An Unhappy Birthday

I wake to the smell of ink and bacon. I stretch and realize I fell asleep in the library with my face pressed against the portrait of a Fay Princess. The Fay were the only ones that didn't cross into this world such a shame somehow, I feel things would be different with them around. I close the book and sneak out of the library the sun is barely rising which means Max's is the one cooking and he doesn't like to share.

When I first arrived, he used to pull my hair and hit me when he thought no one was looking. He broke one of my ribs when I was ten and I broke his spine after that he left me alone. It was the best summer ever it took Max four months to recover.

Once he recovered Uncle sent him away see Uncle Spencer has many rules and one of them is you never hurt a Female unless she's trying to kill you. Aunt Sonia pleaded on Max's behalf, but it was no good. When Max returned, he was different distant, but he left me alone.

There's a small present at my door I snatch it up and head inside. Happy birthday, Z. Besides Uncle and Aunt Zack's the only other person that remembers my actual birthday. Unlike Max, Zack took to me right away, and I, him. We're technically the same age even if it's not on paper. I open the box and inside lays a necklace with a trinket shaped like an eye the silver is twisted into the form of a wolf howling at the moon with tiny rose thorns reaching towards them, the family crest.

I clasp the necklace on, it falls just below my clavicle. There's a light tap on my door followed by, "If I were you, I'd hurry dad made bacon and banana hazelnut pancakes. Oh, and ma made coffee with double chocolate cream," I rush to the bathroom and shower then dress in black leggings and lavender long sleeve baby doll dress that has roses embroider at the hem. My stomach growls as I slip my black flats on.

If I don't hurry Max will eat everything, can't have that I almost trip down the stairs. In my rush to get downstairs, I missed stepped luckily or I should say unluckily Lucas catches me. My breath catches as our eyes lock, he's are like black pools of obsidian to my hazel ones. If Roman were to die or be proven unfit to be Uncle's Beta Lucas would be next in line.

He's been trained since birth to be Zack's Beta just like Zack has been trained to be the next Alpha. Due to Max's lack of discipline growing up, Uncle skipped him over, it doesn't help he was born under an unlucky star.

"You should be more careful," Lucas sets me down on the first step, "where are you off to?"

As handsome as he is, I've always found him slightly unsettling. Whenever he's in the City he makes a point to stay in the house and if we're in the same room his eyes remained train on me. At times I wonder if he knows what I am. Aunt's reassured me the healer masked my scent and that there's no way for Lucas to know that unless I tell him and yet I feel unease at the pit of my stomach every time he's around.

That's right Healers are the other exception to the Change and they're strong enough to fry you if threatened. Since being turned into a Vamp nullified their powers and since the Vamps believe there are too many wolves all parties leave them alone. Some of the Gifted have powers that can bend the earth and raise the seas while others only can heal. Their Queen is said to have the ability to bend time itself and even raise the dead.

Lucas continues to stare at me as if he could read my thoughts, so I blurt out, "bacon," and runoff. I come to a stretching halt when I see nana May sitting at the head of the table. Nana May is Uncle Spencer's mother and an Alpha by birth and right. She took the position after her father died and defeated her Uncles who fought over who would be the next Alpha, she was only nine.

"Nana, nana," I run over to her and almost trip over Siri's tale, Siri is Nana's Beta and prefers to remain in her snowy wolf form.

"Calm down child," Nana stands and pets my head she's at least four inches taller than me and I'm only five-five, "sit," I take the chair next to her and wait for the others to sit before serving myself.

Nana May visits once a year usually around the Moon Festival, I wonder why she's here. Of course, I can't ask her the family has a rule about not discussing business while eating it disrupts the harmony.

I take pieces of bacon and feed them to Siri who in turn licks my fingers and nips at my ankles when I take too long handing her the next piece. Zack shakes his head and passes me a plate of breakfast sausages; I place two on my plate and sneak one to Siri.

"Enough," Nana May says, "If Siri wants to eat, she can change forms and join us on the table. She is not some house pet."

"Yes, Nana," I pout and cut into my pancakes. Nana May has always believed in treating me like any other child. Her exact words when she learned I was "demented," where, "Elisa is a member of this family and will be treated like everyone else."

While Uncle is Alpha of his pack, no one dares contradict Nana May. Even the other Alpha's bow down to her as far as the outside world is concern Nana May is the Queen of Wolves and no one's stupid enough to argue it.

After breakfast, I head outside with Siri and sit under one of the grand oaks. Nana insisted on talking to Uncle and Aunt alone not even Roman was allowed access to their conversation. I fall asleep under the oak's shadow with Siri's head on my lap. I'm shaken out of my sleep Aunt Sonia's covered in blood and Siri is nowhere in sight.

Aunt Sonia presses a bloody finger against her lips and nods to follow her. I do as I'm told still slightly disoriented from my nap, I follow her into the bakery. The sky is grey with heavy clouds a storm is brewing and I can't help but feel a sense of dread. Aunt leads me into the little office and sits the door.

"You need to run they know what you are," she wipes her hands and heads for the safe, "everyone's dead," she punches in the code and pulls out an envelope, "take this Spencer and I made them when you first arrived just in case."

"How?"

"I don't know," Aunt Sonia wipes tears away, "I'm going to do something and I need you to keep suppressing your other half," before I can ask, she bites me, "no one can know how you were created, understand."

Words escape me so I nod, wolves carry the mark of their master since Aunt bit me it should help mask my true nature. She opens the closet and pulls out a duffle, "head to the airport and start a new life. Never turn back!"

I shake my head but it's no use she pushes me out of the office and through the bakery's side door. A howl pierces the night followed by several more; just as hail begins to fall followed by fat drops of rain. I shove the envelope into the duffle and run.

I pray the rain masks my scent I run until I'm numb. This is all my fault I should have never returned. When I first arrived, I ran away made as far as two blocks before Zack found me and convinced me to return. They would all be alive had I just stayed away.