Xavier heard his brother's footsteps making their way closer to his desk.
"That’s enough for today. Don't you plan to rest?" Zander furrowed his brows then closed the laptop that held his brother's complete attention. It was nearly midnight yet he was still working like a machine. Without even sparing him a glance, Xavier moved his twin’s hand away and resumed his work.
"As you are aware, the entire day tomorrow will be consumed by the drama of the marking ceremony. When I know I'll be wasting all of my valuable time on frivolous activities in a few hours, I have to finish these papers now." As usual, the Alpha was cold and direct, openly expressing his displeasure with the marking ceremony, which had gone against his original plans.
Zander agreed as he took a seat in the other chair. They were currently in their office building. The Alphas of the Sirius Bright Pack had constructed an office building on their pack territory. It was pretty far from the pack house, and only important individuals were permitted access to it. The Alpha brothers had done it for the sake of corporate security and pack management.
"If Kiara signs the surrogacy contract, the marking ceremony is doable. But she may still go with the second choice and leave the pack before sunrise," Zander reminded his brother of the exact quandary that he had been trying to avoid brooding over.
Xavier's muscles stiffened as his fingers came to a halt on the keyboard, with the possibility that he was already well aware of it. He had been the one who had offered Kiara both options. When she had been chatting with her mother using video chat, the melancholy Kiara had resembled a baby who had been lost at a fair. She looked adorable with her red nose and pouty lips, which she had kept shut most of the time. She had certainly been missing them and longed to return if she could take advantage of the excellent opportunity that the Alpha had already provided for her. Would she stay or leave? Fuck! It already sounded shitty!!
Her age and innocence, however, could not define her maturity. She was aware of Alpha Sawyer's rage and ego. After severing all ties with her, the old Alpha would never allow her to rejoin the Ardara Moon Pack. Even if Luna Martha begged him. It was evident that once she left the Sirius Bright pack, she would be unable to return to her former pack or any place else familiar. She had nowhere to go.
But after signing the contract and agreeing to all of Xavier's terms, a predetermined sum would be deposited into her bank account every month so that when she left the pack after a year, she would be able to live well. Xavier had really only left one door open for Kiara, the one where Xavier stood, but his younger brother's inquiry had made him doubt his own prediction. He didn't know whether she would sign the contract or not. What will she decide? He needed to wait until morning, but the Alpha was notoriously impatient.
"Fuck you, jerk! Thanks to you, now I can't concentrate on my work!" In annoyance, Xavier clenched his teeth and shut his laptop. This was going to be an exceedly long night. Zander busted out laughing. He had a slew of tactics up his sleeve to divert his brother's attention away from his workaholic tendencies.
"Does that imply that you'll let her go easily if she decides to leave the pack?"
"Never! She can’t leave this pack!" Xavier roared in unison with Dean. The very notion of Kiara leaving their bedroom just sent his wolf into a frenzy, so there was no way she could pass through Sirius Bright's Pack’s borders without his knowledge. Zander chuckled, returning his gaze to the door.
"We're back," Tyler said as he and Kaiden entered Xavier's office.
"What is this?" When Xavier saw his friends appear with a large stock of whiskey, seafood, cheese, roasted meats, and desserts, he got up from his seat with no intention of continuing to work. They appeared to be here for a party.
"Hmm, we were informed that your bachelor party would be tonight," Kaiden smirked, placing his treasured alcohol carefully on the table. It was his second love, after Jennifer, of course.
"Bachelor party? Who said that?" Xavier raised a brow. They were making some large assumptions there. Tyler and Kaiden turned to face the guilty party who had been standing beside the Alpha.
"Tomorrow is your marking ceremony, following which you will be one for two. You'll be married soon! That is why I am throwing a bachelor party for you, big brother." Zander grinned as he proceeded to give his brother a big brotherly embrace who had been giving him a dull look.
"I'm not interested," Xavier remarked as he moved away before Zander could hug him. He was not going to have a bachelor party for a pointless mating ritual. What the hell were they thinking? Zander's large hand reached out to pull his twin back then pushed him down onto the sofa. Kaiden was quick to pass out drinks of whiskey to his Alphas while Tyler dimmed the lights to create a mood for their bachelor party.
“Let’s enjoy tonight!” Zander clicked his glass with all the guys and played his favorite song on the home theater system. Xavier noticed that they had already arranged everything. The food, the drinks, the music, and even the lighting. He chose to go with the flow as he sipped his drink. He was desperate for a drink. It always gave him some clarity, helping him to think straight if some old terrible memory fucked with his head, but right now just Kiara was rambling through his mind.
“Where are your mates?” Xavier asked, reaching for a whiskey bottle. Glasses were not his style. He was a heavy drinker.
“They are also enjoying a party,” Kaiden replied.
“What party?” Xavier asked, but his reply was met with a video.
***
"Happy birthday, Luna Kiara!!!" The echo of congratulations lit up the darkness of the hall. Kiara struggled to adjust her eyes to the unexpected light, only to find a beautifully decorated living room filled with the joyful smiles of Jennifer, Lena, and other female pack members. They were the ones that worked at the packhouse.
"Oh, my Goddess! What is all of this?" Kiara gazed and roamed around the room, which had been adorned with soft lighting, dimmable ceiling lights, and balloons. To be around them made her feel like a small child. Everyone was dressed properly and appeared to be excited. Kiara's eyes were drawn to a large, lovely cake. There was no doubt in Kiara’s mind that Jennifer had made it. The new Luna of the pack had only been with these people for two days, yet she could tell by the smell of the delicious cake that it had been baked by her Beta.
"It is a surprise for you. But don't cry in this joyful moment or start asking why we did it since the only answer is because we love our Luna and friend!" Lena beamed from ear to ear while everyone agreed. Kiara giggled and nodded. She would never have said such cheesy things. Jennifer had asked her to come down to the hall, but she had no idea they had planned a surprise birthday party for her.
"Happy Birthday once again, Kiara," Jennifer gave her a big hug, which was promptly reciprocated. Now Kiara realized why the packhouse had been busy all morning, not just because of the marking ceremony. But also because Jennifer had gone to get birthday party supplies, while Lena had been busy making meals.
"Thank you, all of you. I love your surprise," Kiara smiled at them, still unable to believe that someone had wished her a happy birthday. Only her mother and Adira had ever purchased or baked her a cake and celebrated her birthday in her room with delicious food and lots of conversation. She had missed them so much today, but her new pack mates had chosen to surprise their Luna.
"Hey! I also want a hug," Lena complained about not being included in the hug. Kiara chuckled and invited the Gamma female to join her in a group hug.
"This celebration is only for our friends, Luna's new life and journey!" The females all shouted simultaneously and jumped on the balloons that were laying on the floor. Kiara giggled as she jumped on them. It was something she had always wished to do.
"Let's cut the cake!" Jennifer exclaimed, leading her to the birthday cake while Lena lit the candles.
"Make a wish," a knife was presented to Kiara along with a suggestion. She paused for a few moments before shutting her eyes and making a wish that made her smile. Everyone's eyes were fixated on Luna, wondering what had made her smile.
"What did you wish for?" Jennifer and Lena both poked her sides, which made her laugh. If it was a little dirty secret of their Luna, they needed some details!
"I am not telling anyone," Kiara smiled as she sliced the cake. She fed her friends the cake first, then they fed each other. The other she-wolves who had been standing in the corner smiling had a chance to get a bite of cake from their Luna as well, her modesty had astonished them. Did she in fact just feed them? That had never happened in this pack's history. Petra had never even crossed paths with a low-ranking wolf in the pack, so feeding them was a pipe dream. Kiara picked up another piece to make sure nothing had gone to waste, but then she spotted a young man standing in the corner. His arms were crossed over his chest and a gorgeous smile was on his lips.
“Cole!” Kiara exclaimed.
“Happy birthday, Kiara,” he smiled, walking over to her.
“You…”
“He had a big hand behind this birthday party. Your friend really knows you well,” Lena commented from behind her. Kiara's eyes widened in amazement. It came as a surprise! He'd done everything but hide behind the crowd.
"Wouldn't you feed me some cake?" Cole raised his brows, making Kiara laugh.
"Of course," When Kiara moved closer to him, her delicate fingertips brushed his lips by mistake, causing Cole to smile contentedly. He had been waiting for her to give him this lovely smile, and he had finally gotten it. His plan to organize this party for her had been a success.
"Here is your birthday gift," Cole stated as he handed Kiara an adorable little pair of teddy bears.
“Aww, they are so cute!!!” The ranked females all cooed at the same time. Cole's gift was adored by all the she-wolves. Kiara almost sprang to her feet to get them. She had received far too many greeting cards and gifts from her new pack members, but she cherished his the most.
"But I get to keep one of them," Cole told her, keeping the female teddy and giving Kiara the male teddy.
“Okay,” Kiara pouted a little but agreed.
***
“What the fuck is he doing with all the women?” Xavier growled as he watched Kiara's birthday celebration. They had a security camera set up in the living room and were able to watch everything that was going on. When the Alpha noticed his chosen mate giving cake to another man, he nearly destroyed the whiskey bottle that was in his hand. How dare that man get so close to her?!
"Well, it's not a female-only party. He is one of her friends, so he is also there. I've heard that they're kind of close friends," Kaiden explained. Following Xavier's displeasure the last time, he had gathered all the available information on the young wolf.
“Friends? Then why did he give her a couples teddy?” Zander murmured, but Xavier had certainly heard him. When the Alpha watched the young female jumping like crazy over the teddies, his hand clenched on the whiskey bottle! All of the man observed Xavier's enraged gaze flick between Kiara and Cole.
***
Kiara went back to her room, carrying her gifts and greeting cards. Zander had already set up her phone and given it to her a few hours earlier. So she had taken far too many photos with Jennifer and Lena to send to Adira. Sleep had totally escaped the realm of possibility, so she continued to read the greeting cards with a smile until she came across a strange greeting card.
‘Happy birthday substitute Luna’
Kiara's smile vanished when she read the word substitute. The greeting card had been left unsigned. Who had delivered it to her? And why had they referred to her as a replacement Luna? Kiara had been perplexed for a few seconds. Was this a joke? But who had sent it? She shook her head intending to toss the weird card in the trash bin, but she placed it at the bottom of her drawer.
“Kiara”
When she heard someone calling her name, Kiara was alarmed and began to glance about. Who called her name when she was alone in the room? She thought she had heard a female voice.
“Kiara,” that same voice called Kiara's name again, but she hadn't appeared.
“Who is it?” Kiara's voice was barely audible. She felt afraid since Xavier was not with her. His presence always made her feel safe, no matter the threat.
“It’s me, your wolf,” Kiara gasped, finally realizing she had been hearing the voice in her head.
“My wolf?!” She exclaimed, wondering how to respond. She had never anticipated this moment.
“My wolf,“ Kiara smiled warmly this time, she closed her eyes and greeted her long-awaited partner.
“Yes, my name is Venus and we are finally together,” when Kiara got to see Venus in her head, her voice was full of excitement. Kiara nodded with a big smile at beholding Venus for the first time.
"But why don't I have some advanced ability for smell and vision?" Kiara asked in confusion. Was she an incomplete werewolf? She did not feel any different even though she had her wolf.
" Everybody is different and you too. We have met just now and it would take a few hours for you to accept me completely. Then you will have all those abilities," Venus explained calmly. Kiara got some relief and nodded. “I heard our marking ceremony is later today. Who is he?” Venus wondered. Kiara immediately opened her eyes. Her marking ceremony was later today! She had forgotten about that for some reason. Her eyes went to the door. Will he come back this morning?