Michelle's birthday party

Doors to the party events room bust open with a frantic Michelle yelling " Finally! I was going crazy not having anyone to talk to!" " Really Michelle.... You were going crazyyyy! Not having anyone to talk to, in a room full of people!" I say rolling my eyes at her and copying the look off her face! "Shut it Artic! You know what I mean! My family is crazy!"

Shawn just stands there shaking his head watching us with a small smirk playing in the corner of his mouth. After what seems like an eternity, Michelle calms down slightly. Shawn and I both give her a hug and wish her a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" In a sing song voice. We soon tail behind her going through the brown pine doors into the events room, as she leads us over to the table that we will be joining her and her family at.

Michelle's family was quite big averaging about fifty to sixty family members at a time, gathering at family events and birthdays. Her family was of the gamma ranking. Which meant her father was third in line to run our pack if anything happened to the Alpha or beta. Given that, they were of a somewhat pretty strong bloodline, made their family tree really extensive and quite crazy unbearable at times.

 As we go to move around the table to sit.. We hear two soft giggles behind us. I already knew it was Summer and Brooklyn Mayfield. Two of Michelle's most rambunctious cousins. These two were the definition of two peas in a pod and were totally in love with Shawn! Brooklyn was the oldest by a year between the two girls. So being the older of the pair at age nine. She always felt the need to take the lead in grabbing one of Shawn's hands first, giggling as she does with Summer following suit. " Shawn will you come dance with us please." A small voice so quiet, I'm sure that none of us would have heard it coming from Summer if it wasn't for our wolf hearing. A big sweet smile appeared on Shawn's face as he said " Yes! My beautiful princesses, I would love to!" Followed by two squealing girls in excitement, dragging our 6'6 friend across the room to the dancing floor.

Michelle and I sat at the table crunching on some sour cream and cheddar chips. That had been placed in the center of each table, with green onion or ranch dip, sitting at the side. While scanning the room full of Michelle's large family. I felt her hand clasp over mine tightly! I look up, following her gaze to be met back with handsome rugged features. " He came! I can't believe it! Cole is here Artic!" she whipsers next to me, in an excited rush tone.

She has been head over heels for Cole sense the first day, she saw him in our biology science class and I truly understand why! He was the total package of tall, dark and handsome. He had that bad boy vibe for days. Even though he was actually very respectful and polite. Cole Michael's stood at 6'7, ash blonde hair, rippling muscles with that wash board stomach and the most captivating emerald green eyes with perfect long eyelashes.

Michelle's grip only tightens more on mine as Cole, makes his way over to our table. His deep husky voice rang out. Wishing Michelle a "Happy Birthday!" Which only made her breathing pick up! At the sound of him talking. Michelle politely said             " Thank you " with a shy blush creeping along her cheeks. Cole stood there thinking, before breaking the awkward silence, by asking her " If she would like to dance." I swear if I wasn't sitting next to her. She would have fainted right out of her chair!

I nudged her in the leg, under the table to break her out of whatever love sickin daze she was in. Cole had started to look nervous waiting for her response. Michelle suddenly jumped up from her seat! Kind of yelling  "Yes of course! I would love to dance with you!" I laughed inwardly, as her cheeks got bright red from realizing how loud she had answered him. Apparently it didn't faze Cole one bit, as he lowly chuckled and said "Great!" while offering her his hand.

I sat at the table alone munching on some more sour cream and cheddar chips. Watching Shawn dance with Brooklyn and Summer taking turns. Trying, to do the stanky leg. Smiling, as I saw Cole whisper something in Michelle's ear, making her blush. Sometimes by the way Cole looks at her. I wonder if he already knew that they could be mates. He seemed almost just as love strickin with her, as she was with him.

He was eighteen already maybe he could possibly feel the pull of the mate bond. Even though it was quite rare! There have been times when one was of age and around their mate that wasn't yet. That they could still feel a small tug of needing and want to be closer to them.

A low rumbling in my stomach. Broke my train of thoughts. Seems these chips aren't satisfying this hunger that's growing. I stood up from the table, speed walking, making my way over to the snack table that was covered in a variety of of small snack foods like miniature club sandwiches, club crackers, wheat thins, ritz crackers, cheese it's and a mixture of cheeses, asiago, mozzarella, swiss and sharp cheddar. There was a small portion of the table that looked like it had been ran sacked. Which I'm pretty sure was from Michelle's little cousins, considering this part of the table appeared to have sweet desserts at one point in time. There was still a few rembrandts of chocolate brownies, oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate chip cookies.

I was about to stuff my face like a pig with the miniature sandwiches. When I heard  Michelle's mother's voice call out over the group of people announcing that dinner will be served shortly. Like our eyes had magnets searching for each other. Michelle and I connect our glance to one other. Both having nothing but a look of satisfaction. That soon our craving for that delicious roasted chicken will be satisfied even if it's only for the evening. I am the first seated. Followed by Michelle and Cole then Shawn,  Michelle's mother Linda, father Samuel and her three younger brothers Marcus, Brighton and Joshua.

The triplets are the most polite, mannerful ten year olds you will ever meet! They have this aura around them of nothing but kindness. While most boy pups are out playing in the forest getting muddy and scraped up. These three preferred to be in complete order from top to bottom without any trance of stains or smudges any where. Even after they eat. Which is highly surprising do to the fact that their older sister is one of the messiest people I know! Well at least in the comfort of her own home. In public, you would never think this girl could have a room. That looks like a tornado is reeking havoc everyday!

Linda asks " What are the three of you planning after dinner?" Michelle shrugs her shoulders and Shawn chimes in "Actually we were invited to go hangout up at the waterfalls after dinner by April. " Michelle scrunched her face, but the look of annoyance, is replaced by a smile of excitement because she knows what the falls mean. "Yes that would be amazing! I would really enjoy an evening swim." She says with a smirk on her face. Michelle turns to Cole and asks " Would you like to join us after dinner and hangout some more together?" Cole's face forms an ear to ear grin as he nods his head yes eagerly! With his chipmunk like cheeks full of the roasted chicken and gleaming eyes, rumbles are heard around the table from us glancing at his appearance.

Soon after dinner was finished. Michelle had started opening all her gifts from her family and other friends. My present was the last to be set in front of her. I had, had to keep it at her house with her parent's because my brothers would have opened it and then lost it somewhere. My brothers were horrible at keeping secrets and not touching things that weren't theirs, even at there ages of twenty-two and twenty-five.  Sitting here watching her slowly pull the purple ribbon from the rectangular box. Waiting for that giggly squeak that would soon follow after she had opened it. Revealing the twenty-four karat white gold necklace, speckled with small diamonds, ajured with hearts clasping around a small picture in the middle.

Everyone suddenly pauses in silence as tears slowly fell from Michelle's beautiful golden honey brown eyes. I scooted closer to her, only to have her jump at me into a tight hug as she sobbed on my shoulder saying " Thank you! Thank you so much! This is the best gift I could have ever received! I thought all the photos of her had been lost and destroyed in the fire." Cole's father had been the one who found it while cleaning up after the fire had burnt down Michelle's grandmother's home. 

Unfortunately her grandmother didn't survive. She had gotten trapped under the pillars of the house as it came crashing down on her. She didn't have enough strength to push them off of her at her elderly age. What's more sad is during this time, no one had realized what happened until it was to late! The attack hadn't been of great magnitude. But enough that we lost ten members to the witches who had started the fire.

I hugged her even tighter and said " There's no better place for this then next to your heart!" The photo was of Michelle and her grandmother picking strawberries. It was something they did together each year sense she was five years old. This photo was the last one taken of them together the year before the attack. She was nine at that time.

We  started our rounds around the room saying goodbye to all of Michelle's family and friends, before the four of us left to trail off to the North West entrance of the forest to the waterfalls.