02

#####02

Alana and I arrive back to the party after our make up. A few pack members stop and talk to us and wish me a ‘happy birthday’.

« I spy a male who is staring right at you. » I whisper to my cousin as I make eye contact with Bryce.

Alana stiffens and looks at her mate. She sighs softly before turning to me and flashes me a grin. « Wish me luck. » She giggles as she saunters over to her mate.

I shake my head in amusement as I look around for my mother. I spot her by Lydia ; a pack mother. The two are chatting engrossingly. I decide to leave her alone and decide to go by a little girl sitting alone.

« Hi. » I say softly. The little girl is named Mila. She was found on the border of my land. My warriors brought the little girl back to me to decide her fate. Something told me that this little girl had it rough, so I allowed her to live and let her become a pack member. Maybe it was because I was around her age when I lost my father or maybe it was the day and moment. One will never know.

The little girl looks at me and smiles shyly. « Hello. » She whispers.

« Mila, are you enjoying the party ? » I ask her.

Mila looks at me with her big doe eyes and nods with enthusiasm. « Yes Alpha, I am. I have never been to a party before. »

I stare at her with sympathy. Poor little girl, she is so young and so innocent. « Would you like me to introduce you to some of the girls your age Mila ? Friends are fun. »

Mila thinks this over for a moment before hesitantly nodding her head. I take Mila’s small little hand and walk her over to where the other young girls are playing.

I crouch down by them and flash them all a smile. They all look at me with awe before one of them looks at Mila. « Who’s this ? »

« This is Mila, I was wondering if you guy’s could be her friend and play with her ? » I ask softly.

The four little girls look at one another before nodding and making room for Mila.

« Thanks ! » I say. I turn to Mila and stare into her doe eyes. Mila is one of those girls that will grow up to be beautiful with her thick, light brown hair, big doe eyes and beautiful porcelain skin, but she won’t be aware of it. She’ll have a natural beauty, a beauty other girls will envy.

« Mila, you’ll be okay, right ? » I ask while eyeing her carefully.

Mila begins to shake her head but looks over at the smiling girls. « Yeah, I’ll be fine. »

I smile and move out of the way so Mila can sit by them. I watch as she timidly sits down and eyes the four girls in front of her. I smile as the four girls begin to introduce themselves and ask questions about Mila.

« Well well well. » A deep voice chuckles in my ear. I turn to see my gamma ; Rowan standing there with an amused expression.

« Rowie ! » I squeal while jumping into my best friends arms.

Rowan groans as he holds me up. Rowan and I go back to kindergarten when I was just a wee little thing and he was a nerdy little boy.

« Please choose one partner to color with. » My teacher, Ms. Griddle instructed.

All the kids begin scurrying around the classroom to find a partner. Usually I would do the same but something took over me and I decided to look behind me to see a little boy with messy brown hair engrossed in a book. I begin to wonder how he knows how to read but my five year old mind doesn’t pay too much attention to it. I slowly get out of my desk and advance to the bookworm. The whole walk there was filled with nerves beyond belief. I usually wasn’t shy and super easy to get along with. Everyone knew me and most people got a long with me.

The boy doesn’t look up when I stand next to him. « Uhm, will you be my partner ? » I asked timidly. Fear courses through my little body as the boy continues to look at his book. Finally the book-boy looks up and I’m met with the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen.

Book-boy eyes me carefully before closing his book. « Sure. »

I smile softly at him and take a seat next to him and begin to bond with the boy, and that is how Rowan James Johnson became my best friend.

« Gosh Maddi cat, quit eating Oreos. » Rowan jokes as he sets me on my feet.

I playfully swat at him. Rowan pretends to be hurt and rubs where I hit him causing a giggle to escape my mouth.

« Maddi cat, your giggle is the same as it was in kindergarten. »

I huff in annoyance. Rowan always picked on me for my girly giggle. « Yeah and your still as nerdy as you were in kindergarten. »

Rowan shakes his head and puffs out his chest. « Nah, I’m sexy. » Rowan boasts.

I roll my eyes at his cockiness. « That cocky attitude is going to come and bite you in the asś one of these days. » I point out.

Rowan grins before leaning in and whispering in my ear, « You mean my sexy asś. »

I growl playfully at him before shoving him.

« Maddison ! » My mother scolds. She rushes over and begins to wipe imaginary dust off Rowan.

Yeah, my mom thinks of Rowan as her son. She also thinks I’m always the bad guy when it comes to Rowan.

« He was being annoying. » I say nonchalantly.

« So you shove him ? » She accuses.

I nod in triumph before I leave my fussy mother and dramatic best friend. I begin to grow irritated by how slow this party is going. Usually the whole entire pack and some neighboring packs come but not until later at night. I walk into the kitchen to look at the clock, 5 :37.

I huff angrily before leaning against a counter and sighing deeply.

« Thinking about your mate ? » A soft voice asks.

I look to see my mother staring at me with a smile on her face. I scoff at her and shake my head. « No, I don’t even want to think a little bit about a mate. »

My mother narrows her eyes at me. « Maddi, you can’t be alone forever. »

I roll my eyes. « I can do whatever I want. If I want to reject my mate I will. »

Usually in werewolf stories the wolf disagrees with the human and is stubborn and tries to convince the human to love their mate but not in this case. My wolf is all on board for rejecting or leaving our mate. She is just as hungry for power as I am.

« Maddison May Holt, you will do no such thing. A mate isn’t a curse like you presume, it’s a blessing. The moon goddess’s gift to you. For you to reject the gift from the mother of all is disrespectful and cruel. » My mother scolds in a harsh tone. My mother always was big on the myth about the MoonGoddess. I, on the other hand used to believe but stopped when my father died. The MoonGoddess let my mother suffer, so I vowed to never believe in a silly myth.

« I don’t believe in that stuff. I believe in myself and power, not love. » I say calmly.

My mother’s face grows crimson red. « I am so ashamed of you ! You are talking about the mother of wolves ! »

I nod calmly. I was expected her anger, disappointment, and pain. « I am aware of who I am speaking about. »

My mother shakes her head but looks at me with sympathy. « This is about your father, isn’t it ? »

My heart clenches at my mother’s mention of my father. I can see the pain and sorrows in her eyes. Her heart is aching more than mine.

« If she existed, she wouldn’t have made you suffer. » I whimper brokenly.

« Oh sweetie, the MoonGoddess has her reasons, she needed your father more than I did, so she called to him. I will see him again one day and you will too. Patience darling. » My mother says while embracing me tightly.

I hug her back but don’t allow any tears to spill. Today should of been a happy day, filled with giggles, smiles, laughter, instead it’s been filled with tears and pain and secrets.

« I am sorry. » I whisper into my mother’s ear.

My mother pulls away and smiles softly. « It’s alright dear. Now, no more sadness. We have to go outside for the barbeque and great the other packs. » My mother instructs.

I giggle and agree with her.

Little did I know I was walking into my new fate and destiny, and it wasn’t what I planned.