Chapter 9: Your Influence

            No words could express how much Leo wanted to comfort their mother when she was sniffling and wiping her tears away. It is like he would make the situation worse if he spoke out so he listened to every single word she said throughout her life story.

            Reaching his right arms to her back and rubbing it in a gentle and slow pace as she was gasping for air once in a while. The pain she kept within those years was unimaginable and how she kept moving forward after she was disowned was unexplainable.

            Not completing her education to work, to earn money, and to give us, Luke and Leo, a life, she chose to keep her eyes ahead without ceasing despite how difficult it was and it was all for her sons, her new family.

            That serious and depressing story became a core memory of how their relatives put such importance on being an alpha rather than being a ‘family’ to their mother, Mika, their own blood and flesh.

            It made Leo reflect on himself, as an alpha, a future husband and head of the family, ‘do I care about such status?’ He cannot definitely answer it now because there is so much he needed to learn and experience to fully understand how the real-world works.

            Leo does not even know if those learnings and experiences would make him like them or oppose their beliefs.

                                                                                                                                              

            Mika and Luke are having fun talking to each other with random topics sprouting from their previous conversation. They suddenly laughed out loud that Leo flinched and stared at them, judgingly.

         “We’re sorry.”

            Luke apologized in a pure way as their mother just chuckled at such a sight but that is a rare occasion where Luke would look at his younger twin brother without any hint of hesitation or doubt. Leo does not know what caused such change within the span of two years.

            'Was it the responsibilities and duties you needed to comply that made you another person? Or was it me that could not keep with the change?' Those thoughts run into his head a hundred times when Luke acts that way to him when only their mother is around but would not even spare a glance when it is just the two of them. 

         “No. it’s okay.”

            Monotonously replied when Leo stood to clean the dining table by taking the used dishes with him since Mika cooked the food and Luke always does it when it is just the brother at the house.

            Somehow, he wanted to give them that time to relax, talk, and be free from household chores once in a while. Put the dirty dishes on the sink and grabbed a damp square black cloth to clean the table from a few food spills.

            Leo, somehow, unconsciously eavesdropped on his mother and brother's conversation with the Full Moon Organization as he did his cleaning.

            “Mom, I know that Full Moon is a werewolf organization but how come they were able to find its way to human society?”

            Luke asked their mother while Leo separated the remaining food on the plate inside a plastic bag, as if he was not listening to their conversation. He also has his own curiosity and questions regarding the same organization as lived in both worlds, a werewolf in a human society.

            “I don’t really know the whole story of it but, I think it started with protecting the rights of omegas by building their sanctuary which was the Omega District. It was a long process of legal actions and coordination with the government to build that place up. I was seven at that time and both parties came into a middle ground. The government built the Omega District with the organization’s funds while letting the organization run it. I think it was cooperation with a bit of manipulation and generous funding with human society’s projects.”

            Mika answered with full honesty and knowledge while nodding her head after she was satisfied with it, knowing that she gave every information she knew. Leo turned the faucet and washed the grease and other components sticking to the dishes while focusing on what is next.

            “Oh. Aside from protecting werewolves, what else does the organization do to help us?”

                                                                                                                                              

            He could only exclaim from Luke’s question, as it was also one of his unanswered questions. 'Nice one, Luke, as expected of you', Leo thought to himself while blankly washing the dishes with ‘dishwashing’ soap in a yellow square sponge.

                                                                                                                                               

            “I heard this from someone. They said that the organization eradicates threats to our species and made it look like a wild animal attack in the mountains but I don’t know if it’s true. For helping us, werewolves, it would be – Uhh – buildings and facilities that are exclusively for werewolves within human society, disguised as a normal human facility.”

            “What if humans enter those exclusive buildings easily, like sneaking in? How can we make sure that they would not step inside and discover our secret?”

            Luke considered the possible scenarios that could happen while Leo nodded with the same concerns in mind as he continued soaping the remaining dishes on the countertop near the sink.

            “Just show the guards on the building the black org card.”

            “Black org card?”

            Confusion on Luke’s face surfaced.

            “Didn’t I tell you about the Full Moon Organization’s identification card?”

            Shocked that Leo's eyes widened and glanced at them. Mika looked at her son at the sink with eyes asking for clarification.

            “No, you did not.”

            Luke shook his head while Leo nodded in agreement with what he said as he rinsed all the dishes from the right side of the sink.

            “The black one with crimson red details on it and the organization’s logo is at the upper right. The one that Leo used to play when you young, a wolf image is reflected when it hits light and that wolf is you. Instead of our human face, it takes our wolf face, every single detail of it. Although, you’ll get one when you hit eighteen. So, when you want to enter werewolf exclusive buildings and facilities, you need those.”

            “But what if the werewolf needed to use the facility is a minor? What should the pup do?”

            Leo cut off their conversation while he wiped his hands on his hips after he was done washing the dishes and let it drain on the dish drying rack.

            “For medical purposes, they have a database of all werewolves and they will call the parents to clarify the familial relationship but when it’s a family doctor, there’s no need for me. Just bring a school id.”

            He nodded his head and went out to throw the leftovers on the plastic at the large blue garbage bin at the back door.

            As the time conscious Luke kicked in when he realized that it was one in the morning and excused himself to his mother as he needed to sleep or he would not be able to wake up on time tomorrow.

            Mika, Luke and Leo started to brush their teeth alternately. The youngest one does not know what happened to both of them as they disappeared and went to their own rooms after he was done with brushing his teeth. Before heading to his bedroom, Leo made sure that he checked every outlet on the first floor.

            “He really rubbed off his meticulousness on such things.”

            He laughed as he realized it. Investigating at the dining room first, then kitchen, and lastly, the living room. Switching the lights off after it before heading to his room. Skipping one step at the stairs made the journey upstairs less time-consuming.

                                                                                                                                               

            Popping every joint in his body when Leo got to his room, as he could feel the ache from his shoulders and back, he got from washing the dishes. The kitchen was so short and small that he needed to droop over it while not making a mess from the water splashing all over the place.

            A new and refreshing experience but he is not going to do it again and thought 'how could Luke do those two to three times a day'. Particularly when cleaning drinking glasses with different sizes and shapes, Leo's hand does not fit in to clean the inside without feeling that it would crack and break instantly.

            Hats off and bowing down to Luke, it is not a simple job after all.

            Rubbing his face, realizing that he was not done with cleaning his face, Leo grabbed the cleanser on his vanity table then went straight to the bathroom across his room. Turning the faucet on and adjusting the temperature to lukewarm, a perfect one when cleaning his face.

            Squeezed an ample amount of cleanser on his fingers and put on his face then massaged it in a circular motion from the T-zone and U-zone, as what he was taught by the modeling agency he was on.

            They nag a lot when Leo does not take care of his face, skin, and figure because it was his ‘selling point’. Rinsing the built-up lather and ‘gently’ patting his face with a clean towel.

                                                                                                                                               

            Turned off the bathroom lights and was about to close it when he noticed that Luke’s door was not closed properly and that the light escaping from the small gap lightened the dim hallway. Curious what his older brother was doing at that time when Leo thought he would be asleep by now.

            Tiptoeing towards the door crack to peek a bit and found him studying on his desk with books piling on his right side. Despite yawning every now and then, he would still pick up his highlighters and glide it down to his note-filled book and would flip a page, after writing something in small pieces of paper.

            'The serious look on his face doesn’t sit well with his pastel yellow pajamas with cute white star patterns all over it', Leo thought and gulped. 

            Living with Luke for the last seventeen years, that is the first time Leo personally saw him studying late at night and still woke up early in the morning to prepare breakfast and lunch boxes.

            The thoughts of 'With no idea of how many nights he does this? Or is this a daily scenario behind closed doors?' The respect he has for his older twin brother is way beyond words. The more Leo stared at him, the more he realized that he has diverse charms that people do not know.

            Luke influences people with his actions rather than his words, how his kindness encompasses social status and genders, how consistent he is in his work, and how his diverse charms capture every single person that knows him.

            The royal-like visuals and coolness aura he emits when he is totally focused on his craft while on the side, the angel-like beauty and prettiness breathe out a fresh air when he smiles and laughs his heart out.

            Covering Leo's own mouth while massaging it to end that persistent grin on his face. Thinking of bringing Luke midnight snacks, so he would not go down and cook for himself, and he can focus on studying.

            The younger one tiptoed going downstairs and proceeded to the refrigerator in the kitchen. Saw a bread, butter, cheese, and egg, as well as unopened bottle juice. Thank god, he knows one of the basics in cooking, frying. Cracked the egg with two hands and threw the shell on the bin then added salt and pepper, and whisk it.

            While the pan with oil is heating on the stove, Leo poured it in on a low heat and tilted the pan to spread the battered egg around. Set the scrambled eggs aside and put the pan on the sink while getting a new one then add on butter. As it melted, he placed four slices of bread and flipped it after a minute.

            Placing all the ingredients on the countertop and slipped in plastic gloves on his hands. Two toasted breads in the plate, squeezed the mayonnaise and spread it with the butter knife then placed the scrambled eggs and sliced cheese.

            Lastly, squeezed the ketchup on the other two toasted breads and placed it over the eggs and cheese. Grabbed a wooden bed tray table and set the plate with the sandwiches, cookies, various sweets and drinks – water, warm milk, bottled juice.

            Almost forgot to put tissues in, then Leo quietly walked on the second floor and made sure that he closed the door before placing the wooden table on the hallway floor and knocking. He dashed to his room and locked it. Luke's door opened and the younger sibling just smiled when he was staring at the ceiling as he lay down on his bed.

            Leo does not usually study even in major exams but after he witnessed his brother’s hard work, it sparked an inspiration to be like him as he realized that he does not exert much effort in his studies while their mother is working her ass off day in and out so her sons can study in a private school.

            Leo sat up abruptly and went to his desk to start studying.

            “Let’s study and be like Luke.”