The Alpha's Witch Mate

The sunrays spilling through the curtains roused Serena awake. She opened her eyes slowly, blinked a few times and turned over on her bed. She yawned widely, covering her mouth with her palm, and slowly sat up.

A sweet smile appeared on her lips. Today was her eighteenth birthday, a day she had been patiently waiting for.

She remembered her mom telling her she would finally become an adult once she turned eighteen. Although she didn't feel the slightest change within, being an adult and all that, she was still excited.

She stretched and jumped off her bed, almost tripping in the bedsheets.

"Damn, I'm just too excited." she laughed, twirling towards the mirror.

Serena was a vision of beauty. Long wavy purple-coloured hair and silvery eyes made her stand out while growing up and she used to be so ashamed of it.

She remembered the 8th grade, and how her schoolmates made fun of her, calling her a freak. She wanted to cut her hair off back then, but her mom had convinced her that she was unique, and having that kind of hair was a sign that she was a special child.

At that time, she didn't understand what it meant, about being a special child. She assumed her mother just wanted to cheer her up.

Now she stared at her reflection in the mirror, loving her strange coloured hair and thanking her mom silently for not allowing her cut it back then.

One thing she wouldn't change about her appearance was her eyes. They were a colour between silver and grey, bubbling with youth.

She shook head, pushing her daydreams away. Her friends would be coming over soon, and she needed to prepare.

She rushed into the bathroom and took off her cream coloured pajamas. First she brushed her teeth, then waltzed into the shower stall in pure happiness and turned on the shower.

In ten minutes, she was done. Pulling on her clothes, a pair of jean and a hoodie, she brushed out her hair, whipped it into a high ponytail and applied gloss on her lips.

"Perfect." She murmured, checking out herself in the mirror.

"Serena? Honey are you awake?" Her mom called from the kitchen downstairs.

"Coming." Serena yelled back. She took one last look at her appearance before leaving the room.

Her mom, Maria, had just prepared breakfast when she stepped into the kitchen.

"Hi mommy. Good morning." She greeted, throwing her arms over the woman.

"There's the little birthday girl." Maria smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Little?" Serena repeated. "Mom I just turned eighteen. I'm an adult now, not your little girl anymore."

Maria chuckled and shrugged. "Ok little adult." She teased.

"Mom!" Serena protested, watching Maria laugh at her. "Okay I'm still your little girl, but just between us, and dad."

"Of course darling. You will always be my little girl." Maria smiled. Tears welled in her eyes but she blinked them away before Serena could see it. Today was a happy day for her, and she wouldn't ruin it.

"Where is dad anyway?" Serena asked.

"He had to go to the grocery store to get some supplies." Maria replied. "He should be on his way back now."

Just then, the door opened and an elderly man with grey hair stepped into the house, holding several brown bags. He was a tall with a slight stoop. Maria had short brown hair and a very small figure. It never really occured to Serena that she didn't bear any resemblance to either of her parents.

"Dad, I was just asking of you." Serena called out to him.

"Oh, it's a good thing I'm here then." Rick, her father, replied with a smile.

She helped him with some of the bags and waited patiently for him to wish her a happy birthday.

He didn't.

Finally running out of patience, she asked out loud. "Did you forget what today is?"

Rick feigned ignorance and pretended to forget.

"What is today?" he asked, heading for the fridge and hiding a smile.

Serena was dumbfounded. "You've got to be kidding me. You mean you forgot how important today is?"

Maria bit the inside of her cheeks, trying not to laugh. She knew Rick was only messing with their daughter.

Rick on the other hand, raised his shoulders innocently and turned to one of the boxes he came with. "What's so important about today?"

"It's my 18th birthday. I can't believe you totally forgot." She sighed, clealy upset.

Rick turned around again, holding a large, pink, two layer cake. He grinned as her eyes widened.

"How could I forget your first step into adulthood?" He chuckled.

Serena squealed happily and almost threw herself into his arms, but stopped short before she would ruin her cake.

"You were just teasing me." She accused playfully.

Rick's smiled widened. "Happy birthday, my princess"

Serena grabbed the cake, dropped it on the counter and hugged him. "Thanks daddy." She whispered.

A while later, Maria finished breakfast and they sat together in the kitchen to eat, after which they took a slice of cake each.

Serena felt a bit emotional when they toasted to her new age. But the sight of her birthday presents erased her tears.

She decided to unbox the gifts later on, because her friends were coming over for a party.

"Now remember, Serena." Maria reminded her. "No wild parties. Be moderate, and make sure they join you clean up."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Thanks for the presents." Serena smiled happily as she walked them to the door.

"You're sure you don't want to open them now?" Rick asked.

She shook her head. "I'm saving the best for last." she beamed.

"Okay. We will be back at most, seven or eight. Take care of yourself and have fun." Maria kissed her cheek and waved.

"I will." Serena blew them kisses and shut the door.

She cut another slice of cake and while she ate it, she dialed her best friend's number.

"There's the birthday girl!" Anderson yelled through the speaker the moment he answered.

Serena pushed the phone away from her ear and laughed. "You're going to make me deaf, you know. My parents are out now. Y'all can start coming."

"Alright, now you're talking. Will be there in a few minutes." Anderson answered, and the call ended.

Serena dropped the phone and began her preparation for their arrival.

...

Maria and Rick stood a few distance away from the house, watching it silently.

"I really wish we told her, Rick." Maria said softly. She had tears in her eyes. "She's going to be so heartbroken when she finds out."

"I know. But we promised not to. We knew this day would come." Rick murmured.

"I'm so scared." Maria whispered. Tears spilled down her eyes as Rick held her close.

"You don't have to be." Rick said, gently rubbing her back. "We did the best we could. The only thing we can do now is to be as far away as possible from Serena, for her own protection. We can't be here when the disaster happens."

Maria sobbed quietly, her heart breaking all over.

How ironic it was that on her daughter's eighteenth birthday, she and her husband would die.