Birthday Dinner

Marvel Hala

It’d been several hours since our run in the woods. I tried not to dwell too much on the strange scent. If I caught it again, then I would worry about it. Until then, I just wanted to enjoy my birthday.

Kiara and Aida had left some time ago to finish decorating the Wolf’s Den for my party. It was the local hot spot. The only bar and nightclub in town.

Even though the federal laws prohibited people from drinking under the age of twenty-one. Our pack had a different set of standards. We believed that once you could shift into your wolf at will, then you were old enough to drink. So, we’d been hanging around at the Wolf’s Den since we turned eighteen.

I got ready for my big party, curling my dark black hair into big waves that perfectly framed my face. I applied just enough makeup so that you knew it was there, making certain that my bright blue eyes popped.

Then I slipped into my brand-new sequined, cowl-neck, halter-top mini dress. I paired that with some sexy heels, and I checked myself over in the mirror. I wasn’t one to toot my own horn very often, but I knew that I looked damn fine tonight.

If my mate was at the Wolf’s Den tonight, then I dared him to resist me.

After I was certain I looked perfect, I went downstairs to join my parents for my birthday dinner. I knew this may not be the most appropriate outfit for dinner with them, but I wanted to be ready as soon as Kiara and Aida arrived. I was ready to party the night away. Plus, to be honest, my parents had seen me dressed in worse. I was a confident woman who liked to have fun.

My dad hated it, but it was common for wolves to be very open with their bodies. We spent a lot of time naked in front of each other when shifting. Not to mention, our animal instincts led us to have a hyper-active sex drive. It was natural. It was normal. And my father needed to get over it.

To both my delight and horror, when I entered the kitchen, my parents were not the only ones waiting for me.

Instead, they were joined by our Alpha and his Luna. They both beamed at me, brightly, and I suddenly felt a little self-conscious. I knew that Alpha Griffith and Luna Rigina didn’t think of me as some pure angel. They knew what wolves were like at my age.

But I still felt embarrassed to be addressing them while dressed this way. I tried to dress appropriately whenever I wandered to their side of the mansion. It was about respect when it came to your alpha and luna. Not that I didn’t expect my parents, but I also knew they’d love me through it. Your alpha and luna’s love was not necessarily guaranteed.

“Alpha. Luna,” I offered a bow of submission to each of them as a sign of respect.

“Oh, you stop that!” Luna Rigina teased as she reached forward and pulled me into a hug. “You know that you’re practically family!”

“Seriously. I even changed a few of your diapers,” Alpha Griffith joked, causing me to blush.

I didn’t care to think of Alpha Griffith being forced to wipe my behind when I was a pup. The mere thought was mortifying. I knew that both the alpha and his luna helped to raise me when I was really little; just as my parents had helped them with Enzo. But I still didn’t care to think of a time when our alpha changed my diaper or helped to bathe me.

“Wasn’t it nice of Griffith and Rigina to join us for your birthday dinner?” my mother interjected with a smile. She was proud that her daughter’s birthday was an important enough occasion for the Alpha and Luna to recognize. As though our families were not already close friends.

“It was very nice. I’m honored,” I said with a smile.

We all sat down and enjoyed the meal that my mother had spent the day preparing. She’d certainly cooked a feast, including my favorite apple butter glazed ham made with my mother’s “famous” homemade apple butter.

Everyone chatted and shared stories of my childhood, many of them slightly embarrassing, but I still managed to enjoy myself.

After dinner, my mother dimmed the lights and revealed a birthday cake with twenty candles. Then they all proceeded to sing happy birthday to me, very off-key, before I blew out the candles. They told me to make a wish, and I did.

I wished that my mate was a member of this pack so that I never had to leave these people behind – my family.

After cake, I excused myself to fix my makeup in the restroom before returning to find Kiara and Aida had joined the group. I thanked everyone for the wonderful birthday dinner. Then I rushed off after my friends so that the real party could begin.

***

When we arrived at the Wolf’s Den, the place was already packed. When we walked inside, the entire crowd turned to face us and greeted me with a loud “Happy birthday, Marvel!”

My friends had decorated the place using balloons and streamers; glittering silver stars twisted and dangled from the ceiling. It was beautiful, especially as the neon lights of the dance floor hit the shimmering stars, causing the multicolored light to bounce off them.

“Do you like it?” Aida asked.

“I love it! Thank you, guys!” I cheered as I pulled them each in for a one-armed, side hug, squeezing their cheeks against my own.

We promptly made our way over to the bar, where the bartender happily gave me a couple of free shots to get my birthday started. I downed them without hesitation, one right after the other. I was going to get wild tonight, and I wasn’t going to worry about the consequences.