Sixteenth Birthday

Esther and Desiree had become close; however, she trusted Jasmine more than Desiree. Esther could never fully get over what her grandmother said. Her grandmother had a gift of discerning; if someone didn’t sit right with her, then there was a good chance she was right. Jasmine and Desiree became close and loved kidnapping Esther from her training or studying to go shopping or for a spa day. Jasmine would always take the consequences from Samantha, knowing how much Samantha dislikes Desiree. Plus, Jasmine has a secret weapon in the form of Samantha’s grandson. The next few years for Esther consisted of Training/ Studying and, on rare occasions, a spa day or shopping day with her new sisters and best friends.

Esther headed to the training grounds; her sixteenth birthday was a month away, and she knew her family was planning something big. Her grandmother was already on the training grounds, arms crossed. Esther knew she was in big trouble and tried her best not to confront her. Samantha was about to scold Esther until she saw the puffiness in her eyes and knew that her granddaughter was crying again. Her granddaughter kept her emotions bottled up, and as much as she tried to get her to talk, Esther wouldn’t bite. These crying sessions were becoming more and more frequent. “Esther, are you ready?” Samantha said in a soft tone. “Yes, Grandma, I am ready,” Esther responded. Esther and Samantha sparred for a while before her brothers joined, and they began training in their wolf form. It was getting dark, and her brothers had left to tend to Alpha duties; Esther was now sparring with some of the newer warriors. She was getting tired as she had been sparring all day without lunch. Esther called it a day, grabbed a bite, and spent the rest of the time in the library studying. She was making her way into the packhouse and overheard some of the servants talking about a party. She knew it was her sixteenth party there were talking about and was curious to know what type of outrageous lavish party they had planned for her. Her family had focused on the different types of princesses since her tenth birthday; at this point, they have gone through all the princesses. The only one they have not done is the Moon Goddess, and she was a little excited to see what type of party it would look like. Esther grabbed a sandwich and milk from the kitchen before wandering into the library. The servants were very secretive and would stop talking when she came around. She already knew what they were talking about but understood how much this meant to her family. This could be her last birthday with her family, as the mating ritual was right after her birthday party. Esther stepped into the library, picked up a business economics book before her, and began wandering. She walked to the bookshelf and picked up the book about the history of her tribe. Her wolf Esmeralda was restless today and has become more restless over the days. She had finally combined her wolf's powers with the vampire's, and Esmeralda was as strong as ever. However, her wolf seemed to be pacing for days now, and all she would tell Esther was that something big was about to happen. That statement had brought a lot of pent-up emotions to the surface as the prodigy of her birth repeatedly repeated it in her head. Esther dozed off in the library only to be woken up by her nephew Cillo. “Aunty Essie, what are you doing?” the little boy said. Esther, groggy-eyed, picked up her nephew and began tickling him and showering him with kisses.“Auntie is hiding from a little monster,” Esther said between kisses. She put her nephew down, and he at once ran out of the room. Esther stood up and put the book away; she started walking toward the kitchen before changing her mind and going to her room. Whatever surprise they had, she would wait for her birthday to see. The next morning instead of her grandmother waking her up, it was Desiree and Jasmine. Esther was confused about what was happening until they explained that they were sent here to take her shopping for a birthday outfit. Esther was happy but a little confused; her birthday was a week away, and the ball was three weeks away. She knew she was at the final stages of her training and was shocked that her grandmother was allowing her to have a day out. Jasmine and Desiree reassured her that her grandmother allowed them to destress. Esther did not need any more convincing; she was in the bathroom in no time. An hour later, Esther was downstairs waiting for her sister. She threw on a pair of skinny black jeans with a grey crop top sweater and grey knee-high boots. Esther put her hair up in a bun as she went shopping. Jasmine and Desiree walked in and started whistling. Esther started laughing at the reaction that she got from her sisters. Esther was in great shape; hybrids were always fit due to the calories lost in the shift. However, Esther was taller and curvier than the other female wolves. Jasmine, Desiree, and Esther headed out to the shopping center. The shopping mall was not on the tribal lands, so the girls needed extra security for their shopping spree. After hours of shopping, the three wandered back into the packhouse; Esther was excited at the new birthday outfit and the clothes she got. She headed back into the room to unpack her new clothes. She was tired from all the walking that she was doing. Esther was exhausted from both the training and shopping. It took three stores before they could find the right birthday dress, and they could find her a beautiful dress for the ball. Esther allowed the happiness to encompass her. She was happy for the first time in a long while.