to sleep?" Lexi asked in an innocent tone, "Or when there's an event to prepare for, what then? Both of you are going to have your hands full."
Eleanor snorted loudly.
"My grandson will always be the priority for me. As for party planning…well, Brad can see to hiring an events organizer or something…maybe he can take a look at the list of females that I've been patiently trying to get him to consider…" Eleanor said nonchalantly as she cast a sideways glance at her son.
"I've already told you mother, it's not going to happen." Brad grunted, "I have my hands full right now with coming to an agreement over the proposals from the Lycan King, not to mention everything else…"
"What exactly is the Lycan King proposing, if you don't mind me asking, Brad?" Lexi asked curiously, "Isn't it a little odd that he is treating with an Alpha and not the Alpha Queen and her consort?"
Brad grimaced and shot a guarded look towards Greyson.
"I assure you that these negotiations were not instigated by me. The Lycan King has been relentless in sending me proposals since I returned here, and to this day the only answer that I have given him was that I would consider his offer and let him know when I had made a decision." He explained but was interrupted by a sound from Greyson that was part scoff and part snort, accompanied by him tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling.
"The longer you make him wait for an answer, the more enthusiastic he will be in seeking one," Greyson said with a deep sigh and a knowing smile as he brought his gaze to settle on Brad's now frowning face.
"Ah, yes. I gather from your interaction with the... er... emissaries that the Lycan King sent…that they are your brothers. Which quite obviously makes you the…er…" Brad stumbled over his words awkwardly as Greyson's lips curled into an ironic smile.
"The son that continues to disappoint him."
He laughed at the uncomfortable silence that fell over the room and ran his hand through his hair.
"Don't worry, I came to terms with it long ago and I have zero intention of ever returning to his dictatorship. As I'm sure you're aware, your emissaries are also my brothers and I'm pretty sure you got a good idea of just how broken the relationship is between us all."
"It was certainly a delicate situation…" Brad offered diplomatically as Lexi guffawed loudly.
"Another understatement of the century Brad, but I'll give you points for use of diplomacy and tact in your wording at least." She quipped with a smirk.
"You could probably learn a thing or two, little miss "hold the baby"," Allen murmured quietly and then winced as Lexi's foot connected with his shin under the table.
"Bite me, big boy." she purred sweetly with a dangerous smile as Brad cleared his throat.
"I won't pry into family affairs," He said, redirecting the conversation back to Greyson, "But you clearly have some experience then of dealing with your father's methods. I've told your brothers that I really need to speak with the Queen to ensure that any treaties we agree on do not infringe in any way with any of her plans or the Enclave's long standing policies."
"Well, Barty boy is going to be taking up residence at the palace fairly soon," Lexi offered with a shrug, "He would be the best person to clear any official documentation with and help to sort out any uncertainty with…"
"Who is 'Barty-boy'?" Brad asked with a perplexed frown.
"Oh! Sorry, Bartholomew. He's one of the Senior Councilmen." Lexi clarified with a wave of her hand as Brad appeared to choke on air for a second.
"A senior…?! And you call him Barty-Boy to his face?!" He spluttered in horror as he looked between Allen and Greyson's faces disbelievingly.
"Yes. He's a total sweetheart." Lexi continued unabashedly as Eleanor struggled to hide her laughter.
"Like I said Brad…it's easier to let them talk and try not to think about the consequences…" Allen offered quietly, "I gave up on trying to reign it in, in what feels like a lifetime ago now."
"Listen, just because you guys are too stuffy to treat them like actual people…" Lexi shot him a dirty look and huffed defensively, "They all fart and shit like the rest of us!"
This seemed to be a touch too much for Bad who looked aghast at her and Allen and Greyson took this opportunity to make a swift exit.
"I think that's enough for tonight Lexi," Allen said gently, "It's clearly been an overwhelming day for us all and I think..."
"But I want to find out what the Lycan King is trying to negotiate!" Lexi hissed in irritation.
"I don't think you're going to get what you want tonight at least," Allen tried again as she scowled at him furiously.
"I'm not a child! I don't need escorting to bed like a little girl that's just been reprimanded!"
Allen placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down, dropping his voice so that only she could hear.
"This is as much for Greyson's sake, as it is for Brad's. If this conversation continues he may feel pressured to discuss the relationship with his family that he still is not comfortable talking about with us, and if it's alright with you, I'd like to end the night without any more drama."
Lexi wanted to reply, but after a few seconds of holding his gaze rebelliously, she clamped her mouth shut and decided to back down.
There was always tomorrow to find out what she needed to know.
She did her best to calm her irritation by taking a few deep breaths and turned back to Brad, smiling apologetically at him. Her elongated canines showed that she was still irate at the interruption to their conversation though, and doing her best to control it..
"Sorry for my outburst. It's been a long day and I'm letting my emotions get the better of me." She offered with a look that dared him to reply sarcastically at his own peril, "We can resume this discussion tomorrow after we've all had chance to rest well."
"I think that would be a good idea." Eleanor answered smoothly, "If you like, I can show you the nursery that I had prepared for this little man. It's not too far from your room and I have the monitors set up so that we can both take a handset to keep an eye on him."
"I'd love that Eleanor. We can see how he settles and it will allow both you and Brad to ease into the routine." Lexi replied diplomatically as they both stood and made tier way out of the dining hall without so much as a backward glance at the three males left standing awkwardly at the table.
Brad exhaled a long breath and shook his head.
"This is really our life now." He said as the three of them exchanged sympathetic looks with each other.
"Everything they tell you about being an Alpha is a lie, you know." Greyson grinned, "When it comes down to it, its our women that really run things."
"Indeed, and it's us that are left chasing behind them and trying to keep up." Allen chuckled as the three of them followed the path that Lexi and Eleanor had taken.