As the Moon Teaches

New Moon Gathering. Part 1

Saturday came too soon for Loren. He was not ready to get up and face the world. Once again he had a pretty restless night. His dreams were filled with thoughts of the young Alpha that was his mate.

Loren had dreams about Pelian, about how Zeala saw him. He had dreams of Gregory and how he was gentle even when grabbing Loren. There were things in his dreams that Loren never wanted to think about, like what could happen if he triggered Pelian.

Loren laid in bed, staring at his ceiling. He knew Zeala was craving connection with Pelian, but was he also starting to crave it, too? Sighing and shaking his head 'no,' Loren got up out of bed. He had chores to get done before evening, he needed to stop focusing on those weird dreams.

Getting dressed for the day’s preparations, Loren forced himself to think of his duties, not his restless dreams. Jeans with a belt, button up shirt, and work boots were the clothes of choice today. He hoped there was plenty to do to distract him. At least if he was busy, he could stay away from thoughts of Gregory and Pelian.

Leaving his room, he went to the kitchen to get breakfast. There was a small pile of pancakes already made, sitting on the center of the counter. Loren could smell bacon; he checked the microwave, which is where he found it.

Thanking his mother for being thoughtful, he set to making himself a plate. Looking at the time, he figured his parents were at their day jobs already. They usually were gone too early to leave breakfast, but he supposed his mom took extra time this morning because of the ceremony preparations.

All the teens and young adults without work hours this weekend were required to assist in setting everything up. The New Moon rituals were very simplistic, but they lasted two nights. The first night was to thank the Moon Goddess for her hard work. The second night was to welcome her back and ask for guidance.

While he ate, Loren thought about asking for guidance in how to handle Gregory. He wondered if there really was a better way to deal with the situation, but doubted it. As he finished eating, he was hopeful that he would at least have a busy and mate-less weekend.

After leaving the house, Loren walked to the woods. Once a few yards inside the woods, he stripped his clothes off and placed them in a bag he had grabbed while exiting the house. Loren crouched down and focused on shifting his body. If he were successful in transforming, it would be his first time ever.

He felt his nails become ridged and thick, his canine’s seemed to lengthen a little, but that was where it stopped. He cursed for a good minute while he continued to try to transform, but nothing good came of it.

Finally giving up, he redressed himself and took off at a sprint. He knew the first successful transformation took practice, but he wanted to be a wolf so terribly bad. As he ran, he did his best to go faster and faster, avoiding tripping or running into things. Loren was definitely agile and quick, so he was not completely dismayed.

It took a good half hour of running for Loren to reach the clearing where the festivities were being held. As soon as he did, though, his hopes came crashing down. The Alphas of all three packs were standing together discussing something. It reminded Loren that the New Moon was important to all packs, and the pact between the three Brookeside Packs meant they celebrated together.

Looking around, Loren wondered if Gregory was there yet. He hoped not, but also wanted a good idea of where the young Alpha was. It took a moment, but he spotted Gregory directing a few younger teens on how to set up some of the displays. Loren watched him for a few minutes, not realizing he was.

A heavy thump against Loren’s leg drew his attention down to a large dusty blonde wolf with large green eyes. He could hear the sweet alto of Carleigh in his mind.

//“You left without me.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d catch up.” Loren reached down and scratched Carleigh behind the ear. He loved when his sister was in wolf form. She was super affectionate, and she was better than any pet dog. He could not wait to be able to transform and go running with her.

//“I’ll go get dressed, then we can help with preparations.”

“Alright.” Loren grinned and ruffled Carleigh’s fur one more time before she trotted off to a tent.

It did not take long for Loren to find Gregory again, but this time the young Alpha was now watching Loren in return. His heart thudded loudly in his ears as he felt Gregory stare him down. Was it worth the trouble he would be in to leave the grounds?

No, the trouble was not worth it. So Loren just hoped that Gregory would keep busy and away from him. He could not help but watch the young Alpha as he continued to direct a few teens. Loren wondered if he could manage to stay away from his mate for the day.

A hand on his shoulder startled Loren out of his thoughts. He turned to find Carleigh smiling at him. She was dressed in dark cargo slacks and a tan button up, with heavy work boots. She was definitely ready to work hard.

“Let’s see where Marcus wants our help.” Carleigh smiled at Loren, but she was looking in the direction of Gregory. She must have caught Loren staring at the young man.

“Yeah… let's find Marcus.” Loren turned and started searching for Marcus. That was a better use of his time, than to watch Gregory.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help keep an eye on Mr. Alpha for you.” Carleigh promised her brother. She knew he was uncomfortable with Gregory around.

Carleigh and Loren found Marcus, who instructed them on where to start working on preparations. They easily followed his instructions as the setup was very similar every month. They worked in peace for most of the day it seemed.

That peace was broken when suddenly Gregory was at Loren’s side, grabbing his arm. Gregory was gentle, yet firm, in pulling Loren away from Carleigh and Marcus.

“Hey, leave him alone.” Carleigh snapped.

A low growl emitted from Gregory, a daring noise that challenged her to step up.

“It’s okay Leigh, I need to talk to Gregory.” Loren butted in, hoping to stop Carleigh from challenging the young Alpha.

Gregory pulled Loren off into the woods a little, aiming for some privacy. As soon as he felt they were far enough, he turned and pushed Loren against a tree, pinning him there with his body. Loren grunted a little as the more muscular teen pressed into him.

Before Loren could complain out loud, Gregory buried his nose in the crook of Loren’s neck. Both took a deep breath and held it, one out of concern, one out of desire. Loren could feel how Gregory was shaking lightly, and assumed that Pelian was fighting his way to the forefront. There was silence; no talking, no movement.