They all ride together in Alesha's SUV except for Lyam and Scottie who decide to meet them there. The sushi place itself ends up being by a large lake with a slanted roof and full-length windows along the front and sides. There is no huge sign announcing the restaurant just a simple clean design on one of the windows with the restaurants' name. They can see clearly into the building before even walking in and it's obvious the place is packed.

When you walk in there is a long counter with seating to the left completely filled with patrons. To the right and back there are tables though and they are able to snag a private one towards the back corner after Ly and Scottie arrive.

Alesha insists they order sake for the table to kick off the celebration and some edamame as a starter. Sina is in a stunning red scoop neck dress and gold accessories. Kaede is turning heads in a see-through black crop top with black high-waisted cargo harem pants and black boots with his hair up in a top knot. Alesha went with a classy look choosing a strapless royal purple jumpsuit that pops against her skin. Lyam and Scottie also cleaned up well. Ly is in a tight navy blue button-down, three buttons were undone to show off his chest. The shirt is tucked into fitted grey pants and combat boots while Scottie is in a t-shirt with a leather jacket over top and dark wash jeans hanging low with high tops.

"Thanks for starting us off. By the way, you look great! Purple is definitely your color" Amara compliments Alesha and she smiles "Thanks, I do try. I got done showing a property just before we all met up and sometimes I really do hate people. I’m excited to celebrate with you babes but I also just needed a night out" Alesha jokes while massaging her shoulder lightly.

"Oh, so you work in real estate? I can definitely see you being great at that. I have a feeling you can negotiate your way out of anything" Amara complimented. Alesha flashes a mischievous smile but doesn't deny it "I'll just say I'm very good at what I do."

"That's how she got together with Kane. Ale was helping Alpha Maddox with some investment properties and met my brother during one of the showings. Lucky for us that pretty much tied her to Onyx moon" Kaede explains playfully but there is obvious affection there for his sister-in-law.

"Lucky is right. I hadn’t settled into a new pack after leaving my childhood one and hadn’t planned to for a while. Then Kane appeared and my behind wasn't going anywhere. So, I figured I might as well join and help."

“Oh trust me, we’re all super fucking grateful. Have you seen Kane? Dude is scary! At least with you around, he gets all chilled out when he’s not on duty. I swear, he once made a guy confess with just his glare. Cross my heart!” Scottie pipes in and Alesha just gives him a scary smirk that makes him scoot slightly behind Lyam who shakes his head, obviously used to his friend.

“Don’t worry Scottie, we’ll protect you from the big mean wolf” Amara coos playfully, the others laughing while Scottie flicks some of his water at her. Alesha is quick to put a stop to it, calling them children and telling them to behave.

“Yeah Ama, you’re supposed to be one of the grown-ups now. Welcome to the club kiddo, you’ll learn to fit in” Lyam teases, Sina adding a background ‘ooh burn!’ but Amara doesn’t get the chance to retaliate because just then their edamame arrives along with the drinks.

The edamame has coarse salt sprinkled on it and you use your teeth to pop the beans from the pod into your mouth while also scraping the salt from the outside of the pod. Amara has always loved the flavor of them, like peas but with a bit of nuttiness and then the pop of salt just adds an extra touch. The texture is also nice since they are soft but still firm enough that they aren't mushy.

For the rest of the meal they all order shared platters for the table. Somewhere between the clam miso soup, assorted sushi plate, and vegetable tempura, Amara decides this might end up being the best birthday she has ever had. Somehow in sharing and passing around the food while they laugh and talk a sense of closeness envelops the table. Sina shares the story of how she got the scar on her knee which involves a big wheel and a series of events only she could bring about.

Alesha tells them about growing up in a big Caribbean family while also being shifters. One element is lively enough then you add the other and it made for some amazing stories. Lyam and Scottie mostly disclosed embarrassing stories about growing up with Maddox, Carter, and Min which had them in stitches. Especially when Kaede joined in with ones about Kane. Amara hasn't spoken to the stoic Enforcer but she has seen him around enough that it is hard to imagine him as anything but poised and serious.

By the end of the meal, they are full, happy, and just on the edge of buzzed except for Alesha and Lyam who both have to drive. “Alright, do I finally get to know what we’re doing next?” Amara asks while they walk out of the restaurant after paying. Lyam insisted on paying for her since she is the birthday girl but was quickly outdone by Kaede who had silently slipped away and paid for the entire meal without any of them even noticing him sneak off.

“Nope! We are gonna keep you blindfolded until we get there. It has to be a surprise!” Sina says, pulling a scarf out once they arrive by the cars.

“Ooh, kinky!” Scottie calls out and gets instantly smacked upside the head by Lyam. Rubbing his head, he gives Ly a betrayed look, lips in an exaggerated pout.

“Anyways,” Kaede drawls “just be ready to have the night of your life. Drinks on me and Alesha” he declares while nimble fingers carefully wrap the scarf around Amara’s eyes to keep from smudging her makeup.

“Hell yeah! Is it my birthday too?” Scottie whispers to Lyam, forgetting they can all hear him perfectly fine.

“Come on dude” Lyam grabs Scottie, dragging him away “see you guys there!” he calls back to their group and Amara gets situated in the back seat of the SUV. The drive doesn’t take very long which is good since Amara is starting to get a little claustrophobic with her eyes covered. Sina and Kaede help her out of the car and instantly the sound of thumping bass hits her.

Something silky is draped over her and she is almost certain it’s a birthday girl sash which is honestly a pretty cute idea. Someone holds her hand while the other keeps a steady grip on her waist so Amara doesn’t fall on her face. As they get closer to the muffled sound, cheers break out.

“Woo! Happy Birthday!”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL!”

“HAPPY 21ST”

All different versions of it are yelled out, some a little more slurred than others and Amara is smiling so wide that her cheeks hurt, the rest of their group laughing and yelling back. The noise intensifies and she feels the temperature difference right away. It had been pleasant and cool outside but inside it feels warm and a little humid from all the trapped body heat. Even around the blindfold, she can tell it is dark with lights flashing.

“Ready?!” Sina asks excitedly then whips the blindfold off. Amara has to blink rapidly to clear her eyes before finally registering their surroundings. They are in the VIP section of a club and it has been decorated for her. There are bottles on ice, streamers, and balloons with her name. A table with piled-up gifts sits to the side while a big beautiful cake topped with sparklers sits right in the middle.

“You guys! I-” she is left speechless at how thoughtful it all is and all the trouble they went through. A second later she is enveloped in a group hugging and she laughs through the lump in her throat.

“No tears! It’s time to party!” Scottie screams and people close to their section whoop, encouraging the already hyper boy. Amara laughs and happily puts out the sparklers as they sing happy birthday. The cake is head with their first round of shots and things spiral from there.

They all take turns going out to the floor to dance with Amara. The more drinks get tossed back, the less she holds back, singing at the top of her lungs and dancing wildly with her friends. Lyam stays sober and has fun while still keeping a close eye on her. He has to step in a few times when guys get a little too pushy. Amara could handle them but she is pretty drunk off her ass and her decking a grown-ass man and laying him out would be a little suspicious.

Some time hours later, Amara is affectionately declaring her love for both Don Julio and her fantastic friends. At some point, she declares Sina her favorite because she loves strawberries which are red like Sina’s hair. Apparently, Lyam gets second place because he is cute as a wolfie. It’s about that time when Lyam picks her up and throws her over his shoulder. A tipsy Scottie and Kaede grab up the presents and they all stumble towards the cars.

“I can get Amara home, we’re going to the pack house anyway” Ly lets Alesha, the other DD know. She agrees, herding Sina into her SUV. Scottie is somehow already in the backseat of Lyam’s truck, sprawled out and snoring. Amara turns from where she was dumped into the passenger's seat and pokes him, giggling when he snorts loudly then goes back to snoring again.

Lyam chuckles softly and buckles her in. The radio is turned on but barely audible as he smoothly drives them home. “This was the super bestest times Ly! I love all of yous...all the awesomest” she rambles giddily, slurring her words. Lyam indulgently nods and reaches over to pat her hair that had long ago come loose from its ponytail.

“Love you too Ama. I’m glad you had a good time.” He replies softly, a gentle affection in his voice that drunk Amara misses along with the sad longing in his eyes. Lyam will never admit to anyone that he had hoped to see Amara tonight and have her recognize him as her mate. He knows it was a pipe dream. He had turned twenty-one himself years ago so he would have made the connection first but, a boy can dream. He will just have to be content doing whatever he can to make sure she is happy.

“Hey, you know I would do anything to keep you safe, right?” he asks her gently. When no reply comes, Lyam looks over to see that Amara had knocked out, head tilted to the side, hair mussed from dancing. She had looked so alive and radiant that night. It’s a memory he will keep with him even as he locks away all of the feelings that can never become anything more. When they make it home, he carefully tucks her into bed and kisses her cheek, vowing to go through with what has been asked of him for her sake.