Aphrodite And The Magical Forest

18th Birthday

                                                                            Thalia Aphrodite Williams

I open my eyes abruptly when I heard that voice.

I think I heard that sweet voice before.

But what did he say? Mate? I think I heard him say mate in the end. Even though it's almost a whisper, I think I heard it right.

Or, am I just hallucinating?

Maybe thinking too much about my mate made my brain to produce things like that.

I shake my head and decided to just ignore that voice. I smiled at my mom as she and the other pack members greet me happy birthdays again. I thank them all and I put the cake on the table to hug my mom.

"Thanks, mom." I told her and she kissed my forehead.

"My baby is finally 18. You're growing so fast. Now, you can finally meet your mate and then the next thing I know, you already have a pup with your mate. Why are you growing so fast, baby?" She asked, looking happy but sad.

18th birthday. One of the most awaited birthday of werewolves. It's not just about being an adult and being finally free to do legally what we were just seeing that the adults only do. Or taking over on positions that was of your parents. But, it is the moment where werewolves finally can recognize their mates.

Mates. They are the person that the Moon Goddess gave to us as a gift. They are the person that all of us, werewolves, cherishes and love for the rest of our life. Mates can be recognize when they feel this magical pull and when their eyes met each other, their eyes will glow with color based on their position. Gold, silver, bronze, and white. Gold for the Alphas. Silver for the Beta. Bronze for the Gamma and the Delta. And white for the Warriors and Omegas.

Moon Goddess gave mates to us werewolves as a gift because of a successful ritual for her made by an ancient family of werewolves thousands and thousands of years ago. The ritual is hard and complicated, if something went wrong or if the Moon Goddess didn't like it, the price will be their life. That's why no one dared to do the ritual until that certain family did it. And a very beautiful gift were given to the werewolf's race. Mates. And as an exchange of the beautiful gift the Moon Goddess gave, we should do all we can to love her gift.

"Mom, don't think like that. I've never met my mate yet. And, I don't think I will have a pup as soon as I'll see my mate, I want to finish school first." I said to reassure her. My mom is so dramatic.

"You can never tell that, baby. I tell you, as soon as you will see your mate you will undergo on heat and that heat is so hard to resist by the female but harder to resist by the males around you. That's the reason your sister was made" she said. I rolled my eyes as she already told us so many times about that. I turned and asked her something that I'm curious about.

"You told us so many times about that. But what about me?" I asked and she froze. She eyed me carefully and I frowned. Is there something wrong on my question? She seems like she saw a ghost.

"W-what do y-you mean?" She said, stuttering.

"Well, how about me? Did you plan to have me as soon as you and dad met?" I asked and she swallowed. I noticed that her shoulders relaxed as soon as I cleared my question.

"Y-yeah, of course. W-we planned to h-have you at that t-time"  she said and removed my hug from her as she picked up the cake and went inside the kitchen. I followed her. She sliced the cake and place it on the plates. She calls the kids and gave them each a slice of cake. I also notice that the cake is not the only food there but many. The foods there are enough to feed all pack members inside the pack house. She grabbed two plates of the dishes there and went out of the kitchen and to the dining hall. I grab two plates too and do what she did. I saw almost all the pack members already there, sitting and talking. The omegas placed the other foods at the table and I noticed the alpha descending from the stairs. Alpha Brandon. The pack members he passes by greets him and he nods back to them. Alpha Brandon is a very respective alpha. Him and his father. The alphas before them were very cruel and evil that they enslaved and kill innocent pack members that disobeys them. That was dark times, I tell you.

Alpha Brandon saw me and smiled. Me and Alpha Brandon are close, he is like a brother to me and I am like a sister to him. He's 10 years older than me. We started getting close when he once save me from the rogues that attacks the pack when I was 8 years old. Since then, he is like the big brother I never had.

"Good morning, Alpha" I said as he got closer to me.

"Happy birthday, Ro. What's your plan for today?" He asked

"Thank you for the greetings, Alpha. I don't think I have anything planned for the morning but Christina practically ordered me to go clubbing with her tonight" I said and he raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me, you're just going to stay at your room the whole day? This is a special day, you should enjoy it." He said

"Well...the Peters isn't here and Christina is running an errand for her parents at the city so... I think I'll just go have fun with the kids and spend time with my mom and sister. I promise I'm not just going to stay in my room" I said as the other pack members started to eat. Beta Malcolm called Alpha Brandon to eat but the Alpha just shrugged him off and nodded at him to just continue eating.

"No, I won't allow that. You will go with me at the city. We will watch a movie and then bowling. I won't allow you to just spend you're special day here. I know that you will just sit in your bedroom, reading all day." He said, sternly. Leaving no room for arguments. I sighed. Well... that will be fun, I guess.

We started eating with the other pack members. We all chat happily while eating. After eating, the kids want me to play with them and we played for the next 2 hours. The next thing we know, it's already lunch time.

As we went inside the pack house, I saw the Alpha came out from his office and descend down the stairs. His eyes are on me. I stop walking.

"Let's go. We will have lunch on the city." He said and I ushered the kids to the dining hall.

"Alright, Alpha. I'll just tell mom." I said and turned. Ready to go upstairs to my mom's room.

"No need. I already told her that you will go with me on the city." He said and put his left arm on my back. Pushing me gently towards the garage . The two warriors that will accompany us are there, waiting inside the black Toyota Corolla we will use. I open the left back sit of the Toyota Corolla and sit there.

"So, what movie would you like to watch?" Alpha Brandon asked and I turned to him.

"I don't know, maybe an action movie?" I said and he looked at me with wide eyes.

"When did you start liking that kind of movie, may I ask? If I remember correctly, you're a hopeless romantic, Ro." He said with a raised eyebrow, questioning me. I rolled my eyes.

"For your information, Alpha Brandon, I'm not a hopeless romantic. I just like seeing how a story started with something sad and then end with happiness." I said, sassily at him. He just chuckled.

"For your information too, Ms. Williams, that's just the same. Hopeless romantics are very fascinated and always.. ALWAYS daydream about happy endings. Which you surely do. Imagining your self and your mate, all the time." He said and chuckled even more. I shrugged.

"Whatever. All female werewolves daydream about that." I said and I turned to look outside. Trees are the only thing we can see as we travel from the pack to the city. Our pack is far away from the civilization as to protect the safety of our pack from the werewolf hunters and other things that can harm us. Actually, all packs of werewolves are the same.

We need to keep away our home from the humans as to not cause an uproar about our existence to the non-magical creatures. We do mingle with humans on our school but we keep our home away from them because they can easily notice weird things especially if a werewolf didn't control his/her anger. Because if were angry or let's say when we didn't control our wolves from shifting then, we are doomed.

Non-magical creatures already have a battle with each other, we don't need the humans to add up to that battle.

"Speaking of mates, do you already smelled something weird on the pack house? Almost all pack members are there in the pack house, surely you must've smelled your mate if he's there" he asked as he finally recovered from laughing at me.

"The only weird smell I smelled is the stinks of the sweating warriors earlier. And your feet, too." I said and wrinkled my nose as I turned my eyes to his feet, eyeing it with disgust.

"Hey! My feet doesn't stink! I already put a foot powder on it. It smells nice!" He said defensively and he actually removed his shoes to smell it. Yuck.

"Tss.. put your shoes back on. I don't want to die just yet" I said and he said incoherent words as he cursed at me. It doesn't smell actually. I just said that to rile him up.

I smirked and hide my laughter as to not made him mad even more than now. We can't afford to have a mad Alpha in the city.

We drove for about half an hour and they park the car on a restaurant. The not-so-mad Alpha said that we should eat first with a grumble, still not able to move on from his (not) disgusting feet statement.

We came out of the car and walk towards the busy restaurant. An Italian restaurant. The Alpha seems really fond of Italian delicacies.

As we went inside, the people inside the restaurant stared at us. Some with fascinated, admiring eyes. Some with curiousity written all over their face as they stared at us. Werewolves really do attract attention when we mingle with humans. As I said, the most good looking humans have no match even to the not-so-attractive werewolves like me.

We look for a vacant table that has enough seats for us but I can't see any.  Alpha Brandon went towards a waiter and asked for any vacant seats.

"There's no vacant seats available, sir. But if you want, we have a VIP room that is available." The waiter said and Alpha Brandon nodded. The waiter guided us towards a sliding door and to a room that looks like it's for someone very important and intimidatingly expensive.

We sat down and the waiter gave us the menu. I look at all the familiar italian dishes that Alpha Brandon introduced to me. Italians are fond of pastas and I happen to love all of it too, when Alpha Brandon first took me to an Italian Restaurant.

"What will you have?" Alpha Brandon asked me.

"I'll have Spaghetti Aglio e Olio" I said and gave the menu back to the waiter.

"I'll have Cacio e Pepe and one bottle of Frascati Superiore, too" he said, looking intently at the menu before giving it to the waiter.

"What about you two?" Alpha Brandon asked the two warriors.

"We'll have the Spaghetti alla Puttanesca. The name just caught my attention" Gerry said and the other warrior, Fernand nodded.

"Why did you order a wine? Are you going to get drunk this early in the afternoon?" I asked and he just shrugged.

"It's a light liquor, princess. And do remember that werewolves can't get drunk that easily" he said and I just nodded.

"Then, I can drink too" I said and he froze. I raised my eyebrows when he attempted to stop me from what I just said. He sighed.

"Fine, but not too much" he said and I smiled.

We talk for a little while with a little bickering of Alpha Brandon and me from there to there, teasing and pissing each other off. Then, the food came in. We eat while we talk and chuckle.

After we eat, we went straight to the cinema and watch an action movie that was very far from what a hopeless romantic person will watch. After watching a movie, it's still a little early that's why we decided to go to a bowling alley.

"Didn't know our Alpha is such a loser" I teased him as the ball rolled on the gutter. He growled, playfully.

"I. Am. Not. A. Loser!" He said and run fast towards me with a playful evil glint on his eyes. I let out a loud shriek and run fast too, towards the other direction. But because he is an Alpha, he got to me and imprisoned me in his arms. His muscular arms are around my waist and he lift me in the air as I laugh, hysterically. As I'm still in the air, laughing, I heard a very powerful and seems like a familiar growl. I froze.

"Did you hear that?" I said to Alpha Brandon with wide eyes and fast beating heart.

"What do you mean?" Alpha Brandon asked me with furrowed eyebrows, questioning me.

"That growl." I said and he slowly puts me down and I turned to him. His arms falling from around my waist.

"What growl? I didn't heard any growl." He said and I looked around, as if looking for anyone suspicious.

"I think I already heard that before" I whispered. Trying to remember where I probably heard the growl before.

"What?" He asked as he is busy looking around too, he didn't catch what I whispered.

"Do you think there are other werewolves here?" I asked and he turned his gaze at me. He checked his wrist watch and sighed.

"Maybe, there are. We should probably go, it's already 7:48. We still need to travel half an hour. Are you still going to the club?" He asked and I told him that I'm just going to message Christina. We walked out of the bowling alley and to the parking lot.

To: Christina

Hey! Christ, are we still on for the bar?

I asked and waited just for a few seconds and she replied.

From: Christina

Of course, Nerd! Don't you dare bail on me, Thalia Aphrodite Williams.

I chuckled as I read the message

To: Christina

Of course, I won't. Why will I bail on you? Anyways, are you still in the city? I'm in the city, too.

I typed fast as Alpha Brandon and the two warriors seems to want to get home already.

From: Christina

You're in the city?! Who's with you? I'm still in the city too.

To: Christina

I'm with Alpha Brandon and two warriors. You think we should meet up already?

From: Christina

Woah! With the Alpha?! You have to do so much talking later! Yeah, we should meet up, where are you?

To: Christina

I'm in the bowling alley down the road. Close to the cinema. We're on the parking lot.

From: Christina

Alright, I'll be there!

To: Christina

Okay, I'll wait for you here.

I ended the message and turned to Alpha Brandon.

"She'll be here in a few minutes. You all should probably go already." I said and he turned to me.

"How will you two go back to the pack?" He asked and I shrugged.

"She probably has her car" I said, he narrowed his eyes.

"Isn't it dangerous to go clubbing with just you two? And I know Christina planned to get you drunk" he said, worried.

"Don't worry, Alpha. I'm not going to get my self drunk and you, yourself know that werewolves can't get drunk easily. We can take care of ourselves, remember? We trained." I said and he sighed.

"Alright, but if something happens. Mind-link me as soon as possible. I'm going to do everything to be with you as soon as I can. Okay?" He said and held my hands as he said those words. He look straight at me and I can see clearly the genuine care from his eyes.

"Of course, I'll mind-link you" I said and he kissed my forehead.

Stay away!

My eyes widen again as I heard that familiar sweet voice and powerful growl. I looked around but all the people near us are just having a normal evening.

"Why?" He asked as he noticed my actions. I swallowed hard and decided to just ignore it. I forced a smile and shook my head.

"N-nothing, I think you should probably go. Christina would be here in just a few seconds" I said and then we heard a beep from a car. We turned our gaze to the car and I saw Christina waving at me.

"Yohoo! Nerd, get your fat self in!" She said and I chuckled, forgetting all about the voice for a second because of my bestfriend's goofiness. I waved back and turned to Alpha Brandon again.

"I'll be alright, Derek" I said again, assuring him. I call him by his first name when it's just the two of us or when he's really worried. It makes him calm when I call him by his first name.

"Okay, take care, Princess" He said and I smiled. That's his nickname for me and I love it. I nodded and went to Christina's car.

"Take care of her, Christina!" Alpha Brandon said again.

"Of course, I will Alpha!" She shouted too and then stepped on the accelerator. She drove fast while shouting. She's a really carefree person. A sunshine.

It's such a beautiful day out and I love it. The only thing that I am thinking about is the voice and growl that seems like I'm the only one hearing it. I shook my head and just tried to forget about it.

Just enjoy the day, Aphrodite. Don't think about it too much. Just enjoy. It's your special day, your 18th birthday. Just enjoy it.