“Lucy,” he replied. “Now, come on, get dressed. I’m taking you to celebrate.” I turned around to head toward my room, completely baffled by the sudden appearance of Blake. He spoke again. “On second thought, maybe you should just stay in those leggings.” I looked over my shoulder to see that he had a lustful look on his face, his eyes half-closed, staring at me.
“I’ll be right back,” I replied, not responding to his comment. I was unsure about what to do, irritated by the situation. Maybe I should just pull out my inner Lucy and tell him I already had plans and to fuck off. As much as I was annoyed and wanted to do just that, something kept me from following through. Maybe, I thought, I should talk to him and figure out what his intentions were, and why he was sending such mixed signals. At least then I’d know where I stood with him. Were we friends? Was he only interested in spending time with me if I was putting out? Or was it something else entirely? I ran upstairs and quickly threw on a casual dress and some boots, not sure exactly where he was planning to take me, but deciding the outfit was versatile enough for most occasions. I quickly ran a brush through my hair and threw on mascara and lipstick. I went back downstairs to see him sitting on the entryway bench.
“Nice home,” he said.
“Thanks,” I replied. We exited the house, and I locked the door. He opened the car door for me, putting out his arm to help me in. I ignored his arm and got in without his help.
After he was settled in his seat, he turned to me with a big smile on his face and said, “I got you a little present.” He handed me a small jewelry box. I took it, feeling stunned, turning it in my hand. Not only had he shown up on my birthday, but he had brought me a gift too? I glanced over at him, then opened it to find a silver bracelet with a charm that looked like a Jeep with a sapphire set in the middle. “I saw it and thought it would be perfect, especially since your birthstone matches the color of your car.”
“Wow, thank you,” I replied, as he helped me put it on my wrist. He squeezed my hand after he did. My breath caught and my heart beat vigorously against my chest as I looked into his eyes, again feeling confused by his intentions. There had clearly been a lot of thought put into this gift, and I didn’t think it was something that you could go to the store and just find last-minute, so he must have ordered it ahead of time or, at the very least, had it overnighted from somewhere.
“I know it’s kind of silly to wear a bracelet of your car. But it’s something that connects us, so I wanted to get it for you. Anyway, we have somewhere to be, so let’s go.” He reversed out of the driveway and sped toward the downtown area. He said it so nonchalantly, but I started to wonder if maybe he was just playing it cool. This was a really thoughtful gift, and his explanation made it seem even sweeter. I turned my wrist, looking at it as the light streamed in through the window reflected off the sapphire, the sparkles within it rainbow-like.
I was puzzled when we parked across the street from the café where I worked. It was an odd choice to bring me to where I worked for my birthday, especially considering they were now long closed. Once I got out of the car, he tried to take my hand and I pulled it away.
“Not in public,” I whispered loudly, horrified at the idea of people seeing us walking around holding hands. What was he thinking? He hung his head for a second but then regained his composure and led me around the building to the back where we had outdoor seating that overlooked a brook. There was a whole group of people waiting there. “Surprise!” everyone shouted. Ugh, Lucy had thrown me a surprise birthday party!
We entered to greet the group, noticing there was a large spread of food and pastries. The whole back area was decorated. Lucy came over and said, “Happy birthday, best friend,” as she hugged me.
After greeting everyone that had come, Blake took me aside. “Unfortunately, I can’t stay tonight. But I want to celebrate with you when I have more time. Just text me when you’re free again, and I’ll clear my schedule for you.” He kissed me on my cheek and left. I felt a longing to leave with him, suddenly feeling a deep desire to pick things back up where we had left off. I shook my head, realizing how dumb the idea was, and turned back to the party.
Lucy handed me a drink after Blake left and led me to mingle with the group. “Actually, I’ll just have a water,” I said, handing the drink back to her.
“Not today, PJ! It’s your birthday!” Lucy put it back in my hand and grabbed my arm to bring me over to everyone. I had to admit, the drink helped me loosen up, and I was soon enjoying myself, laughing with everyone who had come.
After about an hour, Lucy yelled, “Luke, you made it!” I turned to see her pulling him in for a deep kiss. After they separated, she brought him over to greet me. For the first time in over two years, our eyes met, and an inexplicable feeling came over me. It was almost as if I had predicted this would happen, but it still shocked me—the definitiveness of it. His eyes widened as I recognized the same realization had come over him. It took everything within me to suppress the desire to say the word that was forcing itself onto my lips:Mate. Fuck!
I could see in my peripheral vision that Lucy was looking between us, completely unaware of what we were experiencing: a gravitational force pulling us toward each other. I suddenly wished I could mindlink in my human form, not wanting to create drama at my birthday party.
After a few moments, I was surprised that a mindlink from Luke was able to come through.“Jasmine, please don’t say anything. We need to talk about this.”
I looked at him, surprised that he was able to mindlink me not being in his wolf form.
“I can mindlink in both forms now that I’m beta of the pack.”
Drawing me out of my trance, Luke finally spoke out loud. “Nice to see you, Jasmine. Happy birthday.” He reached to give me a hug, spreading sparks and calm throughout my whole body. I was amazed at the feeling he caused, and he smelled so good—his divine and sensual scent much stronger now than what I had remembered. I didn’t want to leave the comfort of his arms, feeling like I couldn’t get close enough to him. We finally compelled ourselves to withdraw from each other.
I forced myself to speak. “Nice to see you too. Thanks for coming.”
I felt like the entire world was spinning around us, everyone else at the party a blur. Luke and I stood staring at each other, realizing that Lucy had disappeared. I shook my head, forcing myself to come out of my trance. I was about to say something to Luke when I turned to see that Lucy was coming out of the café with a birthday cake topped with twenty lit candles. Everyone began singing “Happy Birthday” as Lucy placed the cake on the table closest to me.
After the song was over, Lucy said, “Now make a wish and blow out the candles!” The only thing I could think to wish for was for Luke to be mine. I blew on the candles, all of them blew out and relit again. Lucy had put trick candles on the cake. I blew again and realized it would be futile to keep trying other than just for comedic effect. The candles could not be blown out. I wondered if this was an omen. Everyone laughed, in good spirits, unaware of the feelings I was experiencing—the anxiety pulsing through my body.
Suddenly, I felt it. My chest contracted and a dizziness come over me. My canines were lengthening, and fur was sprouting from my arms and legs. I ran as fast as I could until I reached the bathroom at the back of the café. I slammed down the cover to the toilet seat and fell onto it, forcing myself to take deep breaths, bringing my thoughts to anything other than my birthday and Luke. This was not happening.
Luke
A strong desire washed over me as I watched Jasmine blowing out her birthday candles, an illicit thought entering my mind—I hoped she was wishing for me. I observed her whole body. I had always thought she was cute, but now I felt lustful watching her bent over, her lips in the shape of an O. It took everything within me not to imagine my arms around her, my hands under the skirt of her dress while she was pushed up against me. I could feel my pants becoming tight, thankful everyone’s eyes were on Jasmine at the moment. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of all my dirty thoughts. I looked up to see Lucy smiling and laughing at the trick candles she had placed on Jasmine’s cake. Everyone joined her in laughter, the whole party enjoying themselves.
Suddenly, I noticed that Jasmine wasn’t laughing with everyone at the silly party prank. No, she looked like she was struggling. I noted that fur was sprouting along her arms and legs, and I realized what was happening—she was having a panic attack. I started to step toward her to try to comfort her when she sprinted from the party, causing shock to appear on everyone’s faces.
“Is she okay?” Kyle asked, looking concerned.
“Oh no!” Lucy threw her hand over her chest, appearing distraught at the situation. “I’ll be right back,” she yelled to everyone, turning to go.
I stopped Lucy and said, “Hey, stay here and keep everyone entertained. I’ll go check on Jasmine.” She nodded, appearing thankful. Of course, she couldn’t know my desire to be with Jasmine at that moment. If she did, she would never have been so trusting.
I entered the café and inhaled her intoxicating scent. It led me to the bathroom door. I knocked on it. When she didn’t respond, I knocked again and said, “It’s Luke. Can I please come in?” After a few moments, she finally opened the door to the bathroom and I entered, shutting the door behind me. Her scent filled the small room. I didn’t think I’d ever been in a bathroom that smelled so good before. She was sitting down on the toilet, and I squatted down in front of her, taking her hands. “Are you okay?” I asked, looking into her beautiful amber eyes. Sparks darted up my arms from touching her. It was a mesmerizing feeling. I suddenly understood how strong the mate bond was. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to pull Jasmine against me and claim her as mine.