"Happy birthday!"
Audrey almost threw the tray of baked muffins she was carrying to the floor, but she held her palms upward, making the muffins and tray float in the air.
"Oh my…what the fudge! Maria!" Audrey faked a frown at the culprit who was laughing hard, barely holding onto the cake she was carrying, her black bulb hair moving all around as she laughed.
"you witch! You scared me!"
"Aww, I'm sorry love. Happy birthday sweetheart." Maria carefully placed the cake on the kitchen counter and spread her arms for a hug.
Audrey smiled, holding back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She placed her muffins near the cake and went into Maria's open arms.
She was engulfed in a very warm and friendly embrace. For the first time in eighteen years, she got a cake for her birthday. She felt very emotional.
"Aw, come on, don't cry. It's just a cake, not a proposal." Maria teased.
"Don't be a villain, Maria. Leave our little cousin alone." A girl that looked exactly like Maria came from the door.
"Mind your business, Mary." Maria rolled her eyes. She gave Audrey a peck and stuck out her tongue at Mary before freeing Audrey from her octopus embrace.
"Ugh, you guys are older but always act like babies." Audrey sighed and went to sit on the white dining table.
"Happy birthday, Great one." Maria and Mary bowed their heads to her. She felt the tears come back again, and this time, she let them slip out.
"Thanks, girls, you… I…" She was overwhelmed by the love she felt from her cousins.
"It's okay, we love you too." They went to her and embraced her in their arms, rubbing her back to soothe her.
Audrey was glad she got to meet Miranda's twins. They were like the fireworks that go off when everything seems dark and gloomy. They were family.
They had been helpful in her practices, they helped her learn and cultivate the basics of power control and how to control her psychic powers.
The twins were only blessed with the gift of healing, maybe that's why she always felt so safe with them.
"Oh, by the great one! Are you planning to murder your cousin on her birthday?" Miranda exclaimed as she entered the kitchen and saw her daughters' arms squeezing tightly around Audrey's neck.
"There goes our bonding, it's all ruined now!" Maria was the first to release Audrey's neck, Mary pecked Audrey's cheek before releasing her. Audrey chuckled, shaking her head at Miranda.
"Now they're sulking." Audrey put her palms beside her mouth and whispered to Miranda, knowing fully well that the twins heard her.
"Better to sulk than to murder someone before she even gets to meet her wolf."
"Wolf!"
Audrey sprang up, she had totally forgotten that she had not changed yet, and she was long overdue to meet her wolf. She started to wonder if she had no wolf, but she quickly discarded the thought, she knew she had one and had been communicating with her for some time now.
Her constant communication with Avery made her feel like she had already met with her.
Avery has been of great help in assisting her to build her speed, accuracy, and strength over the past months she has practiced.
Selena was present too, giving her soothing praises whenever she mastered a craft, and providing that inner peace and tranquility when her wolf wanted to get aggressively out of hand.
"You forgot," Miranda stated. Audrey nodded slowly, feeling guilty for neglecting Avery on this special day.
"I got to go guys, love you all!." The three women in the kitchen just stared at Audrey, not bothering to ask where she was off to.
She had been going out of the realm ever since the day after that day she had a vision.
They trusted her, she wanted to have a normal life outside of being a powerful witch and a strong Alpha she-wolf, and with her growing abilities and powers, they knew she was a force to be reckoned with. She would not be messed with.
"Avery... Avery?" Audrey called but did not get a response. The sun had just set, bathing the forest with its golden lights, it kissed Andrey's fair skin, warming them.
Audrey slowly walked through the forest, admiring the beautiful flowers and trees that looked so magical. She lowered herself on an outgrown curved branch, sighing.
"Come on Avery, today's our big day, wanna bail on me now?" She spoke but no one replied.
'Give her time.'
Selena's calm voice rang in her head. Typical Selena; would always leave you with a vague solution. She could just tell her what Avery was up to, they lived rent-free together in her head anyway.
"Fine, I'm off to work." She hopped on her black power bike which Miranda had gotten her when she learned she had gotten a job. Audrey had offered to just teleport to her workplace, but Miranda had given her obvious reasons why she could not just 'teleport' into a human's company.
She teleported herself outside their Secret Coven to the spot she got sucked into the vortex, then drove to work from there.
The road was not that lonely after all. She could see gas stations and small malls along the road just before she went out to the big city.
She did not bother searching for the way to the Grey Blood pack, she had her plans in order.
Audrey adjusted her black leather jacket as she came down from her bike, placing her helmet over her mirror.
"Morning Josh!" Audrey greeted the young man wearing a security uniform beside the sliding doors.
"Morning sunshine." He smiled at her as she entered the building.
Audrey smiled, she wondered how poor Josh would react if he found out that she was indeed the sunshine. She had caused a mini-eclipse a week ago when she had been practicing with her cousins.
Everyone was awed when the sudden darkness enveloped the forest, and she had heard the news from all around the company when she came to work the next day.
Everyone was wondering why an eclipse had happened out of nowhere. How would poor Josh react if he found out that she was the cause of the unknown eclipse? Audrey was glad her boss was not a strict one.
He let his employees wear whatever they wanted for work. She was surprised when she saw a job vacancy from the 'Ghost Fashion Company' for a secretary position and the only job requirement was to know how to type and organize things. She applied for an interview without a second thought.
"Morning George, Logan." She greeted her colleagues before entering her office.
She had wondered why she was the only female employee in the whole clothing industry, but after being Mr. Victor's secretary for some time, she understood why people feared him.
He was into an illegal business where he sold guns to...well, the wrong people. And she may or may not have, with her wolf hearing, overheard her colleagues gossiping about their boss's latest attack on a fellow businessman's secret warehouse.
But that was none of her business.She wondered who supplied him with so many guns without fear of being caught by the government.
She shook her head and logged in to her computer. She was not going to get herself involved in people's business, she was going through enough herself and did not have the vacancy to mind other people's business. She was busy on the computer when she heard the telecom ring.
"Good morning, Mr. Russell, How may I help you?"
"Ms. Catherine, can I see you in my office, please?"
"Sure." She put down the telecom and went into Mr. Russell's office. She changed her name and look when she applied for this job. She decided to make use of a white lie; Catherine was her name after all... Centuries ago. And she dyed her her to a dark color.
"Please, sit." Mr. Russell pointed to the chair opposite his table.
Audrey quietly sat, waiting for him to finish what he was typing on his computer. Audrey suddenly got agitated, Just before she could say something to remind him of her presence, he finally looked up from his screen.
"I'm so sorry, I have to reply to those emails you sent yesterday night from Mr. Mark."
"That's okay, sir. What can I do for you?" Audrey was confused by the sudden rage she felt toward her boss a few seconds ago, she was glad he spoke a second before she almost did, if not, she was sure she would be jobless by now.
"I need you to do me a favor. I have a business meeting with Mr. Mark tomorrow afternoon but I won't be going, I'll be traveling to London tonight."
"Do you need me to send him an email that you couldn't make it?" She drummed her hand impatiently on her lap.
"No. No need. You'll be going on my behalf."
"What?" She looked at him with a raised brow.
"You've learned a lot about my company more than those who have worked here longer. I feel confident that you will close the deal with Mr. Mark tomorrow, and, don't worry, he doesn't bite." He gave her a playful wink.
Audrey was sitting on the chair, watching her friends stuff their faces with food. "You're not hungry, Cathy?" The girl beside her asked with a Chinese accent.
"Just keep stuffing your round face, Chloe. Leave me alone." Audrey said in a cold tone.
"Greg, Cathy's being mean to me today." Chloe pouted at the young man sitting opposite Audrey.
"Everything alright Cupcake?" Greg took a piece of fries from his plate and put it in front of Audrey's mouth.
"Come on Cupcake, ahh! Open up." He floated the food around her face playfully.
"I said to fuck off!" Audrey barked. Her voice attracted the attention of people around the restaurant, turning their gazes their way.
Audrey dashed out angrily. She did not know the cause of her outburst but she knew from the moment her boss called her into his office that something was off with her emotions.
Audrey wandered through the forest for a long time and finally sat under a tree.
"Selena, what's wrong with me today?" She asked, frustrated.
'It's not my place to say. Ask Avery.' Audrey chuckled bitterly. She felt more frustrated by that reply.
"Why, thank you." She did not bother talking to Avery who had gone mute the whole day.
It was four hours to midnight, her birthday was almost over and Avery hadn't shown up since morning. She thought she would change into her wolf today. She sighed and stood, but immediately doubled over in great pain.
"Argh!!! What's wrong!! Selena?! My body hurts! She cried out in pain.
She made to move but the pain was so unbearable that she could not step a foot forward. Her head felt like it was going to explode; like something wanted to break through from it. Her bones felt like they were being brutally dislocated.
She knelt on the floor and held her head. Her skin felt like tiny needle pins were being stuck into her pores as hairs started growing out rapidly all over her body and her waist felt like it was being broken into two. She felt the skin in her hand tear, giving way to very sharp-looking claws.
The pain was at its peak! It was too much! She let out a very loud cry, which came out as an aggressive growl, sending the birds flying deep in the forest and animals hiding from the awakened beast.
She lost all strength and fell to the floor, but she landed on all fours.
She was surprised to see gold-rimmed snow-white paws beneath her eyes. All the pain seized at once. She felt so calm like she wasn't about to die from pain a few seconds ago.
She felt so free; like she'd been caged for ages and finally sent free.
"Avery?" She could not believe this was it. She knew what had just happened. She changed.
And she changed into a magnificent wolf. It was snow white with gold-rimmed ears, paws, and tail.
There was a crescent moon mark on the right crook of her neck. Her green Irisis had now turned to a glowing golden brown with slit pupils.
"We are the strongest wolf Alive, Audrey. Me and you." Audrey heard Avery's voice from the back of her mind.
She knew Avery was now in control and she felt the strong surge of power and strength from her. She could hear the sounds of the crickets, the soft blowing wind, and other animals in the forest, She felt their fear and it fueled her predator spirit.
"Let's go haunt." Avery leaped very high from the ground and ran with flashing speed and agility into the forest.
The two girls hiding within the forest watched with awe as the huge beautiful wolf charged into the thicker side of the forest.
"I feel sorry for Lake." "Me too." The twins whispered as they stood behind a huge tree.