Marsai’s 18th Birthday

Marsai

I frown in displeasure as I look at my reflection in the mirror. I couldn't recognize the breathtaking girl who was staring back at me.

She looked beautiful, confident, and oozing with sexual appeal, unlike who I thought I was.

“…girl, you are having the best 18th birthday ever!” I heard someone shriek behind me.

I didn't have to turn to know it was Elena. My best friend's twin sister.

For a split second, I thought she was about to bring up another one of her ridiculous ideas for my birthday party until I saw her gawking at my dress with a mischievous look on her face.

“That dress is a bomb!” She whistled, nodding her head as she further examined the black gown I was putting on. It was a corset gown with a split by the side.

I tugged the corset to adjust the cup, but I still couldn't shake off the anxiety that my breasts could spill out at any time.

“It’s too revealing, I'm no prostitute.” I sighed, administering my displeasure with the expensive black gown that my father had delivered from the vampire land.

“What if that's what the Alpha wants everyone to see?” She replied, pulling my door close as she strolled inside the room, joining Leah and me.

Surprised, I lifted an eyebrow before I let out a soft chuckle.

“My father? No, I don’t think so.” I shook my head and turned my back to look at her, knowing I didn't sound convincing.

Since the preparation of my 18th birthday party, she has been hitting on the idea that my father, Alpha Brayden, was intending to turn my birthday party into a hook-up party because of my lack of a mate.

“Can’t you see Marsai, that's why he invited everyone. Even the crumbs of the pack also got invitations to your party. God forbid, one of them will turn out to be your mate.” She wrinkled her face in displeasure as if she could already envision how my life would be with a pauper.

“There's nothing wrong with having an omega as a mate, they have the gentlest hearts,” I replied almost immediately before impatiently tugging the zip of my dress.

I despise the fact that Elena couldn't see past her judgmental impression of the omegas.

In a split second, I felt my best friend moving behind me to help me with it.

“Thank you, Leah.” I beamed at her with gratitude spilling all over my face before muttering, “Can you please tell your sister that there's more to being an Alpha, Delta, or Beta’s mate? Sometimes you really have to find who can love you more than an entire pack.”

“There’s also nothing wrong with an Alpha putting his pack first. You are an Alpha’s daughter, how can you not want one for yourself?” Elena shook her head at me as if I were being ridiculous but I still stood on my point.

“When there's love, there's no title. It's just two bodies of one soul,” I countered, staring at the mirror with a wistful expression on my face.

It was my eighteenth birthday today, and I hadn’t been emotionally or sexually attracted to anyone ever.

Seeing and hearing tales from she-wolves in the pack about how they found their mates before 18 gave me a sense of hopelessness.

Ever since I was a pup, I've always wished and prayed to the Moon goddess to bestow onto me a better man than my father. A man who will love me, cherish me, respect me, and make me the center of his whole world.

I didn’t mind if he would be an Alpha, Beta, Delta, or maybe an Omega. Whosoever he is, I will love and cherish him as much as he does to me.

“What if it's a woman,” I heard Leah’s gentle voice behind me for the first time since Elena got into the room, and I wrinkled my brows confused.

“No, it can’t be.” I shook my head, dismissing the thought from my mind.

I didn’t know why it sounded unscrupulous coming from my best friend because we both knew that I'd also never felt any attraction toward a she-wolf.

“But, what if—”

“Whoever your mate is, let's just hope he’s not an Omega 'cause they're too weak,” Elena scoffed, cutting off her twin sister. I couldn't help but wonder what Leah was about to say.

“Leah, why did you think—”

“I'm done with the zip, I have to grab a drink.” Leah and I synchronously spoke to each other.

“Yeah, sure. And let my mom know I'll be down in a few minutes,” I told her, trying to hide my embarrassment.

I couldn't believe I was about to ask my best friend why she thought my mate might be a girl.

I slowly breathed out when I heard my door slam shut. I quickly pulled off the dress, folded it, and kept it at the edge of my bed.

Undoubtedly, I knew I would be wearing the dress tonight, portraying myself as a mateless she-wolf. So, I could snatch myself a male Alpha that would make me his Luna since my father finally decided to play daddy for once in my entire life.

Hilarious isn't it?

I felt my eyes pricked with tears and I quickly sniffed them back into my head. The last person I would like to show my emotional side to was Elena, and she was still sitting on my bed.

I shivered as the winter wind chilled my bare skin, hastily grabbing an evening dress before joining Elena on the bed.

“I'm heading to the Packhouse, but don't worry, I'll be back in time for your birthday party,” Elena declared as soon as I settled onto my bed.

“Oh, I heard that a neighboring pack just crowned a new Alpha! I'm dying to go and get all the juicy details about him,” she exclaimed, smirking and rolling her eyes with pure adoration.

As expected, she didn’t wait for my reply before bolting out of my room. That's Elena for you.

She is the youngest of the Aegenwulf twins but unlike my sweet best friend, she has a superiority complex. Ronald Aegenwulf, the former Beta of our pack, was their father, and shortly after his death, the position was given to his only son, Rudolph Aegenwulf. Elena and Leah’s older brother.

Rudolf, a young werewolf, stepped up as my father's Beta, even though he was still inexperienced. Despite that, he managed to balance taking care of his teenage sisters and fulfilling his duties as the pack's Beta.

He's definitely an exceptional Beta, no doubt about it. But every time I catch a glimpse of him, I sense there's something more beneath the surface.

My instinctive feelings couldn't help but notice his excessiveness but my father would rather ignore all that and focus only on his merits.

Staring out of the window, I gaze at the beautiful moon shining brightly in the sky. It was another Full Moon without my mate beside me.

I stood there, clutching my waist, gazing at the magnificent full moon. Suddenly, an overwhelming desire to sprint into the woods overcame me.

The night's irresistible call echoed through my being, and I didn't waste a second before dashing out of my room.

“Marsai, the party is about to begin. Why aren't you dressed yet?” My mom exclaimed in astonishment when she caught sight of me rushing down the stairs.

Instead of replying to her, I snatched one of the freshly made cupcakes in front of her and stuffed it in my mouth.

“Going for a run. I will be back soon,” I gave her a peck on both of her cheeks before waving at Leah, who was helping my mother with the flour mixture.

She smiled at me and I returned her smile before undressing and shifting right in front of them.

“Ahh…” I grunted softly when my bones started shifting and aligning.

I was supposed to be used to it after gaining my wolf form earlier than other she-wolves, but I rarely shift nor let my wolf take control.

I was scared that my father would discover that my wolf was weaker than Elena and Leah’s wolf.

The instant my wolf balanced on her paws, I sprinted out of the room without a second thought.

No words could describe the sense of relief I felt the moment the cold winter wind brushed against my furs.

I knew it was undoubtedly what I needed to ease my loneliness and also my misconception about every damn thing.

The colder I felt, the deeper I dug my paws into the earth and ran.

I ran until I felt a fracture in my hind leg before slowing down.

Heaving slow breaths, I shook off the snow on my fur when my nose suddenly caught a smell.

I quickly looked around the forest to see if there were any other werewolves present but I couldn't see any.

I tried to remind myself that I was in my father's domain and that we'd never had to deal with rogues because of our excellent security.

And also my father’s rigid rule of killing any rogue that bridges the border but the smell became clearer and denser.

My instincts told me to sprint back to the packhouse immediately, but my curiosity got the best of me.

I continued tracing the smell with my nose until it got to a point where it was the only smell that filled the air.

I stared at the thick forest filled with snow before me and cautiously looked around, but I still couldn't find any life.

Aside from myself and the tiny crickets that were buzzing in my ears.

“Maybe, I should just head back home. My birthday party would have started.” I muttered to myself and was about to turn around when something caught my attention.

I could roughly guess what it was from where I was, but I wasn't certain until I stood before the heap of snow and used my paws to dig out the body under it.

Breathing heavily, I almost landed on my butt in surprise when I retrieved a naked man out of the heap of snow.

“What the hell?!” I blinked repeatedly before I was able to register that the naked man was still breathing.

“Under the huge heap of snow, how was he still able to live?” I thought, surprised and confused when I felt his heartbeat.

Brushing off the snow from his body, my cheeks grew warm from embarrassment.

I couldn't stop stealing glances at the perfectly sculpted body of the otherworldly handsome man whom I just dug out of the snow.

His brows are carved to perfection, he also has the longest beautiful lashes I've ever seen. A perfect jawline, the cutest pointed nose with symmetrical nostrils.

My eyes moved along the rest of his body to check him out. I intentionally avoided the lower part because I felt like I was invading his privacy and also because my virgin body couldn't withstand it.

“How did he end up here in the woods under a heap of snow? Was he dropped here by someone to die?”

I checked the rest of his body for any injury but his skin was flawless and taintless like a newborn. He looks absolutely perfect and healthy except for the fact that he is unconscious.

Yanking him closer to me, I wrapped him with my furs to give him a bit of warmth.

It was totally a selfless way of giving warmth but cheeks flushed red when our heartbeats suddenly thumped in sync.

I almost gave in to the desire to shift back into my human form when I heard the loud howls of the security guards.

I was certain that it was my father who sent them after me because I was running late for my birthday party.

I looked at the handsome man again, considering whether to bring him to the Pack, but when I remembered how my father treats werewolves without origins, I decided that it was better to keep him away from the Pack.

When the security guard's howls got nearer, I reluctantly unwrapped him and gently pulled him under a tree to save him from being bullied by the snow again.

Giving him a second glance, I couldn't stop my wolf from licking his face.

My heart flipped in excitement and I nearly gave him another lick when I heard the security guards’ howl piercing my ears again.

“See you soon, handsome,” I muttered as I stood up and gave him a pitiful look.

With the bitter cold and the chilly wind, I doubted he would survive the night.

As I ran towards where the howls were coming from, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I would be seeing him again. Very soon…