Ryder's Birthday Afternoon

¥¥

Out in the gardens were three unique she-wolves; one at the age of twenty-one, another at the age of nineteen and lastly, the littlest and newest of the pack.

The birthday boy surveyed the landscape, his eyes narrowing in on those three wolves. A future just out of reach, but still possible.

Someone in his pack could still be his destiny, and the hope for that was becoming greater at every moment.

In a leap, Ryder's glorious wolf form emerged and he had began racing over to the gardens and to the last remaining she-wolves of the pack - and hopefully, to his future as well.

His fate awaited him, if only he had the strength and courage to claim it.

If it wasn't one of them then they were going to be down a Luna for a little while, and he would have to come to terms with that if faced with that very choice.

His wolf denied Dhalia as his equal and he had to honour that.

'Please let it be one of them', he thought with a sense of desperation.

With a huff, he sat proudly on all fours in front of them, causing the girls to turn in slight surprise and shock.

They had not been expecting a visit from the Alpha-to-be himself.

"Ryder, our prince," they said in union with their heads bowed for a moment in respect.

The silver eyed and black furred wolf stuck his tongue out and began wildly looking between them, trying to catch their eyes.

"Oh my god," breathed the blonde girl.

"Isn't today his birthday?" The brunette one whispered back in slight panic.

In a moment, Ryder had transformed back and stood before them stark-naked with no sense of a care in the world about it.

He had never been too shy.

The first two girls seemed pleasantly surprised to get a peak but the last one always shielded away for the sheer fact she would never understand their ways.

Nakedness made her uncomfortable at every turn.

"How can we help you?" The first two girls asked in sync as they both locked eyes with Ryder.

With no feelings emerging, doubt began taking over.

But it wasn't until the youngest she-wolf of the odd trio finally looked up and locked eyes as well, that everything instally froze for a moment.

A strange smell entered his nostril that he vaguely decided he liked.

There was a new-found thumping in his chest, determined to take roots in his ribcage, that he also decided could be more than just manageable to live with.

But the literal snap of electricity when her electric blue eyes stared at him made an uncomfortable impression on his heart.

There was just something about the way she looked at him that tore holes in his soul.

The kind that left imprints that bore into prominent scars.

As the air around them stilled, Ryder began to vaguely wonder if she remembered the questions she had asked him the day she first arrived at their pack.

"It's you."

Ryder breathed out with a twinge of surprise, his heart melting with each step that he took towards her.

Each step towards his evident destiny.

"What's me?"

The she-wolf was just shy of eighteen and hadn't considered the possibility that she could be a mate to anyone, let alone to the werewolf prince himself.

She had once voiced to the very same wolf that she feared she may never get one as she didn't truly believe she was one of them at all. Keeping that last bit out and to herself with a tiny bit of fear and as a clear survival tactic.

Keeping the truth to herself on the odd chance, she really was among her true enemies rather than family.

Without a thought of the consequences, the brunette girl turned around fully, standing straight across from the young man. She straightened to her full height, a few inches shy of the man in front of her.

The moment his grey eyes blinked and finally took all of Alisa in; fireworks started to explode in front of each of their eyelids.

Something so powerful, it could wake any sleeping beast from their slumber.

'Mine. Forever. Mine.'

The familiar and old murmur of his wolf picked up, confirming the suspicions of the birthday boy and finally reassuring himself that he had not lost his wolf forever.

One of his friends had indeed became his mate, just not the one everyone was expecting. One he had his suspicions about but this only proves how much she really does belong in their pack.

And more importantly, his family.

As his clear equal.

"Mate."

Ryder's growl was possessive yet soft and deep,  a clear passion and surprise beneath his vocal chords.

The voice sounded oddly different to that of his own.

"No...It can't be... I'm not..."

Grey eyes began to twinkle.

"It is a surprise, heck, I'll even admit but I'll get to make good with that promise I made you at least. That has got to count for something, right?"

The young man said, his own voice this time with a bittersweet smile, remembering the gentle promise he made to continue showing her their amazing world.

But he couldn't help but let his arrogant side show just that little bit in the process.

Despite the promise having been made to enjoy this world before her mate arrived, luckily, fate had other plans it seemed.

The Moon Goddess had paired the unlikely two to be the next Alpha and Luna.

Somehow Ryder was trying to find a way to make sense of that uncomfortable new piece of information.

Not only was she vastly unprepared for the role of Luna, as his father had groomed the Beta's daughter since birth instead, but Alisa always seemed a little out of place standing among them.

Like she herself didn't feel truly at home yet.

He had also only ever thought of Alisa as a friend, maybe even a younger sister, but never as the prospect of a bride but here they were.

The Moon Goddess was never wrong, they say.

Ryder just had to have a little faith.

Now was not the time for it to waiver, only strengthen.

"Uhhh, no... I'm...okay..."

Alisa's words struggled to leave her lips as she desperately looked for the right words to tell Ryder that she will not be his mate or the leader of a werewolf pack.

The internal scream inside of her rang clear and loud.

Thoughts raced a mile a minute inside of her mind and before she knew it, her vision had gone dark and she had fallen to the ground.

Swirls of light fluttered over her eyes before her vision went completely black. Passing out due to the surprise news and maybe even a little bit of dehydration.

The true cause unknown to the naked eye.

"Alisa?"

Ryder's unsure voice came out, trying to see if he could jolt her awake and back into her consciousness but alas, he was having no such luck.

"Dude, I think you made her pass out from the excitement," Anabel commented casually with a laugh, pointing at the youngest she-wolf.

How ironic their new Luna would be prone to fainting and be the only one with miles to go in her progress of their ways.

"Talk about not expecting to get a mate today!" The brunette continued with another stifled giggle.

"I don't think...that's excitement," Isadora, the Sigma, said slowly and hesitantly with a frown, worry beginning to seep in.

All of them came to huddle around the unconscious girl with mild curiosity and concern.

Nobody had fainted before in their tribe when finding their mate, let alone when finding out that their mate is the Alpha to be.

Voices began deafening around Ryder as he panicked, afraid he had scared off his new Luna before she had even had time to adjust to the new plan.

Concern swirled inside of his heart as his vision blurred, confusion and panic setting in.

"Something's clearly wrong with her! Go get the Theta now!"