“It’s your birthday,” Philip repeated. “Look here!”
He turned the laptop around, showing me the calendar. Sure enough, it was indeed my birthday. Huh, where had all the time gone?
“So it is,” I said before returning to my conversation with Frank on how to use the latest smartphones. Technology changed so fast in a short amount of time, and Frank was stuck on the fact that phones didn’t have headphone jacks anymore.
I had to admit, that was a pretty inconvenient tech decision.
Ven suddenly jumped to her feet. “What do you mean it’s your birthday?”
Before I could answer, America stuck her head out of the back door. “Wait, did I just hear that it’s your birthday?”
“Yeah, it is, but it’s not a big deal. Really. I’m just grateful to be alive and have all of us here.” I was being sincere. I’d never been big on birthdays, and with everything we’d gone through, the peace was enough for me. I really didn’t need anything else.
“Oh, bullshit,” Ven said. “When was the last time you even had a birthday anyway? You were stuck as your wolf for so long. None of you were supposed to ever have another birthday again, so we are going to celebrate, and we’re going to celebrate hard.”
“Really, I promise, I’m happy.” I sent my love a grateful smile, thinking that would be the last of it. I didn’t think my opinion was something I could be wrong about, but I was quickly corrected of that notion when everyone around me insisted we needed to celebrate. Birthdays were us laughing in the faces of the very warlocks who had tried to end us all.
They had point there.
And that was how I’d ended up being whisked off on a long run with Ricky and several others while everyone set up for one hell of a shindig. There would be no punches pulled because half the people setting it up were Latin. Although I hadn’t hung around many coyote shifters, I knew their celebrations were full of delicious food and often carried on until three in the morning. At least Ven lived deep enough in the country that we wouldn’t be getting any noise complaints.
I tried my best to convince them I didn’t need to celebrate, but it was all in vain, so I simply enjoyed the run. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d truly sprinted with my packmates in the wild. Running was a huge part of our culture, and it felt like it was one more thing we were reclaiming for ourselves.
I couldn’t say quite how long we ran, but it was long enough that I was pleasantly exhausted when we returned, my flank on the verge of overheating. It was also the longest I’d ever been in my wolf form since Ven had broken my curse. I had forgotten what it was like to justbemy wolf self rather than only taking that form to rush into battle. Now that things were calmer, I could take the time to do more leisurely things so my inner wolf and I could both stay healthy and on the same page.
“Man, that smells amazing,” Ricky said as we approached the opening in the woods around Ven’s land.
I had to agree with him. I’d always been a fan of barbacoa, tamales, empanadas, and the like, but I only ever had it when I traveled, and that rarely happened. My mouth watered as we approached the house, but even with all the smells and sounds, I still wasn’t quite expecting what awaited me.
There were six long folding tables set up in the yard, the kind that reminded me of church potlucks. A combination of folding chairs and camping seats surrounded them, while yet another two long tables were laden with tinfoil-covered containers. Someone had pulled up a grill, which was smoking pleasantly on the far side of the garden, and the kitchen windows were open, so another bouquet of mouthwatering smells drifted out from it.
“Holy shit,” I said, well and truly shocked that they’d managed to do all this in a few hours. It hadn’t even felt like we were gone that long.
“Do you like it?” America asked, bounding up to me out of nowhere. I had to admit, the girl moved fast.
“It’s definitely impressive.” I didn’t mean to sound cagey, but I was truly surprised by the lavish display and the fact that everyone present seemed so excited. My birthday wasn’t a big deal to me, but clearly the little slice of normalcy was a huge deal to everyone else. I wouldn’t be a wet blanket about it. If people wanted to celebrate, then I would celebrate.
“But do youlikeit?”
“I love it. It’s really amazing what you guys have done so far.”
America beamed at me, and I got swept up a bit in the festive spirit. It was hard not to when everyone looked so eager. “This ain’t nothing. If you ever want to see a real party, you should come down to one of my nieces’quinceañeras. We’ll show you how we really throw down. Although, you’ll have to bring your rhythm. Dancing is obligatory.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Have you seen Ven around? I want to steal her for a minute.”
“Actually, I have to call ixnay on that. She’s busy in the kitchen and gave me orders not to allow you in there until she gives the word.”
“Really? I’ve been banished from the kitchen?”
“Effective immediately.”
I laughed. I was alpha, so I could order her to stand aside and march right into the kitchen, but I didn’t even have the faintest compunction to do that. My father always told me that being the best alpha wasn’t about how much you could order your people around, but how well you listened and provided for your people. Instead of arguing, I shook my head and looked at Ricky.
“I guess we’re a bunch of kitchen fugitives now.”
“Sorry, boss, but from what I’m hearing, you’re the only one who’s been banished, not the rest of us. I’m going to head inside and see if there’s any morsels I can sneak a taste of.” He clapped my shoulder. “Have fun being social with all our lovely guests.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, glowering. “Traitor.”
