"His birthday is in two days?" I looked up from my game of Candy Crush with wide eyes. "Why did no one tell me!"

Sophia and I lounged on her bed, thoroughly exhausted from our brawl earlier in the afternoon, with an episode of some horrible reality show buzzing from the television.

"Well, because of everything going on, we figured we would all be too busy to celebrate," My companion explained while braiding her damp locks of black hair. "Plus, Nolan's never been a fan of his birthday."

I huffed and set Nolan's phone, which he had given to me in order to play Candy Crush in my spare-time, to the side. My game would have to wait. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because my brother's a stick in the mud?" Sophia offered through a mouthful of her own hair, a necessary step in crafting the perfect braid.

I nodded in agreement, although I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my lips at the thought of my conservative mate. "Come on, it's his birthday! We have to do something!"

Sophia shrugged, tying off the last part of her long braid. "We can order him a cake?"

I rolled my eyes, "Or, we could throw him a party..."

The Golden Walkers Pack never missed celebrating a birthday! Even if the birthday boy or girl didn't want a huge party, we still managed to make them feel special... And, given the immense pressures weighing on an Alpha's shoulders, we always made sure Sehan felt especially appreciated on his birthday.

"But the hybrids and the talisman and--" Sophia began to protest, but I quickly cut her off.

"All the more reason for us to celebrate!" I persisted, suddenly uplifted by the prospect of planning Nolan a party. Maybe I just wanted something to get my mind off of our impending doom? "Look, the party isn't just for Nolan... I think the pack could use this too."

Sophia considered this for a moment before a mischievous smirk pulled at the corners of her lips. "Well...I have always wanted to throw a surprise party."

"Now we're talking!" I laughed.

Sophia and I spent the next hour making plans for Nolan's birthday party. I quickly discovered that making arrangements at such a short notice wasn't difficult when you were the Black Lupis Pack Luna... We called on one of the best cooks in the pack to bake a cake for the event, while Dylan volunteered to help barbeque. Even Raegan offered his help in arranging patrols so that Nolan would be away from the pack house in the hours leading up to the party.

Everything was falling into place.

With almost everything situated, Sophia and I skipped dinner and opted for a bag of popcorn while we carefully selected the music playlist for the evening. We selected ten songs that Nolan might have enjoyed before distracting ourselves with our own favorite melodies

Halfway through Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," the music cut out, replaced by the shrill ring of Nolan's cellphone. I dug through Sophia's bed comforter until I found the cellphone.

The Caller ID read: RESTRICTED.

My heartbeat quickened, a consequence of watching one-too-many horror movies in my youth, and I slowly brought the cellphone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Charlie?" The man on the other end of the line breathed, and my shoulders instantly sagged in relief.

"Dominic!" I half-cried into the speaker. "How are you? Where are you calling from? And Happy Early-Birthday!"

My questions followed one another far too quickly for him to answer, and I thought I heard him flinch away from the receiver due to the volume. To my disappointment, Dominic ignored all three, "Where's Nolan? Why do you have his phone?"

He sounded... different. I frowned, "He let me borrow it. Why? What's up?"

Sophia shifted toward me, eyes narrowed, as if she wanted to hear more of the conversation, as well. Dominic was her family, after all. Even if she didn't have a strong relationship with him.

"Never mind," Dominic growled, and I nearly flinched at the dismissal in his words.

"What is your problem?" I attacked in an attempt to muster as much venom in my words as possible. I hadn't seen the male since the party at the Broken Valley Pack, and now he was angry with me?

The rogue let out a long breath, and I could practically feel his frustration vibrating through the phone. "Nothing, it's just... You all aren't the only ones working hard to keep everyone safe. Tell Nolan to give me a call."

Before he could hang up, I scrambled to keep him on the phone. "Wait!" He said nothing, but I could hear his breathing, so I continued, "You're right. I know you are putting yourself on the line with the witches and the hybrids...So I wanted to invite you to a party?"

Even as I spoke the words aloud, I realized how lame they sounded, so I hurriedly sought to further explain, "It's in two days-- on your birthday, actually. And I would really like for you to come, Dom. As my guest."

I prayed that he could hear the earnest hope in my voice. I did want him to come. I wanted him to come more than anything. It was his birthday, too, after all. And it didn't feel right to throw Nolan a party but do nothing for Dominic.

I knew that the chances of Dominic agreeing to come were slim. I expected his refusal. But I did not expect a cold laugh to erupt from the other end of the phone, "You're kidding me, right?"

My eyes widened and my smile fell, but before I could defend myself, he continued, "You wanted to invite me to my twin brother's birthday bash? At the pack that abandoned me? Great idea, Charlotte." His words were thick with poisonous sarcasm.

"I-I'm sorry, Dominic--" I tried apologizing, but I could scarcely get another word in.

"What makes you think I could ever return to that shit-hole? Even if they didn't try to kill me at first glance, you would expose me to such ridicule?" The male's voice cracked, exposing the pain behind the anger.

I'd been insensitive in inviting him to the party-- I realized that now. But his cold words punctured deep, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You're right. I'm sorry, Dominic. But you don't get to speak to me like that..."

He sighed, "Look, I'm sorry, Charlie. I'm stressed--"

"I get it," I interrupted him. "Goodnight."

I hung up the phone, feeling like Dominic had raked his claws across the sensitive tissue of my heart.

Sophia frowned. I knew she had heard the entire conversation. "It's probably for the best, Charlie."

"I know, " I replied, too quickly. I didn't want to talk about it anymore, and Sophia understood. She picked up the phone, clicked on the 'Music' application, and started playing Cyndi Lauper once more...

☾☾☾

I laid in bed for a majority of Nolan's birthday. Truthfully, I felt uncharacteristically exhausted, with the faint pulse of a migraine just begging to ruin the party.

At around midday, Nolan poked his head into his bedroom, where I'd been sleeping for nearly thirteen hours. He informed me that he'd be gone for most of the afternoon on patrols, but that he hoped I'd be feeling better when he returned. I wished him a Happy Birthday, to which he replied with a half-bashful smile.

I couldn't fall asleep again after that. I alternated taking Advil and Tylenol as necessary to combat the brink of my headache, played games on Nolan's phone, and incessantly dwelt on my last conversation with Dominic...

I wondered if anyone had wished him a 'Happy Birthday' yet... Would he be celebrating the day alone? The thought had my insides twisting in regret. I pondered dialing his phone number at least a dozen times an hour, but could never bring myself to press the little green "Call" button.

Sophia knocked on my bedroom door an hour before the party started. She didn't wait for an answer before barging into Nolan's bedroom, but she paused when she saw me. "Oh, honey. You look rough..."

"Thanks," I croaked, pinching the bridge of my nose to fight the fiery ache that now spread from my head to my neck.

"Come on! Pop an Exedrin, and then I'll help you get ready!" Sophia persisted, crawling onto the bed to pull me out from under the covers. I groaned.

I stood no chance against the determined Sophia. She rummaged through Nolan's medicine cabinets, pulling out any pain-blocking medicines that she could find. Eventually, she poured an assortment of pills into my palm and ordered me to take them with a glass of water. I had no choice but to obey.

To my own surprise, my throbbing headache started to dissipate half an hour later, while Sophia worked to curl my hair into long, beachy waves. When I could focus again, I helped by starting my makeup. My friend dressed me in a maroon mini-dress with plat-form sandals. We finished with ten minutes to spare.

Sophia and I rushed out to the front lawn of the pack house, where Dylan already grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. The smell of charcoal and juicy meat wafted through the air, gathering dozens around the picnic tables that had been set up for the event.

Although I'd been stuck in bed all day, I'd made the executive decision to have blue and white balloons decorating the clearing. A variety of outdoor games sparsely populated the grounds, and several coolers kept Nolan's favorite brand of beer icy in the balmy, evening air. We had a large bonfire pit prepared for when the sun fell beneath the trees. Everything looked perfect.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of our success. Now, we just needed to wait for the Birthday Alpha himself...