Prologue

The sun shone brightly, casting a soft glow on Cora's cheek as the redhead breathed softly and evenly.

If one were to look around the room, one would see wall-to-wall bookshelves filled with hundreds of books that she had read. On her door and on the ceiling were posters of cats, dogs, flowers, and even some bands. Her comforter/duvet was wrapped around her and she lay on two fluffy pillows and was surrounded by a dozen more. All of the throw pillows and the comforter were yellow and had sunflower patterns on them.

Even the nightstand had fresh sunflowers that had been brought in first thing this morning, just as it had been every other morning before. Her lush carpet was a gold color that seemed to offset the mahogany wood paneling of the door that led to the hallway and to her ensuite bathroom.

Little did she know, a rude awakening was now working its way up the stairs and down the hall toward her room, in the form of her big brother. He loved to pick on Cora whenever he got the chance. Though, he would be the first to rip out the throat of anyone else that dared do such a thing.

Cora lifted her head and unconsciously rolled onto her back letting her arms fling out to the sides of her body. Her head lolling to the side away from the brightness of the early morning sun.

Her red hair was now splayed out around her head and she took in a soft breath of air before she went into an even deeper sleep, unaware of her bedroom door opening and her brother slipping into the room quietly.

SPLASH!

A scream reverberated off the walls as she sat up gasping for air. It echoed through the room and carried down the stairs to her parents in the large mansion and pack house that they lived in. Causing them to drop what they were doing and sending them to race to their daughter's room to make sure that their only daughter was alright.

A chuckle escaped AJ as he stood by the bed and watched Cora look around frantically, before setting her sights on her brother.

"AJ!!!"

She was shivering now, realizing that he had poured a bucket of ice water on her, soaking her and her bed. Unable to say anymore, her teeth began to chatter just as her parents came running into the room.

"Cora, are you okay sweetie?"

Her mother rushed over to her and wrapped her arms around her gently as her father looked from her to AJ. A look of understanding appeared on his face as he realized what his oldest had done to his little sister.

"My office! Now!" He growled through gritted teeth.

AJ bowed his head and nodded as he quickly left the room.

"That kid should know better! At twenty-one, he will become second Alpha and here he is pulling pranks. I swear to Goddess that he will never grow up!"

His dark brown eyes went to Cora and he sighed as he went over to make sure that she was okay. Cora felt him gently lift her chin and she gazed into his eyes.

"I'm....okay....daddy...I...I promise."

She was still shivering and stuttering as she tried to speak.

He kissed her forehead and smiled.

"Happy Birthday baby girl."

Her mother smiled and helped her out of bed, guiding her toward the ensuite.

"Go, talk to AJ and then we will meet you downstairs for breakfast and some of the smaller presents."

He nodded and left the room closing the door quietly behind him.

Once they were in the ensuite, her mother drew a hot bath for her while she removed her oversized t-shirt and stepped out of her panties and shorts that she had worn to bed. She watched as her mother poured in some lavender bubble bath and then she climbed into the hot water.

After her ice bath, she smiled and leaned back in the tub relaxing as her mother grabbed a washcloth and the lavender soap. She handed the washcloth to Cora and smiled.

Cora closed her eyes as her mother started massaging shampoo into her hair, rinsing, and then repeated the process. Then she felt her working the conditioner in.

It wasn't a normal thing for her mother to do this for her, but on her birthday ever since she could remember, she had been pampered by her mother and spoiled even more by her father. More than usual.

Despite the fact that Cora had everything she could have ever wanted and had been spoiled and pampered her whole life, she had not let it go to her head. She was feisty and self-assured yes, but she was not demanding and bratty like some girls get when they are given everything.

She stood as her mom grabbed one of the fluffy new towels that had just been placed in the bathroom. All part of her birthday gifts as well. New everything. Bath mat. window curtain. Everything was new.

When she entered her room once more wrapped in a towel and her mother grabbed another one for her hair, she was surprised that the maids had been in the room already and changed the bedding, the box springs, and the mattress. The bed itself was a canopy bed. Antique and ancient. It was well built and sturdy and has withstood the test of time so far.

The curtains were a gold crushed velvet and the gold blended perfectly with the rest of the room. There were even new curtains and new throw rugs along with new pillows and sheets.

Cora smiled at her mom and thanked her. These were the little things that would lead up to big things.

Her mother led her to her vanity and set her down gently. She began to dry out her hair as she spoke.

"Are you ready for the party tonight? Your father and I have put a lot of work into making it extra special. I hope that you enjoy it. We love you so very much."

She felt her mother lean down and kiss the top of her wet head and then she began to work on towel-drying it the best that she could. Once it was fairly dry, she took a few strands and intricately began to braid and weave it on top, leaving most of it down. Cora knew this style. She had seen it in a magazine. Later tonight her hairdresser would go from this point and put it into a sophisticated updo.

All of this had been planned by her mother.

She had seen a few of the styles her mother was eyeing, but she was not sure until now which one she would pick. Though this one had been the one she hoped that she would choose. Once her hair was done, her mother applied some soft colors to her eyes and cheeks, then finished up with a clear lip gloss.

She didn't need makeup really, but her mother liked to teach her how to wear it. Tonight she was sure that the look would be more dramatic and she also knew that the makeup artist that was hired would not want her to have too much on to remove later on.

She stood and went over to the bed waiting as her mother ducked into her closet and then came out with a zip-up clothing bag. In it was a yellow sunflower dress with matching flats. More like sandals.

She grinned when she saw it. Even though it was a simple dress, she Loved it anyway. Slipping into the dress and then slipping on the sandals, she posed for her mother in it.

"You look absolutely perfect darling."

Her mother came and gave her a hug. Then led her down the stairs for breakfast. As she entered the dining room she was greeted with almost a full chorus of 'Happy Birthdays from her friends and pack members. She went to sit at the Alpha's family table next to her brother and grinned at her father who sat at the head of the table.

Her mother sat at the other end and a moment later a big plate of pancakes and bacon was set in front of her. Her eyes widened as she spotted the strawberry syrup on it. She picked up her fork with one hand as she took a sip of orange juice with the other and then dug in, savoring the fruity taste in her mouth.

After breakfast and the plate was removed, a small stack of presents was placed in front of her. Opening the gifts she found a piece of beautiful jewelry set from Tiffany and CO. from her parents. She knew that she would wear it for her party. Her friends were acting jealous of her and she smiled up at them as they came up to the table, bowing first to her parents in respect before they got a closer look at the expensive gift.

Cora knew what something like that cost and she was surprised at how much her parents spent on her.

Next was a bunch of gift cards in the amount of $5000 total for clothing, shoes, and accessories for different stores. She grinned and looked up at her parents and then opened the next one.

A lot of the pack had wandered out of the dining hall except for her brother, her friends, and his friends.

What she found when she opened it made her mouth drop. Inside was a bank book, checks, credit cards, and the total in the bank book written neatly at the top. She had one credit card with a $500 per month limit that her parents paid off each month, but the new cards had higher limits and the bank book read $10,000.

"Daddy?"

She looked up at him with a mix of shock, confusion, surprise, and adoration.

"Are you sure that you want to give me this much?"

"Yes, baby girl, you have a level head on your shoulders and I know that you will handle it just fine. You have done well with the $500 and well, I think after today you will see what the money is for. Get used to it baby. There is more to come."

She got up and went over to hug him and then her mother. When she turned around she was surprised to see AJ giving her a sheepish look and holding up a present. A present that was horribly wrapped. He must have done it himself.

"Hey Little C. I am sorry about this morning. I hope you can forgive me."

She nodded and took the present from his hands and sat down to open it. Inside was a brand new leather jacket, identical to his. She looked up at him. It was her turn to act sheepish now.

"I guess you want me to give your jacket back?"

He chuckled and nodded.

"I would like that, yes."

They both laughed and she pulled the jacket on. It was the same size as the other one and she was still drowning in it, but she loved it. That was why she kept stealing her brother's.

"Thank you. I love my presents."

She gathered them up and took them upstairs to her room after throwing away the wrappers, which earned her dirty looks from the maids. They were not happy that she was cleaning up after herself.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon she spent in her room with her friends, watching old movies and snacking on junk food.

They had been painting each other's toenails and fingernails and she had helped some of them with hair and makeup. They all ran to their rooms to finish getting ready and the hair stylist and makeup artist came into her room. She grabbed a magazine and sat down while the hairstylist went straight to work.

The makeup artist added her touches and she sat gazing at herself in the mirror. She hardly recognized herself, but she felt beautiful. The two had left and she stood and went to her bed, her mom had come in and laid out her dress and shoes.

Her mouth dropped. It was gorgeous. Like her sunflower dress, it was simple, but she knew that it was expensive.

She stepped into it and pulled it up. It was sleeveless and hugged her figure in all the right places. She went over to the floor-length mirror to look at herself. She was in pure white with a small sunflower in her hair. It had been put up with the braids her mother had done earlier left in.

Her smoky eye look was done perfectly.

She went over to the vanity to put on her jewelry as her mother entered, dressed in a short red dress. It looked elegant on her and one side of her hair had been swept to the side.

Her mother finished zipping up Cora's dress and then turned her around to look her over. She brushed a few invisible specks off of her white dress and looked into her daughter's eyes firmly, yet gently.

"I know that you understand that this is like a coming out party and that you are now considered an adult. For this evening I expect you to act like one for the most part. A few slip-ups are fine and I know that you are more mature than your brother, so I am sure things will go perfectly."

She paused a moment then continued.

"Your father and I are very proud of you and we love you more than anything else in this whole world."

She smiled and kissed Cora's forehead and Cora bowed her head respectfully to her mother. Her golden eyes were shining with happiness as her mother excused herself, letting Cora know that her personal guard would come to get her when she was to make her grand entrance at the party. She knew how this was supposed to go. He would knock on the door and she would ascend the stairs. Everyone would be watching and then she would have her first sweet sixteen dance of the evening with her father.

After the dance they would sit and eat dinner, then the gifts from the pack would be opened, along with the big gifts of the evening that would not fit on the table.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and she was brought out of her reverie to make her descent down the stairs. The sounds of 'oohs' and aahs and uttered gasps. She heard things like. 'Beautiful.' 'Wow!' 'She's grown up.'

She blushed slightly and she reached the bottom of the stairs as Tim McGraw's song, 'My Little Girl' started to play and her father met her with his arm out. She placed her hand gently on his arm and glanced around the room at the beautiful decorations that had been set up. The room was specifically made for events like this along with her father's large pack meetings and business events.

She noticed that her father was wearing a black tux and white shirt along with a red tie and cummerbund to match her mother's dress. His hair was combed back and he looked handsome, for being 600 years old, he looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties.

She walked with him to the middle of the room and let him lead as he danced with her. She could see in his eyes how proud he was of her and how much he loved her.

All too soon the song ended and she was led over to the table to sit down to eat. The meal was as elegant as everything else. Her parents had gone all out for her and she was so happy that she was floating on cloud nine. For the meal, those that were sixteen and older were allowed to drink champagne and wine. As werewolves, they would not get drunk and it was 'Tradition' in the old country. So she was allowed to taste her first wine and champagne that night.

After the meal, her parents lead her up on stage for the main part of the evening. She would be accepted as an adult into the pack and open the gifts that had been brought by pack members that insisted. Even though, the invitation said no gifts. Someone always brought something.

At the end of the ceremony and after opening more presents from the pack. Gifts that she loved, she waited for her father to show her the last gift.

Turning around her mother stood there looking a bit disappointed, but she handed her a set of keys.

Cora stared at them a moment and then squealed when she realized what they were for. The crowd laughed as the dancing began and she ran out to the garage to look at her new yellow Maserati. Her mouth dropped and without thinking, she ran into the house through the back door and up the back stairs to her father's office.

She knew she should have knocked, but in her excitement, she had forgotten the rule and she grabbed the knob and flung the door open.

Her mouth dropped as the keys slid unnoticed from her hand, hitting the ground at the same time as the human in front of her, leaving her view wide open to the smoking gun that was being slowly lowered as he gazed at his daughter in horror.

"Daddy?"