The morning light reflected off of the various pots and pans stacked haphazardly in the dish rack, fresh soap still present on their metal surfaces. I wince at the sight of it as I walk into the kitchen, trying to supress the desire to redo the whole chore as my OCD starts to kick in. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the mess on the kitchen sink, I wander through the open space to collect my breakfast which consisted of a variety of meats that my father had prepared on a plastic plate. Eyeing it for a few moments, I lean across the marble island bench and pull it towards me, taking a few mouthfuls of the cold, blood-soaked meal as I internally grimace at the taste. After A few more swallows of the food I push the dish away and walk over to the tap, twisting the handle and sticking my mouth into the steady stream of water to wash away the lingering meat and blood still present on my tongue. I hear a tsk from behind me.
Standing up and turning off the water, I turn to face the owner of the small noise while drying my face with the back of my hand. Leaning against the door with a serious expression was my older brother, his green eyes sharp and calculating as he surveys the room with furrowed brows. His eyes pause briefly on the soapy pile of metal as his lips twitch slightly in amusement before returning his attention to me.
“Nate, you do realise that I put water in the fridge last night. You didn’t need to practically bathe under the tap to get a drink.”, He teases as he strides towards me in two long steps, towering over my lean frame as he glances towards the grey refrigerator to make a point. Throwing him a dirty look I return to the counter where my ‘breakfast’ sat abandoned, hoisting myself onto the bench and positioning my body so that I sat facing him. The dishes sat at the corner of my eye, irritation bubbling as I try to fight the urge to rinse them properly.
“I’m guessing Seth tried to help out?”, Leon chuckles from the corner of the room, finding my internal struggle amusing as he mentions my little brother’s idea of ‘clean’. Sighing, I nod as I comb a hand through my short brown hair.
“That’s my guess as well. Next time I’ll show him how to rinse. At least he’s trying I suppose.”, I reply to him in a soft voice, a hint of affection evident in it. Leon smiles at my love for our brother before falling back into his serious mode. Crossing his arms he gazes at me sternly, the crinkle at the corner of his eye indicating that I wasn’t going to like what I was about to hear. Swinging my legs back and forth, I wait patiently for him to begin what was most likely a lecture.
“Why weren’t you present at the pack meeting this past full moon?”, he questions me in a parental tone, his posture straightening as he waits for my answer. Raising my eyebrows at his change in attitude I counter him with a question of my own.
“Why is it your concern and why are you the one confronting me about it? Isn’t this type of thing dad’s job?” My brother’s left eye twitches slightly before he regains his serious expression and pins me with a hard stare.
“Why weren’t you present at the pack meeting this past full moon?”, he repeats in a louder voice, ignoring my questions completely. I feel a stab of annoyance as I refuse to break away from Leon’s gaze, not allowing him even a drop of control in this conversation. I don’t even know why he was asking me this. I told both him and dad on multiple occasions that I wasn’t able to attend. Obviously, they hadn’t been listening at all.
“I already told you why. I had an assignment due the next day and I had to finish it.” Doubt fills his eyes as the words leave my mouth, leaving me even more annoyed. Sighing, I hop down from the white bench and turn to leave the kitchen. I was not going to have this argument with him on my weekend. As I near the door I feel a firm tug on my grey T-shirt, pulling me to a stop. I glance over my shoulder to see Leon glaring at me in frustration. I return his glare with an angry scowl of my own. I yank my sleave out of his grasp before facing him again.
“Don’t walk away from me Nathan. You don’t understand how bad it is when you ignore a meeting.” He warns me sharply, treating me as if I were a child that didn’t understand the difference between up and down. I knew full well the consequences of skipping a meeting on the full moon. However, I opted to accept punishment from my pack over being stuck in detention with Mrs Williams. She is the very definition of evil. I roll my eyes at him.
“I do understand. Hence the reason why I informed you guys about my absence beforehand. Don’t pin this on me!” I reply angrily.
“And we told you to prioritise the meeting! Even after we told you that you need to be present in every gathering, you still went and did what you wanted anyway! I don’t understand why you couldn’t just simply request for an extension.”
“You should know why I can’t do that. This is my fourth extension this semester and they were all needed because I had other pack engagements and couldn’t complete the work on time!”
“Then tell your teacher why you keep handing in your work late. Just do something that will open up your schedule.” I scoff at how he treated it as if it was that simple. Why didn’t he get that I’ve already thought this through a million times? I already knew what worked and what didn’t.
“Well, you try telling your teacher that you can’t meet the due date because of werewolf business!” I snap, his posture tensing as he pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes.
“Don’t be a smartass Nathan. You know what I meant. Why do you have to be so difficult? All you have to do is go to school to get an education, follow the pack rules and obey dad, our Alpha. You can’t keep up this attitude towards us and the pack. I know you value your time with humans and school but you still need to spend time with the pack as well, alright?”, He lets out a heavy sigh and brushes past me as he moves to leave the room, pausing briefly to add a few more words.
“I don’t want to lecture you but as the beta I need to set and example and follow dad’s orders. I understand that you don’t always agree with the rules, but we still have to follow them.” Before I could retort he left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway of the two-story house. Clenching my fists, I take a deep breath.
“I know. I’m trying, I really am.”
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