Chapter 33 Birthday Girl - Amelia’s POV
I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and Kaela's unusually chipper presence in my mind. For a moment, I lay still, savoring the warmth of the sheets and the significance of the day. Twenty-one. The age when wolves recognise their mates. The birthday I'd once thought would never matter for someone like me—someone whose wolf couldn't shift. But here I was, in a royal suite instead of a basement, with possibilities stretching before me instead of locked doors.
'Good morning, birthday girl,' Kaela hummed, her mental voice lacking its typical edge of cynicism. 'I've got a good feeling about today.'
"You do?" I whispered, stretching languidly against the silk sheets. "That's new."
'Don't sound so surprised,' she huffed, though I could feel her own astonishment at her optimism. 'Something feels different. Can't you feel it?'
I paused, taking inventory of my body, my mind, the space where Kaela and I connected. There was something—a subtle warmth, a faint tingling beneath my skin that hadn't been there before. But after so many disappointments, I was afraid to name it, to give it substance.
'It's okay to hope,' Kaela said softly, catching the direction of my thoughts. 'Even if nothing happens today, we're in a better place than we've ever been.'
"When did you get so wise?" I teased, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and padding to the window.
The Royal City sprawled below, already awake and bustling with morning activity. Thirteen days since I'd arrived here, terrified and broken. Thirteen days of meals that filled my stomach, of conversations that didn't leave me flinching, of Aleksandr's careful attention and gentle respect. Thirteen days of being treated like a person rather than a curse.
Three sharp knocks interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in," I called, turning from the window.
Mira burst through the door, her arms loaded with wrapped packages and her face split in a wide grin. "Happy birthday!" she exclaimed, kicking the door shut behind her with practiced ease. "Twenty-one! The big one!"
I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. In less than two weeks, Mira had become the closest thing to a friend I'd had in years—her easy chatter and genuine kindness breaking through barriers I hadn't even realized I'd built.
"You didn't have to bring me anything," I protested weakly as she deposited the packages on the bed.
"Of course I did. It's your birthday." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"
Friend. The word still felt foreign, dangerous in its vulnerability. Kaela nudged me mentally. 'Accept it,' she urged. 'Accept that someone might just like us.'
Mira thrust the smallest package toward me. "Open this one first."
With hands that trembled slightly, I unwrapped the package to reveal a pair of leather shoes—simple flats in a rich burgundy color, butter-soft and clearly expensive.
"I noticed you needed something nicer than those clunky hand-me-downs for when you're not wearing dresses," Mira explained, watching my face anxiously. "Do you like them?"
"They're beautiful," I whispered, running my fingers over the smooth leather. No one had given me new shoes in years—not since before my sixteenth birthday, when everything changed.
"This one next," Mira insisted, handing me a box tied with silver ribbon.
Inside was an assortment of chocolates—the same ones I'd mentioned enjoying when Mira had snuck some from the kitchen a few days ago. Simple milk chocolates with hazelnut centers, nothing fancy, but the fact that she'd remembered made my throat tight.
The final package contained a bottle of spiced rum—the same kind Mira had smuggled into my room one evening, leading to a night of whispered confidences and suppressed giggles that had made me feel almost normal, almost like the girl I might have been without the darkness of the Frozen Mountain Pack.
"Mira, this is..." I trailed off, emotion closing my throat. "Thank you. For everything."
Before I could second-guess myself, I crossed the space between us and pulled her into a hug—an act so foreign to my touch-starved body that it felt both wrong and desperately right. She returned the embrace without hesitation, her arms strong and steady around my still-too-thin frame.
"You're welcome," she said simply, understanding in her voice. When we pulled apart, she wiped a suspiciously bright eye with the back of her hand. "Now, onto the big news. His Majesty has arranged a birthday brunch for the two of you."
"Brunch?" I repeated, a flutter of nerves dancing in my stomach.
Mira nodded, her smile returning. "He's skipping the usual breakfast. Said he wanted to make it special, so he's had the kitchen preparing all your favorites. Between you and me, Chef's been up since dawn perfecting that mushroom pastry thing you like."
'See?' Kaela preened. 'He cares. He listens.'
A small but genuine smile curved my lips. "That's... sweet of him."
"Sweet," Mira repeated, her grin turning mischievous. "Not exactly the word most people use to describe Alpha King Aleksandr. Terrifying, yes. Intimidating, definitely. But sweet?" She shook her head in mock amazement. "You've certainly seen a different side of him than the rest of us."
Heat crept up my neck at her teasing. "You know what I mean," I mumbled.
"I do," she agreed, more seriously. "He's different with you. Everyone's noticed."
I didn't know how to respond to that, so I busied myself with gathering the wrapping paper from the bed.
"Anyway," Mira continued, "you've got three hours to relax. I'll come back at eleven to take you to the garden for brunch."
After she left, I ran a bath, adding the lavender oil that had become a small luxury in my new life. As I sank into the steaming water, Kaela's thoughts brushed against mine, softer than usual.
'Aleksandr and Skoll planned a birthday brunch for us,' she said, still preening. 'They look after us. Skoll would be a good mate.'
I sighed, leaning my head against the edge of the tub. "Don't forget the rumors," I reminded her. "His fated mate and first three wives all died. Rumored to be by his hand."
'I think there's more to that story,' Kaela replied thoughtfully. 'Don't you? After everything we've seen of him?'
Water sloshed as I shifted, considering her words. "Probably," I admitted reluctantly. "It can't be that simple. He's too... supportive."
'Exactly,' Kaela agreed smugly. 'No monster would have cared about your scars. No monster would have helped you heal.'
I had no argument for that. The past thirteen days had shown me sides of Aleksandr that contradicted every rumor I'd heard about him. His gentleness despite his size. His patience with my fear. The careful way he'd built trust between us, never pushing, always respecting my boundaries.
The bathwater cooled as I lost myself in thoughts of violet-tinged eyes and careful hands, of quiet conversations in the garden and shared meals at sunrise. When Mira's knock came at my door again, I started, shocked to find it was already eleven.
"Coming!" I called, hurrying to dry off and dress.
It was time to face the day that would either change everything or prove that some curses couldn't be broken, no matter how much we wanted them to.