Moonlight in the Sea [MxM]

Dawn

Chapter 1 - Kai

As I turned my favorite playlist on, the morning started in a way that I disliked very much.

There wasn't anything pleasing about the cleaning process, and a mourning cleaning wasn't much better.

The faded memories each corner of that place brought me were bittersweet when I put my three-year-old nephew down, and it didn't take long before he ran to his bedroom.

… he called for his parents once more, unable to understand what I had already told him a couple of days ago…

I have no doubt that Dawn, my sister, would welcome him with a smile on her lips if she was still here.

The twins would be dressing up as princesses and heroes, playing games with her up and down the room before rushing to their brother with makeup on their little hands to make him ‘glamorous’ as well in their words.

It would be chaotic, yet nice and soothing as my sister’s husband, her Mate, arrived from his morning sprint.

Again, it would be… if they were still here.

“Matt! Come back here!” In a tired voice, I called out for my nephew, wishing he could fully understand what we were dealing with. “I already told you, Mommy and Daddy are not here.” However, I knew it was a lot to expect from his three-years self.

It had been barely due a week since the accident. The twins were still at the hospital, fighting for their life, and my Mom, Sister, and her Mate, were all buried six-feet-under the ground to never see the sunlight again.

The only reason why Matthew wasn’t with them was because he had stayed with me the previous night.

His birthday was approaching, and as they went out to buy his cake and gifts, my Sister believed it would be the most appropriate moment to finally reveal to our Mom what her husband truly was…

It was far from the most common and daily talks, but as the kids were growing up, showing more and more of their wolves' side, my Sister didn’t want to keep us in the dark anymore.

… She had told me it when the twins were two, and had just found the courage once again to tell our Mother this time around…

… but, I doubt she got the chance to say one single word about it to her.

“Matt. Can you help Uncle, please? Can you pick your sisters’ favorite toys and dresses for me?” I wished I had been the one who went with my Brother-in-law instead as my Sister would know what to do right now.

It wasn’t only because they were her kids. Dawn always had this sort of charm in her, she could read little ones better than anyone else, and unlike me, she liked the moving euphoria of packing everything up and going towards a new place without looking back.

She was just like our parents on moments like this.

While this, I was her complete opposite. Kids weren’t much fond of me as far as I could remember.

My nieces and nephew were the only ones who would smile back at me when I tried to play with them, yet I didn't have much free time to learn more about them daily.

The growing taste of iron on my lips knew how much I regret that, but I couldn’t give myself the luxury of skipping work.

… the return of our Mother’s cancer was a ghost haunting after our paychecks and the other reason why my Sister wanted to tell her about Douglas on that day…

Dawn would always tell me not to worry about nothing.

In a confident and strong smile, she would say that they would take care of everything.

However, they had the three little ones, so I couldn't keep bothering them for money. Their house was also something they had recently bought and were still paying… I couldn’t disturb them with another expense if I wished to.

… yet, ironically, now I was getting ready to sell that place as I couldn’t afford it…

I knew those were just lies I told myself as the cruel reality was that I avoided my Sister because I was jealous of her.

Dawn and I were never drawn toward the same lifestyles, I always hated how our parents kept moving all the time, how we had to rashly find a new place when our Dad passed away, and again when our Mother could afford the new house.

Those were terrible and traumatizing events in my head, while Dawn loved and was delighted with them all, she adored all the moving and new places.

But, one day, out of nowhere, she was living my dreams, making Mother force me to move across the country and borders to Canada, so she would see her grandchildren grow.

Exactly like a silly Werewolf romance, Dawn’s once nomad life was all magic and stability good now that I couldn't stop myself from being jealous and angry at this emotion that raised once again in my chest as I packed the remaining of Matthew’s things to take to my place.

… I didn't have enough room for everything, so only the truly important stuff would go with us…

The boxes kept filling up faster than I could ever assume, and part of me wanted to store it all away to allow my nieces and nephew to be the ones deciding what to do with their parents’ stuff in the future, but there wasn't any way I could do it after paying the hospital and burial bills.

I wanted to sigh due to the mere thinking of it all. It was insane and crazy how much could change in only a week's time, not giving any sort of warning or previous notifications.

Once again, I wish it was me in that car. I wasn't sure how I would take care of three kids under the age of five from now on by myself.

God could have spared Dawn at least as the kids would need their Mother to go through such a traumatic experience, and not even want to think about the what-ifs if one of the twins or both didn't make it as the doctors told me to prepare myself for as there were chances…

… the accident had been bad… very bad… leaving no wonder why even my Werewolf brother-in-law didn't make it…

“… Coco!” But before I could fall even deeper into my negative thoughts, I was saved by my nephew’s innocent voice, happy to see his family’s cat, who remained well-fed thanks to the fancy and automatic water dispenser and dry food feeder my sister got… Good! Now, I had a spoiled cat to deal with as well.