41. Birthday Surprises

forty-one

Birthday Surprises

*FLORA*

I wake up to noises coming from downstairs. A glance at my watch tells me it’s around lunch, startling me fully awake. I slept so long! Goddess, I can’t believe it! I neatly place the flower crown in my wardrobe and hurry to get freshened up, and dress in a cute sunflower dress – one of the last dresses Grandma made for me before she passed away. Putting it on now feels as though part of her is still with me. I put my hand on my heart, feeling how the amulet around my wrist pulsates slightly. I am not alone. Grandma is not here anymore, but I want to believe that somewhere she is still with me, and that she would be relieved to see that I am surrounded by love. I hope it will give her peace that her granddaughter has people she loves and who support her, and that she is not alone.

If I could see her for a moment, I would tell her that I am okay, that I will manage somehow and that I am thankful for all she did for me. For a long while she was all the family I had, and she did everything to fulfill the role.

I only go for light makeup and keep my hair open, just brushing through it. Once I look presentable, I hurry down the stairs.

“She is here!” someone yells and tosses confetti towards me.

“Happy birthday!” someone else calls out.

I blink my surprise away, finally realizing that my friends are here. The living room has been decorated with blingy lights and balloons, the table is set, and there is a second one with gifts on it. At the terrace I can spot Geneva and Samuel, having some coffee with each other. Vincent and Calvin are both on a ladder, fixing the last balloons to a cute archway that has happy birthday written over it.

“You guys,” I mutter.

“Are you surprised?” Elden asks hopefully, as he pushes past the others and walks towards me. He is wearing an apron with flour sprinkled all over it, but I happily hug him.

“Very!” I exclaim. “I can’t believe you tricked me into sleeping in.”

“There wasn’t much tricking to do,” he grins.

I poke his chest playfully, laughing when he sweeps me up and twirls me around.

“Hey, Casanova,” Jace calls from the kitchen. “If you don’t come to help, I will burn the meatloaf.”

“You really are hopeless,” Elden calls back. “All you have to do is watch the oven!” He turns to me. “Sorry, I need to help that loser in the kitchen.”

“Words I never thought I’d hear,” Jace grins.

“Don’t worry,” Janice says, and grabs my hand. “Flora and I have plenty to talk about, right?” she asks while looking at my neck.

I wink at her. “Right.”

I wait for Elden and Jace to return to the kitchen and for them to continue their work, with Emilia’s help. “There is something hot about men cooking,” Janice mutters.

“I agree,” I say. “I wasn’t aware it would be that attractive.”

“Are you taking notes?” Vincent elbows Calvin.

“Not necessary. I have a formidable memory,” the latter replies.

Vincent looks annoyed at Calvin’s usual aloofness, but he wouldn’t be Vincent if he didn’t recover well.

Janice pulls me into a hug. “Congratulations,” she whispers.

I squeeze her in return. “Thank you!”

“I need to hear all the details later.”

“Even the dirty ones?” I ask innocently. “It’s all or nothing.”

“Well, then I’ll take it all,” Janice answers promptly. “No seriously, I am so happy for you.”

I touch my neck, smiling at her. “Thank you.”

We both turn to watch Elden and Jace, how they move around the kitchen to cook for us. Both of them had a massive growth spurt recently. Elden’s shoulders are so broad, his arms have gotten thicker, and he easily towers over most other pack members. With Jace it’s similar. He has a broad build, his hair is longer now, almost on the wild side.

“When did that happen?” I ask quietly.

“Beats me,” Janice whispers, similarly stunned.

Only a couple of weeks ago, they were still looking like boys, but now they are looking more and more like actual alphas. I bet in a couple of months Elden will look pretty intimidating to others. “The alpha gene is amazing.”

“Yeah, it’s fascinating. Sure, they work a lot for it, but the genetics enhance it further.”

“Hello, ladies,” Samuel interrupts us. He and Geneva finally come inside to greet us, both of them wishing me a happy birthday. Meanwhile, Elden has tied his hair back to have it out of his face, and Jace’s gaze falls onto his neck. “Goddess!” Jace blurts out. “I didn’t notice! Fuck, you marked each other!”

“How did you not notice it?” Samuel asks in disbelief.

“It was the first thing that stuck out to us,” Geneva chuckles.

“Well, he was distracted by a long-legged beauty with full hair and intriguing blue eyes,” Vincent grins.

“And who’s that?” Calvin asks.

Vincent looks confused. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not specific enough,” he says.

“What?” Vincent exclaims. “It only fits one person!”

“Two actually,” Calvin points out. “The young alpha has long legs too, full hair and blue eyes, and in general he would be considered attractive.”

Vincent stares at him, completely flabbergasted, while Elden pretends to be flustered, brushing through his hair. “Please, Jace,” he says. “I am a promised man.”

Janice and I burst into laughter, both at Jace’s shocked expression and Vincent’s annoyed one. “Man,” Vincent frowns. “Tell me you are not being serious, Calv.”

“Of course I am not being serious,” Calvin sneers. “I can’t believe you fell for that! I am not that clueless.”

Vincent looks scandalized at first before he breaks into laughter, smacking Calvin’s shoulder. “Who knew you had it in you to tease someone!”

“Well, I am learning,” Calvin says smoothly.

He really is. I have to give credit where credit is due. He is quite the chameleon, just like we were promised he’d be. The guys are busy with preparing everything for my birthday lunch, while Janice’s task seems to be to stop me from lifting a finger. Eventually though, we join Vincent and Calvin with decorating.

“Have you heard anything from your old pack, Vince?” I ask him when he climbs down the ladder. “Is everyone alright?”

“Yes, they are fine,” he says. “Some left, some stayed to rebuild it. I liked it there, but since I didn’t spend my whole childhood in that pack, I don’t feel the biggest connection,” he pauses. “I really love Silverlake. First time in a while, I feel at home somewhere.”

Through my bond to Elden, I can feel his joy and relief. His beta truly feeling at home here means a lot.

“What about you, Calvin? Don’t you miss your family? I am sure your parents must miss you.”

“Ah-” He makes a dismissive gesture with his hand. “We are not really close,” he admits. “I am sure you noticed, Flora, but I am a bit of a black sheep. My parents barely call or write.”

“But you are still their son,” I say sadly.

“I wasn’t an easy child,” he explains. “I had a lot of mental issues that weren’t treated correctly. My parents just wanted the perfect child. Only once I pretended to be exactly that, were they content.”

Jace and Elden exchange a quick look. “Feels familiar,” Jace mutters.

“It’s not like they really cared though,” Calvin adds.

“Don’t worry, man,” Vincent says. “Silverlake is your home now! We will return it back to its former glory.”

“Not just its former glory,” Calvin corrects him. “We will make it even better.”

“Deal!” Vincent grins. “We are like the Power Rangers.”

Calvin shakes his head. “I am not going to wear a costume.”

“Ah, come on! How about the Ninja Turtles then! Elden is Leonardo, clearly, he is the leader,” Vincent says. “Donatello will be you, Calv, you are the smart one. I am obviously Raphael, the tough one!”

Janice and I can’t help but laugh at Calvin’s slightly disgruntled expression and Vincent’s broad grin. Samuel and Geneva have only quietly listened to our conversation, but even they look amused.

“Come on, what’s wrong with my idea?” Vincent asks.

“Raphael is nothing like you,” Elden says, peeking into the living room. “He is supposed to be short-tempered and cynical.”

“Sounds like it would fit me better,” Calvin says. “I don’t mind being the tough one. You can be Michelangelo, the party turtle.”

“Wait a moment, you know the ninja turtles?” Vincent asks.

Calvin shrugs. “I was a kid too, once.”

“Suddenly, you turned way cooler,” Vincent says, making us laugh again.

“At least you two know how to amuse the audience,” Samuel mutters, shaking his head slightly.

“It means they will be able to make the pack members laugh and relax around them,” I say. “That’s not bad. The mood hasn’t been too good the last couple of years.”

“You raise a good point,” Samuel agrees.

“Okay, we are done!” Jace yells into the living room. “Everyone sit down, now! Before something goes wrong and we burn the food.”

Elden and Jace made my grandma’s infamous meatloaf recipe with mashed potatoes and princess beans. There is tomato soup as the first dish, something I love. Elden must have remembered.

“I am impressed,” Geneva says. “You two did pretty well.”

“With Emilia’s help though,” Samuel points out.

“Don’t diminish their work,” Emilia says. “I was just watching and helping with smaller tasks. They truly had it under control.”

“It was fun,” Jace says. “Didn’t expect it to be like that.” He raises his head, his eyes meeting Janice’s. “Maybe I should cook more often in the future.”

Elden squeezes my hand. “How does it taste?”

“Perfect,” I say. “Grandma would be so happy if she could see us.”

For the first time mentioning her doesn’t make me cry. I feel a twinge of pain, but not that overflowing sadness I usually feel when I think of her. She would be truly happy if she could see me today. I know grief is a process, and there will be bad days, but I feel like this is a step I made forward.

*ELDEN*

“You need to open your presents,” Janice urges Flora.

We have just wrapped up lunch, and to my relief everyone seems to have enjoyed their time. Samuel was surprisingly chilled and didn’t talk about work. He didn’t even bat an eye at Vince and Calv’s constant funny bickering. I think secretly, he might have been amused by it, and probably relieved that the two future betas get along so well.

Now that the scary part of the day is over and Jace and I didn’t fail the lunch, I can relax too. “Janice is right,” I say. “Time for presents.”

“Wait,” Emilia says. “I want to get the cake first and take photos.”

“Let me help you,” Geneva offers, the two women leaving for the kitchen to grab the cake they both had made. My skills are certainly not good enough to make such a beautiful piece of art.

“It’s Emilia’s gift to you,” I tell Flora.

“The cake?” Flora beams, watching curiously how Emilia carries the huge piece of art into the room. She has gone all out, and made it look like a tree trunk with little leaves growing out of it.

“It’s filled with strawberry crème,” Emilia explains. “And with a soft batter-based biscuit.”

“That’s my favorite!” Flora smiles. “Thank you so much, Emilia!”

“I hope it will taste well.” Emilia returns her smile, before she lets Geneva light the candles. The two of them make sure to take lots of photos of Flora alone and then with all of us. We make a couple of serious pictures before starting to pull faces. Samuel just shakes his head, but Geneva keeps spurring it on.

“I am here too,” a chirpy voice can be heard, and Trixie pops up from literally nowhere.

“Trixie!” Flora exclaims. “You came!”

“Yes, I couldn’t miss my girl’s birthday,” she says, fluttering around Flora’s head before sitting down on top of it, her little feet dangling against Flora’s forehead. A couple of months ago everyone would have still been stunned, but by now they all got accustomed to things being slightly different here with us than somewhere else.

With everyone having a piece of cake and coffee in front of them, Flora finally opens her gifts. She openly shows how grateful and happy she is, but through our bond I can feel how she is constantly battling with tears. She probably didn’t expect everyone to go all out for her. Calvin made an effort also and gave her a beautiful painting. “It’s from my inheritance,” he explains. “I know you like nature, and that water lilies look like they could be from Silver Lake.”

“Calv, is that a Monet?” I ask, stunned.

“Yes, I got a couple of them,” he says.

Flora’s mouth drops open. “By the Goddess,” she says. “This is too much!”

“No, I will be happy to hand it to the Luna of Silverlake,” Calvin says. “I know my parents approve.”

“This needs to go to your office, Flora,” Emilia says. “Calvin is right. It’s a beautiful picture and a symbol of your status. Don’t hesitate to show it off.”

“Thank you, Calvin,” Flora smiles. “This is unbelievable.”

“Man, you just made it really difficult to up you,” Vincent grumbles.

“It’s not about upping each other,” Flora reassures him. “I will be happy about everything!”

“Then, I hope you will like this too.” He hands her an envelope. In it are tickets for a weekend at a spa for two people. “Take your man with you,” Vincent chuckles. “We all know the workaholic needs it.”

Flora laughs. “I will, thank you! I am so happy about this, Vince!”

Janice gifts her a pair of friendship bracelets, which she made herself and a beautiful journal, where she made the soft cover herself. It’s a very personal gift, which Flora is particularly happy about. She is always so grateful for everything someone does for her. Her credo is that as long as there is genuine effort behind it, she will cherish any gift. Trixie gives her some mysterious seeds from her own realm, while Samuel hands her a rare encyclopedia about werewolves and lycans. Jace made something really personal for her, and hands her a children’s book. “What is this?” Flora asks, curiously looking through it before she starts laughing. “I can’t believe you!” she exclaims.

“What type of book is it?” Janice peeks over her shoulder, reciting, “Adventures of the Princess and the Two Princes.”

“That’s what we were roleplaying when we were little kids,” Flora explains. “I will read this for my children one day!”

“It’s not the only thing I got for you,” Jace says, glancing at me.

“Jace and I restored some furniture Hazel still had in her shed. You know, for her future projects. We thought you would maybe like to have them.” I pause. “And then there is something else. Geneva and I did something…”

“Your mate really went all out,” Geneva says, amused. “I was getting envious of all his plans.”

“Me too,” Emilia chuckles.

I pull out a scroll, laying it out in front of Flora. “On it, you see the layout of a garden. We will make it adjacent to my mom’s. I know you love flowers and gardening, so I thought I would make the layout for you, and then have you choose plants to your liking. Geneva knows more about these things, so this is our joint gift.”

Flora stares at us, before she grabs my face and peppers me with kisses. “Goddess, get a room!” Vincent calls towards us.

“No, not until we have celebrated properly,” Janice intervenes. “They can have all the fun later.”

The others are not used to her making dirty jokes, especially not Samuel and Geneva, so we can’t help but burst into laughter at the funny situation.

It was Flora’s wish to just have a chilled garden party, so we do exactly that, playing some board games, while Vincent promises he will cook a barbecue later that evening. While everyone is distracted, and Flora and I sit together, Geneva and Emilia approach us again.

“Flora, we wanted to give you this in private,” Emilia says, pulling forward a neatly wrapped dress. “This is what Hazel wanted to give to you on this day.”

“What is this?” Flora asks, carefully unwrapping the dress. “This is…” she pauses. “Goddess, this is stunning.”

“It was your mother’s wedding dress,” Geneva explains. “Hazel kept it after she passed away.”

“It’s beautiful,” I say quietly, while looking at the intricate lavender fabric.

“Hazel was the one who sewed it back then,” Geneva explains. “And she wanted to adapt the dress for your Luna Ceremony, so you could wear something from both her and her mom.”

Flora has tears in her eyes while she hugs the dress to her chest. Geneva gently hugs her.

“Can I really wear this for my Luna Ceremony? Isn’t it too… too much?” Flora asks.

“Not at all,” I reassure her. “Wear whatever you want!”

“Then I want to wear it!” Flora sobs quietly. “It’s a part of Mom and Grandma.”

“Hazel said that Silverlake does not have a typical luna color,” Emilia says. “She wanted you to start your own tradition.”

Flora takes a shaky breath. “I will.”

“We’d better get this fitted and altered to your liking soon,” Geneva says softly.

“You really think Elden and I will have our Alpha and Luna Ceremony so soon?”

“It’s not just the Alpha and Luna Ceremony. In your case, it will be like an inauguration ceremony. A royal lycan heir takes over a pack with his fated mate. That’s a big deal, and not like a usual Alpha Ceremony,” she pauses. “And Samuel is pushing for it to happen fast.”

“I didn’t think he would do that,” I admit.

“He is a difficult man, who might be living by old-fashioned values,” Geneva says. “But he always wants to do right. And he is deeply disappointed in your father. Silverlake belongs to you. And Samuel would rather die than not see it happen.” She pauses. “I hope you two are ready.”

We both exchange a look. “Not really.” Flora chuckles. “But we will still take over.”

“Exactly,” I agree.

“That’s the right answer,” Geneva says with a smile. “No one expects you to be fully prepared. Elden, Samuel asked for you to attend a meeting with him and your father tomorrow.”

I raise my brows. Tomorrow? She wasn’t kidding when she said that Samuel was pushing for it to happen. “Like Flora said, we still need to grow, but we are ready to take over.” I furrow my brows. “So, tomorrow.”

“Should I come with you?” Flora asks.

I consider her offer, then shake my head. “I really appreciate it, but I think I need to do this alone. Just like you faced your father on your own.”

Flora nods. “Don’t worry. I completely understand.”