Not a Mistake

Chapter-8

When stepping out of the house for the first time in ages, fresh air fills my lungs and a part of me wonders what was I thinking.

The evening is cooler in temperature, and I fold my arms as I follow the sound of music and people talking. It's a calm night and I appreciate the forest around me on a trail leading closer to a pack of werewolves I have never met before... well maybe there not all strangers.

I never was that bad at meeting new people. I normally tried harder so they didn't see what everyone else supposedly saw in me, a Halfling... that apparently was a bad thing.

Jordon, my brother would like it here. He was never into life indoors; we had fun when we played by the forest back home. Playing games he always won, or he would let me win once in a while.

My breath catches when I think about what is happening in that place, what they could be doing to him. Maybe... maybe if I come clean, get them to trust me they can help my brother like they helped me. Get him out... or would after what happened with Caleb make him untrustworthy? Come to think of it my brother might have known him if Caleb took the money. Why did Caleb take the money?

I stop my racing thoughts and just force myself to focus on tonight. I need them to trust me, and if it means telling Grant the truth, so be it.

I get closer to the clearing and the smell of a smoky bon fire and barbeque, sparks my senses and...my appetite. It's a larger clearing then I realized as I stand on the boarder. It's filled with tables, benches, chairs and picnic blankets all circled around a few bon fires. A few children run around, and I notice most of the people here are young to older adults not many children at all.

I find a couple eyes looking my way and I muster a polite smile as I make it further into the clearing. More eyes spot me as I try to find a familiar face, feeling like dajavu as I feel out of place. Just like old times.

"Brooke?" My head whips to the left to see Abby on a lawn chair, eyes wide when seeing me. I smile nervously and she gets up from her chair, beer in one hand as she comes to me, concern on her face." Are you okay, did something happen?"

I furrow my eyebrows "No... does something look wrong?" I slightly panic as I look down at my outfit and back up at Abby who is smiling. "What?"

"Come on, I'll introduce you to some people." She waves me over to a small little group all on lawn chairs and a picnic blanket. It consists of four other people, a slim woman with brown hair and a younger man, around my age. On the opposite arm chair, a man sits down with a blonde woman casually on his lap as they laugh and talk.

"Everyone." There heads look up to us, before all the attention is on me." This is Brooke." Abby gestures to me before pointing to the brown haired woman." This is Vera, Third in command."

She smiles and I smile back before Abby continues." This is Dom, don't take any notice of him." She teases which Dom, who I recognize as Martha's son, with his blonde hair and innocent blue eyes, he glares at her playfully.

"And last but not least, my sister, Annie with her mate forward slash husband, Shawn." Annie looks more like Ali, Abby's other sister with the same body type but face wise, she very much looks like Abby. When I see Shawn with his buzzed black hair it takes me a second to realize he is missing his right eye. It's not that noticeable, the skin has grown over where I assumed would be a hole in his head; he still though is a very attractive person.

"Nice to meet you guys." I give a slight wave and they all smile welcomingly, that eases my mind a bit.

"You sit down Brooke, have my chair I will snatch one and be right back." Abby walks off into the party and I turn back and causally walk over to her lawn chair and sit down.