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Chapter Three Pt 2 - Amelia POV

Returning to the packhouse, Zara’s appearance gets a lot of notice. People nod in respect; some look concerned while others are smirking. Vitali bounds over to us with a big smile on his face.

“Good morning, birthday ladies. Want me to hose you down?” He asks jovially. Zara just snorts, though I can tell she is very tempted by the offer of playing with a hose. Sometimes she’s like a giant puppy dog.

“I heard that! How very dare you?!” She exclaims, once again making me chuckle. Zara pulls herself back and pushes me forward, and with a quick burst of heat, I’m back on two legs and throwing my clothes back on.

“So, what did you find for her this time?” He asks curiously.

“A moose. A huge one,” I grin proudly as his eyes widen.

“Not that I’m surprised, but way to go, Zara,” he applauds making Zara preen. The moment is interrupted by a scoff nearby and of course, it’s Ryker.

“As if you brought down a moose. I can picture a lot of wolves doing it, but not you,” he says snidely. Vitali and I roll our eyes. This guy is an absolute moron. My wolf is larger than his in every way and an Alpha; taking down a moose is child’s play for us.

“Ryker, I think you need to make a visit to Dr Richard’s office,” I say while walking towards the packhouse with Vitali in tow.

“Why would I need to do that?” He asks in confusion.

“Because something is clearly wrong with your sense of smell, otherwise you would have smelt that the blood I am currently covered in was moose blood,” I tell him impassively and hear Vitali snigger while Zara is in hysterics

Ryker stands there; his face blank with surprise before it morphs into anger. I can tell he wants to hit me, but I ignore him. Idiots like him are not worth my time. Though I did always wonder… since he’s so convinced he’s going to be the next Beta, you’d think he’d be kissing up to me as his future Alpha.

The Alpha and Beta have to be in sync and act like a well-oiled machine, which is one of the many reasons I’m giving the role to Vitali.

“Is that dickhead ever going to grow up?” Vitali asks as we walk through the packhouse.

“I am pretty sure that ship sailed long ago.”

Passing through the house, I get more nods and birthday wishes and it makes me feel great. Vitali is telling me how excited he is for the party tonight when our conversation is interrupted by Beta Declan.

“Happy Birthday Amelia,” he says flatly.

“Thank you so much,” I say, throwing on my best smile and making him scowl. I don’t know what this guy’s problem is, but he’s always so sour around me. I know it pisses him off when I don’t retaliate, so instead, I kill him with kindness. He’s looking at the blood all over me, but his face looks almost calculating, which is not the reaction you’d expect from someone in this situation.

“I hope you saved some of your energy, you’re going to need it for the ceremony,” he says smugly, but there’s a sinister look on his face. Zara starts growling. “Enjoy your day, Amelia,” he says as he walks off.

“Well that wasn’t ominous at all,” Vitali says through the pack-link. I nod in agreement as we head upstairs.

“That guy has always hated me. I’m starting to wonder if Ryker is going to be one of the people to challenge me tomorrow,” I speculate, much to Vitali’s surprise.

“That pipsqueak?! He doesn’t stand a chance against you. Challenging you would be suicide.”

“Not disagreeing with you, but think about it. He refuses to acknowledge me as his future Alpha and if he – at the very least – thought he’d be getting the Beta position, he should be trying to get on my good side. But he’s not. And then there’s the comment his dad made. All signs would suggest Ryker plans to challenge me tomorrow,” I say calmly.

After a moment of silence, Vitali doubles over in a fit of laughter.

“I’ll go get the shovels now shall I?” He asks and I laugh.

I promise this isn’t ego talking. I know how strong and capable both Zara and I are. Not only do we outrank Ryker, but he barely ever trains, so performance-wise he’s weaker than the average wolf. Even Torie can kick his ass; that says a lot about her skills and his lack of skills.

We get to the Alpha suite, and I step in to…

“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Is shouted from my parents, Gamma James and Lacey, Tyson, Delta Xander and Kennedy, Evalyn, Chris and… Mei?!

Shit.

I quickly duck behind Vitali. This is the first time she’s come out of the Delta suit and she’s seeing me covered in blood. Just great.

“I’ve got her, Amelia, she’s not looking,” says Chris through the pack-link. I’m glad he figured out I wasn’t just scared of a surprise; that would be embarrassing.

“Thank you so much for the surprise, everyone. I’m just going to go shower and then I’ll join you all.”

I speed off to my room, which is through the door on the left. Once I’m in, I rush to the bathroom, throw my clothes in the hamper, step into the shower, and work to scrub all the blood off me. I really hope I haven’t just contributed to Mei’s trauma. I’m starting to think I should have let Vitali hose me down outside.

After a very thorough shower, I complete my usual morning routine and then head into my closet to pick something to wear. It’s my birthday so I want to look nice. I pick out a lovely white maxi dress with blue floral prints on it, bishop sleeves and a low sweetheart neckline. Very feminine. I put on a pair of white strappy wedges with cork bottoms and then put my hair up in a large hair clip since it’s still wet.

I make my way out to the communal area, my eyes searching for Mei.

The Alpha suite is almost identical to the Delta suite, the only difference is our suite is decorated in black and white. The kitchen is all black fixtures and cabinets, with a black island and white marble countertop. The room is covered with a black carpet because white would be a bitch to clean. The living area has a large half circular white sofa, around a white coffee table that faces a large electric fireplace. This is bordered by black shelves with a large plasma screen TV on the wall above the fireplace. Behind the couch, is the dining table, which is a large rectangular glass table with eight white upholstered dining chairs. The walls are painted a soft grey.

If you’re wondering how large the sofa is, it can comfortably fit nine people, but if you squish everyone together then you can squeeze in thirteen. This means everyone here can fit on the couch, but I notice my parents, Uncle James and Aunt Lacey have pulled over some dining chairs instead.

Mei is tucked under Chris’s arm, sitting on the edge of the sofa furthest away from me. I slowly make my way over and kneel in front of her.

“Mei?” I say softly to get her attention. She looks down at me and I can see she’s nervous but I’m not sure if it’s me or being out of her room. “I am so very sorry you saw me like that. If I upset you or made you uncomfortable in any way, I truly apologise,” I say gently.

“Chris said it wasn’t because of an attack,” she says quietly. I notice he keeps gently rubbing her back.

“No attacks, I promise,” I say giving her a warm smile. “It was a birthday surprise for my wolf, Zara,” I tell her, and she looks at me confused. “I see today as our birthday, not just mine. So, I like to treat her with something good to hunt. She loves it, though now I’m feeling a bit bloated,” I chuckle patting my belly. Mei gives me a genuinely warm smile and Chris looks a mix of surprised and elated. I can hear his heart pounding fast while he kisses her temple. She directs her smile at him and now I think he’s going to pass out.

“You have a special relationship with your wolf,” she comments sweetly.

“I sure do,” I grin. “She’d love to meet you eventually; when you’re ready of course.”

“I would like that,” she says smiling and nodding, and now Chris has tears in his eyes. I think their bond as animais is going to kill him. “Maybe… I can shift, and you can see what I look like too,” she says while wringing her fingers in her lap. There are a couple of gasps while the rest of the room goes silent, and I can tell it’s making Mei even more nervous. So can Chris and he pulls her closer.

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” He asks gently.

She looks up at him, taking a breath. “Not today, but maybe soon. I think I can trust everyone here.”

He hugs her tightly and smiles. “I promise we are all here for you and we all want to see your shifted form, especially me and Axel. We won’t let anything happen to you. Not ever,” he vows. She smiles and kisses his cheek. Chris blushes through his beard.

Too cute!

I look around and see all the happy faces. I’m proud to call these people my family. I see Tyson on the other side of the couch trying to hide the tears in his eyes. He may look all macho on the outside, but he is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. Evalyn is cuddling him and looking at him sweetly.

Which reminds me...

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