Forty seven- When Home Hurts

Forty seven- When Home Hurts
Aria's POV
"Uhm..." I wanted to answer her, but Lev beat me to it. "She is still looking. Things are a bit complicated in that area right now." His face was plain, but I know Lev better than anyone. The little twitch of his eyes was his own way of expressing how much the situation was affecting him.
"Oh, my darling, that’s so sad to hear. I am sure everything will become clear too," she cooed, tightening her hold on me as she patted my head. How would she feel if she ever got to know the real situation of things?
"Same thing I keep telling her," Lev played along, strolling past us into the kitchen.
"You can’t expect her to feel okay about it. Saying it doesn’t take away the pain, you know," Bethany replied, still stroking my head. I fought the guilt that came with lying to her, trying to believe that what would have come with the truth would have been much worse.
"I know that. You can keep telling her since mine hasn’t worked, although I doubt yours will work either. Probably only Dad can work such magic," Lev joked, but his lack of interest in this conversation was very evident. Bethany didn’t seem to have noticed it. I would have laughed if I had not noticed his mood as he spoke.
"Well, Aria here..." Bethany’s next words were disrupted by the loud noise from the front door. The change in atmosphere already told me who it was—the top three ranks and their aura.
"Ri!" A voice I didn’t even realize how much I had missed until this moment yelled from the front door. Without even thinking, I detached myself from Bethany, running toward the only person who reminded me so much of what Dad was like.
"Vickyyyy!" I yelled excitedly, running into his outstretched arms. He lifted me up, spinning me around like a child, just like he has always done since I was a little girl. I giggled, basking in the feeling of being a child once again, at least for a few minutes. Once I began feeling dizzy, he dropped me back down on the ground, a big bright smile on his face. No one would ever believe he is the almighty Beta of BloodMoon Pack.
Vicktor Donavon, Beta of BloodMoon Pack, my father’s one and only best friend up until his death—and counting—and my bestest friend in the whole world, other than Lev of course.
"You barely weigh anything. Are they feeding you at all?" he asked, concern heavy in his eyes as he scanned me.
Yes, they are, with lots of beating. That was my honest response, but I had to play my part as usual.
"Yes, Vicky, they are. School has just been really stressful lately, I sometimes forget to eat." My lie was so smooth I almost believed it myself.
"Where is Lev? He is so going to get it from me," he suddenly said, already storming toward the kitchen where Lev and Bethany now were. He kept taking long strides, making it impossible to stop him.
"Lev, what is this I am hearing about Aria skipping meals?" Vicktor asked, his voice so angry and serious I got scared myself.
"I have no idea, Dad. I always make sure she eats when she is with me," Lev quickly defended himself, his eyes filled with fear. We all know how Vicktor gets with me. Even Lev, his son, doesn’t take it lightly. Vicktor once broke a guy’s hands when he looked at me wrongly after Dad’s burial—one of the numerous reasons I have kept the situation with Mum and Jack to myself. Despite all that has been done to me, I would never want anybody’s death on me.
"He is saying the truth, Vicky. He is also shoving food down my throat at any given opportunity," I quickly piped in, breathing hard from walking too fast. I am really out of shape, and Vicktor noticed it too. He tilted his head, scanning me like he was sure something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what. I just wish I could actually tell him—tell them.
"Yes, Dad," Lev added, looking around the room like he was searching for an exit in case Vicktor still decided to come after him. My heart warmed at the love and concern from Lev and his family, but the pain was the same. The days I spend here always remind me of what I have always missed—a complete, happy family.
"Well, that’s your luck. Just thank Aria," Vicky rolled his eyes, already walking over to Bethany and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Two wolves in love will always have a happy home, and these two are a pure definition of true and unending love. Watching them while growing up always made me dream of what my own true love might be like, but right now it doesn’t seem like I will be getting that.
"Aria, you better return my parents to me because it is now obvious they aren’t mine again," Lev whined, totally unfazed by his parents’ public display of affection. After all, he did grow up around it.
"Don’t sound so jealous, Lev. Hurry up and find your mate so she can give you all the attention you want," Vicktor said, and the whole room went dead silent. The sudden tension was so thick it could be sliced with a knife. I guess it is already very obvious that Lev and I aren’t mates.
"I am very sorry, Ri, about the turn of things. We all really hoped you would officially be part of the family, even though you are family already," Vicktor said sincerely, his voice soft and empathetic. I had hoped this conversation would end with Bethany, but I guess we are just starting.
"I guess things don’t always go how we want them to, right?" I shrugged, trying to act unfazed by all of it so he could drop it, but it wasn’t working.
"This shouldn’t have been part of it. Your dad and I were so sure you both would end up as mates, we even made a bet on it," Vicktor said with a bittersweet tone in his voice. Why am I not surprised that they made a bet on our heads?
"Really? And what was the bet all about?" Bethany piped up, smiling at her beloved mate.
"Well, none of you should also forget that I was also affected too. She isn’t the only one who got disappointed by the turn of events," Lev suddenly snapped, his voice loud and aggressive, shocking us all. I noticed he had gone silent and was growing uncomfortable with the whole conversation, but I didn’t think it was this bad.
"Oh, Lev," Bethany called out softly, but he had already stormed out, banging the kitchen door loudly behind him.
"I am such a mother. I couldn’t even notice how much the conversation and the situation of things was getting to him," Bethany cried out.
"It’s not your fault at all, Bethany. If we are apportioning blames, I should be the one to be blamed, not you," I said softly, trying to comfort her while Vicky held her, whispering inaudibly to her, his eyes fixed on the door Lev had just walked out from. Regret and sadness filled his eyes. I guess they both didn’t realize how much their words—or the lack of them—were getting to Lev.
"Let me go talk to him. I will be back," I added before any of them could say anything. With one last glance at them, I went after Lev.