Kaeleen’s POV
I watched Hunter with a frown on my face. I mean I suspected that it was cancerous but he was downplaying it.
"Dude, why didn’t any of us know about this?" I asked him.
"You know your sister." Hunter said to me. "She is having difficulty coming to terms with it."
"Denial?"
"More like acceptance and guilt." He sighed. "Man, I don’t even know. I never expected that shut like this will happen to me."
"But we can still fight it. Chemotherapy and the test right?" I asked hopefully.
"Sure. I’m not about to give up so soon but I hate that this happened to us. And Serena is taking it the hardest. She had a full breakdown when we received the results. She may pretend to be strong but she’s the softest person I know. She’s been researching about this and hasn’t left my side once which has to be suffocating." He said.
"She didn’t tell us."
"I tried to get her to tell you guys but she insisted you had a lot on your plate with the new Luna and everything with the Leon guy." He said to me.
While Hunter wasn’t a werewolf, he knew about most things that happened in the pack because Serena was a notable member of the pack and they were the kind of couple that didn’t keep secrets from each other. Much like Alex and Rebecca.
"But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to help or at least be in the know." I said to him.
"I know and I’m sorry. I think maybe at some point I didn’t want to tell you guys just incase I don’t make it y’know?" He asked me.
I didn’t know. And I couldn’t understand. I hated that this was happening to him and my sister especially after she has been hurt a thousand times. I hated it. And I wasn’t ready to imagine life without Hunter. Who was going to do my tattoos? Who tr fuvk was I going to rope into my stupid pranks on Serena? Who was going to help me speak to Serena when she was being incredibly stubborn and hardheaded like she was right now? When she felt like she had to do things by herself? Who was she going to depend on?
"Dude." I said, my throat clogged with emotion. "That isn’t going to happen. You are definitely not going anywhere. Don’t say shit like that again."
He gave me a look but just nodded. Soon after, Serena came out with a plate of fruits. Hunter convinced her to go take a bath and get some rest. She tried to argue but he instead and told her he wasn’t going anywhere.
"But..."
"Kaeleen is here with me, love. If I need anything he can help me out. An besides, I feel good today." He said to her.
Serena gave me a look. She still didn’t feel like leaving but after one last plead from Hunter, she left.
I stayed with Hunter, watching television. He seemed like he wasn’t really into it. And the fruits Serena had given him were left uneaten. When I asked him, he said he had no appetite. I asked him about chemo and he told me he had started already.
That was something else he and Serena kept from us. I hoped that Hunter made it through this. It wasn’t long before he excused himself because he was tired. I mean he looked extremely tired. How was it that in just a week, he had transformed into a shell of himself?
I stuck around after he left. I took my phone out and proceeded to text Alex and Rebecca.
Me: I’m at Serena’s home.
Rebecca answered almost immediately after I sent the text.
Rebecca: How is she? She wouldn’t tell me anything when I asked her.
Me: She doesn’t look good. I think she’s scared and she didn’t even speak with me. I spoke with Hunter. He said she had a breakdown when the results came out.
Rebecca: Was it cancerous?
We had all suspected that that was the result when we had not heard from Serena after they had gotten the test results.
Me: Yes. Hunter doesn’t look the same. He’s shrinked a lot. I feel like he’s trying to out on a show that he is alright maybe for Serena but he isn’t.
Rebecca: Fuck.
Alex: Will she let us help?
Me: I have no idea. She’s taking a nap now but I’ll stick around until she’s awake so I can speak with her.
I played games while I waited for Serena. It seems I wouldn’t be able to make it to the office today. Why was it that Serena couldn’t just rely on her family? Or perhaps did she think that this was her fault?
Hours later, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and turned to see my sister freshly showered. She scowled when she saw I was still in her home.
"What are you still doing here?" She asked me.
"Waiting for you." I said truthfully.
"Why?"
"Because we need to talk."
"We have nothing to talk about." She said to me.
"Why didn’t you tell us what was going on?" I asked her.
Her bottom lip wobbled and she sucked in a deep breath.
"You have a lot going on and this isn’t something I can’t handle."
"Yeah?" I asked her. "Then how the fuck are you going to handle it? Are you going to just make it disappear?"
"I can’t do that but I can do the day I can."
"I know how strong you are Serena. I know how you stepped in as a mother figure after we lost ours. I know how much weight you carry but mum didn’t teach us not to share the burden. I’m your brother for fuck’s sake. I tell you when I have issues, when I need your help but why the fuck do you not tell me anything when it’s your turn? Most times we have to force it out of you. Why?" I asked her.
"I don’t know. You of all people should know that that’s just how I am."
"And you of all people should know that family has always come first. Hunter is like a brother to me. You didn’t think that I’ll deserve to know that he’s having a tough time?"