For the tenth time this evening, I contemplated what the hell I was doing here. A napkin was placed in my lap as I gazed at the mounds of steaming food, wondering who the hell Drake's mom and grandmother were cooking for.

Is the entire pack coming over for dinner?

Drake sighed to himself and groaned in the back of his throat, tossing his head back with a pained look. He instantly sat back up when his grandma smacked the wooden spoon against his skull, making the Alpha rub the spot with a scowl.

"I'm quite certain Sofia taught you how to sit at the table. And stop your groaning pup, we're almost finished." She made her way back to the kitchen as Sofia just walked out with another bowl, somehow managing to fit it on the overflowing table.

I held my breath, wondering if the table was going to groan in protest and snap. My fingers twitched in my lap as I glanced from side to side, taking delicate whiffs of the mouthwatering scents in the air.

There were bowls of steaming rice, vibrant vegetables cooked or fried crispy, bowls of steaming pork wrapped in leaves, oven roasted chickens, yes, multiple chickens and I swallowed against the flood of saliva that threatened to trickle over my lips.

On the inside, my wolf was already whimpering and whining like a pup, eager to forgo manners and just grab at the meat with my hands and dig in.

And when I caught a whiff of lamb coming from the kitchen, I couldn't hold in the whimper that manage to slip past my control.

Drake chuckled at that, along with his grandmother as she came out with the last steaming bowl. Sofia followed in her step with cubes of raw fish, sliced tomatoes and a bowl with cooked fish as well.

"At least someone appreciates our cooking." The elderly woman said, squeezing the bowl between the dishes with a satisfied smile before shooting a look at her grandson.

"I do to, Tutu, its just..." He sighed, "You guys are overwhelming him. When mom said to bring Kyle over for dinner, I had thought you guys would keep it simple and-"

"Obviously not. The poor pup looks like he needs all the sustenance he can get, not to mention someone, "Drake groaned in protest as his grandmother continued, "Someone has been ignoring doctor's orders and pushing the poor boy to do more than he should."

I looked down at my scarred fingers, still crooked and seemingly stuck in their current shape. A frown marred my face as I tried to pry my hands open, scowling when they shook under the strain.

"And this isn't just for us," Sofia added whilst looking over her shoulder at the clock above the kitchen. "Your father should be back anytime now, along with the betas. If Dylan is coming along, you know as well as I do that he won't leave before he had a taste of makuahine's food."

The confusion must've been clear on my face as they all laughed before Anna sighed warmly. "I'm Sofia's makuahine, or mother. Dylan is Drake's uncle and he's always begging for a taste of my cooking."

As if being summoned by those words, we heard the front door open and loud boisterous voices echo down the hallway before they quieted down, followed by several deep inhalations and growls of contentment.

"Is that Kalua pig I smell? Tutu? Can I stay for dinner? Can I, please, please, pleaaaaase?" A man asked, rushing into the dining area, as giddy as a kid as he slid on his knees to grab a hold of Anna's worn hands.

She smirked slightly at the sight of, I guessed Dylan, who wasn't ashamed of begging for a spot at the table. To be honest, I would have to if I was in his shoes because everything looked and smelled mouthwatering.

The second she agreed, he nearly tripped over his feet to rush to the table, sitting down and reaching for the food until he remembered his manners.

Well, Anna made him remember his manners with a well-aimed whack of her wooden spoon to his knuckles. Dylan hissed and shook out his hand, blowing on the knuckles with a frown.

"Common curtesy demands that you at least greet your guests before you start your meal." Anna growled before smiling as Sofia's husband pulled her seat back for her. "Thank you dearie."

"You're welcome, makuahine." The big male chuckled, placing a kiss on her wrinkly cheek before he pried the last dish out of Sofia's hands, placing it on the table and dragged her seat back as well.

"Young lady." He grinned, making Sofia giggle at her husband's antics and gently slapped his arm. He merely chuckled, stealing a kiss from her as he took the seat besides her, finally lifting his eyes to me.

My wolf instantly grumbled at all the attention aimed our way, hands trembling in my lap because this wasn't dinner. This was an ambush.

I was stuck seated at a table with a former Alpha and former Luna, the current Alpha and Dylan seemed to be at least a Beta, if not one of the Warwolves.

A shiver danced over my spine while my fingers flexed in my lap. The telltale prickling of hairs bristling and fur slowly extending in my nape just showed how close my wolf was to the surface.

A warm hand in my neck squeezed reassuringly, telling me without words that everything was alright. Though I was surrounded by wolves who outranked me, they were nothing like most packs, flaunting their rank for all to see.

No. These people were not a pack, in the common sense. Though unrelated and consisting of strangers, pack and rogue wolves alike, these people were family.

There was no warped sense of them versus us. They didn't see anyone not part of their pack as a danger, more of the opposite in fact. They seemed to treat any unknown wolf as more of a possible friend rather than a hostile creature that needed to be put down the second it was spotted.

The soft tap of a plate settling on wood made me blink before I looked up, stunned by the heaping mound of food that had been placed in front of me.

"Eat up dearie." Anna said with a wink before patting me affectionately on the head. "We might be a strange bunch in your eyes, but these old bones have seen packs come and go whilst ours thrived."

As she sat down, she glanced at her son in law, who was patiently waiting for me to pass along the plate of lamb. I did so after managing to add several pieces to my plate without making it flow over onto the table, averting my eyes as Drake chuckled softly.

"Oh, right. Dad, this is Kyle, the newest addition to our family. Kyle, this is my father and former Alpha, Keith." Drake quickly introduced as I barely managed a glance at the former Alpha, who just smiled warmly.

...Wait.... Family?

My eyes snapped to Drake, mouth opening to protest, to let them know that I didn't have any family left. Not after what happened to the pack, even though I knew my parents roamed around, somewhere.

But my eyes landed on the warm, wrinkly gaze of Anna as she walked around, maintaining her balance by holding onto the chairs before she crouched beside my seat.

"Pup, the sooner you realize this the better. We're not a pack, we're a family, Ohana. And Ohana means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten." She gave me another gentle pat and a warm smile.

Her gaze went to the rest of the table before motioning her hand. "Well, what are you guys all waiting for? The food isn't going to eat itself!"

Everyone passed along dishes, helping themselves and chattering boisterously while I slowly started eating, enjoying the taste of a nice homecooked meal.

And if the others noticed the tears that were steadily pouring down my cheeks, they didn't remark on them.