Lured by the Moon

Watching Atlas eat the pancakes for the first time, the look on his face couldn't hide the genuine joy and pleasure.

Sebastian decided to stand up and pull the cushion chair from the wall to sit next to the boy. Atlas stiffened from the close approximately, but slowly, his shoulders relaxed when noticing that Sebastian wasn't doing.

Sebastian grabs the book from the table, so he doesn't have to watch him eat the entire time. Then all of a sudden, he turned to look at Atlas, who started coughing; his cheeks became reddening and his eyes were tearing up.

Sebastian stood up as he set the book down, walked next to Atlas, and patted his back gently, helping Atlas to settle down. With a slight admonishment, he said, "Slow down; your food isn't going anywhere."

Atlas huffs as he fists his hand before his mouth as he coughs it out. Sebastian sighs lightly, removing his hand from his back after setting down.

He sat back down, setting the book back on his lap, then felt a burning stare fixated on his face. Looking up, he saw that Atlas was staring at him with frowning eyes.

Sebastian had a feeling he wanted to ask something. Arching an brow, he asks, "You got something to say?"

Atlas nods before gulping, "What's your name?"

Oh, I forgot to introduce myself.

Tugging his lips into a teasing grin, "Can you guess?" Atlas huffs out a pout before a sarcastic smile broadens his lips, "Dick."

What did he call—

"Your name is Dickhead." Sebastian could feel a mixture of amusement, lingering with flabbergasted and anger at the boy's words.

Then a knock on the door before his brother came in, startling Atlas so much that his entire body flinch subconsciously, shrunken his shoulders to look smaller before scooting back toward the headboard, as if to seek protection.

Quinn walks in the room without courtesy, grinning at Sebastian before winking at the boy. Sebastian felt his pulse throb from extreme annoyance. He asks through gritted teeth, "What the hell do you want now?" Quinn arches a brow. "That's not how you greet your brother."

Sebastian could only feel exhaustion, his patience at its breaking end. Running his fingers through his unkempt hair, "Are you or not going to get to it?" Quinn looks at Atlas with a meaningful glance before lipping his lips, "Father wants you."

Arching a suspicious brow, "Is that so?" Quinn nodded before he said, "Yeah, he's in the kitchen."

Sebastian stands up as he sets the book back on the table before noticing that Quinn was still in the room. He asks back at him with an irritated expression, "Why are you still here?"

Sebastian felt uncomfortable by the lingering stare on Atlas, so he steps in front of him subconsciously, blocking Quinn's sight with what looks like a poisonous stare.

Quinn looks at him with an irked expression, so he walks out of the room. The room has been lighter and less tense since he left. Sebastian furrows his brows—what's going on? Quinn is acting strange lately.

The room was too silent, as if no one was in the room. Sebastian turned around and saw that Atlas's hands were wobbly, his face ashen like paper.

Sebastian frowns as he sits down on the bed. He grabbed his hands, which were warm like feverish chills, he said in a rare soft, calming tone that he wasn't aware of. "Look at me, you're okay."

Atlas turns to him with blinking eyes before he exhaled out a breath, like he was trying to calm his nerves. He frowns as he says, "I don't like him."

Sebastian arches a brow. How strange. Many people like his brother since he comes off as charming in front of everyone.

He said with a grin, "I can tell." Atlas glares at him, like an angry puppy that doesn't get the response he wants, so he looks away with an annoyed huff.

Sebastian let go of his hand as soon as Atlas returned to his normal self, standing to feet as he stretches his arm. He could feel a burning stare behind his back, so he asks in a casual tone, "What is it?"

"Was that your brother?"

Sebastian nods his forehead. "Yeah, that's my brother, and you're coming with me." There's no way I'm leaving you alone in the dens of ravenous wolves. It would be a waste of effort to keep you alive if you just get killed. Those are the thoughts that ran through his mind, so Atlas follows Sebastian out of the room and walks downstairs, where his father is waiting for him.

Arriving in the kitchen, his father, who is leaning against the counter behind him and drinking from his glassware casually, His whole body is covered in dark ink, all over his arms, neck, and hands, and he comes off as intimidating and menacing to strangers.

His mother, Emma, leans against him, brings such contrast to each other, where his mother seems gentle and soft, yet she can be fierce in her way—overprotective and feisty when the occasion calls for it.

His father arches his brow as soon as he saw Sebastian, along with the boy who only stopped behind Sebastian's chest, following behind him like a lingering shadow. Sebastian winks, "How was the date?"

His mother smiles gentle as she walks up to him and kisses his forehead as she sees the boy behind him. She smiles in away not to frighten the boy, "Hi, little one."

Atlas didn't say anything but nods in return; he didn't want to be rude to the people who were kind to him. His father arches a brow as he asks roughly, "Does he not speak?" Sebastian twitches his brow, putting his arm around Atlas's shoulder to pull him closer since he could tell he was getting uncomfortable by the sound of his increasing heartbeat.

Sebastian chuckles, "Of course he does; he's just very shy."

Although in private, he's proud as a rooster, puffing out his wings outwardly.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Atlas's face twitches in annoyance but doesn't say anything in response.

I got you! That's for calling me a dickhead! With a smirk, he asks outwardly, "Is there a reason why you call for me?"

His father looks at him and says, "There's something you need to know."

Sebastian could tell he meant in private, where outsiders don't listen to their conversation—especially Atlas. His mother steps up as she looks at Atlas, gesturing for him to follow her, but Atlas doesn't make any movement. Sebastian squeezes his cheeks. "Go with her for now. I'll come and get you afterwards."

Atlas grunts from his cheeks being squeezed, his eyes looking at him suspiciously, causing Sebastian to smirk as he pushes him toward his mother's side.

He watches Atlas walk a few distance behind his mother as they walk out of the kitchen. Turning around, he waited for his father to say something. His father set down the glass as he sighed outwardly, taking a seat in the chair, gesturing for him to take a seat with a look. So Sebastian sat down as well, and his brows quirk up as the words spilled out from his father's lips, "I suspect that the boy was abused."

"Why do you say that?" He asks as his mind drifts back to Atlas. What kind of abuse is he talking about?