Chapter 3: Party Time

Ginger POV

Ginger didn’t a party for three-year-olds had ever been so big.

In the Garnet home, there was a ballroom with a mosaic floor and a ceiling painted to look like a nighttime sky. It was the only place that could hold the entire pack. Since her niece and nephew were the Alpha’s children, everyone wanted to attend the birthday party.

Ginger had put up with the same thing herself while she was growing up. She loved all the attention at first, but as she got older, she realized most people were only there to speak with Harkin while he was Alpha. After she turned twenty-one, she put a stop to her extravagant birthday parties.

Ginger was overseeing the buffet setup when Ylana scurried over to her. Deep bags were under her eyes.

“I see you haven’t been to the makeup team yet,” Ginger teased.

Ylana glared at her. “My beautiful little spawns are refusing to stay away from the party area. How can the huge inflatable obstacle course be set up if they keep appearing out of thin air to go down the slide?”

Ginger blinked. “That is the fastest I’ve ever heard you speak. Take a few deep breaths.”

Ylana closed her eyes and did as Ginger commanded.

“Good,” Ginger said with a soothing tone. “Where are the twins now?”

Ylana opened her eyes. “Indigo is following them around the house. It’s giving him a chance to practice transporting himself.”

Ginger was often jealous that Ylana, Indigo, and the twins could do such amazing things. Her life would be so much easier if she could transport herself anywhere she wanted. Being able to travel to other countries without taking a plane would be glorious.

“Is Indigo doing this all by himself?” she asked Ylana. After all, Indigo could only follow one toddler at a time.

Ylana started walking toward the stage. Ginger followed and sat on the edge of it with her.

“Lily’s helping as best as she can,” Ylana said while rubbing her neck.

“You need a baby break,” Ginger declared as an idea formed in her mind. “I saw something online about this new nightclub having its grand opening tonight. We should go! We can get sloppy drunk, you can complain about motherhood, and I can cry about not having a mate.”

Ylana perked up. “So, that’s why you were so quiet at dinner the other night. I knew something was wrong.”

Ginger looked at her feet. “Out of all of us, I’m the only one without a mate. It just feels sort of unfair.”

Ylana frowned. “I never thought you cared so much about that.”

Ginger looked up again. “For a long time, I didn’t. Having hookups is fun, and I like that I never need to put a lot of effort into them. But I think in recent years I’ve only been doing it for some kind of distraction. I did it more often after my mom died, and again after the whole Carmine thing.”

A grimace flashed across Ylana’s face as she readjusted her sitting position, moving so that she was sitting on her right leg. Ginger immediately regretted bringing up Carmine.

Carmine had been Harkin’s Beta before he stepped down as Alpha. Ginger had held the man in high regard. Both she and Rowan thought of him as an uncle; he had always been there, in their lives.

But then Carmine betrayed them – the worst thing a Beta could do. He plotted to kill Ylana and eventually kidnapped her. The ordeal had traumatized them all, and Carmine had been executed for his actions.

“I’m sorry,” Ginger whispered. “I know you don’t like to hear his name.”

Ylana rested her head on Ginger’s shoulder. “It’s mostly because I have to talk about him so much in therapy every week.”

Ginger placed her hand on Ylana’s knee and got back onto topic. “I feel like I’m done with distractions. I actually want to feel something now.”

“Then you better not abandon me when we go out tonight to hook up with some random dude,” Ylana said teasingly.

Ginger leaned back to grin at Ylana. “You’ll go?”

Ylana nodded. “You’re right. We both need a break from our real lives.”

“Yay!” Ginger kicked her feet happily and pulled Ylana into a hug. She glanced over Ylana’s shoulder toward the inflatable obstacle course. In a quick moment, Crimson proofed onto the top of the slide. “Uh-oh.”

“What?” Ylana broke the hug and followed Ginger’s line of sight. “Oh my god.”

As Ylana stood to run over to her son, Indigo appeared at the bottom of the slide. Just in time to apprehend the little boy after he went down the slide.

“I’ve got it under control!” Indigo cried with crazed eyes.

Ylana stopped in her tracks. “Sure you do.”

Ginger was glad Ylana’s death stare wasn’t aimed at her. It was a scary one.

Indigo hopped out of the obstacle course and ran out of the ballroom with Crimson in his arms.

Ylana slowly turned to face Ginger. “Yeah. I’m going to need to get wasted tonight.”

*****

The twins enjoyed their birthday party. Ginger bought Crimson a little crown to wear and Poppy got a tiara. The accessories matched perfectly with the dress and suit Ylana put them in.

It was a good thing Ylana decided to hide the cake and presents from the kids because they went absolutely insane when both were revealed. It was also a solid plan to have them open presents after they had the cake. The sugar high fueled some furious wrapping paper shredding.

While Ginger was taking pictures, Indigo walked up to her.

“How are they already three?” he asked wistfully.

Ginger paused her picture-taking and chuckled. “In no time they’ll be sixteen.”

Indigo faked a shiver. “Totally not looking forward to that. With how they act now, I assume the teen years will be a nightmare.”

“You weren’t so bad at sixteen,” Ginger said as she poked her foot against Indigo’s. He was that age when she met him.

“Well, their upbringing is way different. They won’t feel afraid to be a little rebellious,” he mused.

Indigo had a point, Ginger thought. His father, Odo, had been a cruel man. Neither he nor Ylana talked to him anymore.

Indigo smiled while he watched Poppy make a gift float into her hands. He went on, “Plus, they’re already aware of their magic. That’ll make things tricky.”

Ginger laughed as she thought of how much trouble she would’ve gotten into as a teenager with magic. “It’ll be hard to stop them from sneaking out at night.”

Indigo laughed too. “Ylana and Rowan will figure it out. Speaking of Ylana, I hear you’re making her go out tonight.”

“It didn’t take much convincing,” she told him. “When did she tell you?” Ginger didn’t think Ylana and Indigo had talked much before the party started.

Indigo heaved a sigh. “It was when me and Lily brought the twins in here for the party. She asked me to help keep the little terrors under control tonight. I think it’s good, though. It seems like you two haven’t done anything not related to the babies or the pack in a while.”

“Oh god.” Ginger tried to recall the last time she and Ylana did anything together just for fun. Maybe going shopping sometime before Ylana knew she was pregnant with the twins. “I’ve gotten so boring! And I’m not even thirty yet.”

Indigo smirked. “Time for a quarter-life crisis, huh?”

“If I weren’t significantly stronger than you, I’d slap you silly,” Ginger growled.

Indigo shrugged. “I may not be able to heal myself, but I could get Ylana to do it.”

Ginger huffed. She hated how Ylana and Indigo practiced healing people. Since the rest of the family – including the twins – had accelerated shifter healing, they chose to use their own bodies instead. They would hurt themselves and get the other one to do the healing. Ginger refused to watch whenever they did it.

“Then I guess I’ll just have to kill you,” Ginger joked.

Indigo wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ve brought dead plants back to life, so you never know.”

Ginger snorted. “Please. The last thing we need is you convincing people you’re a god or something.”

Indigo bumped his shoulder against hers. “It’d be pretty cool though. As a god, I’d give you a high position in my cult.”

“Thanks so much,” Ginger replied flatly.