Happy Birthday
I shut off my alarm clock the moment it started beeping. I'd been up for about two hours. Normally I would have been downstairs eating or going out to pick up my best friend so we could grab coffee before school. Unfortunatly that was not in the cards.
I was currently avoiding leaving my room. I'd been ready for school for over an hour. I had worked on the little homework that I still hadn't done and finished reading a book. I really did not want to go out.
It's my birthday.
It's not that I don't like my birthday. Usually I enjoy it. Just not this year. In my family turning sixteen is special. We aren't like everyone else. We evolved to shift between two forms. The form of a wolf and the form of a human. Werewolves, though we just call ourselves wolves.
There are many of us and we live pretty similarly to humans. We have jobs and families and parents that make their children attend high school. Most of us are organized into packs much like actually wolves. The leaders of these packs are called Alphas. Alpha families protect the members of their packs and in return the members of the pack are forced to obey the Alpha.
Forced seems a little strong but with a direct order from the Alpha you have no choice to obey. Most Alphas rarely ever use Alpha orders.
Another factor that makes us much like real wolves is that we have mates. Unfortunately we do not get to choose our mates. Once a wolf turns sixteen he or she can recognize his or her mate if they are also sixteen.
My mother is particularly excited about my new ability to discover my mate. I guess it's like that with your first-born. Sadly, I do not share her sentiment. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I don't want to find my mate. I just don't want to find my mate right now. Maybe a few years from now when I've finished college and started my career. I will be Beta, second in command, of the Silver Moon Pack. My pack. My father is the current Beta and as his first born I have been train as the heir to the position.
"Katie!" Tyler yelled loudly outside my door. "I know you're awake! You'll have to come out sooner or later, might as well get it over with!"
I groaned grabbed my book bag. "It's not necessary to yell if you are aware that I'm awake," I informed him darkly as I opened the door.
He gave me an overly sunny smile. "Happy sixteenth birthday!"
I glared. "Utter a word about it being my birthday at school and I will end you."
It was bad enough that my baby brother was taller than me despite being a year and a half younger but I just knew he was going to make today so much longer than it needed to be. If any male wolves realized I was now sixteen they would try to see if we were mates. There were several signs but the favorite among hormonal teenage boys is contact. Once both wolves were sixteen supposedly when they touched they would feel sparks.
I'm not really a firm believer but what do I know.
I followed Tyler downstairs. "It smells like food," I observed.
"I made myself pancakes while you were pouting up in your bedroom," Tyler explained jumping up to sit on the kitchen counter and placing a plate with three large pancakes.
"We make food on that counter," I said making a metal note to wipe it down later. I saw he go for the syrup and swooped in, stealing a pancake before it could be drowned in maple-flavored liquid sugar.
"Hey!" Tyler cried is mock outrage. "I was going to eat that!"
I rolled it up into a burrito. "It's my birthday. Consider it my present." I took a huge bite, moaning dramatically despite it was dry and slightly undercook. It was stolen and stolen food tastes so much better.
"My pancake was not your present," he grumbled. "You know when you're in jail and the documentarists ask me where it all began I will tell them it was this thievery."
My eyebrows rose. "A little dramatic there, Tyler."
I keep telling him that he should take drama. He won't listen to me. He thinks it's a girl class. Sexist little pig.
"Katrina!"
I cringed as a streak of red and blonde flew towards me. Mom swept me up in a hug. She was dressed up in a red sundress and her blonde hair hung down her back. "Morning Mom," I said as she released me.
"What are you wearing?" she cried as her blue eyes widened in horror. "It's your birthday. I know you have a dress that you could wear and I have lipstick that would go perfectly with your skin tone!"
I tensed. She'd trying to turn me into a girly-girl. "Uh, why would I dress up?"
"Katrina Nina Grim!" You could hear the hint of her Russian accent whenever she call Tyler or me by our full names. She'd never even been to Russia but her grandmother had been from there and some of the accent was passed down. Dad called it cute. I disagree. "You could meet your mate today! You don't want his first image of you to be blue jeans and a Bon-Jovi T-shirt!"
I kind of did now that it was on the table. "Mom even if I do find my mate today, which is highly unlikely, he will have seen me a thousand times before now so it won't matter what I look like today."
She pouted. "But a little makeup won't hurt you."
"Oh leave the girl be, honey," Dad said laughing from behind her.
Dad gave me a wink and I grinned. "Hey Katie we have to go," Tyler said.
I glanced at the stove for time and cursed mentally. "Bye Mom, bye Dad! Tyler come on." I grabbed my bag and car keys. In our state we got our driver's licenses at fifteen. I ran out to my one true love. My truck. She was a beauty. Dad and I bought her after she'd been all but scrapped in a wreck and rebuilt her from the tires up.
I ran my hand loving along the hood and I walked around to my side. "Tyler if you think those pancakes are coming in my precious you are dead wrong."
Tyler huffed and ran back inside to throw them away. "Happy now," he said grumpily as he climbed into the passenger seat.
"Ecstatic," I said tossing my bag into the backseat. "Did you ever find out if Grant could give you a lift after school?" I asked as I started driving. Grant is our future Alpha and while I'm not particularly fond of the spoiled log head he and Tyler were friends.
"Yeah," Tyler said fiddling with the radio. "He said he could. We were going to take Greg and Billy and go shoot some hoops before the party."
I groaned at the mention of the party. It was my mother's idea. "I completely forgot about that party. Dammit." There'd be no hiding that it was my birthday now. Fuck a duck.
Tyler laughed, "Yeah, I know how much you love social gatherings with large groups of people. Remember the barbeque at the pack house last summer, though?"
I chuckled. "Yeah, you and Mitchel dumped a cooler of ice all over Grant's head. It was hilarious."
"It was so worth being ground for the next month," Tyler said. "Hey, are we not picking Alex up?" Tyler asked as I turned towards the school and away from her street.
"She said she was meeting me there."
"So we left early for nothing?" Tyler exclaimed. "I could have finished my pancakes!"
"We left for my sanity," I corrected. "I wasn't not going to have Mom try to doll me up again. It was awful enough the last time. Besides I did you a favor by make you ditch the 'cakes. That was more syrup than anything else. So not healthy for you."
"It was healthy for my soul!" he argued.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that."
He grumbled the rest of the ride and up until we split up at the courtyard. I made my way inside hoping to stop by my locker before the halls became filled with people who wanted to just stand there and talk.
"KATIE!"
I winced as my name echoed throughout the hall. Alex bounded towards me much like my mother had earlier. Her red curls were all tied up in a bun and her green eyes sparked with excitement. "Hey Alex." I'm pretty sure everyone in Hegira High just heard her. Well, Alexandra Petiole was known her vocal talents. She was a proud leading voice for every choir event. One of her cousin is the next Theta, third in command.
"Happy birthday!" she screamed crashing into me. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she half-strangled me with her hug.
"Can't... Breathe!" I gasped trying to find an escape from the bear hug.
"Oops," she laughed stepping back. "You're sixteen! This is great, you should seem more excited? I mean you can find your mate now! I know that you don't want to find him yet, but still it's very exciting. You're growing up!"
One of has too. "It's just another birthday, Alex. And you don't need to get that face. I just don't have time for a mate right now.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know all about your plan." We started walking towards my locker. "You know life is no fun when you have every minute of it scheduled out. There's no surprise."
I raised an eyebrow. "I have all the surprise I need with you in my life. Not to mention drama."
"Hey!" Her hand flew to her chest. "I'm offended. That is so not true."
"Paul," I coughed. Her eyes narrowed at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. "Let's not forget the party tonight. You know the one I didn't want. The same one I am absolutely sure you and my mother devised as a ruse to force me into a dress because you're so sure I'll find my mate today."
She harrumphed. "I'm sure I have no idea what on earth you're talking about."
I smiled and shook my head. "So any bets on who it is?"
"A few," she answered. "Not that you'll hear any of them."
"Of course not." We'd reached my locker and I started putting in the combo.
That elicited a smile from her. "Well I can't wait to find out who my mate is."
I nodded and pulled out my physics book. "When you do I am sure that she and I will be great friends."
It took her a couple seconds to realize what I'd said. "I am not gay!" she yelled and everyone in the hall paused to stare at her. What a little freak.
"Hey, I don't judge. Still, sometimes the way you look at me makes me think there's a little secret with you in the closet."
She smacked my arm. "I am not gay, and if I were I could do way better than you."
My mouth dropped open in shock. She didn't! This of course launched an argument about whom was too good for whom. As if it weren't obvious! Then suddenly I was assaulted by too much man perfume.
"Hey Katrina," Hayden said putting his arm around my shoulder. "I hear you're sixteen as of today. You know that's the legal age of consent."
I elbow him in the gut and moved away from him. "So not interested. I will never be interested. I have these things called standards." I eyed him disgusted by the prospect of him touching me. "And only someone without any would sleep with you."
"You can suck my dick, Katrina," Hayden sneered not taking the rejection very well.
I huffed. "You would have to grow one first, Hayden." With that Alex and I turned our backs to him and started towards first period. When he was out of range Alex shuddered.
"I don't think there's a living thing that Hayden has tried to sleep with," she said.
I agreed. "Can you imagine the STIs that he probably has? His gentiles are probably green!"
"That is not a mental image I want to have, Katrina," Alex sputtered.
"Then why did you picture it?" I asked smartly.
She narrowed her eyes at me and I smirked back. "You think you're so cute don't you?"
"Nope. I know I am. There is a major difference between the two." A strange smell reached my nose just as I was saying the last part. It was familiar almost but I couldn't figure out why. I almost turned to go hunt down the scent it was so alluring.
My mind dredged up the one word that could stop me. Mate. I recoiled mentally and shook my head. The scent was gone now anyways and Alex was staring at me expectedly. "Sorry, what?"
"Are you feeling okay?" she asked concerned. "You just sort of zoned out. What happened?"
"Nothing," I lied knowing if I told her the truth she'd want me to go hunt down the owner of the strange scent. "Come on we better hurry up before we're late."
I know my mate must attend the school. Which means my chances of avoiding whomever it is for the next few years are pretty low. Hell, my chances of avoiding him for the rest of the week are probably pretty slim. I have no delusions of that.
Still, for some unexplainable reason I continued to actively avoid my mate, going in the opposite direction whenever his scent drew near, sometimes having to go out my way to avoid him. My friends clearly noticed this but known of they asked about my rather odd behavior.
If only my birthday party were as easy to avoid. The moment I parked my truck in my driveway Alex dragged me upstairs and shoved me into the shower.
I took longer than necessary to shower hoping to delay or even stop my attendance at the party.
No such luck. When I finally did step out wrapped in a towel they were waiting. Alex and my mother. They spent a good twenty minutes just forcing me into the dress. It was black. The dress was a high-tie waist, off the shoulder loose sheer sleeves down to my elbows with black lace trim, and it stopped just above my knees.
I couldn't believe my mother condoned me wearing this, let alone was forcing me too. "I hope you both know that I hate you right now," I grumbled as Alex clip the front locks of my freshly curled blonde hair in a silver clip in the back of my head.
"I'll live," Alex said chipper, "and you look amazing." Alex herself was wearing a red mini-dress. "Also it is for your party.""
"A party that I specifically asked, begged really, to not be thrown," I replied bitterly.
Alex huffed while my mother dutifully finished the last of my makeup. "Would you seriously rather spend your sixteenth birthday all alone up in your bedroom rather than go to a party that's being thrown in celebration of you?"
"Yes!"
Mom laughed but Alex shook her head. "How are we friends?" she asked.
My mother answered. "When you were babies your mother and I agreed that if we forced you two together often enough you would entertain each other and we could take turns sleeping."
Did I believe that story? Yes, I did. It sounded very much like something our mothers would do. "Huh," Alex said to herself, she believes it too. "Well anyways you're getting the party, Katrina." She forced me into a pair of black sandal wedges and dragged me downstairs and into the backyard where the party had gotten into full boom while she and Mom worked their evil magic.
Alex left me in the middle of the crowd to go hunt down her next boyfriend. She said she was getting a drink but I know the truth. Everyone wanted to talk to me. It was exhausting. An hour later and Alex still hadn't return, my feet hurt from the shoes and I was tired of talking to people.
I was waiting for the moment the back door was clear so I could escape to my room. My chance had finally come. I darted towards it.
"Where do you think you're going?" I jumped at the voice.
"Tyler!" Dammit. I was so close!
My little brother smirked at me. "Nice try Katie, but a couple of friends would like to wish you a happy birthday." Hadn't everyone already done that? I feel like I've talked to the entire school at this point. "Come on," he said pulling me away from the door.
"Why do you hate me?" I asked as he dragged me along.
I didn't really hear Tyler's reply. The scent was here. My mate was here. It must be someone I know. I quickly flipped through everyone I've seen today.
"Tyler," I said. The scent grew stronger as he led me. My mate must be one of the friends he was taking me to. "I just want to go upstairs and get out of this dress."
Tyler laughed, "You know there may be a few guys willing to help you."
My nose crinkled in revulsion. "Ew. That's disgusting. God, why did Dad have to drop you on your head when you were a baby?"
We were reaching the edge of the crowd and the scent was overpowering. We broke through the last bit of the crowd and my eyes immediately locked with a set of familiar brown eyes. No. No. Anyone but him! My body was frozen and my mind was screaming at me. Mate! Mate! Mate! Of all the people it had to be him?
My mate was none other than Grant Adams, the future Alpha of the Silver Moon pack. "Mate," Grant whispered his eyes never leaving mine.
His voice broke me out of my trance. "No way!" Tyler said unbelieving next to me. "You guys are mates?"
"Shut up," Grant and I hissed together. Our eyes jerked back to each other and I shook my head.
"I can't do this," I whispered and took off back into the crowd. The shoes were slowing me down. I paused for just a second to step out of them and went back to shoving me way through the crowd. I made it into the house and scurried up the stairs to get to my room before I started hyperventilating.
I had nearly made to my room when something slammed into me and pinned me to the wall of the hallway. Grant. My skin tingled where he touched me. It was almost like static electricity. Sparks. No, no, no. this can't be happening. Grant sniffed my neck before placing an open mouth kiss on it.
I gasped in surprise at his actions. What the hell is he doing? His teeth scraped against my skin. He was going to mark me as his. I struggled to break out of his hold. Then he lift his head so his lips brushed against the edge of my ear. "I, Grant Adams, reject you, Katrina Grim, as my mate. Sorry babe, you just aren't my type."
I felt the mental snap of a bond I didn't even know was there. It was an actually physical pain, almost like a bone breaking. I held my chin up in defiance. "Get. Off. Of. Me," I growled and he stepped back in shock. This was so very out of character for me, to be growling at my future Alpha. "I don't care about your rejection. Do me a favor though, don't tell anyone about this. The last thing I want is for people to know that I have any connection to you."
"You don't care?" he repeated my words confused.
"No," I confirmed. "Could you leave now? I'd like to change out of this dress and you aren't hot enough to assist me." I entered my room and slammed the door shut in his face.
I took a deep, shaky breath as his stomping footsteps faded away. I heard a commotion out back and went to my window just in time to see an angry Grant shift into a pure black wolf. I shut the curtains and slid down against the wall to the floor and hugged my knees. "What am I going to do?" I asked myself as frustrated tears leaked from my eyes.
There's no way this would stay a secret. I know if I asked Tyler wouldn't say anything but what about anyone else who witnessed us downstairs? And even if it did stay a secret, what then? Would I really be able to be the Beta of this pack? Would I be able to work with Grant every single day for years and watch as he searched for a girl that was his type all the while knowing that I was the mate he rejected?
I sighed and resigned myself to changing into sleep clothes and leaving this ordeal to be dealt with in the morning. If I was lucky no one would find out about any of this.
Unfortunately I wasn't lucky. The next morning I was summoned by the Alpha. Tyler said he would come with me, I wasn't sure it was a good idea. He was beyond angry that Grant had rejected me. I still hoped that this was about something else. "Just don't say anything," I told Tyler as I parked in front of the pack house where all official pack business was conducted.
"I should punch that ass in the face," Tyler grumbled as we got out. "How could he?"
"Tyler," I hissed. I really shouldn't have let him come. My hope wavered when we enter the large building and everyone of rank were in the lobby. Including our parents. Oh God.
Alpha Holden and his mate were waiting along with Grant. I made a point of not looking at him and exposed my neck to Alpha Holden as a sign of submission. "Alpha," I greeted. "You requested my presence."
"Yes," Alpha Holden says. "It has come to my attention that you have found your mate in my son." I wanted to throw up. This is bad, very bad. His voice was accusing. Did Grant lie and say that I rejected him? Rejecting your mate it not only a taboo but cause to banish a wolf from the pack.
I straighten from my slight bow. "Yes. I suppose your son told you." Alpha Holden nodded. "And he told you he rejected me." I would not let Grant lie his way out of this and pin it on me.
No one said anything. Then our Alpha spoke, "Yes he did." My eyes widen in surprise. "And you are to be stripped of any rank in the pack. You will no longer be able to be the next Beta, or hold any rank."
"What?" I didn't understand. I had done nothing wrong.
Tyler shook beside me and anger flashed onto my parents faces. "The only reason I am not banishing you from the pack is because you are the daughter of my Beta. But if you make a wrong move or give me any reason to think you conspire against the pack I will not hesitate banish you."
"Conspire against the pack?" I questioned. I was too angry to care that I was questioning my Alpha. "Why the hell would I of all people conspire against the pack? I have spent my life training to best serve the pack!"
"The future Alpha has rejected you as an unworthy mate," he replied. Unworthy. I clenched my fists at my sides. "Given the chance you would react and try to exact revenge. You cannot be trusted."
It stung. I had devoted my life to the pack. I had studied constantly and worked tirelessly for the good of the pack. And now the Alpha that I had followed faithfully was saying that I couldn't be trusted. I didn't do anything to deserve this mistrust. I couldn't be trust because of someone else's actions. Tears stung at my eyes. I had to get out of here, I couldn't breathe. I spun on my heel ad started for the door but someone grabbed my arm.
I turned around. Grant. I felt white-hot rage. "Katrina, I'm sorry-"
The sound of my hand hitting his cheek echoed throughout the room before I had even consciously considered slapping him.
"How dare you?" I questioned as fury took residence above my betrayal and hurt. "You're sorry? I don't want your fucking apology. You are nothing more than a spoiled brat who gets away with whatever you want because of who your father is! And your daddy just gets you out of everything. Normally I don't care about that because of my loyalty to the pack. But it seems that this pack doesn't have any loyalty. Because of you! We follow the Alpha and in exchange the Alpha protects us.
"With you as Alpha that isn't true. You rejected me but I'm the one that is punished. Tell me future Alpha Grant, how have I been protected by my Alpha?" I turned to Alpha Holden as the first couple of tears spilled down my cheeks. "How have you protected me? You don't care about us! You won't protect us! Not if you're too busy throwing us under the bus so you can cover up for your failure-as-a-leader son!"
One of the pack members stepped forward. "Maybe you should leave."
I saw their faces. They didn't trust me. They didn't see this as the Alpha failing his job. They saw this as me snapping after being rejected as some wolves do.
I turned and ran from the pack house and climb into my truck. I sobbed as I speed away from the pack house. I saw the looks on my pack members faces in my mind as I stopped in front of my house. They betrayed me. They all betrayed me.
I knew I couldn't stay here. I could never follow Alpha Holden again. Not after he's done this. And I would never be able to follow Grant. I had to leave. I couldn't face any of these people again. Not after they betrayed me like this.
I found myself in my bedroom with a large suitcase opened on my bed. I packed clothes and all of my money. I looked around my room for anything I couldn't leave behind. I saw the photo on my dresses. It was a picture Tyler, Alex, and my parents. I had taken the picture of them when Alex had stayed over and we were all watching some stupid comedy. I placed it on top of everything in the suitcase and zipped it close.
I dragged it out to the truck and put it in the back. I couldn't bring myself to face my family. I don't think I could bare to say goodbye, or worse see the same look of mistrust on their faces. To see the look, the look that meant they thought I had snapped. I couldn't do it."
"What are you doing?"
I turned around. "Alex. Tyler." There was a hand squeezing my heart. "I can't stay here. Not when everyone..." I couldn't force the words out.
"Stay," Tyler said. "Katie we can change Alpha Holden's mind. We'll convince him-"
I shook my head. "It won't matter Tyler. You saw them, the looks on their faces. They don't trust me. And even if you could change the Alpha's mind it won't help. I could never follow him again. Not after this. And I will never be loyal to Grant. I have to leave. There has to be something else out there. A place where I can start over."
"Please," Alex begged with fat tears rolling down her face. "Katie please don't do this. Don't leave us! We can find a way but only if you stay!"
"I can't," I sobbed. "I can't Alex. I'm sorry." My heart broke in that moment when I saw my best friend and brother both looking at me with tears. "I don't know what I'll find or if it will be better but I know if I do stay here one day I really will snap. I can't think about the good of this pack, not anymore. And I can't be here when Grant becomes Alpha. I can't let him ruin my life. Please," I cried softly. "Try to understand. I have to do this."
"We need you here," Tyler objected. "I'm not you, Katie. I'm not a Beta."
"Neither am I," I told him. "Not anymore."
"I need my older sister. I need you, Katie. Here, not somewhere else," he said.
"I'm sorry," I choked pulling him into my arms. "God, I'm so sorry Ty. You'll be a great Beta. I know it. I love you so much. Okay?"
"No!" He pulled away. "You can't just leave! What about Mom? And Dad? You can't just leave your life here!"
I opened my mouth but Alex threw her arms around me. "I love you, Katie," she sobbed. "So do what you need to do. Just take care of yourself."
I hugged her back as tears flooded down my cheeks. "I love you too. Both of you. Tell my parents that I love them. Tell them I said goodbye."
"And Grant?" she asked. "What about him?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You can tell him to go to hell."
I hugged my brother one last time before getting in the truck and driving away. It was impossible to breathe as I watched them sob in my rearview mirror. They faded away and I took the quickest way to the edge of the territory. "You can do this," I whispered to myself when I finally reached it. You can survive your rejection." And I crossed it.