Five

Alpha Cain’s face didn’t flinch, he sipped his cup of warm water and dropped it on his table. Then nudged his wife a bit, a small smile on his face. But I had clearly seen in his eyes an annoyed glint.

“ Let’s not pull the children’s legs too much, now dear. Shall we?” he said to his wife, all glimpse of annoyance flitted out and only a loving affectionate look lining his face. I blinked, then blinked once again. I was fully certain by the second time I had misunderstood. Luna Jamie grinned softly, hands raised up in mock surrender.

“ I am kidding, before you guys start planning my death. I just said to pull your legs” she teased. Dad stood up pushing his chair back with his movement then saluted Alpha Cain.

“ If you will excuse me” he started gesturing to me and taking hold of my hand in his. “ I’ve got an inpatient daughter’s birthday to celebrate so..”

Alpha Cain nodded motioning with hands that we were dismissed. Then he smiled apologetically at me,

“ Sorry for keeping your father with me during your birthday. I hope you will forgive me?” he said apologetically, I hesitated. This wasn’t because I didn’t want to forgive him or anything but because the way he was staring at me was off. Like if I dared to deny his plea of forgiveness, I would pay. Which was ridiculous, Alpha Cain was one of the nicest Alpha I’ve ever seen. Granted, he is the only one I’ve ever seen.

“ You’ve scared her now” Luna Jamie criticized him, then in gentler tone she said to me.

“ Happy birthday sweetheart, I will send your gifts to you later on”

“ Thank you Luna” I greeted shuffling behind my dad as we made our way out of the room with uncle Jerome.

Dad walked briskly but his pace was still measuredand we had cover a good amount of ground away from the hall. He turned to me hands folded to his chest and his brow arched forward.

“ Care to explain, pumpkin?” he asked, his voice coming out steely. I glanced everywhere but him deciding to fix my eyes on a loos tile in the corridor.

“ I might have overreacted when I found out you weren’t home to celebrate my birthday.” I muttered twiddling my fingers and biting my lips. Uncle Jerome came to stand beside us, he was tall for his age but not as tall as a Dad. He grinned ruffling my hair lightly,

“ Hey kiddo! You seriously have guts. Coming into the pack meeting like that. Aii!” he said making a mock salute at me.

“ Jerome, stop making her feel better. I am trying to scold her here” Dad groaned, then he pulled me into a hug smelling of my favorite scent in the world after mom’s. Pine tree .

“ Happy birthday pumpkin, you know I wouldn’t have missed it for the world”he said patting my hair softly. “ I even have a whole birthday surprise lined up for ya”

“ Surprise?” I pulled back, my eyes twinkling with excitement. I love Dad’s birthday surprises. Dad laughed tapping my nose teasingly.

“ That is what you like” he said holding my hand. “ We are going to sea brooks. Didn’t you say you wanted to see the island at least once.”

My eyes brightened up even more if that was even possible, Seabrook is the trending place in school and I’ve wanted to go there for ages now. But it’s outside the pack’s territory.

“ Is that alright?” I ask gingerly, my mind going back to the conversation I heard earlier. Was this being selfish once more? I mean everyone was worried about the people kidnapped. They needed everyone’s hand on deck right. Dad sighed tilting my chin up,

“ It’s going to be fine. The Trip is for a day anyway. Today. We are coming back before 8 too, so don’t worry. Because after this, I won’t have time”

I was jumping now, excitement thrumming through my veins.

“ Is it everybody that is going?” I ask, my excitement dampening a bit at the prospect of going on a trip with Cecilia.

“ Nope. Just mommy, you and I”

“ Yippee!” I punched my hands in the air full with expectations, this birthday was going to be my best one yet.

*

( Hours later)

I sat knees folded up to my chin in the destroyed car, shards of glass littered around my feet and everywhere in particular. Through my blurry vision, the blood swarmed in hazy blots of trails.

“ Mom? Dad?” I cried out my hand stretched out in blurriness, how did everything turn so wrong so fast? How did this happen? How could this happen?

I touched blindly in the dark cutting my hand over shards of glass and yelping in pain, but still I relentlessly searched.

“ Daddy? Mommy? Where are you please?” I cried in pain.

Finally my hand rested on something, gliding upon leather straps. Dad’s watch!

My eyes began to clear little by little, exposing the colors and making it vivid. The whole world was painted red, the vibrant color of strawberries. But what was chilling enough was that red covered my parents body. Dad’s shirt was torn, mom’s hand scratched deeply. Apart from that, they looked extremely serene like they were fast asleep. The only thing not moving was their chest rising up in quick succession.

I collapsed on the floor in tears, weeping without a care in the dark night. My parents were dead and it was all my fault!