Chapter 162 Silence Between Brothers

Chapter 162 Silence Between Brothers

When I got to the dining hall, I knocked lightly on the door, and it automatically opened a few seconds later.

I stepped inside and immediately saw Kiran, Victor, and Silas sitting around the long dining table.

My eyes moved from Kiran to Silas, and then they landed on Victor.

My heart skipped.

I hadn't expected to see him there.

The memory of our conversation from the previous night immediately came back to me, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I didn't know what I was supposed to do after everything he had confessed to me.

Victor slowly lifted his head, and our eyes met.

For a brief moment, neither of us looked away.

There was something unreadable in his expression, and I couldn't tell whether he was uncomfortable, embarrassed, or simply trying to figure out what I was thinking.

Then he quickly looked away and focused his attention on his food.

He picked up his spoon and continued eating as though nothing had happened.

I swallowed and forced myself to look away.

I didn't want anyone to notice how awkward I suddenly felt.

I walked toward Kiran, who immediately pulled out the chair beside him for me.

“Come sit here,” he said.

I smiled and sat down beside him.

The moment I settled into the chair, the aroma of the food reached me, and it immediately distracted me from everything else.

The table was filled with different dishes, and everything looked delicious. There were bowls of freshly prepared vegetables, roasted meat, rice, soup, fruits, and several other dishes I couldn't immediately identify.

I stared at the food for a moment.

“This looks really good,” I said.

Kiran smiled.

“I knew you'd like it.”

Before I could respond, Silas looked at me from across the table and waved.

“Hey, Luna.”

I smiled at him.

“Stop teasing me,” I said.

Silas chuckled.

“I didn't even do anything.”

“You know exactly what you're doing.”

He laughed again, and for a moment, the atmosphere felt normal.

I picked up my fork and began eating, but Kiran kept looking at me.

After a few seconds, I glanced at him.

“What?”

His eyes moved carefully over my face.

“You look a little stressed,” he said. “What happened?”

His question immediately reminded me of the previous night.

Victor's confession flashed through my mind, and I almost stopped eating.

I quickly shook my head.

“Nothing. I just...” I paused, trying to think of something that wouldn't sound suspicious. “It was nothing. I spoke with my friend, so it's nothing.”

Kiran continued looking at me for another moment.

“You're sure?”

“Yes.”

He nodded, seemingly accepting my explanation.

“Alright.”

I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and returned my attention to my food.

Silas and Kiran soon began discussing some political issues concerning the pack. From the way they spoke, it seemed there were several matters involving the neighboring packs, trade agreements, and some decisions that needed to be made regarding the pack's resources.

I listened quietly while occasionally taking a bite of my food.

I didn't understand everything they were discussing, but I found myself interested in the conversation.

However, there was something else that kept distracting me.

Kiran and Victor weren't speaking to each other.

At first, I tried to convince myself that I was imagining it, but the longer I sat there, the more obvious it became.

Victor barely even looked in Kiran's direction.

Whenever Kiran spoke, Victor continued eating as though he wasn't listening. And whenever Victor said something, Kiran responded with only a few words before returning to his conversation with Silas.

It was strange.

They were brothers.

I had seen them talk casually before. They could tease each other, argue over small things, and even laugh together.

But today, it felt different.

There was a distance between them that hadn't been there before.

I lowered my gaze to my food, pretending not to notice.

But I noticed.

I couldn't stop myself from wondering if something had happened between them.

Then my thoughts returned to Victor's confession from the previous night.

My stomach tightened.

Was this because of me?

The thought made me uncomfortable.

Whatever happened, I didn't want there to be a rift between them. I didn't want Victor's feelings for me to become the reason Kiran and his brother started hating each other.

I especially didn't want to be the person who came between them.

I had only just become Luna, and already, I felt like there were too many things happening around me that I didn't fully understand.

I glanced at Victor.

He was still eating quietly.

His expression was calm, but I could tell he wasn't completely relaxed.

I looked back at Kiran.

He was listening to Silas, but there was a slight tension in his face that hadn't been there when I first entered.

I sighed quietly and took another bite of food.

Maybe I was overthinking everything.

Perhaps Victor simply needed time to process what had happened between us.

Perhaps Kiran had noticed something.

Or maybe there was another reason entirely.

The more I thought about it, the stranger the whole situation became.

I tried to focus on my food and ignore the uncomfortable atmosphere around the table, but it wasn't easy.

There were moments when nobody spoke, and the silence felt longer than it should have.

Silas eventually tried to keep the conversation going, asking Kiran about something concerning the pack's guards, and Kiran answered him.

Victor remained quiet. I remained quiet too. I wasn't sure what else I could do.

Then the dining hall door opened.
Everyone at the table turned toward the entrance.

I looked up and saw one of the maids pushing a wheelchair into the room.

My eyes widened slightly when I realized who was sitting in it.

The old Alpha. The moment I saw him, I straightened in my seat.

I hadn't expected him to join us for dinner.

The maid slowly pushed him farther into the dining hall while everyone watched in silence.

Kiran immediately stopped talking. Silas lowered his fork.

Even Victor finally looked up from his food.

I stared at the old Alpha, unsure of what to expect.

His appearance immediately reminded me of everything that had happened in the past and the position he still held within the pack, despite his weakened condition.

The maid stopped beside the table and bowed.

“Alpha.”