Moon Child

20. Fake Fresh Start

Bella was the one to answer the door. The corner of her mouth perked in an unsure smile as she moved aside to let me in.

"Hey Dani. Liam is in his room," she said. I smiled warmly at her.

"Thanks, Bella," I said as I shed my coat and hung it on the coat rack near the door. Lily ran up to me with the biggest smile as she hung on my arms.

"So are you Liam's new girlfriend now?" she asked excitedly. Her innocence was adorable. It made me giggle as Bella rolled her eyes and tried to pull her back a bit.  Lily protested and Bella eventually gave up.

"No, I'm not, but let's go find him," I smiled at her. She nodded before darting ahead of me up the stairs. I chuckled as I followed her. Seeing Lily made me long for the childhood I never got. I went down the hallway and to Liam's open door. Lily was sitting on Liam's bed next to him, kicking her feet absentmindedly as she looked at him. Upon my arrival, her attention veered to me.

"I found him!" she said excitedly. I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Go see if Mom needs any help with dinner," Liam said to Lily. She hopped up and raced out of the room. "Hey," he greeted me.

"Hey yourself," I replied, walking further into the room.

"So did you meet with the... Moon Goddess today? That is so weird to say out loud," he asked. I nodded as I sat next to him.

"You can just call her Aria, its fine. And yes I did. I'm exhausted," I answered. He looked at me confused.

"Why did you come here then?" he asked.

"A promise is a promise," I muttered as I curled up on my side with a yawn. "Plus, Aria dropped me off at your door so I didn't really have a choice," I added truthfully.

"You could take a nap here. I mean, if you wanted to. I could stay, or leave, or you could go to a different room if you want. Or-"

"Liam," I stopped him. This is fine, really. I can take a quick nap here," I said. As tired as I was, I would just be cranky the whole time anyway. Liam pulled off my shoes before pulling the covers back. I crawled under and rested my head on the pillow as another yawn escaped me.

"I'll let you sleep," he said softly. I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

~

I woke feeling groggy but a warm, comforting feeling spread through my body from my arm. I looked over to see Liam shaking me away gently.

"What happened?" I asked, confused.

"My mom wanted me to wake you. She made dinner and wanted to make sure you ate," he explained. I sat up and yawned as I stretched.

"Okay, I'll be right down," I said, still feeling tired. He hesitated before he left me alone. I sighed and ran my hands down my face. Resisting him would be harder to continue when he was being sweet like this. It was easier when he was an asshole. I would have to be adamant about taking this slowly. Not that I was ready to jump into his arms or anything, but this was a good start.

After freshening up a bit in the bathroom, I went down to the dining room where Liam's family was waiting. Luna Addie smiled when she saw me.

"Dani, have a seat. I made zucchini pasta," she said. I thanked her as Liam handed me a plate with food. Alpha Connor's plate was still piled high with meat, but that was to be expected. It was his nature. I ate quietly, lost in my own thoughts, as the table interacted with each other. Liam's glances didn't go unnoticed. It was like he was being extra careful not to try and scare me away.

"Do you think you'll be going back to high school at some point?" Alpha Connor asked me, pulling me into the table's conversation.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so. Aria doesn't really give me a heads up on her plans. I just kind of go along with them but I've got a lot to learn from her and I feel like we haven't even really started," I replied.

"Is she every bit as beautiful and amazing as we're told?" Bella asked excitedly. I chuckled with a shrug.

"She is very beautiful, and she knows it. She can be full of herself but it's warranted, and she means well. She doesn't really need to be... down to earth," I joked, picking my words carefully. Luna Addie caught the joke and laughed.

"It would seem so," Luna Addie said. We ate and talked and it was actually really nice. As far as family dinners go, I didn't really have many growing up, and the one I had with the Millers before ended a little awkwardly, but this was fun. It was nice. After dinner, Liam drove me home. I hesitated as we sat in the car in front of my house.

"I actually didn't hate today," I said, trying hard not to make it sound too much like a compliment.

"Good enough to nap over at my place again?" he asked jokingly, but I could hear the underlying seriousness behind his words. I chuckled before I nodded.

"Yeah, we'll see," I said. "But let's actually use texting this time. Aria dropping me off at the front door is going to get tiring really fast," I thought out loud.

"We could go out for lunch or something," he suggested. I chuckled before hopping out of his car.

"I'll see you later," I said before closing the door and going inside. I could smell the chicken and dumplings as soon as the front door closed behind me. The smell itself smelled delicious, but the thought of the chicken immediately made me nauseous. "Smells good," I said, heading for the kitchen. I figured my grandma was whipping something up.

"I thought so," Aria answered as she turned and set a bowl on the counter. I was confused. I was a little shocked that she had actually cooked.

"What is this?" I asked hesitantly. She set a spoon down before taking the pot off of the burner.

"You're not going to like this, but you need to start eating meat again. I know the 'whole chicken spell' kind of ruined it for you, but you're going to need your strength. And when your wolf comes, she's going to want meat. And if she doesn't get it from you, she'll find it on her own, and you do not want her killing anyone for it," she explained. I sighed as I stared at the steaming bowl in front of me. "Oh come on, there's barely any in there," she whined. I scrunched my nose up at the food as I tried to get myself to take a bite.

"Why did you start with chicken?" I asked, finally looking at her as I realized I couldn't bring myself to do it. She rolled her eyes as she huffed out a breath.

"Oh my god," she breathed. "Chicken is what ruined meat for you so it's best to start with it so the others will come easier. Just trust me. You're wolf is too strong to survive on a vegetarian diet. She'll get meat one way or another, and you'll want to eat it when it's cooked. I don't even have to tell you how raw meat can do a number on your stomach," she explained further. I sighed and put a little on the tip of the spoon. I hesitated before bringing it to my lips and putting it on the tip of my tongue. It wasn't even enough to swallow. I looked at Aria expectantly. I thought I would've gagged or thrown up or something, but nothing happened. I still didn't want to try pushing it.

"There, happy?" I asked. She sighed and sat next to me at the bar.

"It's a start at least," she gave up.