My bare legs dangle loosely from the branch as the song changes. The lyrics echo through the woods remaining perfectly audible even here. I wasn't really in the celebrating mood earlier so I decided to take a walk around the border of the pack grounds, near the lake. From here, I can see the way the full moon is being reflected from the surface of the water. A smile lingers on my lips at the view, snippets of past childhood memories arising randomly.

I surprisingly manage to climb down the tree without falling to the ground or getting a slight scratch from one of the loose twigs. The trees clear out even more as I make my way towards the dock. The slight breeze ruffles the leaves and slightly overgrown grass, creating an unusually pleasant sound.

The dock creaks slightly towards the edge but I keep my steps as light as possible. I slip off my ankle boots and dip my feet in the water, the cool waves crash on them in a calming manner. My eyelids flutter closed as my body begins to sway to no rhythm in particular. The dock begins to creak slightly but I take no a chord to the sound. A presence suddenly settles beside me, bringing my moment of silence to an end.

I open my eyes, only to be met by a rare, yet warm smile. "Now, what's my special birthday girl doing out here alone?" Father's voice stands out from the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. I smile at him and direct my gaze back to the water. Although, I don't miss his questioning look. It's the same look he's been giving me for the last month or so.

I feel something warm drape over my bare shoulders, welcoming the warmth it's giving me. The familiar scent, so pleasant and rich, can never leave me without a small smile playing at my lips. I know werewolves aren't supposed to feel cold but it doesn't mean we go unaffected by a breeze. I turn to father and asses him carefully. He looks at me, I mean really looks at me, as though I'm the answer to one of life's greatest mysteries. A ghost of a smile lingers on his face as his hand squeezes mine, sending some sense of comfort to my subconscious. "How are you?" He probes carefully, knowing and respecting my boundaries. I sigh and turn away from him, facing the water and speak monotone like. "I'm fine pa."

"No Hayley, I'm asking you to be honest with me. How is my baby girl doing? I wouldn't expect you to shy away from your own birthday party." At this, I turn and face him, all signs of boredom vanished from my facial expression. His question, said with a heavy heart, managing to make mine sink from its worry.

I comprehend on telling him what's really been on my mind, whether I should fill him in on my 'troubles' like I used to as a child. I don't necessarily have to tell him right? I mean, it's not a big deal, really. I'm pretty sure having a 'fall out' with your mate is normal, like an everyday thing. "You are loosing your mind." Sereana speaks through the link, managing to make me role my eyes internally. "Well, what would you do if your own mate thought the perfect revenge tactic would be to lip lock with Medusa herself!" I didn't realize I was yelling until I got to the end. Sereana stays silent for a while, her thoughts remaining black on my side. A wave of guilt immediately hits me like a ton of bricks. It's not her fault, I shouldn't take out my frustration on her like that.

"I'm sorry..." I sigh internally, " I shouldn't have yelled at you, or said that to you." her side of the link remaining as silent and dead as night its self. "Sereana, you there?" I ask a little worried from her lack of response.

"For starters," she finally speaks as though what I said never happened. "you should realize you're not the only one going through heartache. We literally share the same feelings, including you're 'not so little' PMS outbreaks." I can almost vision her rolling her eyes at the mention of my slight problems during that time of the month. "Oh come on, my little PMS moments aren't that bad." I state, trying to sugarcoat things. It's not that bad actually, I just have slight irritant buttons that get pushed by anything or anyone when it's that time, simple. "You're right, it's worse if you think about it." She snorts out in laughter while I simply role my eyes but nonetheless chuckle abit. "You should talk to your dad about it. Maybe he has the solution to all your problems and even if he doesn't, it'd still be good to vent out to someone." There's something odd to her tone, it's almost... motherly.

I nod my head and sigh out loud, turning to face father. "Are you okay?" He asks with pure sincerity and every intent on listening to me. I shake my head, not trusting my mouth to answer for me. He reaches out his arm and puts it around my shoulder as the other strokes my arm gently. His large frame acts as a cocoon that supports my rather small one, giving me the kind of assurance and protection I've been secretly yearning for all this time. "What's bothering you this much baby girl?" His voice croaks out in an almost pained manner, I frown at this. I didn't think my troubles could affect someone this bad.

I move away from father to stare at him squarely, deciding to go against the awkward feeling settling at the back of my throat. "It's a long story..." I chuckle at the slightest, hurt still lacing my voice. His hand raises and tucks my messy side hairs behind my ear. Why do I even bother trying to leave it neat.

"We've got all the time in the world." He smiles, knowing his 'catch phrase' would never fail to leave a smile on my face.

I'm not going to go into full detail but long story short, my crush (for the past year) found out I'm still into him and friend zoned me🙂👍🏾

✌🏾️💕