I instantly shot a panicked look to Alana, who was sitting diagonally across from me, but she was staring off in space ahead of her, not even noticing my distress. Lilo on the other hand smiled widely at me with her thumbs up as she nodded her head at her mother. If that was supposed to reassure me. It didn't.
"I'm glad to see everyone's arrived safely." Luna Nyla addressed the table.
I exhaled in relief. Her attention was no longer on me and I didn't even have to speak.
"Skip the pleasantries, Mother," Marcel said, reaching out for the food, but Maiko swiftly slapped his hand down.
"Mind your manners, idiot." Maiko scolded him. "Even a child is more respectable than you."
"Food," Marcel rasped like a fish out of water, completely disregarding everything his brother just said.
"We will eat soon," Luna Nyla assured him with a pointed look," But first I would like to properly welcome our guest now that everyone is finally here."
"If you must," he grumbled under his breath.
"It's unfortunate we meet in a circumstance like this. However, I hope you find yourself at home whether you are our closest ally." She smiled towards those most unfamiliar to me. Her gaze shifted towards me and a ball of anxiety tumbled in my stomach as she stopped speaking.
I sucked in a breath as she paused, anticipating what she would say next.
"Or an unexpected gift." She finished, softly.
I blinked. Had I heard her correctly?
A gift?
She....she couldn't be talking about me, right?
My heart clenched almost painfully at her words and when I looked up, I found her warm, comforting eyes. They reminded me of my mom's whenever I needed her most.
"Let's eat, shall we." She piped up and gestured to the array of platters in front of us. "I wasn't sure of your preferences, so I requested a bit of everything be prepared. I hope you're able to find something to your liking."
I broke free from the daze I was locked in as everyone began to pass around the food and dump it on their plates.
Everyone but me that was.
I had no idea how to move or where to start. The amount of choices were overwhelming and I didn't know what half of it was. There was some fresh bread that reminded me of what I normally ate to keep myself afloat, but it passed around so quickly and I couldn't find the strength in my voice to ask for it.
I decided I would just wait until everyone had gotten what they wanted and eat whatever was left. Just as I had always done. I could hold off a little longer. My stomach rumbled while I sat patiently and I placed a hand on top of it in an attempt to muffle the sounds, but it just roared beneath my fingertips.
"You should eat."
Alana stared at me from across the table with her mouth set in a straight line.
"All of you," she said, flickering her eyes to my younger siblings.
I looked to my right and realized my siblings also sat with empty plates, watching everyone else with their arms glued to their sides.
"I heard you two didn't eat yesterday, either. Do you want your body to feed off of itself until you hallucinate and die?" Alana tilted her head sideways.
I hope Alana doesn't plan on having children anytime soon.
Karter's face bunched up and Alana returned her neck to its normal position.
"No? That's what I thought."
The pair looked at me hesitantly and I nodded at them, letting them know it was okay. Something I should be telling myself as well. They were relying on me for guidance though and I couldn't reveal to them that I felt the exact way they did.
Rae cautiously went for something towards the middle of the table in a small act of confidence, but her hand was suddenly pushed away when Maiko reached for the same thing. She jumped and quickly snatched her hand back to her side.
"I'm sorry." She said quickly and bowed her head.
To my surprise, Maiko's eyes softened and he lifted up a spoon filled with mashed potatoes.
"Would you like some?" He spoke gently, like he was afraid he'd scare her.
She timidly lifted her head and glanced at me with worried eyes. I nudged her with a small grin and she seemed to relax a little bit.
"Yes, please." She said with a shy smile.
I watched as he piled food on her plate for her, asking her of each thing she might want. Then, he turned and did the same thing for Karter. I was baffled. It was like he was a whole different person.
"Why aren't you this nice to me?" I narrowed my eyes at him when he finished helping Karter.
"Because you're ugly." He snapped, returning quickly to his old grumpy self.
Lilo studied him intently and they appeared to have a silent conversation before she rolled her eyes and brought her attention back to me.
"Ignore him. He's permanently got a log shoved up his as-" Her words stretched as she glanced at the children present. "Butt."
"You were about to say a bad word." The little boy frowned at her.
"No, I wasn't, sweetheart."
"Yes, you were and I'm not your sweetheart." He snapped.
Wow, this turned around fast.
"Noi! It's not nice to talk to girls like that. Especially those who've been so nice to us."
"That's a girl?" Noi exclaimed.
"Noi!" She scolded him again.
"I'm just kidding, mommy. I'm sorry."
Lilo gave him a look like she didn't believe him.
"I'll help you Mari! What do you want?" Lilo questioned me.
"It's okay, I'll just-"
"How about lobster tail?"
"Um, I don't really-"
"No! It's the last one," Marcel protested.
"You don't get anymore. You've already inhaled half the table. She hasn't eaten at all."
"Really, it's fi-"
"Who are you to dictate how much I can eat? You're not the food police."
"What is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with you?"
"I told Mom not to have another kid."
"You couldn't even speak then."
My eyes flickered between the two. At least this wasn't about me anymore. I sucked in a breath and scanned over all the delicious options. Just help yourself, Mari. It's not that hard.
My hand felt weighted down, like a heavy anchor by my side.
"May I suggest something?" Luna Nyla suddenly said, jumpstarting my heart once again. "I think you'll find it comforting."
"Yes, please." I answered, bowing my head out of respect.
She smiled gently at me and reached for a bowl I hadn't even noticed was next to my plate. It's hard to notice anything when you're seconds from having a nervous breakdown.
She filled it to the brim with what looked to be hot soup. The sweet savory aroma drifting in my nose made my mouth water before she even sat it down. It smelled familiar somehow.
I hesitantly dipped my spoon into the dark broth and brought it to my lips. I closed my eyes as the soup dropped on my tongue. Immediately, my eyes began to water, but I pushed them away. This was a good thing, wasn't it?
"I prepared it myself. It's not perfect but I did my best to reciprocate it. Your mother always prepares it for my children. They fell in love with it the moment they tried it." Her voice sounded like it was coming from underwater as she spoke to me.
I took another spoonful, but each bite felt so painful. My mother only made it for us on special occasions and when she did, she had to ask for permission since she wasn't allowed to use the pack's food and we didn't have the money nor the space to have our own. It was a recipe that was passed down from generations and the little piece of her prior life she was able to keep after she mated with my father.
Why is she doing this? How?
"I want to make up for lost time, Marielle."
Lost time? What did she mean? Her words weren't making any sense, especially now.
Suddenly, the table shook and the sound of clinking dishes filled the room. The purple haired girl pushed her chair back and stood to her feet. I instantly dropped my spoon when I realized she was glaring at me. Why? I couldn't tell you.
Maybe it was Rowen's jacket that helped me feel just a little less lonely or I was getting used to the hostile attitudes I'd been receiving, but for the first time, her cold eyes didn't scare me.
"Oh, sit down, Ione." Alana rolled her eyes.
"No! Why should I have to sit here and endure this?" Ione exclaimed.
Endure what exactly? Did she want some soup, too?
She was clearly distraught and considering she was still looking at me, perhaps I was the cause? Except, I wasn't sure what I did. There was a high chance she just despised floater wolves like everyone else, but why did she only look at me like that?
"I know you're upset about Helios, but this is not the time," Luna Nyla warned her.
So, this was about him. How did he connect with me? We were best friends, but nothing more than that and he never mentioned anyone having a problem with our relationship.
Then again, there were a lot of things he failed to mention.
"She ruined us, what makes you think she won't ruin your son, too."
What was she talking about? I had never seen her before in my life. Nor would I ever do anything to hurt Rowen.
"She's not the reason he rejected you. If you haven't realized that yet, you're clearly just stupid." Maiko chuckled.
Helios rejected her? Did that mean the two of them were...mates.
I furrowed my eyebrows. Helios had a lot of explaining to do. Although, that wasn't the only thing that took me off guard.
Was Maiko actually defending me?
Ione laughed dryly.
"I'm not the idiot here."
"Enough." Luna Nyla commanded. "I have offered you refuge under the request of a dear friend of mine and I intend to keep it. However, I will not allow you to disrespect another member in this house no matter how you feel about them. Am I clear?"
She huffed and stormed out the room.
Guess not.
A laugh echoed across the now silent dining room.
"Glad she's gone." The white haired girl said, tossing a cucumber in her mouth.