The Ripple Effect

I glanced down at my phone, chewing and tearing into my lip before shoving the thing back into my pocket. I blamed myself for this, for doing this to Brian. Just when his life had been calming down...

"Mama, what are you thinking about?" Rein murmured, nudging against my hip and gripping the hem of my shirt.

I reached around to try and pull him into my arms, but suddenly another boy nuzzled up against me on my other hip.

"You two are like lapdogs," I muttered, smiling softly. "Can I ask you something?"

They both started walking, pulling me with them toward the car. Orion was fiddling around in the front seat, but he stopped and smiled at me before turning the key in the engine.

The boys started wriggling around again to redirect my attention.

"Oh. Right. I was just wondering if Brian has talked to any of you since yesterday." He certainly hadn't spoken to me...except to say he wanted to go back to Nan's house for a night or two.

They both shook their heads fervently, and my heart sunk. Of course not. He was probably scared stiff.

"Sophie, just forget about it for one day, okay?" Orion murmured, suddenly grabbing my hand and pulling me around to the other side of the car. "He'll come around. Just enjoy the weekend, alright?"

"I had hoped Brian would come, too... I don't even know if he's ever been camping. My parents used to take me all the time. Those times are the best memories I have."

But I forced a smile for the sake of the bouncing boys in the backseats.

"Mama, I'm going to pitch the tent all by myself!" Rein shrieked, throwing his hands in the air and slapping a goofy grin on his face.

"Nuh uh! I'm going to do it, Maman!" Jonathan insisted, sharing a cross look with his brother.

I forced all negative thoughts from myself, and the passing scenery made it all the easier to let go of all the frustration and worry. There was an innate love for nature that had always clung to me like a second skin... But it was a bit humourous that we were leaving Orion's forest to go to a different forest!

Orion said we needed to stay in a forest, just in case Rein or Jonathan shifted. It made sense: the pups couldn't entirely control their wolves just yet, so living in seclusion provided them the protection they needed from human eyes.

I certainly hadn't known about werewolves, after all!

He said it was so his...pack...wouldn't bother us. They seemed to love spying on us, after all. And I was looking forward to not feeling so many eyes on me at all hours of the day; it could get rather unnerving, to say the least.

"Sophie, are you okay?"

I was pulled suddenly from my thoughts by both Orion's concerned voice and the hand that fell onto mine. The back-doors slammed, but I could hear the boys giggling loudly outside. My eyes drifted shyly to Orion.

"I'm okay," I decided. Really, I was more than okay. This was a family. This was what Rein needed, what I had thought I would be unable to give him. "Really, I can't thank you enough for this. Are you sure your mother didn't follow us here?"

He smiled that lopsided grin that I had come to love, and it brought the stupidest smile to my face.

"My mother and the rest of my pack are safely tucked away at home. I told them to give us some space unless they wanted you to run for the hills." He leaned forward and kissed my cheek gently. "They promised to back off for at least the night; they love you, you know?"

"I haven’t even met all of them."

"You didn't have to."

Before I could growl at him for speaking in riddles all of the time, I realised that he had disappeared from beside me and now stood at my door. I made a face before taking the hand that he held out for me. But that unpleasant scowl vanished when he pulled me into his arms and pointed to something a few meters from us.

Jonathan and Rein were fumbling with the tent pieces, laughing with each other while they tried to figure it out together. Orion's body shook with his gentle laughter, and I squished myself closer against him. Why did it feel so safe here? It was like...I was untouchable. And I could finally relax.

"It should be like this all of the time," I mumbled to myself.

"Maybe we should help them," Orion told me, still chuckling.

The tent was a bit more difficult than predicted (due to the size), but ten minutes or so passed and the thing finally stood for longer than two seconds. Orion had excused himself to go poke at his campfire, and Rein and Jonathan were scampering around trying to catch lightning bugs. Me? Well, I just leaned back and enjoyed the peace here. The moon now hung in the sky, and my hand clutched to the smaller moon hanging around my neck.

Maybe this could work. I mean, surely Orion and the boys loved the moon just as I did.

My fingers grazed lightly over the rough bark on the tree beside me, and I sighed. Heaven. This was Heaven.

"Sophie, can you call the boys? They're not listening to me," Orion groaned in my ear, rolling his eyes before he called out again.

"They couldn’t have gotten far. Come on, use your nose!"

He gave me a dirty look before turning on his heel and stalking into the dense thicket that surrounded us. Snorting to myself, I followed him quickly.

"Rein! Jonathan! It's dark, and it's time to start dinner!" I shouted, cringing as my every word echoed around us. "I'm not kidding, you two! Come here!"

"Jonathan!" Orion yelled, a growl on his breath. "Rein! Get back here! Now!"

"Orion... They couldn't have gone far, right?" I whimpered as my eyes darted around the forest. How could I have taken my eyes off of them for a second? They were werewolf pups, for crying out loud! Who knew how fast they could go!

"No," he mumbled, but his eyes were as shifty as my own. "They're just playing a game."

A twig snapped, and my skin tightened around me. Orion grabbed my wrist and pushed me behind him, doing nothing to ease my worries.

But then two redheads jumped out of a nearby bush, throwing their hands out and growling.

"Thank God," I mumbled, jerking my hand out of Orion's to jump at them and gather them in my arms. "Boys, don't do that again!"

"Did we scare you, Mama?" Rein whined. "We didn't mean to scare you so bad, honest!"

Then two deer scattered about the forest, and Orion tensed. I smiled.

"It's just some animals. How about we go back?"

He smiled, but his eyes never once found mine. I moved to question him again; however, he suddenly lunged at a tree. What on earth...?

It all happened so fast.

There was a loud bang. Rein started screaming, and he scattered out of my arms. Like the deer. Jonathan dropped to the ground, holding his knees and sobbing.

Then time seemed to freeze. I watched the bullet sail toward Jonathan, heading right for his shaking body. I screamed, but no words came out. My feet pushed against the soggy mud, and I scrambled to Jonathan.

Jonathan screamed, and I slammed my eyes shut against the pain as my heart was torn into shreds. How could I have failed my own son? How could I have let this happen!

The angel grabbed my face in his clammy hands, tears streaming down his face as he gasped wordlessly. His lips were moving... So why didn't he say anything?

Then he... He put his tiny hands on my sternum, and he started pushing against my skin and screaming louder. I shooed him away with lazy hands, begging him to stop before he hurt himself even more. How much time did we have? Could Orion run him to the hospital?

But I hissed out in pain.

"Jonathan, stop!" I rasped, sobbing. I rolled away from him, and only then did I realise that I had collapsed onto the forest floor.

I screamed out as a horrible pain tore me in half, and I stopped moving completely out of fear of it returning.

"Sophie, please stay with me," Orion begged, grabbing at my face as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry!" I cried out. "I tried to save him! But I—"

"Just breathe, okay" he whimpered, pushing against my chest like Jonathan had done.

"Stop it!" I screamed, pushing him away with every ounce of strength that I could muster. "Help Jonathan!"

"Sophie..." He sobbed then, and my body stilled. "You jumped in front of him... Why did you do that? A bullet couldn't kill him! But you..."

I... I was shot?

"Orion, I'm really dizzy," I whispered, closing my eyes for just a moment, to gain my bearings. I guess that was the pain in my heart, then?

"Sophie, please don't go... You have.... Stay.... Me..."

Then his voice stopped.