The Magic of the Full Moon

The morning sunlight streaming through her bedroom window made Amelia groan. It was her sixteenth birthday. That day there would be a party for all the family and close friends. Two weekends after that, there would be a massive birthday celebration for the Obsidian Clan and Pack, along with any additional friends and family from outside the area who wanted to attend. None of that mattered to Amelia. All she wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep, then go out into the forest of Obsidian and be alone with nature. Amelia heard the dog door in her bedroom door move as she continued to lay in bed. She then heard it open and close with an additional racket she did not recognize. Something was being dragged across the bedroom floor until it stopped beside her bed. She could feel something hitting the side of her bed a few times before there was an annoyed huff. She pursed her lips together so she did not make a sound, waiting to see what happened next. After a few more grunts and some flapping from beside the bed, Amelia got a birthday surprise she was not looking for. She watched a small gift bag sail into the air above her bed. Before she could comprehend what was happening, it came down, whacking her in the forehead. That was immediately followed by a weight on her chest as her fey dragon planted himself on top of her and pushed the tip of his snout against the end of her nose. "Well, good morning to you too, Blueberry," Amelia laughed as she crossed her eyes to look into his. The diminutive cat-sized blue and green dragon let out a squawk and jumped back as always when she did that to him. It was their own little game they played for as long as Amelia could remember. She sat up and stroked his little head as she laughed. "Alright, what did you throw at me, and who told you to do it?" Amelia giggled. Blueberry let out a trill as he flapped his wings in response. Amelia took the gift bag and opened it. Inside was a sealed plastic bag stuffed with mini triple chocolate chip muffins. Lucy had made her favorite for her birthday breakfast. She took one out of the bag and popped it into her mouth. "And one for you, buddy," Amelia said as she handed one to Blueberry. "Only one. We all know what you are like if you have a lot of sugar." The fey dragon gently took it from her before scarfing it down as fast as he could. While many families had guard dogs, they had a guard dragon…of sorts. He did little actual guarding, but he was marvelous at alerting them of things. Amelia had little doubt that the dragon would fight with all he had to protect her if it came down to it. That made her love him and his antics even more. Blueberry was Amelia's constant companion. He had bonded with her before she was even born. Her family told her stories and showed her pictures of the fey dragon curled up, sleeping on her mother's pregnant belly. After she was born, the little dragon would have a fit to be close to her and sleep in her room. It had taken several weeks before they relented and allowed him into her nursery. Blueberry would sleep perched on the end of her crib or curl up with her in the corner near her feet to ensure she was kept safe. Not long after that, they installed dog doors throughout the house to allow him to move about as he wished. "Come on, Blueberry. Let's go downstairs and see what Mom and Dad have planned for us today," Amelia said before popping another muffin into her mouth. Amelia stretched as she got out of bed and stood. She grabbed an oversized hoodie and pulled it on over her shorts and tank top she had slept in. After putting the bag with the remaining muffins into the pouch, she motioned for Blueberry to come to her. He dutifully flapped from the bed to her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek as they left the room. Amelia could hear the talking and laughter before she reached the kitchen door. She pushed it open a little and peeked in. She was her grandmothers, Elise and Marie, having an animated conversation with Lucy, the cook. Her parents sat on a stool at the kitchen island with their backs to her. Her mom was on her dad's lap with him cradling her. She didn't have to see their faces to know that her mom had her head against his chest with her eyes closed as he played with her long, dark, golden blonde hair. "I know you're there, baby girl," her dad, Tyson, chuckled. He held his arm out to greet her, pulling her into a group hug when she went to him. He kissed Amelia on the temple before letting her go and asking, "What happened to your forehead, and what do you want to do today before and after your party?" "I had a gift bag of mini muffins thrown at me by a fey dragon is what happened to my forehead. As for what I want to do today, I don't know. To be honest, I just wanted to stay in bed half the day and then go for a long walk alone," Amelia said, and was met by a squawk from Blueberry, still on her shoulder. "Alone with this thing. I could never forget him," she said with a smile as she rubbed the dragon's chin. Olivia, her mother, said, "Well, Nick and Emma won't be here until later. They hit bad weather, so they had to divert to Denver until the storm passes. Emma offered to shift and fly them, which did not go over well. I could actually hear Nick turning pale over the phone. So, they will be here as soon as they can." Amelia laughed, "I can picture that. He hates to fly on dragons, and yet he is mated to one who is half-witch. It's the perfect combo. Who's coming with them?" Everyone in the kitchen paused and looked at Amelia. She knew what that meant. On the plane would be Alpha Nicholas Williams, her biological father, Emma Black, her stepmother, her half-brother Damian, and her half-sister Darla. Once again, Gwen and Ethan, Nick's parents and her grandparents, would miss another important moment in her life. Amelia's family could see the disappointment written on her face. They hated that Nick's parents, her biological paternal grandparents, had never taken any interest in her or her life. Olivia's mother, Marie, and Tyson's mother, Elise, moved around the island to hug their granddaughter. It made them angry how Nick's parents voluntarily avoided Amelia. She was their son's oldest child and the rightful heir to the Dark Moon Pack, yet they often acted as if she did not exist. It made them angry every time they thought about it. The grandmothers both hugged Amelia tightly between them. They kissed her cheeks, nearly knocking Blueberry off her shoulder in the process. "We love you, Lia, and we will do whatever it takes for today to be special," Elise said when she and Marie finally released Amelia. "I know, Glammy," Amelia grinned as she looked around the kitchen. "I love all of you too. Even you, Lucy. You are part of this crazy family, too." "You had better believe I am," Lucy laughed. "You kids are the third generation of Emerys I have helped raise. I don't see that ending anytime soon." "It will never end. There will always be an Emery living here," Tyson said as he wiggled his eyebrows at Olivia. "Even if my mate and I have to make another one." "EEWWW! You two are gross," Amelia said. Olivia laughed, "You might want to ask your mate if she wants to have another one before you say that." "Practice then?" Tyson whispered in Olivia's ear as he kissed her neck. "Please stop! I am begging you," Amelia laughed. Elise pulled Amelia's head to her chest and held her tightly even though Amelia was squirming. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves. You will scar this poor child for life. Oh! What am I going to do with all of you?" Elise questioned in an overdramatic tone, making everyone laugh. "Glammy!" Amelia laughed. "If I was going to be scared for life, it has already happened. Those two have always been and will always be like lovesick new mates. I think it's sweet as long as they don't share too much information, like now." "Sorry," Olivia muttered as she blushed deeply. Tyson winked at Olivia and said, "Sorry, baby girl. I can't help it if your mom is the only one I might love more than you kids." "Alright, enough of this mushy stuff. We need to focus on the birthday girl. She still hasn't said what she wants to do before and after the party," Marie laughed as she chastised the group. "I don't know, Grandma. Just relax and spend time with everyone, and then after the party has wrapped up, I really do want to go for a walk alone," Amelia answered as Blueberry huffed on her shoulder. "Alone with my faithful guard dragon." "I think that's a good idea," Olivia agreed with her daughter. Tyson's cell phone began to ring on the island. He smiled when he saw who was calling. "Hey, Nick," Tyson answered as he put it on speaker. "Hey, please tell Amelia we will be there as soon as we can be. We're getting ready to take off now. We should be there in around two and a half hours or so. Tell her we are sorry. We wanted to be there already," Nick rattled when Tyson answered. "Tell her yourself. She's right here, and you're on speaker," Tyson said. "Happy Birthday, LIA!" Amelia's half-sister Darla yelled above the chorus of the same from everyone on the plane. "Thank you! I can't wait for you to get here," Amelia replied. "We will be there soon, sweetheart. We have to go. We are ready to take off. We love you," Nick said, ending the call. "Do you feel better now that you have heard from them?" Olivia asked her daughter. "I do. Do any of you mind if I go for a walk before they get here? I think I need a little alone time before the party. You know, just in case Kevin and Kyra start throwing fireballs at each other and light someone on fire," Amelia asked with a smile. "Go ahead. I might try to sneak in a little quiet time before the party, too. I have a new camera that needs to be broken in," Olivia said. "You know, Amelia, before you were born, I said I wanted you to be just like your mom. Smart, beautiful, full of life, and passionate about things you love. I got exactly what I wished for. I love you," Tyson told his daughter as his eyes misted. "I love you too, Daddy. I promise I will be careful, and I will be back in a couple of hours to get cleaned up before the party," Amelia said before leaving the kitchen. She sighed as she walked into her room. She took Blueberry off her shoulder and put him on the bed while she dressed. It wasn't long before she was ready to go out for her walk. She had a lot to think about. She was an Alpha wolf living in a dragon clan, which also contained a wolf pack, and her dad, the Dragon Lord, was technically her stepfather. At sixteen, she felt a little lost and needed to find her place. - Amelia's party was in full swing. Everyone was laughing and talking, enjoying the food and the company of each other. Amelia had loved spending much of the time with her half-siblings, Damian and Darla. They lived on the opposite side of the country from her, and she did miss them even though they saw each other at least once a month. It wasn't long before her father, Nick, approached and pulled her aside. "I want to give you something. My father gave me something similar when I turned sixteen, so I had this made for you," Nick said. He hesitantly held out a small black velvet box to her. She smiled as she took it and opened it. Inside was a small gold pendant of a wolf howling at a full moon made of black obsidian. The stone was readily found in the Obsidian Clan and was named for it. "It's a modified crest for the Dark Moon Pack," Nick said as he held up his hand to ward off the protest he knew would come from his oldest child. "It is just to let you know you have a place there if you want one. I added the obsidian because that is the biggest part of you. This clan and pack will always be your home. Just know that you are always welcome in Dark Moon if you choose." Amelia smiled and asked, "Would you put it on me?" "I would be honored," Nick beamed with pride. He placed it around her neck and said, "I know my parents have made it clear that they expect you to take over the pack. I do not. I want you to do what makes you happy. Not what someone expects you to do because of who your father is. You are only sixteen. You have at least a couple of years before you even need to think about anything like that. Find what makes you happy. After that, the rest is easy." Amelia turned around to look at her father when the chain was fastened. "Thank you for everything." "Don't thank me. Your mom and dad have raised you to be the best you can be. You are kind, smart, and thoughtful to everyone. That is all because of how they raised you. I can't even take credit for your good looks. You look exactly like your mom except for those blue specks in your gray eyes. Although you are six inches taller than her, and I will take credit for that." Nick kissed the top of her head. "I'll go back to the party. Why don't you take a few minutes? You are an Alpha, and a strong one at that. I can feel all your emotions swirling about." Amelia smiled as Nick walked away from her. Nick was her biological father, but he had never pushed her to take over the Dark Moon Pack. Obsidian was her home and where her family was. Nick even called Tyson her dad because he was in every way that mattered. Even after hearing this, she still felt out of place. The Obsidian Clan was her home; her dad was the leader, yet she was not a dragon. To her, she was only a werewolf with some fairy magic. While that made her unique, it did not make her fit in. That was what she wanted. To be happy and to find where she fit in. She had two years to figure it out, and then she had to make some hard choices.