Breakfast With Him
Serafine POV
Xander, for a short time, doesn’t speak. He simply watches me with the same unreadable expression. His gaze is unwavering, but as the silence stretches, it becomes thicker and more pressing. My stomach tightens, and I don’t move.
“Eat,” he says, eventually gesturing to the table.
I hesitate for a moment, my fingers curling into my lap.
It’s a simple, straightforward request, but it’s one I struggle with. I should just take the food and eat, right? But my mind stalls. I’d never been allowed to serve myself before, and food was always placed in front of me. It was always controlled, and I didn’t have the power to change the amount or what was given.
My daily foods were simple: bread, plain rice, dry cereal, and things like that. The portioned meals were just a giving because I had to be fed.
How do I know what to eat or what to pick? Reaching out slowly, my fingers graze the edge of a serving spoon. My movements are stiff and uncertain. I feel like this is a trap. What if I take too much? What if I pick the wrong thing?
I wish they had just served me so I knew what was expected. Deciding to go for the safest option, I get a single slice of bread and place it on my plate. My hands shake as I scoop a small spoonful of eggs. I make sure that it’s roughly the portion size I would be given back home.
Setting the spoon down carefully, my hands retreat back to my lap.
Xander’s fingers tap lightly against the table, his gaze flickers to my plate and his brows furrow. His golden eyes flick between my face and the pitiful amount of food that I’ve taken.
“Is that all you’re taking?” He looks at me.
My chest tightens, and I nod. I knew I was wrong. They should have told me how much to take.
“Yes,” I say quietly.
His jaw shifts slightly, and he tilts his head as he watches me. He’s studying me now like a puzzle that doesn’t fit right.” Why?”
Pressing my lips together, I don’t answer because I’m not sure how to.
Irritation flickers in his eyes, but it’s not the kind that comes from someone being disobedient, more confusion and curiosity. I can see he’s trying to figure me out and work out, if I’m being honest.
I don’t know if the way he’s looking at me is better or worse. He doesn’t look away. His eyes stay locked on me. They are unreadable, and I can feel the weight of his scrutiny pressing down on me.
“Is that really all you’re going to eat?” he asks, his voice is slow and measured.
I nod in reply, my fingers tightening. “Yes.” He should just accept it.
His jaw tenses, but he doesn’t drop it. “Why?”
Shifting uncomfortably, my body instinctively prepares for punishment. If I say the wrong thing, if I answer in a way that displeases him, he could do anything…
Forcing the thought away, I try to calm down. This isn’t my father’s pack, and Xander isn’t my father. That doesn’t mean I can trust him, but to assume this is going to be bad is wrong.
Forcing the negative thoughts away, I try to keep my voice calm. “It’s enough for me.”
His expression hardens slightly. “Enough?” He looks at me like he thinks I’m lying.
I swallow, nodding again. “Yes.”
His fingers drum against the table just once, and it’s a slow, deliberate movement. “You hesitated.”
My pulse jumps. He saw, of course, he did. He notices everything. He’s watching me in a way that says he’s trying to catch every lie I tell.
Pressing my lips together, I struggle to keep my face neutral. I know he isn’t letting this go. He isn’t the type of man to ignore things. Especially if something doesn’t add up that I say.
His gaze flickers back to my plate again. “Did your father starve you?”
That question nearly makes me flinch. Not bec Successfully unlocked! od. It’s because it was always controlled. I really don’t know how to answer that. If I say no, he knew I’m lying, and it say yes? I don’t know what that means for me. He could be testing my loyalty, and if I speak about my own father, it proves I’m not loyal.
I settle on telling him the safest truth. “I was given what I needed to survive.”
Xander’s expression darkens slightly, and he leans back in his chair. He studies me like he’s trying to pick apart every small
1/2
Breakfast With Him
detail of what I said. He’s watching for every hesitation and every unspoken word.
I don’t move or even shift under his gaze. I just wait and watch him.
Finally, he exhales through his nose, Shaking his head slightly, it’s as if he’s dismissing the thought, for now at least. “Eat,” he says again, and this time there’s a sharpness beneath his command. It sounds like a challenge or a test. There’s a bit of hesitation, but I don’t let it stop me. Under his watchful gaze, I slowly pick up a piece of fruit and place it carefully on my plate.
Xander says nothing now. He eats, but I can feel the shift in the air. He’s watching me still, and I know he’s trying to figure out if this was a lie or not. He doesn’t believe anything I say, and right now, I’m not sure why.
He wanted to buy me, and he has. So why is he now questioning everything I say and looking at me like I’m this monster who is lying when I’m not.
Subscribed
