False Hope

Niss' voice woke him up calling him to get downstairs. He hurried not wanting to make them wait, still not sure how he was supposed to act around them. The last thing he wanted was to seem rude, or ungrateful. Up to this point all of them one way or the other had been too kind, ruining that would only be his fault. 

As he got downstairs, his eyes still traveling here and there, getting used to the spacious house, he noticed that none of the twins was in the kitchen where they instructed him to be. The only person there, Ren was sitting on a stool close to the marble counter, his eyes glued to his phone. 

Astor stopped by the doorframe, biting his lip as he contemplated what he should do. Maybe he had been wrong and there was another kitchen in this huge place where he should be. 

"What are you doing come in." Ren mumbled, not raising his head and Astor hastily entered the room, taking a very small step. "Sit wherever." 

He chose the seat the furthest from him, at the other end of the counter playing anxiously with his fingers staring at the ceiling as if it was the most fascinating thing he had ever witnessed. 

"So…you like your room?" Ren asked him, leaving his phone on the counter and finally looking at him. For some reason that made him feel even more awkward, gulping before he could spit out an answer. 

"Yes, it's the first time I have seen a room as big."

"Good. Are your wounds okay?"

"Yes." 

"Do you need anything else?"

"N-no, thank you." he answered. He felt a bit as if he was being interrogated. Not in a bad way and he did want to ask him a few things, start a bit of conversation but his presence was just too heavy that he felt as if he was being crushed by that look of his. "U-um…"

"What?" 

"I am sorry." Astor said and Ren furrowed his eyebrows, a deep wrinkle forming between them as he tried to understand what he was referring to.

"For what?"

"For all the problems my brother caused, for the trouble I caused and I will probably be causing you. I don't know how I could be useful but I will surely try my best to repay you and earn…."

"You will be my assistant." Ren interrupted him. Astor took a few seconds to think about what his words could mean. Assistant? In what could he be of any use? His eyes rounded, shock eminent in his face as he parted his lips.

"I can't kill people!" he exclaimed. "I…I mean I have never killed anyone before and I-I don't know if I…I am so sorry anything but that!" the werewolf told him, staring at Ren with a face full of regret. The Alpha stared at him, tilting his head to the side, Astor trying to encrypt what he was thinking but his expressions were not as obvious as his, he couldn't tell if he was angry, offended, or if he didn't care at all. 

The laugh that followed made all of the muscles in his tense body relax. Ren's eyes turned into small crescents, his smile wide as he laughed at what Astor had just said. He placed his nad on his stomach, locking eyes with the embarrassed werewolf once more, seeing how he had turned red, biting his lip and laughed again. 

"You will just fetch my coffee or print things. Sometimes maybe answer a phone call." he laughed. 

"Did I hear someone laugh?" A loud question came from the room next door. It was Niss rushing inside, her socks sliding on the polished floor as she desperately tried to catch a glimpse of Ren laughing. Even before she managed to enter though the tall man had stopped, his serious expression returning so fast, as if he had just worn a mask. 

"Damn it." She cursed, bags of takeout in her hands. Nash followed her a few seconds later, not as intrigued about what had happened as her. 

"We brought Chinese." he announced and the girl placed all the food on the counter. Steaming hot, all of the smells invaded Astor's nose. He felt his stomach groan, anticipating as his mouth filled with saliva. He could differentiate the spices, and recognize the smell of the meat, and with starving eyes he realized this was the first time he had seen so much food before him after his mother died. 

"I've never tried Chinese before." Astor told Niss who was happily passing him a pair of chopsticks. 

"Oh, a fork then." She mumbled, grabbing a fork from the drawer. Astor smiled. "How is it possible that you never had Chinese before?" she asked him.

"Do you really think that in the forest they have delivery?" Nash mocked his sister and she scoffed, brushing away his words as if he didn't hear him. 

"Doesn't matter. Astor, until the party we can do whatever you want. Go see things, and eat delicious food. 

"You're too cruel to call that a party." Nash told her, playing with his noodles. Niss stared at him threateningly, giving the intention to Astor that she was hiding something. 

"It's not a party." Ren said. 

"It's not?" Astor asked. 

"How about we let the poor guy have a proper meal before…"

"Ren bought you." Nash told him, looking right into his eyes. "Pack members cannot be bought, they have to be invited or initiated here. I am sure Niss told you you are a part of the pack but that is not true. To all of them, you will be considered as an object, something that their Alpha bought. This is a gathering to simply present his latest possession." 

Astor had been hungry before. Excited to try all the new food, stay in his lovely room, and the fact that Ren himself had told him he was going to just be a helper. Maybe he could have a better life here, no matter what they did but he was wrong. Every time he felt the tiniest bit hopeful he would instantly be proven wrong. Astor couldn't help but wonder, how much he would have to pay for these few moments of peace he felt here. Everything has a price in this life. 

"I see." the young werewolf mumbled, letting gently his fork land on the edge of the plate. 

"Wait Astor, it's not as bad as you think!" Niss exclaimed, seeing the disappointed expression on his face. "Nobody will treat you badly here, no one will hurt you I promise and I know that it might sound stupid or whatever but you know all packs have weird traditions and here they tend to like to show off, and I…I don't know how to explain it…but…"

"It's fine." Astor said. "Not getting beaten or starved is an improvement. I am used to not being seen as a human anyway. Thank you, I am not hungry anymore." he said as he stood up from his chair, and walked away. 

"Do something." he heard Niss whisper to one of them but he couldn't sit there any longer. 

He had to hurry and get away so they wouldn't see his tears.