The Luna Cure

FORTY

"and that's Isaac's room, which he's still mad came after he moved out." Max explained, opening the door to a large bedroom. All of the bedrooms he had showed us were much larger, and had the wonderful benefit of belonging to a single person.

Max had shown us all of the rooms at this point. The once four bedroom house was now seven, with the addition of two more in the guest house, which we hadn't seen yet. The stairs in the house were next to the door to the garage, by the family room in the back. They led up to the three new rooms, with my father's new office, and an odd sort of game room with a foosball table and game consoles.

My brother had also explained that even though all the boys had moved out, Mom and Dad still wanted to expand the house for times like this, when everyone was home. Especially since Max—and apparently Nolan, which I had found out on the "tour"—had found their mates, and started their own families.

Max had also let slip that Nolan's mate, Lucile, was pregnant. So there was another kid on the way. My only response to that was another oh.

Eventually, we made our way back downstairs, past the family and dining rooms, and back into the kitchen. Everyone else was gathered in there already, chatting happily. They all had glasses in front of them, filled with various alcoholic beverages.

Maggie's eyes glanced up to see us. "Oh! Can I get you guys anything? There's wine, beer, soda."

Being offered wine and beer was a new concept. It happening here made it all the stranger.

Max continued on into the kitchen, grabbing himself a beer from the fridge, setting it on the counter next to the fridge. There was a black moon on the label, and a white wolf howling below it.

Obviously, I didn't like the picture on the bottle.

He reluctantly grabbed another one and held it up by the neck. "Here, Princey." Dante rolled his eyes, but he caught the bottle when Max shoved it across the counter.

"I'm not really looking to get buzzed, Maxwell." Nevertheless, Dante twisted off the cap that's really meant to be popped off with a bottle opener, and took a quick sip.

Maggie's eyes curiously bounced between the two of us as I stood next to Dante, rather close. Admittedly, I was standing so close because I was more comfortable next to Dante than I was around my family, especially since Nolan's and Harrison's eyes were drilling into me.

Max raised his eyebrows in a challenge. "It's Christmas. You have to."

Dante let out a laugh, as I peered curiously at the bottle. "But isn't that human alcohol?" I asked quietly, staring at the stupid brown bottle. The brown eye on the wolf was practically gazing back at me, taunting me with its cartoon white coat and fluffy tail.

Still more a wolf that I was, I mentally cursed. Damn, did I hate Batilda. She had taken everything else from me, of course she'd take my wolf as well.

"No. There's some wolfsbane mixed in." Dante answered.

"Are you fine, then? No drink?" Maggie attempted. Her gaze and tone told me she was very cautious with me. It was almost a nurturing tone, inquisitive and caring but careful not to be too loud or too insistent.

"No, thank you." I replied, hating the silence that occupied the room afterwards. They were all walking on eggshells around me, weren't they? Maggie made sense because she was basically a stranger, but these were my brothers, and it was frustratingly painful.

A forced cough came from my left, and I moved my eyes to look at Harrison and Nolan sitting across the table from each other. I desperately tried to ignore the exposed sliding glass doors behind them, the very doors that led to my demise, and the obvious white and dark green scenery that lay outside. I didn't want to look at the forest, nor go anywhere near it.