Family Dinner

—(Mark)—

 Once I managed to get my emotions under control, I headed back into the house after my dad. My parents had decided they would stay for the night and have dinner together as a family since it would be a while before we could do so again, likely not until next summer at least.

 I walked into my new room and saw Noah taking a nap on the bed. Part of me wanted to wake him up and move him since it was my bed, but I knew it was the wolf in me that didn't like someone else occupying my space.

 I made my way over to my duffle bag, pulled out a change of clothes, and headed into the bathroom. As I began to change, I glanced into the mirror and saw the claw mark scars that ran down my chest. I still have nightmares of that night. My alpha found me in the middle of the forest, half-dead from blood loss. I don't recall what attacked me, but James believed my only chance of survival was to receive the bite from him.

I was snapped back to reality by a light knock at the door.

"I'll be out in a second," I quickly responded.

"Mom said that the food is ready and to come join us," I heard Noah say through the door.

I quickly finished putting on my shirt and exited the bathroom, almost knocking Noah over. I stopped him from falling.

"Sorry, little man, didn't mean to run into you," I said as I straightened him out.

"It's alright. You caught me, so it's okay," he said with a small smile, reminiscent of how he used to look at me when we joked around.

We made our way to the dining table, my arm over his shoulder. The table was set with pizza since we had just arrived and there were no groceries stocked. We sat in silence and began to eat.

Mom was the first to break the silence.

"You know that we care for you, right, Markus?" There it was, "Markus," so impersonal compared to what they used to call me, "Mars." I wanted to shout that I knew they cared for me, but what I needed to hear was that they still loved me. However, I didn't want to scare Noah and ruin the fragile bridge I had just built with him. So, I took a moment to compose myself.

"I know you do, Mom. Why else would you go to all this trouble to give me a fresh start?" I replied as sincerely as I could, though my voice sounded flat and empty.

 The rest of the dinner was eaten in silence. I excused myself from the table and went to my room. A few hours later, I heard a knock at my door. I got up from my bed and opened the door to see Noah in his pajamas, asking if he could sleep with me one last time.

"Of course, you can," I said.

He shuffled into the room and got on the bed, making himself comfortable. I joined him, and he practically rolled over next to me due to my weight. Note to self: get a new bed.

I heard his breath hitch, fearing I'd snap at him. But I'd gotten better at controlling myself around him. I liked my personal space as much as the next guy, but he was my little brother, and it wasn't his fault the bed had no support.

I grabbed him and hugged him to my chest. "It's alright, go to sleep," I told him.

I could hear my parents through the door as they settled on the pull-out couch in the living room.

"He hates us," I heard my mom say in a broken voice, on the verge of tears.

My dad responded, "I don't think that's true. He's going through something no one his age should have to. We need to give him time to figure himself out, and we need to do better at showing him that we still love him."

 I tuned out the rest of the conversation. Hearing my dad say they still loved me, even if they couldn't say it to my face, gave me the confirmation I needed. My feelings had been correct; they still thought of me as their son.

I heard Noah mumble something. He had this habit of mumbling when he was anxious.

"What was that, Noah? You gotta speak up."

"I said that you know I still love you, Mars, right? Even if you scare me sometimes, I know that you won't hurt me."

I took a minute and then said, "I do, Noah," in a hoarse voice.

I tightened my hold around him and fell asleep, feeling a bit more at peace.

The night was silent except for the faint rustling of leaves outside, and the steady breathing of Noah beside me. Despite the uncertainty of my new life in Beacon Hills, for the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of hope that things might just turn out alright.