2| The Birthday Party.

AXEL

That girl—there was something strange about her. In all my eighteen years, I had never seen anything like it. I was born with special gifts; the ability to read and control minds. But those gifts were as much a curse as they were a blessing because sometimes, I knew things I’d rather not. Yet no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t read her mind. She was a mystery, and I hated mysteries.

She intrigued me, made me curious, made me want to get close to her. No girl had ever rejected me the way she did, and that bruised my ego. Brutally. Every girl wanted me; they all wanted to be in my bed—except her. And that, I decided, would change. I was going to make her want me, even if it meant dumping her afterward.

Standing in front of the mirror in my dorm room, I checked my reflection one last time. My eighteenth birthday party was tonight, and everything needed to be perfect. Tonight, I’d meet my wolf for the first time, and the thought of that made me a little nervous, different scenarios playing in my head. What if I didn’t see my wolf? Just like my uncle, Lucius, who didn’t see his wolf until much later, when he was twenty-nine. The possibility of that happening to me made my stomach churn.

The door suddenly creaked open, shaking me out of my thoughts. My parents appeared before the door, wide smiles spreading on their faces as they cheerfully ventured inside and sandwiched me in a tight hug.

“My boy is a man now!” My mother, the ever-beautiful northern Luna queen, beamed as she pulled away from the hug, stepping back just enough to see my face. “You look as handsome as ever.”

“I am proud of you!” My father, the northern Alpha king, chuckled, patting my back. He raised his brow, his gaze turning serious. “Are you ready for tonight?”

“What?” My brows creased in confusion.

“Your first shift,” he clarified.

I shook my head. “No. I am not ready for that.”

My mother frowned. “Why? We want to be here with you to help you through your first shift.”

“I am not ready,” I said in a dismissive tone as I turned around to grab my phone from the bed. Looking back at them, I muttered, “Shall we?”

They stood there, gazing at me, debating whether to press me further and coerce me into shifting tonight. I knew that because I could read their minds.

“Mom, Dad. Shall we?” I repeated, darting my gaze between them.

“Okay,” my mom breathed, finally deciding against it. “Take your time. Do it whenever you are ready. But be sure to call us, okay?”

“Okay.” I nodded, knowing full well that I wouldn’t. I could handle my first shift on my own.

One of my father’s men entered the room, his arms piled high with neatly wrapped gift boxes. He set them down on my bed and left without a word.

“With love from me and your beautiful mother,” my father said, pressing a soft kiss to my mom’s cheek before gesturing towards the pile of gifts on the bed.

“You can open them after the party,” Mom added, giggling like a school girl.

I nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”

I loved my parents. I loved how deeply in love they were with each other. And when I finally found my mate, I wished for a bond like theirs.

“And, Mom, Dad…” I reached for the bouquet of flowers on the nightstand and handed it to them. “Happy anniversary.”

Mom’s cheeks turned rosy, and Dad’s grin split his face as they collected it and inhaled the scent of the white lilies. “Thank you so much,” they beamed in unison, pulling me in for another hug.

Afterwards, we made our way to the grand hall that had already been decorated beautifully for the birthday. The hall was crowded with students, school staff, and parents, all dressed in their best outfits.

Despite my parents standing beside me, several girls rushed towards me, their movements flirtatious as they handed me gifts. After politely thanking them for the presents, I instructed them to drop the gifts on a table near me before ignoring them afterward. I hated it when girls threw themselves at me. It was pathetic, really. That was one of the reasons the mysterious new girl intrigued me so much. She was just... different.

I glanced around the room, but she was nowhere to be found. Of course, she wouldn’t attend the party, I thought. Unlike other girls, she wasn’t desperate to be mated to me.

“Where are Uncle Lucius and Aunt Amelia?” I asked my parents when I realized they weren’t present.

Uncle Lucius was my father’s older brother, while Aunt Amelia was his wife.

“They had some emergency to take care of,” Mom told me, holding my hand and squeezing gently. “But they send their sincerest apology and promise to make it up to you.”

Before I could respond, a pair of hands covered my eyes from behind. I immediately recognized who it was.

“Daisy,” I said, grabbing her hands and turning to face her with a chuckle.

“I know I told you over the phone already, but happy birthday, favorite cousin!” she beamed, wrapping her arms around me.

“I am your only cousin,” I laughed as she pulled away from me. She was adorable and indeed my favorite.

She giggled as she handed me a small gift box.

“What’s inside?” I asked as I took it, staring at it.

She rolled her eyes. “When you open it, you’ll see it, duh.”

She turned her attention to my parents, bowing curtly. “Alpha King, Luna Queen.”

“Birthday boy,” a familiar voice chimed. I looked up to see Indie approaching. Indie was like a sister to me. My parents had raised her after her mother, Lauren, died after giving birth to her.

“What do you have for me?” I asked with a grin.

She handed me a gift box before turning to hug my parents.

“Daisy,” I called, mind-linking her. “Where’s your new friend? Who is she, by the way?”

“You should have asked her when you made me leave the other time just so you could talk to her. And you annoyed her! What did you tell her? She was so annoyed that I was ashamed to claim you as my cousin.”

“What did—” I started, but was interrupted by Indie nudging me.

“Who do you think your mate would be?” she asked, wiggling her brows.

“I don’t know. Maybe you?” I joked.

She burst into laughter. “I’d torment you for the rest of your life if that happened.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her in tightly. “No, it’d be the other way around.”

She groaned loudly, struggling to free herself but was met with resistance. “You bully!” she yelled.

“Behave,” my father cautioned, chuckling. “It’s your birthday. What if your mate sees this and rejects you?”

“No one can reject me. She—” I trailed off, my jaw dropping when I caught sight of the person entering the hall, standing between a man I recognized as the southern Alpha King and his Luna—my father’s sworn enemy. Was she their daughter? Was the strange girl that sparked my curiosity the southern princess?

“Mate!” a strange voice suddenly roared in my head, startling me.