I went through my closet and decided to settle for a casual and beautiful knee-length yellow dress, but I reconsidered and picked the green dress that I had planned to wear in the first place.
My father expected me to throw a party, which I didn't arrange.
After the doctor's warning and the pack's current state, throwing a party was the last thing on my mind. I couldn't let my guard down.
Still, I couldn't let Dad know that something was amiss. I had to let today go according to how he thought it would.
I arranged my hair into a half-bun and let the rest fall down my back.
The green dress hugged my frame and accentuated my curves. Its low cut revealed my skin, and the beautiful pleats that fell on my thighs allowed easy movement, revealing my long legs with every step I took.
In the mirror, beautiful hazel eyes stared back at me. Jet-black hair fell down my back, framing a cute button nose and small, plump red lips.
I stepped out of my room and smiled at the group in my room. I strode past them to my dad's room after telling them, "I'll be back."
If it had been in the past, when Dad was healthy, he would have been the one to wake me up from sleep. Beautiful times. Times like those were beautiful. The thought made a wave of nostalgia wash over me.
Unfortunately…
And it was all because of those fucking vampires. My eyes glowered, my hands balled into fists, and my breath came out in a hurry.
I never expected that I would one day want to harmonize with the creatures that caused my father's condition. Great!
But with my current situation, I might have to accept their deal if I wanted a peaceful life for the pack.
"Dad." I threw myself into Dad's embrace, tears pooling in my eyes.
It had just been a few minutes, but I realized that adulthood was hard. Very hard. It didn't seem to want to give me the space to catch my breath.
My father's golden eyes softened, and a broad smile appeared on his face. "You look so beautiful, just like your mother. She would be so proud of you."
Dad held my hand with a shaky and bony grip. He reached to his side, picked up a beautiful antique wooden box, and handed it to me. "This is for you."
I opened the box, and a beautiful, shining set of jewelry beckoned to me. I recalled vividly that my mom had worn this set of jewelry on her wedding day, and it was just as beautiful as it was in the pictures.
The corners of my lips raised to form a smile. I picked up one of the thin necklaces and clasped it around my neck.
Wearing it made me feel closer to Mom, and it gave me a sense of home.
I lowered my head and curled my index finger around the chain. "Thank you, Dad."
Dad smiled at me and raised a book from his side. "This is a book containing all knowledge that will help you as the ruler of the pack."
My smile disappeared, and tears spilt past my eyes. Dad was doing everything to settle down so that he could leave easily. "Dad…"
Dad wiped the tears from my cheeks and helplessly said in a comforting manner, "Okay. You can't cry on your birthday, darling. If your mom knew I let your tears spill, she would nag me to no end."
Although his teasing did nothing to uplift my mood, I forced my lips to quirk into a slight smile. Dad had enough worries; I shouldn't add to them.
I looked at the book and stroked it. "Thank you, Dad."
My dad shifted to a comfortable position and urged, "You have to go now. The pack is waiting for the party to start."
Hearing this, I decided to come clean and be honest with Dad. There was no party going on today. All I had done was lie so he wouldn't worry.
I lowered my head, played with my fingers, and whispered in a tiny voice, "Dad, I didn't arrange a party."
My dad chuckled, appearing unshocked by my words. He confirmed, "I know. That's why we threw a surprise party for you instead."
I froze and stared at him, not believing what I had just heard. Then it clicked. My eyes widened, and I gasped.
What? Surprise. Surprise party? Did he just say they threw a surprise party? For me? When? How? How come I didn't know about this?
No one had revealed anything to me, and I didn't even notice anything amiss…
The door was suddenly pushed open, and my two friends stepped in with Jayden holding a frosted double-layered chocolate and vanilla cake.
Jayden walked to me at a calm and careful pace, his blue eyes fixed on me as he sang in his beautiful, deep voice. "Happy birthday to you, Harlyn. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you…"
Warmth crept into my heart and spread through my whole body, extinguishing my sadness and replacing it with happiness.
"Hurry up, Harlyn, make a wish and blow the candles," Jayden urged with a smile.
I nodded and stepped forward. But first, I shut my eyes and clasped my hands together before making a wish inwardly.
'Moon goddess. I don't want sadness anymore. I want to meet my mate soon, and I want my father to be healthy and happy. I want my clan and everyone around me to find peace and happiness.'
I straightened my back and took a bite of the cake; its delicious taste melted in my mouth, making me squint and moan in joy. It was so delicious.
Yvette grabbed my hand. "Hurry up, Harlyn; members of the pack are waiting."
My face whipped toward my dad, and I stared at him in complete loss. It wasn't just the cake? It was a party? A full pack party? How come I didn't know about this? This was so crazy!
I placed a kiss on my dad's cheeks and squeezed his hands, my heart full of joy. "Thank you, Dad."
What can I do without him? Despite his condition, he still made sure that everything was perfect for me. I loved him so much.
I turned to Jayden and subconsciously parted my lips to say, "Jay, can you ask the doctor if my dad can celebrate with us…"
My words came to a stop, and I froze upon realizing what I had just done.
The closeness had always been there, and I had learned to lean on Jayden for the important things. But from now on, it had to change. Jayden now had his life. Now he had his mate.
I waved my hand, shook my head, and parted my lips to tell him to stop. "J…"
"I'll be on it." Jayden smiled at me before I could say anything. He turned on his heels and left the room.
Meanwhile, Yvette wrapped her hands around mine and began to lead me outside. "Harlyn, you are the birthday girl. Enjoy your day and leave the worries to us," she said in a cheerful voice.
I smiled and nodded to her, letting her lead me out of the palace. We had just taken a couple of steps forward when Jayden strode to us.
Jayden's eyes fell on me, and he explained, "Harlyn. The doctor already gave his permission. The Alpha will be out soon. His guard is taking care of it."
Great! My face formed into a smile, and I curled my finger around the necklace.
Since things had developed unexpectedly, I should just let go of my worries and celebrate the moment.
Even if I didn't want to admit it, deep down I knew there was a high chance that this was the last birthday my dad would be celebrating with me. I should enjoy the moment. "Thank you…"
Jayden grabbed my hand and looked down at me. "Can we talk now, seeing that you are in a better mood?"
My heart skipped a beat, and I shrugged off his hand. "After the party, please," I said.
I turned to the other side and began to make my way toward the pack hall, where the celebration would be held.
I didn't come here often, so it was no wonder that I hadn't discovered anything amiss. This was truly one hell of a surprise. I couldn't wait to see…
Suddenly, a familiar dull smell invaded my nose, and my eyes narrowed. They were here. Fucking vampires!
My eyes turned frigid cold, my jaw clenched, and a wave of fury coursed through me.
It was just as I thought: the vampires wouldn't fucking rest on my birthday.
Even though this party had been kept a secret from me, they still wouldn't let us be.
Did they know a party was going on today, or was it just a random guess because today was my birthday? Damn, I didn't know they even knew all these details about us.
Who was it this time? Thane? Veyron?
Damn it! I cursed under my breath and growled out orders swiftly. "The old and young should return to the pack hall. Warriors, come with me…"
The heavy smoke that drifted from the pack forest made my eyes constrict. The pack let out a gasp.
It couldn't be. These freaking bastards dared to sneak into my pack ground and burn our forest? We were on our own, yet they wouldn't let us be!
How did they expect us to harmonize? It was already taking everything in me not to tear them apart.
Despite the fury, I knew this was the time I had to be calm and rational. I couldn't let my emotions control my clarity.
I arranged everyone and commanded, "Jayden, bring the warriors to extinguish the fire. Gamma, protect the Alpha king. The others follow me, and we'll tackle any vampires left in the pack."
The warriors and I inspected the first quarter of the pack, but all we found was quietness and no trace of vampires. It was as if they had never shown up in the first place.
I frowned. Did they break in for fun again, just like the incident with the ten vampires?
Was this just to cause chaos and purposely mess with my birthday?
"The vampire coven has captured the Alpha king and left a note," the Gamma suddenly announced through mind link.
Dad! The ground turned beneath me, and blood rushed to my head, making me dizzy and completely out of breath. My hand flew to my chest, tears clouding my eyes.
Dad. What would I do? He was already sick and weak. Oh goddess, what would they do to him?
My chest heaved and fell heavily, and it felt as if I would pass out.
"Harlyn, careful." Jayden rushed toward me and grabbed me, his hands wrapping around me and supporting me. "There was no fire in the forest by the time we arrived; everything was intact. It was an illusion to draw us out."
Blood drained from my face, and a wave of weakness crashed over me. If it wasn't for Jayden holding me, I would have fallen flat on my face.
Illusion? All of this was to distract our attention and kidnap my father.
Veyron was powerful. A powerful foe that I couldn't match up to. Not only did he have strength, but even his intelligence couldn't be underestimated. My stomach churned at the realization.
Dad. I couldn't just wait like this; I had to do something.
"The letter." I removed myself from Jayden's embrace and bolted to my dad's room.
I snatched the letter from the Gamma. It still carried the dull scent of vampires. I opened it.
The letter conveyed that if I wanted to rescue my dad and didn't want anything to happen to him, I had to come to the vampire coven alone. I couldn't let anyone come with me, or else my dad's head would be placed on the gate for me to see.
My stomach sank and twisted, my body trembling. The enemy… Veyron seemed to be worse than I initially thought he was. How could I win against such a powerful and ruthless enemy?
"What did it say?" Jayden asked and snatched the paper to take a look.
After reading the contents, his expression changed, and he grabbed my hand. "Harlyn, he's tricking you. You can't go. It's dangerous."
Of course, if my father were here, he would have told me not to go. But how could I watch my dad die in the enemy's hands? Even if he was dying, I wanted his last days to be spent in happiness, not in this degrading manner.
It didn't matter how much anyone tried to convince me. I could only go to the vampire clan to rescue my father. I'd rather something happen to me than to my father. "Don't follow me."
With this, I transitioned into my wolf form and ran out of the pack before anyone could stop me.
That damn vampire king. I really should have accepted the deal without hesitation last night.
Veyron was really heartless for playing this kind of underhanded trick—kidnapping my father to pull me out. I had truly underestimated the enemy. Fuck him.
My mind began to calculate, thinking of what I would do once I arrived at the vampire coven, but in fact, I couldn't think of anything.
I didn't have any clue or information about Veyron since he never attacked personally. Hell, I didn't even know Veyron had a brother! There were many things I lacked knowledge of when it came to the vampires.
Not to mention that I hadn't been among the people who attacked the vampire coven in the past. Ever since my father got sick, we had been treading carefully, and the vampires had been the ones attacking us.
Sigh. I hoped I could make it out.