Chapter 9: Chapter 8

Finally my born day had come and this was one birthday I was feeling excited about. Two protective men were in my life and for the first time ever hope had sprung inside of me. Outside the triangular window in my attic the morning sky was a pale light blue and as it kissed my face, elation brought me alive. I sat up feeling immense gratitude for having made it another day in life.

Auspiciously it was the night of my turning and when the moon filled her own cup I would morph into the wolf I was supposed to be. Archer had already agreed to be there for me in the moment. Chills ran down the length of my body as I imagined what it would be like. I hummed along to the shower as I looked down at my body. Muscles were forming and they were quick to show. Only a few weeks I’d been training and the results were immediate. My healing capabilities were pretty good along with my remedies and from what I could tell my body was able to gain muscle mass as well. There was no kidding myself, I was no Grant or Thelma in terms of figure, but I had my own uniqueness forming. As I got out of the shower the excitement from my birthday was thwarted by Grant’s irritating voice and thump on the bathroom door.

“Don’t forget you have to get the grounds ready for training this morning. You’re running late.”

No happy birthday, no I love you sister and I can’t wait to see you turn, just the usual morning delight of jealousy and spite.

“I won’t forget. Promise.” Happiness was coming from within and her being rude to me barely touched the sides. Seeing Clive turn brought me alive. Now after all these years it would be mine.

I walked out with a new spring in my step and moved in silence through the house wanting to stay undetected. Archer and Clive were often over at the barracks early and seeing them would take away any stinging barbs that Grant was trying to inflict. When I arrived Clive was the first face that greeted me.

“Well, look who it is. The birthday girl is here! How are you feeling today? Are you ready for tonight?” All my senses were tingling and I wanted to jump through the roof I was so happy about it.

“No! I am not ready, but I’m pumped for it.” Clive whipped a golden strand of his silken hair back from his face as he cracked his knuckles. He opened one of the lockers and pulled something out of it. A small tissue wrapped paper. Puzzlement covered my face as I took the small parcel in my hands flipping it over. “What’s this?” I asked as I probed the piece.

“It’s a little birthday present and a reward for all your hard training. Looks like it’s paying off.” Clive lightly squeezed my bicep and I giggled as I made it into a shape.

“I have small muscles now. Thank you for helping me.” Unravelling the package it opened up to being a small locket with a special stone in the middle. The thread of the necklace was gold and I was blown away. “Wow, what is this stone?”

Clive studied my face and seemed pleased with my response. “It’s a wolf’s stone, a combination of Lazorite and blue pedin. Both are found high in these mountains and are said to give a wolf extrasensory perceptions, a heightened sense of smell and offer protection. I figured this may be of use to you.”

I wasted no time in putting the piece around my neck, but tucked it under my shirt. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome. We’re having a party for you in the mess hall at 1630 and by the time dusk hits the moon should show it’s face according to the calendar and then you can safely turn.”

“Wow,” I said, stunned as he reeled off the information and touched the pendant around my neck.

“That’s a smart idea to keep it tucked away.” Clive offered as Grant - my snotty brat of sister entered and elbowed me, interrupting our conversation.

“Have you turned the dorm bed sheets over Vera. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to cop a beating on your birthday.” A gratifying smirk lodged on her lips as I narrowed my eyes at her giving her a dagger. Why couldn’t she be nice for one day? Did it pain her that much?

Clive was having none of it. “Did you say happy birthday to your sister today? It’s a huge deal she’s going to be turning tonight.”

My sister made a funny noise with her lips like a trombone. “Who freaking cares. It’s not going to change anything for her.” Her droll tone and lack of thought made it painfully aware to me that she would be lacking as a queen of the pack. Her ego was bigger than the whole of Mount Hunter.

“I think it will change a lot of things... who knows what kind of wolf Vera will be,” Clive winked at me in encouragement. I had to admit he was good for my ego on many levels. Luckily my sister had yet to see the present he gave me. I didn’t want her to see as she would rip it off my neck.

“Ugh. Clive can you stop pumping her up? She’s going to be the same wolf she is now. Stop giving her false hope alright?”

“Grant. Do you truly think you’re going to get the throne anytime soon? You’ve been trying to do that for a long time and it’s clearly not working. Vera is one to beat in agility testing. You have a long way to go before you beat her.”

“You have a nerve! Shut up. I’m primed for the throne. I’m bloodline, pure and simple.”

“Right. Like I forgot about that,” Clive said sarcastically as he scratched his two day old shadow.

“You shouldn’t forget about that Clive. I’m going to end up giving you the orders some day soon. Don’t worry about my agility testing. I won’t even be out in the field,” Vera gloated.

“Right.” Clive skimmed her up and down with a spicy look of contempt. Internally I smirked a little. She deserved the look he gave her, but she didn’t seem to notice anyway. Grant stayed in her grandiose ego driven world and stomped off.

I sighed as I raked a hand through my now longish midnight black hair. I’d chosen to wear it down for a change. Archer entered the fray as soon as Grant left.

“How’s it going birthday girl?” He smelt pleasant like the scent of pine trees and lemons. I didn’t know where it came from, but I enjoyed inhaling it. His beaming smile rubbed away any of the nastiness Grant had tried to slap on me.

“It’s going good, I wanted to offer something to you.” All the offers from both Archer and Clive were starting to freak me out and making me want to run. I’d never had such a spotlight on me and was folding quickly under the pressure. Rolling my shoulders in a little to hide I closed my arms over my biceps.

“Offer me? Why?” I spoke in a small voice as my bangs flittered around my eyelids.

Archer touched my arm lightly. “You deserve it Vera, that’s why.” Daring to stare into his eyes I kindly smiled at him.

“Thank you.”

“You have to know what the offer is first,” he chuckled.

“Oh! What is it?” I queried.

“I wanted to be there for you when you change.”

Clive cut him off from the rest of the sentence. “I already offered to be there for during this, but I do have to organize the gathering in the mess hall, along with the food that Thelma is helping me with.”

“Ah, okay. Why don’t you do that and I can be there for Vera?” Both of them negotiating over me was kind of hot. It was nice to be wanted and appreciated by someone let alone two amazing wolves.

“That’s one way to run a plan. I agree. I can’t manage both, but if you get stuck Archer then I’m around.” Clive offered back up to Archer who threw him an inquisitive look that said I-don’t-need-your-help. This is where it became uncomfortable for me as I observed them tussling back and forth.

A shadow in the background made me look through the gap between the two. It was Grant with her arm perched high on the door frame. “Vera, if you don’t get busy and get to work, I’m pretty Dane is confine you to the attic and you don’t want that do you? Isn’t it your birthday or something? Why are you guys standing around her? She’s not doing anything special.” It was clear now what was going on. Grant’s jealousy had spilled out all over her so much that she needed a bib to clean up her mess.

I skulked past the two of them and performed my morning chores. I figured that Archer and Clive would be keeping an eye on me during the day anyway and would come back around.

As I walked out onto the field to set up equipment and get the fighting stations ready for the latest wolves. I felt a pair of small, nimble hands around my back reach around my waist. I froze out of habit, but as soon as I looked down at the pretty glittery nails I knew it was Thelma and relaxed in my skin. Placing a hand on my hypersensitive heart I let out a drawn out sigh.

“Thelma, don’t do that to me! I was about to elbow you in the stomach.”

“Please don’t do that. I need my stomach to eat and for other things. I am so excited for you! You’re going to be a whole wolf. You are going to be fierce and you’re going to kick some serious ass.”

Thelma’s bright, fairy-like energy was contagious and all I wanted to do was dance around in a circle with her and fall down lying in the grass, but instead I was placing fighting sticks down on the ground in various positions for wolves in training.

“I have a few people on my hit list. I hope I’m fierce. I have this thing in my mind I’m going to be this scrawny, ugly wolf like my human,” I commiserated.

“Vera, you are so beautiful. How do you know you’re not beautiful? You are gorgeous. You’re a vixen wolf of the night. I would love to look like you. Tall, waif-like and agile. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thelma, you are too kind. You be you. You’re a little ball of sunshine wolf, that’s what you are.” We shared our girly giggles together as Grant marched over to us and I rolled my eyes putting a finger to my lips and whispered in a hushed tone. “Shhh, grouch of the year is coming over here now.”

“She’s more than a grouch of the year, she’s the bitch of the year.” Thelma crossed her arms and stood with her hip jutted out ready for a verbal showdown. I admired Thelma’s tenacity and her willingness to stand up for me. If Grant put her hands anywhere near Thelma I was going to hand her a swift right hook. I would do anything for her which she knew and vice versa.

“What are you two doing? Vera why haven’t you finished this already? You don’t have much time so you probably should prepare for your stupid little party. I’m sure you’ll be okay with changing and the broken bones.”

Thelma came in hot with her own retort. “You should know about broken bones considering Jack and the boys did a number on you in hand to hand combat. You might want to take a leaf out of Vera’s book and get a little lighter on your feet.” Thelma’s cutting blow did what she intended as Grant’s eyes flashed with reticent anger.

“Shut up pipsqueak! before I crush you.”

“You would crush me, looks like you’ve put on a little weight. That’s why you would never win a foot race against Vera.” Whilst I appreciated Thelma looking out for me, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself and wanted her to cool it. She had connections to Dane, the enforcer and it might have appeared to be she was winning a fight on my behalf, but if it got back to Dane that his beloved one was being picked on I would get the hiding of the century.

In order to pacify Thelma I sent her a warning shot of a look. She understood the code and backed down.

“I’m done anyway and yes I need to get ready. Thanks Grant.” At least she came over to tell me to get ready for my party. I walked away from her as fast as I could. I didn’t like hanging around her too long. Her energy wasn’t the nicest and I wanted to have positive vibes for my born day.

As I walked inside I spotted Archer and Clive blowing up balloons and peeked in at the trestle tables lined with food and a large banner. I was in awe of how quickly they managed to get everything organized.

“Like it?” Clive finished blowing up the blue balloon he had and stretched his arms out wide.

“I love it. How did you do this?” I pointed to the streamers and how everything was set up.

“We have our ways. You should get ready and all that good stuff. Did you get all your chores finished?”

“Yeah, I got them done, Grant has been on my back all day.”

“I bet. She’s funny like that.”

“I’m going to get ready.” Apprehension filled me as the sun dropped lower in the sky, that meant it was closer to the moon coming out right along with the new part of me. Turning as a wolf at 18 was a rite of passage and truly a monumental event so when I walked into the mess hall with most of the wolves turning their backs on me, a voidal hole filled me making me want to cry. Both Archer and Clive stood near the entrance along with Thelma who was clapping her hands and shaking off her fingers indicating how hot I was. Grant eyed me with resentment and hate I suspected as I emerged in a loose fitting black dress with embroidered sequins at the top. I wanted something I could slip out of as I turned with minimal fuss.

Where was Dane? I searched for his face, his presence only for emptiness to found along with the echoes of uninterested wolves bouncing off the mess hall walls.

My born day equaled travesty and if I could turn back the clock and magically turn the wolf bones of my parents back into real life wolves I would. I wanted to curl around their legs like I did when I was a little girl, now I couldn’t. I played with my bangs as I felt weird surges of hot and cold heat run through my body. Shit. It was starting. My face was flushing and tiny beads of sweat were forming on my upper lip as I wiped them off. The hall wasn’t hot and the air conditioning was operational.

What on earth was I about to endure?