Moon Tears

Chapter ♡ 17

Camping : Day 1

I didn't know it until the first day the bus arrives and drops us all off at the Firwood National Forest – but most of our group had issues being away from home. No one had stayed out a night anywhere in long while. And we were staying a whole week in the forest. I could see already that everyone was nervous.

Seth organised with the larger therapy company to get comfortable camping gear for us. We all have a bag each that we carry on our backs.

Jack was quite distressed about me being away for a whole week, so Seth agreed to have him along and he could visit and live with the Firwood pack. Apparently there were a lot of other kids Jack's age, not just Carson from that one football match that went sour. Seth told me Jack could practice being more of a wolf with the other werewolves while his mother agreed to take care of him.

Seth had explained to us that his mother was a matriarch of the pack, she always cared for the little ones like a nanny and helped out anyway she could.

Jack is holding my hand now as we walk down the trail together. Seth leads the way at the head of the trail, followed by Clyde and Jim, Lynda walks with her son Oliver and Violet and Audrey walk behind us.

Little Oli and Jack were shy, as they only knew each other briefly for football, but I could already see them sharing looks like they wanted to run off and play soon.

But first – it was going to be a little goodbye. Although not really. Because our camp would be within walking distance to the Firwood Pack, so I would always be close to Jack and Lynda would be close to Oliver.

Along the trail, the forest becomes dense and thick. It smells like paradise but my eyes are mostly focused on the compacted dirt and I think about Jack's hand in mine.

It was the most agoraphobic I had felt since day one. I was dissociating from my surroundings.

I wanted nothing more than to be in my bedroom right now, back at Melody's – just to get into my head and think away the fear creeping into me breath by breath.

Jack understands my quiet moods, he doesn't badger me.

But he does tug on my hand in excitement about ten minutes later and I look up when I see the Firwood Pack house appearing from the forest – a huge log mansion, built on a small hill, it's double story and surrounded by a rainbow garden. Flower beds and vegetable patches.

Small werewolf pups are jumping around the flowers, tackling one another while an older, taller and heavier lady sits on a small chair, overlooking a classroom worth of pups. The lady turns, wearing a long light blue gown, her hair is a wild grey and thick wind-swept mess around her shoulders as she turns and her deep blue eyes find Seth immediately.

She starts to stand up, crying on the spot.

"Mom!" Seth calls out from the front of the line, running forward and wrapping up his mother in a tight hug. She clutches onto him and I watch as all the wild wolf pups notice Seth. Half simultaneously flop onto their backs. They all end up quietly sitting or laying with their bellies exposed as they give scared puppy eyes to the Alpha.

It's so cute, I hear Violeta and Audrey laughing. Jack holds onto my coat and looks very nervous as Lynda and I walk up together.

"It's alright, Jack, you'll be okay, love," I pet through his hair and he silently approaches with me.

"I've missed you, I've missed you, Seth! Where have you been!" Seth's mother is an emotional wreck, still crying, scolding and holding onto him for dear life. It's very, very cute. Seth has to turn around and pry himself away from her.