24. Auslin

Chapter 24

Auslin

A uslin's good mood came to an abrupt halt when they entered the dining hall, where both Tatsuki and Mitsuki were present. He had to be reminded to continue walking by Kitaro gently guiding him into the room by the small of his back. Overly conscious of the two powerful shifters staring him down, Auslin forced himself to give a polite bow before he took his seat.

It had been so long since Auslin had had to see either shifter, it hadn't occurred to him that Kitaro waking up early meant they would have to share their meal with them. He tried to make himself small and attract the least amount of attention to himself.

Tatsuki seemed oblivious to his discomfort. "You are looking resplendent this morning, Vanra."

He looked down at the table with a blush. "Th-thank you, Father. "

"It appears Kitaro is taking good care of you."

"Yes, he has been most kind to me," Auslin replied, forcing himself to look up at Tatsuki through lowered lashes. Tatsuki's almost affectionate gaze surprised him. How had the shifter monarch gone from hating humans to looking at him with such fondness?

"His training is continuing to improve," Kitaro said.

Mitsuki scoffed with a sneer. "Is that what you are calling it now?"

Tatsuki warned his eldest son with a dangerous rumble in his voice. "We will not tolerate this behavior."

Auslin reflexively tensed up despite the threat not being aimed at him.

"I know there are fewer expectations on the youngest son, but be reasonable, Father," Mitsuki arrogantly argued. "I do not understand why you tolerate that human becoming his whore."

Tatsuki and Kitaro both angrily exclaimed Mitsuki's name in disapproval.

"He is no whore," Kitaro heatedly denied.

"Let us see if you can still say that by the end of the week, little brother," Mitsuki patronizingly challenged him.

"You continue to disappoint us," Tatsuki coldly told his eldest son. "Remove yourself from our presence at once."

"With pleasure." Mitsuki slammed his hands on the table and noisily pushed back his chair to stand, causing Auslin to startle at the loud noise. "I would rather not watch the two of you debase yourself and embarrass our clan further with a worthless human."

Tatsuki backhanded him hard, sending the proud shifter to the floor. "Do not continue trying our patience, Mitsuki. You will not like the consequences."

Mitsuki stood up with a venomous glare aimed at Auslin. He returned his attention to his father. "You should be more concerned about the consequences of leaving your na?ve son with that disgusting disaster waiting to happen."

It baffled Auslin when the dragon monarch hummed with interest. "We dare say you protest too much, son. Perhaps you are more uneasy with such temptation than you lead us to believe."

Mitsuki's expression was scandalized. "As if I would ever lower myself to such a base level."

"Not even you are immune to that ," Tatsuki cryptically told him. "Unless your sense of smell has considerably weakened."

"I am not the one you need to worry about fucking him ," Mitsuki snarled while pointing at Auslin. "Unlike some people, I know how to control myself."

"Since when?" Tatsuki smirked at his eldest. "Your reputation implies otherwise, son."

"I would rather never fuck again, thanks," Mitsuki angrily growled.

"That would be our preference as well. Your lust has caused far too many problems over these long years."

"Oh, and like yours has not?" Mitsuki's facetious retort earned him a snarl from his father. "At least mine has not started wars." With that said, Mitsuki stormed out of the room.

The exchange mystified Auslin. He wished the world would open and swallow him whole.

"Impudent little shit," Tatsuki growled, returning to his seat. "We apologize, Vanra. Mitsuki's behavior continues to be unacceptable."

Still shell-shocked, Auslin could only reflexively apologize. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to cause problems."

"Our eldest son was an asshole long before you came into this world," Tatsuki reassured him. "Do not let it trouble you."

Auslin nodded but said nothing.

Kitaro scowled. "I would talk to him if I thought it would have any other outcome than coming to blows."

"We will beat some sense into him yet," Tatsuki swore.

"Do not take his words to heart," Kitaro said to Auslin.

There was nothing the human could say. He hated being a source of family strife. Some things Mitsuki said confused him, but he was too embarrassed to ask in front of Tatsuki.

The food finally arrived, which was a welcomed distraction for Auslin, although the fighting had put him off his appetite. However, the beautiful array tempted him into eating because it was easier than talking.

"Have you sought the Enchanters?" Tatsuki asked Kitaro.

"Uncle Jaega suggested it, but I have not done so yet. In truth, I did not think it would be necessary."

"You should think again." Tatsuki glanced over at Auslin before returning to focus on his son. "Things will only escalate from here otherwise."

Kitaro frowned. "I fear you are correct, Father. I shall do so this afternoon."

"It is for the best," Tatsuki agreed, "although it is such a shame to suppress such a beautiful thing."

Auslin startled when a growl escaped from Kitaro. His blue eyes rimmed silver again as he stared at his father.

Tatsuki chuckled. "Calm yourself, son. You should know by now where our interests lie. We are not a threat."

Kitaro bowed his head. "My sincerest apologies, Father."

"You are merely fulfilling your duties as his guardian. No apology is necessary. Do take care, though. You are still inexperienced in matters such as this."

"Yes, Father."

"But enough of such talk. Let us discuss more pleasant things," Tatsuki suggested before shifting the conversation to more benign topics.

Auslin did his best to contribute, but the baffling exchanges left him puzzled. It felt like he had missed something big. He couldn't wait to get Kitaro alone to ask what exactly was going on with his family.