Chapter 5: Look at me

 Chapter 5: Look at me 

Ari's POV 

When we got home roughly an hour later, my parents were outside. Alpha was sitting on a large armchair with his legs crossed and Luna was pacing like the ground she was walking on was on fire.

 

I knew how much Alpha hated it when she paced and if he was silent about it then he was in his own head.

 

I walked in front of my brother as we approach our parents. I could tell Storm kept his mind in a happy place as he got ready to accept whatever punishment the Alpha dishes out to him.

 

"Don't walk behind me, you are no longer ten, little dude and you are taller than me. I bet hiding behind me makes both of us look ridiculous" 

After I pointed the obvious to my brother, it amused him and he tried to suppress a snicker.

 

“Stormy, I am warning you. Do not make me laugh!" 

 

My warning made him laugh harder which in turn made me laugh too. Storm turned around to place his face elsewhere so our parents wouldn't see him laugh and I did the same. It only made us laugh harder.

 

"This is insane. There is n- nothing remotely funny about our predicament…"

 

"I am sorry…I am sorry, I will stop laughing…nope! I can't help myself" he laughed even more which made me laugh too.

 

It was like that time I was fifteen and he was ten years old and we had just wrecked our father's motorcycle. We laughed too then because I told him it was to balance out the world of pain Alpha was going to inflict and I had been right. 

 

Our father didn't hit us as children but he did give my tortoise, Angel to the pack's butcher and he took a hammer to Storm's headphones. It was brand new. My ten year old brother would have preferred a spanking.

Luna talked our father into sparing my tortoise but we had to set him free into the wild at father's bequest.

It wasn't a fun memory.

"Ryan! They are back!" 

 

My mother's shriek cured my madness and I stopped laughing. I watched with renewed sense of horror as my father charged towards us like a bull.

 

I instinctively placed myself in the line of the incoming fire to stop him. 

 

Storm stepped out from behind me. I guess he realized that he wasn't ten anymore and he can't hide behind me forever.

 

"It's alright, Ari" he told me as he stepped away from me.

 It was the grown up thing to do, a very dangerous grown up thing to do.

"Are you sure?" I asked and he nodded. "Protect your eyes, every other thing will heal and no matter how intense the urge is to fight back…don't. He is still Alpha and quite frankly he is stronger than both of us…we don't want to be squashed, Storm..."

 

Storm frowned "Geez, thanks for the vote of confidence. What a great pep talk, Ari?!" He snapped at me.

 

"Sorry. Break a leg" I tried to sound supportive.

 

"My leg or his?" he asked.

 

"Let's just make a run for…too late" I stood beside him nevertheless. It was a brother thing.

 

I watched Alpha Ryan as my whole body tensed as he approached my brother with his fist clenched. I saw my mother racing towards us too.

 

This was it. This was how Storm dies…I guess this is how I die too since I would have to get between them sooner than later.

 

"Ryan! Don't you dare lay a…"

 

Mama's voice trailed off and she suddenly stopped running. I exhaled like a laborious Tortoise.

 

Maybe I died and I was in premature heaven or maybe the world stopped making sense for a brief minute because what happened next surprised every single person in my family.

 

"Hmm, Dad? What are you doing?" I heard Storm ask.

 

"I am hugging my son" Alpha murmured and hugged him tighter.

 

Okay! That was it! Someone please wake me up!

"But I thought you were going to…" Storm started to say.

 

"Snap your neck? Roast you alive? That might still come later, son but for now….You scared the crap out of me. Don't ever do that again to your mother and I. Do you understand me, boy?" 

 

"Yes, father" 

I felt a warm sensation in my throat, it took me a while but I realized what it was. It was jealousy. I was jealous of this moment Storm was sharing with the Alpha.

The last time Alpha hugged me, I was seven.

 "What you did is unforgivable, father" Storm told him.

 

"I know" 

 

He pulled away to hold his face. I could swear I saw a hint of tears in his eyes.

 

Alpha could cry?!

 

I didn't know it was remotely possible.

 

He held Storm's face and he looked at him. "I didn't know, Storm. I swear to God, I didn't know. You become a father and all you ever do is try to guide your children! Keep them alive, make sure they are alright, and maybe keep them from making a mistake or two, Storm. I didn't know. I swear to God, I had no clue I was breaking you…"

I felt my eyes tear up quickly at his admittance, if only he would look at me that way too. 

Look at me too, father. I am hurting too. Can't you see it?