7. Amaya

7

AMAYA

THIRTEEN YEARS OLD

T hursdays are the highlight of my life. Not only because I get to hang out with my friends past dinner time but because I love spending time with their parents. Sometimes Oliver and Samuel's mom and dads invite Emmett's two dads over too.

These are the only few hours each week I feel like I'm part of a family. A real family. Not that my nana isn't my family! It's just that surrounded by boisterous laughter, loud chatter, and happiness, I don't feel the weight of my broken home life anymore.

I feel like I belong when I'm with the boys. And when their parents invite me over for dinner, I feel loved. Cherished. Like these parents really want me.

"How's your grandma, Maya?" Natalie, Oli and Sam's mom asks.

She's the sweetest omega to ever exist. Sammy got his dirty blond hair from her and Oliver got her curls. The boys' bright green eyes weren't from their mom. Natalie has the most stunning bright blue eyes. They kind of look like a Husky puppy's eyes.

Setting my fork down, I give her a megawatt smile. "Nana is doing good. Thank you for asking."

My smile and enthusiastic response don't deter her from digging deeper. "And the treatments?"

Biting the inside of my cheek, I fight to keep a positive attitude. "It's going well." I think .

Nana tells me everything is going well, but every day she's getting weaker and weaker. Her smiles don't cover up the pain she's in, just like mine don't either.

I don't miss the sad look Natalie shoots her pack alpha, Reid. Wringing my hands on my lap, I try not to let the topic of my family ruin the mood. Dinner at the Jenkins house is always a joyous event.

"And your mom? How is she?"

Unless someone mentions my mom.

"Nat," Taylor, their pack beta, scolds his omega.

Blanching, Natalie's scent sours with anxiety and guilt.

I swallow. "My mom is the same. Thank you for asking," I add, keeping to my manners.

Now it's Natalie’s turn to fidget. I can tell she wants to say something and probably give me a hug. Last time she did that, I completely broke down, and it was an entire damn mess.

Not only did I collapse into tears, but Oli, Sam and Em went on high alert. Natalie followed soon after with her own tears, setting off her two alphas and beta. Thankfully, Emmett's beta parents were there that night all those years ago. John and Rich managed to diffuse the explosion of emotion and instincts all on their own. I was so embarrassed.

After that, everyone keeps the topic of my mom on the down low. I know the parents are worried about me and can't help but check in once in a while, but they will always get the same answers. My only saving grace is that the boys are my age, so they haven't really thought to question my behavior when it comes to my mom.

Until recently.

"She made her cry again," Samuel grumbles, stabbing a piece of broccoli. He and Emmett are a year old than me and Oli, but Sam takes his status as the oldest in the form of being overly protective.

"What happened, sweetie?" Natalie asks, her omega nature unable to ignore the information Sam just gave her.

Tears immediately form in my eyes, and my throat feels like it's closing. I've never told them or the boys much about my mom, but they've seen my tear-swollen eyes and hunched shoulders too many times. It's hard to manage the way my body itches at the scent of alcohol, and the way I flinch at loud noises, which I suppose has given them enough to worry about.

People worry about me .

It's hard having people who love me. I don't really understand why. I want to tell them everything, but I don't know what I would do if they rejected me. What would they think if they knew my mom stumbled through the door every day, slurring her words and yelling at me?

I have my nana, and that's enough. Nobody else needs to be brought into that part of my life. They don't deserve that. Plus I like them thinking I'm all smiles, laughter, and crazy enough to hang out with their boys.

"Samuel. Natalie. Enough," Scott, Natalie's other alpha, demands in a voice that makes everyone at the table sit straight.

Sam harrumphs, and Natalie sniffs quietly. She'll apologize later; it isn't the first time a meal has been ruined because of me.

Beyond the embarrassment and heartache I'm feeling, there's an overwhelming amount of gratitude for Scott. Lifting my gaze from my plate, I catch his warm eyes. I give him a wobbly smile of thanks to which he nods and sends me a wink. That one action makes the tense muscles in my back release until I'm resting against the chair again.

Everyone here cares about me so much, they all just show their love differently. Scott notices my feelings; Natalie wants to wrap me up in a blanket and for me to tell her all my issues, and Sammy? He's angry for me.

I may not be the luckiest girl in the world, but I have more than enough. Even though my mom and dad don't want me, I have plenty of people who do, and that's something I will forever hold on to.