CHAPTER THREE

By the time my birthday rolled around, I was glad to see that my hearing had returned to normal. I was awoken by a tickle in my nose, a delightful tickle that was only indicative of amazing food. I stretched my sleeping limbs far from my body, taking a deep breath and enjoying the enticing scent of freshly fried bacon crowding my nostrils.

Wasting no time, I bounded down the hallway, skidding to a stop in front of the bamboo-topped breakfast bar. A low growl escaped my lips, and Sella was practically drooling on the floor. My mom giggled at my near-feral response.

"Good morning, sweetheart. And Happy 21st Birthday!" She exclaimed, tossing me a premature sample before it hit the pan.

I popped the raw meat into my mouth, enjoying the hickory curing and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Yes, werewolves could eat raw meat, and sometimes it was good, but my mom knew that I preferred it lightly fried, not raw and not burnt to a crisp.

"Mm, thanks, Mom."

"How'd Misa do with her new kicks yesterday?" She asked, licking the raw juices from her fingers before wiping her hands on a brown and orange dish towel.

Misa was one of our four horses. She hated being shod and would often sulk in the barn afterward just to show her discontent. Despite her sassy attitude, she was my favorite; with her chocolate brown fur and wild auburn mane, she reminded me a lot of Sella.

Sella wasn't a fan of being compared to a horse, but I didn't care. She knew that she meant more than a horse to me. She was a part of me, almost like a faction of my personality that came out as a growling and possessive wolf. She completed me.

"Oh, you know how she is. I'm sure she'll be up and about as long as we aren't there to pity her." I laughed to myself, imagining Misa checking for her owners, then immediately racing along the edge of the fence once discovering that the coast was clear.

My mom scraped some scrambled eggs onto the white ceramic dish in front of me, forming them into a crescent before adding two strips of bacon as eyes to complete her smiley face. I raised my brow at her childish gesture, ultimately laughing at her antics.

"Mom, I'm all for you pursuing your career in breakfast art, but I'm going to need more than two strips of bacon." She gave me a serious nod before dumping another half-pound of meat onto the plate.

That's more like it.

I hoped that, if I ended up with a royal, they would like or at least appreciate my wolf appetite. Vampires could eat human food but received the bulk of their strength from drinking human blood. It wasn't like I was opposed to the idea; I had just never had the opportunity to sample any. I wasn't raised amongst vampires, and drinking blood was strictly outlawed on pack land, so I wouldn't have even known the first thing about partaking in that delicacy.

Did all blood taste the same, or was each person different, just like the raw meat I consumed in wolf form? What was the texture like? Was it thick and creamy, or watery and fruity? Did it taste better warm straight from the vein, or chilled like a fine wine?

I had lots of questions about my vampire side, but I tried to limit how many I thrust upon my mother. She only really knew what my father had mentioned in their all-too-brief year together, so she couldn't answer fully, and I felt bad when she bothered Anthony with my silly curiosities. He was a CEO of a massive corporation, so he was surely too busy to deal with petty matters like that.

I crunched into my bacon reverently, only pausing for quick sips of orange juice every now and then.

"If you look at your future husband anything like you look at bacon, I think I'll be alright after all." I lifted my gaze to my mom's smug expression.

"What does that mean?" I raised a brow.

"Grandbabies, of course." She replied with the utmost confidence, nearly making me choke.

"Mooommm." I complained, considering acting like her inappropriate comment made me lose my appetite, but then deciding that I didn't want to stop eating.

"I'm sorry, Aria, I just can't help it! I can just imagine little pups running around the ranch, scaring the cattle with their adorable little roars." She sighed dreamily, sticking another piece of raw bacon between her teeth.

"First of all, why would you want them scaring the cows? Second..." I paused, debating if I should continue. "Second... what if they aren't pups? What if I have little vampire spawn?"

My mom stopped chewing, seemingly surprised by my questioning. She blinked her eyes, trying to form her words in her head before speaking them, a habit I had inherited from her.

"Well, if you have little spawn, then I will love them all the same. You do know my love for my future grandchildren, or even son-in-law, is not based on what species they are, right?"

I turned away from her concerned gaze. "It's not your acceptance I'm worried about, Mom." I mumbled.

I highly doubted that the wolf council would accept my husband any more than they accepted my mom's if he were to be a vampire. That would be fine for me if I had to move in with him, but that would also effectively crush my mom's hope of seeing our children on the ranch. There was no chance in hell they would let vampire spawn roam free on pack soil. The thought depressed me greatly, and a deep pain panged my chest.

My mom reached out to grasp my hand in hers, her dark eyes piercing mine. "Aria, if they won't accept you being here, then I would not want to stay here."

I shot to my feet, pulling my arm from the countertop. "Mom, you can't mean that! Think of all we built here! We've been here my whole life; you can't possibly be considering abandoning the ranch!"

"Calm down, sweetie. It's not a decision I need to make today. Besides, with you out of the house, I could always expand my horizons. I heard Paradise is nice."

Paradise was a small city located just south of Vegas and was mostly occupied by humans. Sure it was nice, but it wasn't home. I huffed, rolling my eyes dramatically.

"I knew it. You just want me out of the house." I teased, returning to my almost finished plate.

She giggled, stepping around the butcher's block to wrap me in her maternal embrace. She took a deep breath, tickling my ear. "Oh, baby. I knew I'd have to hand you over to some man sooner or later. I just can't believe it snuck up on me so fast."

She stroked her delicate fingers through my hair as I scoffed. "Mom, you've basically been ranting about this day since I went through puberty. There was no sneaking involved."

She squeezed my head a little tighter. "Okay, okay. You're too smart for your own good. I look forward to getting you wasted tonight so you stop being so uptight and reasonable." I glanced up to see a menacing grin on her face.

"That's not normal, Mom. Most parents do not seek out getting their children inebriated."

A jolly laugh shook her shoulders. "Most parents don't have kids like you, my dear. Now up and at 'em, we're going shopping. You've got to look hot for your first night on the town." She gave my behind a light tap before leaving to her bedroom to change for the day.

I shook my head, laughing beneath my breath. Her and I really made a great team. I wondered for a moment how much different it would have been if Dad was still alive. From Mom's descriptions, he was a lot more like me, always thinking and dissecting the world around him with great interest. Maybe she would've felt nicely sandwiched and protected, finally achieving the peace I fought hard to provide her of my own volition. I shook my head again, this time to clear my head of the daydreams clouding my system. Tonight I would let her run wild, taking me along for the ride with no complaints.