The Luna's Alpha (MxM) (Ongoing)

Chapter 7

Brayden

"Alright, who's ready to eat?" I ask with a smile on my face entering the dining room. Looking around, it seems that everyone has already found their seat, and from the tapping feet and huffing, it was obvious hunger was making everyone impatient.

Despite the annoyance radiating from the varying growling stomachs, I try to keep my expression positive. As I walk around the table, the corners of my mouth feel slightly pinched as I try to hide my parental worry for Marcus while in the presence of the other kids.

Kelsey huffs at my arrival and crosses her arms. Her hands were hidden in her oversized sweatshirt, and her peeved glare peered out from behind her long bangs.

"We were supposed to eat seven minutes ago," the teenager states, annoyed. Her anger from food deprivation was slowly beginning to show on her face and her frustration at my tardiness was made clear.

I roll my eyes as I make my way to the only empty seat, next to my mate.

Damien squirms as I approach, and I can tell the Alpha wolf is nervous as I pull out the chair next to his.

Looking down, his deep brown eyes meet mine, and I give him a reassuring smile. It was clear that he was nervous because he thought I would make the presumption that he manipulated the seats for dinner. However, a quick glance at Kelsey and her knowing smirk gave me enough evidence that the seating arrangement wasn't his fault.

Don't make it weird. It's just sitting.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I grab Damien's bowl and begin dishing out his portion. I try to fill it as full as I can, and I receive a quiet thanks as I set down the hot dish in front of the hungry wolf.

After serving Damien, the kids pass me their bowls, and I carefully ladle in the hot chili. As I continue to serve, the table becomes a little more lively as people start grabbing at the variety of sides to personalize their portion.

While the steaming pot was placed carefully in the center of the table, the different toppings soon moved around the rest of the table's open space as eager hands reach for what they desired. Soon the once-pristine wood was covered in the fallen leftover of chopped chives, to shredded cheese. An entire spoonful of sour cream had somehow ended up in front of Kelsey's bowl, while half of the ground beef seemed to instantly go missing once Damien had a hold of it.

The chaos of the dinner was nice, and I slowly find myself unwinding in the familiarity.

Grabbing Charlotte's bowl, I carefully serve her dish and gently lay it in front of her. She quickly grabs her spoon before eagerly dipping it into the savory liquid.

"Careful!" I swiftly stop her as the five-year-old stops the spoon in front of her gaping mouth. "You need to blow on it first or you'll burn your mouth."

Charlotte slowly pulls the spoon away before giving a dramatic blow.

I reach for Charlie's bowl, but he grabs it before me. Without looking in my direction, he tightly grips his dishware as he stares at Charlotte's bowl. His dark eyes seem to deeply contemplate something before he lets out a small huff and faces me.

"Are there tomatoes in this?" he asks with a critical look.

My eyes twitch as I try not to frown.

"Why?" I ask, reaching for his bowl again.

Charlie glares at me and pushes the tableware further from my reach.

"I don't like tomatoes," he states, as he crosses his arms tightly across his chest.