I woke to the warm rays of the sun on my face. I could tell that it was going to be a nice day and I felt my lips turn up in a smile at the thought. I stretched, still laying down, and snuggled into my pillow.
After a minute or two, I got up and slipped my feet into my cozy slippers. I yawned, stretching again, and made my way across my bedroom to my bathroom. Looking in the mirror, I heaved a defeated sigh and began the treacherous task of combing out my curls.
After a long, hot shower, I stared at my hair in the mirror, wondering if I should do something with it today. I shrugged and just threw it up into my signature messy bun. I dressed in my favorite t-shirt and bootcut jeans, slipping on a light jacket and my brogued boots.
As I made my way towards the dining room, the smell of corned beef and spuds¹ got stronger. I made a mental note to thank the cook, Murielle, later. She knew that boxty² was my favorite. My mouth started watering, until I was practically drooling. When I finally pushed the doors open, I saw my family already at the table, eating.
"You didn't wait for me?" I pouted to no one in particular.
Amon spoke up first. "Happy birthday, Squirt."
"Thanks a million." I stuck my tongue out at him. He knew that I hated that nickname.
Breckin dropped his fork in mock shock. "Wait," he said through a mouthful of food. "That's today?"
I rolled my eyes, but otherwise ignored his lame attempt to rile me up. I sat in my chair, across from my brothers, and loaded my plate up with the delicious corned-beef-filled potato pancakes. Then, I poured my beloved brown sauce³ over it all, chuckling at the look of horror on Amon's face. I loved him, but the guy was a total stiff. I suppose it was a good thing, though, since he was to be alpha one day, and I couldn't imagine an alpha being goofy.
Breckin, on the other hand, was a major dope. He was always acting the maggot⁴, his antics getting him into trouble more often than not. At the moment, he was attempting to fit a sizable piece of boxty into his already-full mouth.
My mother got up from her chair at the foot of the table and made her way to mine. She leaned down and hugged my shoulders, placing her cheek against mine.
"Happy birthday, dear," she said as she gave my shoulders a squeeze.
"Thanks, Mum." I gave her a peck on the cheek and leaned into her hug. As she made her way back to her chair, my father wished me the same. I smiled and thanked him before asking, "What's the plan for tonight again?"
He smiled reassuringly, knowing that I was nervous. "All you need to do is make sure that you're outside before sunset," he said.
I nodded, starting in on my breakfast. I was excited for tonight, but I was also nervous. What if I didn't get my wolf? It was rare, but it still happened.
See, werewolves have their first shift at sunset on their 18th birthday. Not a moment before, not a second after. In school, they taught that it had something to do with the moon, but I hadn't paid much attention. I'd always thought that school was a waste of time. There were so many better things to do with my time. I tended to daydream about running through the forest, exploring the caves on the North Mountain, sparring, or some other outdoor activity and it had gotten me into trouble with my teachers often. Now that my shift was so close, though, I was regretting not listening more carefully.
I let out a small sigh, lost in my thoughts.
I finished my plate and reached to refill it, but my hand slowed when I saw Amon staring at me. I glanced at the rest of my family, seeing their eyes on me as well. "What?" I asked slowly.
Breckin snickered and I shot him a glare.
"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" I grimaced as I realized that my father was asking for the second time.
"Sorry," I said before continuing, "Finn and Maeve said they wanted to take me shopping so they're picking me up at nine." School had ended last week and I was delighted to never have to worry about that again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amon's eyebrows raise. I turned my head to him, mirroring his expression. He smirked as he nodded his head toward the clock. "You'd better crack on⁵ then."
I rolled my eyes, thinking that he was bluffing, but glanced at the clock just in case. My eyes widened as I saw that he was serious and that I only had 5 minutes. I groaned. I was not mentally prepared yet. I hated shopping, but I needed something to pass the time and to take my mind off of tonight, so I had agreed to let my best friends take me.
Whatever. I shrugged, causing Amon's smirk to grow, and poured more sauce on my boxty. I knew that they'd come straight to the dining room, anyway. They loved food almost as much as I did.
Sure enough, not 3 minutes later, I heard voices in the hall before the doors swung open and my two best friends bounded into the room.
"Boxty!" Finn cried as he fell into the chair beside me. He eagerly grabbed one and dipped it into the leftover sauce on my plate. I rolled my eyes and pushed the plate over to him. I was done eating anyways. Maeve conducted herself much better, taking the seat on my other side and quietly asking for a plate. Amon jumped up to hand her one and it was my turn to smirk as she took it. She smiled shyly at him, her cheeks turning pink. It was no secret that Amon liked Maeve, but she didn't turn 18 until next month. Until then, Amon could only hope that they would turn out to be mates. I knew that there was a very good chance that they wouldn't but I refused to say so aloud.
She would make a grand luna. She was kind and fair, but could hold her own when she needed to. I also wouldn't mind her being my sister. The thought made me smile as I watched the two of them steal glances at one another.