Why am I so nervous?
Why does my stomach feel like it's in a thousand knots?
I had prepared for this my whole life.
My mom was one, my dad was one, my brother was one.
So why was I so nervous??
Well, I will explain. My name was Genevieve, but my family called me Genni.
I was about to turn 18, I was literally minutes away from turning 18, in fact.
There was a huge party raging on downstairs in the garden of the pack house, WAIT! WHAT!?
I hear your say.
pack house?
Right, I forgot to mention that my family are werewolves, not just werewolves. My Dad was the Alpha of this, my pack. My mom was Luna, and my brother, who is 22, was one of the best warriors. And then there was Little Old Me, lol.
Yes, I’m the daughter of the Alpha and luna of the Blue Diamond wolf pack. We were the 3rd largest pack in North America, and as our warriors trained hard every day, we also had some of the fiercest fighters. My father's pack was highly respected, and my father also sat on the council. Which was a great honour.
So, you ask?
Why am I so nervous right now?
I’m nervous, because in little under 20 minutes I will be 18.
18 means I will hear my wolf for the first time. You can’t link to your wolf until your 18th birthday.
18 means that when I hear my wolf for the first time, I will start my first ever shift.
18 means I could find my mate, my other half, the wolf that completes mine. If you were lucky, you could meet your mate as soon as you turn 18. Some, like my Mom and Dad, don’t meet until their early 20’s. That was why my brother, Lucas, was yet to find his. I hope he finds her soon, cos he’s real grumpy at the moment, and it's starting to piss me off. I smile to myself, if he heard me saying that I would get a slap.
I don’t even know my wolf's name yet, I couldn’t even start to think about mates.
There was a knock on my door, and my Mom came in. She looked beautiful, her long blond hair artfully tousled on top of her head. Her gown was silver and white, with a touch of blue in it, which represented our pack colors.
"You look amazing, darling" said my Mom as she stepped up behind me and started adjusting my hair.
"Are you sure you want to let your hair down? I could put it up for you"?
I stared at her for a moment, wondering if I’d heard that right. Why was my mom, who had little or no time for me, asking to do my hair?. I was about to ask when the door opened again, and two people I had never seen before walked in.
"Ah, there you are dear", said the older of the two women.
"Are you excited to finally meet your wolf"?
Frowning slightly, I went to open my mouth to ask who they were and what they were doing in my room. My mother put a radiant smile on her face and turned, twisting me with her.
"May, Georgia, I’d like to introduce you to my baby girl and more importantly, the birthday girl".
Okay, whoa now, what the fuck was going on. Why was my mom so nice to me, and who were these people?
"Genevieve, darling", my mother said to me with the biggest fake smile I had ever seen on her perfect face.
"This is Miss May from the South Canadian pack, and this is Miss Georgia from the South American pack".
As she pointed to the two women, I smiled shyly and bowed my head in respect.
"It’s a great honour to have these two wonderful Luna’s here to celebrate with us. They serve on the council with your father. Luna’s, if you’d make your way downstairs, the party will start momentarily".
As the two Luna’s nodded and left, my mother turned to me with a snarl on her face where the smile had been a moment ago,
"You listen her girl, you will only speak when you are spoken to, you will not leave me side all night, even when you shift. When you finally do, you will wait for your brother. Do I make myself clear? You will not bring shame upon this family tonight",
She shook my arm slightly firmer than needed to emphasize her point.
"Of course, I’d do nothing to dishonor my father's pack" I said, I could feel her grip tighten on my arm and I could feel the bruise in the making, thank the goddess my dress had sleeves.
"Now, I will put your hair up and we will go downstairs to get this event over".
"No thanks, I like it down. I think it's my best feature".
Scowling at me, she walked to the door.
"Remember what I said girl"!
And she was gone, leaving me change on my own. Technically, your mother was supposed to help you get ready on your 18th birthday. It was supposed to be a magical day between mother and daughter. I huffed out a small sad smile. I knew that was never going to happen for me. My mother, as you may have guessed, didn’t like me much. No, scratch that, my mother and my Luna don’t forget, couldn’t stand the sight of me. I had known from a young age to stay out of her way and never speak back to her. I had done, on a special occasion, and learned all too quickly that any back talk would earn me a slap or a handful of hair being ripped out as I was thrown in my bedroom. I’m sure you get the picture. Where was my dad and brother when all this was going on? Well, dad, being the alpha and council member, spent very little time with us as a family. I loved my father and knew he loved me, but I didn’t have a close relationship with him.
My brother, on the other hand, adored me. And I him. He had started to notice the things our mother would do to me, and when he was old enough, would sneak into my room with food and drink or just to comfort me. He had been caught a few times, but was never punished like me. He was next in line, and untouchable. Even from her.
Her perfume still lingered in my room. When she had swept in with the other two Luna’s in tow, I noticed she was wearing an expensive dress and perfume. I knew my mother's taste in perfume was on the expensive side. Mostly Chanel. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, and tonight was her chance to show off in front of the whole pack and important guests.
When I look in the mirror, I see a plain girl with boobs too big and hips too round, and an ass that could only be described as full. My hair could never decide what colour it should be. It was blond, I suppose, but so pale it almost looked silver. It wasn’t straight, but it wasn’t curly, it was that horrible in between waves and frizz, a lot of frizz. I had so much product on it at the moment, just to control the frizz. I felt like my hair weighed double, if that makes sense.
As I started to get into the dress, I couldn’t help berate myself for choosing it.
It was blue, of course, and very figure hugging. When I was shopping for it, I had a mad moment and thought what the hell would be only for this night, but now I was questioning my sanity.
When I was in the dreaded thing, I bent down to help my feet slip into my shoes. They were also from a moment of madness. They were very high, putting my height to nearly 6 foot and they were a sapphire colour like my dress. I sucked in a deep breath and left my bedroom. When I got to the bottom of the stair case, I was relieved to see my brother and my best friend waiting for me. Sara was not only my best friend, she was my only friend, and we were very close. Like the sister I didn’t have.
I never made friends, as most of the girls that came over were so intimated to be in the Alpha house, they never came back. Over the years, it got worse. Every member of the pack knew my father was protective of me. Add an older brother who was just as protective, and you’ve got the perfect friend repeller.
Sara grabbed my hand and gave it a small squeeze,
"Try to stay calm and remember to breathe" I smiled at her and squeezed her hand gently as a thank you. I didn’t trust myself to speak at the moment, as I seemed filled with an emotion I had never had before. I couldn't understand what was going on. I never cried, I made a point never to show the tears I had cried for many years to show again, so why was I so emotional?
We all turned towards the garden where the party was. I was about to turn 18, and I was trying to prepare myself for what comes next. I closed my eyes, said a silent prayer to the goddess to help me through this night, and hooked my arm through my brothers. He was escorting me to the raised patio so I could have my birthday wishes the minute I turned.
This ceremony doesn’t happen for anyone. My brother and I share this privilege as the children of the Alpha.
As we walked over the patio, my brother and Mom were talking quietly about a guest. My mother, as luna, had sent invitations to the surrounding packs and invited the Alpha and his mate if he had one.
At the moment, there were 3 of the 4 invited here. My mother mumbled something under her breath, but I caught it none the less. Alpha Jonas of the largest pack was yet to arrive, and my mother was angry and insulted that he had not let my Mom know he had declined the invitation.
I had never met Alpha Jonas, it didn’t bother me in the slightest that he wasn’t here.
And so. To my birthday/first shift/first link party.