Chapter 22: Episode 22 - The Perfectly Imperfect Birthday

Episode 22 – The Perfectly Imperfect Birthday

Briar’s POV

I had never planned a birthday surprise before—at least, not one this big. But for Olivia? I wanted it to be perfect.

She was always the one taking care of everyone, carrying the weight of the pack on her shoulders without ever asking for anything in return. So, when I found out her birthday was coming up, I knew I had to do something special.

I roped in Ethan, Tara, and Caleb, because let’s be honest—I had no idea what I was doing.

“This is going to be amazing,” Tara grinned as she spread out the decorations in the packhouse’s main hall. “Olivia won’t see it coming.”

“That’s assuming we don’t screw it up first,” Ethan muttered, eyeing the cake he had attempted to make. It was supposed to be a classic chocolate cake, but right now, it looked more like a lumpy rock.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Okay, let’s go over this again. Decorations?”

“Almost done,” Tara said. “Balloons, streamers, fairy lights—all set.”

“Food?”

Ethan winced. “We might need a backup plan for the cake.”

I groaned. “Fine, I’ll figure something out. What about the guests?”

Caleb walked in, looking far too amused for my liking. “Everyone’s invited and sworn to secrecy. But I’m warning you, Olivia’s already suspicious.”

Of course, she was. Olivia was sharp, and keeping something from her was like trying to hide meat from a wolf—damn near impossible.

Still, I refused to give up.

“We just have to keep her distracted,” I said. “I’ll handle it.”

The Distraction Plan… Gone Wrong

I found Olivia in her office, buried under a pile of paperwork as usual.

“Hey, Alpha,” I leaned against the doorframe, giving her my best smirk. “Busy?”

She looked up, and just like always, my heart did a stupid little flip. She was breathtaking, her dark eyes warm as they landed on me.

“Always,” she said with a sigh. “What’s up?”

“I need you to come with me.”

Her brow arched. “Why?”

“Because your wonderful, amazing, extremely attractive mate demands it.”

Olivia chuckled, shaking her head. “You really think that’s going to work on me?”

I stepped closer, trailing my fingers along her forearm. “Please?”

She exhaled, clearly torn. “Briar—”

I cut her off by grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. “No arguments. Come on.”

I led her outside, taking her on a ‘spontaneous’ date to keep her distracted. We walked through the forest, stopping by the lake where I had set up a picnic—Tara’s idea, and surprisingly, it actually went well.

For the next hour, Olivia actually relaxed, which was rare. She laughed, she let me feed her strawberries, and she even pulled me into her lap at one point, burying her face in my neck.

It was perfect.

Until Caleb called.

“Briar, we have a problem.”

The Disaster

By the time we got back, the packhouse was in chaos.

Balloons were popping left and right. The decorations were falling off the walls. The table was a mess. And the cake? Let’s just say Ethan’s second attempt was somehow worse than the first.

And Olivia—because of course she did—walked in right behind me.

I turned to her, blocking her view as much as possible. “Surprise?”

She looked over my shoulder, taking in the absolute disaster before her, and I braced myself for disappointment.

Instead, she laughed.

Not just a chuckle, but full-on, head-thrown-back laughter.

I blinked. “Uh… You’re laughing?”

Olivia wiped at her eyes, still chuckling. “Briar, I knew something was up. But this? This is priceless.”

I huffed. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this. I wanted it to be perfect.”

She cupped my face, her thumb brushing over my cheek. “It is perfect. Because you did this for me.”

The Real Celebration

Once we cleaned up (with a lot of help from the pack), we finally settled in for the real celebration.

Tara and Ethan managed to salvage some of the food, Caleb got a new cake from a bakery, and the entire pack gathered to celebrate their Alpha.

But the best part?

At the end of the night, it was just Olivia and me, curled up in her room, away from all the noise.

She traced circles on my thigh as she spoke. “You know, I don’t think anyone has ever gone this far for my birthday before.”

I frowned. “Seriously? No one?”

She shook her head. “Not like this.”

I swallowed, suddenly feeling emotional. “Well, get used to it. Because from now on, you’ll always have someone who goes all out for you.”

She smiled, pulling me into her lap. “I already have everything I need.”

And when she kissed me, slow and deep, I knew—despite all the chaos, despite all the disasters—this had been the best night of my life.

Olivia’s POV

Watching Briar all day, seeing her so determined, so eager to make me happy, had been the greatest gift I could ever ask for.

She was my mate, my Luna.

And as I held her close that night, listening to her breathe, I knew one thing for certain—

No matter what the future held, as long as I had Briar by my side, I had everything.

---

So say happy birthday Olivia and vote for this episode. Love you all 💕