Birthday Eve

Chapter 27

Birthday Eve

The pack was preparing for a celebration.

Jade wished everyone would stop reminding her.

Everywhere she went, someone mentioned her birthday.

Seven days.

Then six.

Then five.

Now only one remained.

Tomorrow, she would turn eighteen.

And somehow that simple fact had become everyone's business.

They're excited.

Jade adjusted a lantern hanging outside the packhouse.

They're nosy.

Same thing.

No, it isn't.

Ash remained unconvinced.

That was becoming a pattern.

The closer her birthday approached, the harder it became to ignore her wolf.

Not because Ash was louder.

Because she felt closer.

Their thoughts blended more easily.

Their emotions overlapped.

Sometimes Jade wasn't entirely sure which feelings belonged to whom.

That should have been alarming.

Instead, it felt oddly natural.

You're nervous.

About tomorrow?

About Ryker.

Jade nearly dropped the lantern.

I hate you.

Ash laughed.

Lie.

---

Across the territory, preparations were underway for tomorrow's gathering.

Birthdays weren't usually major events.

But eighteenth birthdays were different.

Important.

Symbolic.

A transition into adulthood.

Even worse, Blackthorn would be attending another investigation meeting tomorrow.

Meaning Ryker would be here.

Ash became immediately interested.

Excellent.

Stop.

No.

Jade rubbed her forehead.

She'd developed a headache.

And she blamed her wolf entirely.

---

Unfortunately, her day only became worse.

Because Sabrina Carter struck again.

It happened during lunch.

Subtle.

Calculated.

Cruel.

Exactly as expected.

Jade entered the dining hall to find several conversations stopping abruptly.

Eyes followed her.

Whispers rose the moment she passed.

Ash's ears flattened.

I don't like this.

Neither did Jade.

She reached the food line.

The silence became noticeable.

Uncomfortable.

Then someone spoke.

"My father says the old Beta lost enough money to bankrupt half the pack."

Another voice joined in.

"I heard he was stealing years before he got caught."

"They should've exiled the whole family."

The statement landed like a slap.

Silence followed.

Nobody challenged it.

Nobody defended her.

The old shame immediately returned.

Familiar.

Heavy.

Hurting just as much as it had years ago.

For a terrible moment, Jade considered leaving.

Then another voice cut through the room.

"Funny."

Everyone turned.

Devin stood near one of the tables.

Arms crossed.

Expression hard.

"Because my father never said that."

The silence deepened.

Dangerously.

The younger wolves immediately looked uncomfortable.

Good.

They should.

Devin stepped closer.

"If you're going to repeat rumors, at least verify them first."

No one dared answer.

Across the room, Sabrina looked furious.

Jade noticed.

Apparently so did Ash.

Interesting.

Sabrina immediately looked away.

Coward.

Devin didn't say anything else.

He simply sat back down.

Conversation gradually resumed.

Yet something had changed.

The damage wasn't undone.

But neither had the rumors gone unchallenged.

For the first time, someone powerful had openly pushed back.

And everyone had noticed.

Including Jade.

---

That evening brought another surprise.

A breakthrough.

Not a pleasant one.

A patrol returned just after sunset.

The entire leadership team gathered immediately.

Alpha Rowan.

Eleanor.

Garrett.

Marcus.

The Blackthorn delegation had arrived early enough that Gideon and Knox joined them as well.

Jade found herself included again.

Something that would have shocked her months ago.

Now it merely felt strange.

Maps covered the council table.

Garrett pointed toward a marked location.

"Shadow Pines."

The name immediately grabbed attention.

Devin straightened.

Jade's pulse quickened.

The name from Elias Voss's journal.

The final clue he'd left behind.

"We found it."

The room went completely silent.

Knox leaned forward.

"What exactly did we find?"

Garrett's jaw tightened.

"Ruins."

A chill ran through Jade.

"Old?"

"Very."

The Beta pointed toward the map.

"At least several decades."

Apparently no one within either pack currently used the location.

No official records mentioned it.

No current maps labeled it.

Yet it existed.

Waiting.

Hidden inside the forests.

Exactly where Elias claimed it would be.

Gideon's wolf surfaced briefly.

Jade couldn't hear him, of course.

But she saw the shift.

The slight hardening of posture.

The increased focus.

Every wolf understood that look.

A wolf spirit paying attention.

Beside her, Ash growled softly.

Something's wrong.

For once, Jade agreed.

---

The meeting stretched late into the evening.

Plans were made.

Patrol routes adjusted.

An expedition organized.

At first light, both packs would investigate Shadow Pines together.

The timing couldn't have been worse.

Tomorrow was Jade's birthday.

Nobody seemed willing to postpone.

Including Jade.

Especially Jade.

Because for the first time, they had a real lead.

A real destination.

A chance at answers.

Eventually the meeting ended.

Wolves dispersed.

Packing supplies.

Preparing weapons.

Checking patrol assignments.

Jade stepped outside.

The night air felt cool against her skin.

The moon hung high above Silverwood.

Tomorrow.

Everything happened tomorrow.

The investigation.

Her birthday.

The gathering.

Too much.

Far too much.

"You look overwhelmed."

Ryker.

Of course.

Ash immediately brightened.

There he is.

Behave.

Never.

Jade smiled despite herself.

Ryker moved beside her.

Close.

Comfortable.

Dangerous.

Neither spoke for a while.

The quiet felt nice.

Needed.

Eventually Ryker bumped her shoulder lightly.

A familiar gesture now.

One that immediately settled something inside her.

"Tomorrow."

The word held weight.

Jade nodded.

"Tomorrow."

Neither mentioned her birthday.

Neither needed to.

Ash shifted uneasily.

For the first time in days, Jade felt it too.

A strange tension beneath her skin.

Not fear.

Not exactly.

Anticipation.

As if the world itself was holding its breath.

Ryker reached for her hand.

His fingers intertwined with hers automatically now.

Natural.

Easy.

His wolf, Storm, brushed briefly against his thoughts.

Jade couldn't hear him.

But she saw it in Ryker's expression.

The slight smile.

The quiet certainty.

The affection.

Ash liked Storm.

Entirely too much.

Good wolf.

You've met him twice.

Still counts.

Jade shook her head.

Then froze.

Because suddenly Ash wasn't smiling anymore.

The wolf stared toward the eastern forest.

Alert.

Focused.

Watching.

Ash?

No answer.

A chill slid down Jade's spine.

Ash.

Slowly, the silver-gray wolf lifted her head.

Something old and instinctive moved through their shared bond.

A warning.

Tomorrow changes everything.

The certainty frightened her.

Before Jade could ask what she meant, Ash withdrew.

Leaving only silence behind.

Beside her, Ryker squeezed her hand.

Unaware of the tension suddenly flooding her chest.

Tomorrow.

Her eighteenth birthday.

The investigation into Shadow Pines.

And whatever waited for them inside those ruins.

Jade looked toward the dark forest beyond Silverwood's borders.

For the first time in weeks, excitement wasn't what she felt.

It was dread.