by Morse, Jody
“He’s not going camping with you?” Colby asked, feeling surprised but hopeful. He knew that Emma would be disappointed to have a birthday party without her best friend there, but at least her other best friend might be able to make it.
“No, he has to work on Saturday. He gets out of work by eight o’clock, though,” Samara replied. There was the sound of the baby crying in the background and then she said, “Hey, Colby? Davenport needs me, so I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, bye,” Colby replied as he ended the call. He marked Samara, Silas, and Kyle off his list of people to invite. The next people on the list were Chris, Kyana, and Steve.
Luckily, he didn’t need to go far to invite them to the party. He rose to his feet and headed down the hallway. Chris and Kyana were cuddling on the couch in the entertainment room watching Steve play Nintendo Wii.
“Hey, guys?” Colby asked. “I want you all to keep your schedules open on Saturday night, if you can. I’m throwing a surprise party for Emma.”
“We can’t,” Kyana replied, shaking her head. “We already made plans to hang out with the Koto pack in New Jersey for the weekend. It’s my best friend Skye’s birthday, too.”
“Oh.” Colby couldn’t hide the disappointment from his face. He turned to Steve. “How about you? Can you make it?”
Steve shook his head. “Nah, I’m sorry Colby. I have a date with Maya.” He grinned at the mention of the girl who he’d started seeing a few months earlier. “I wanna say I’m upset I won’t be able to make it, but let’s be real here. This is Emma and we all know that she cries at her parties if she wants to.”
Colby let out a low, defensive growl. “Are you calling my mate a crybaby?”
Steve shrugged. “All I’m sayin’ is that I know what types of drama she’s pulled in the past with her birthday parties. Last year, I gave her a really cute paw print charm for her Pandora bracelet, and she threw a hissy fit. I have exceptional taste in jewelry, but she thought I was calling her a dog, if you remember.”
“Which is ridiculous, considering she is a dog,” Chris chimed in.
“I’m just sayin’. My birthday presents always seem to go unappreciated anyway, so I doubt she’ll miss me,” Steve replied with a shrug. “No hard feelings, though. Emma helped me pick out some candy and flowers to give Maya tonight. The two of them really seem to be hitting it off, so maybe we can all plan a double date soon?”
“Yeah, sure,” Colby mumbled, as he turned away from him and left the room. He walked back down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Emma feeling crushed.
Samara was right. He probably should have sent out invitations weeks ago if he wanted to pull this thing off. But he was still determined to give Emma the surprise birthday party she’d always wanted.
At that moment, Bennett appeared in the room. “Don’t be upset, Colby. I know the perfect solution to Emma’s surprise party.”
Colby felt a little bit of hope spark within him. “What is it?”
“It’s simple, really. All you need to do is invite all the kids from school,” Bennett replied. “That way, there will be more people who come to the party, which will make up for the fact that all of her friends won’t be able to attend.”
Colby frowned. “That won’t really work. Emma doesn’t like her old friends anymore now that she’s a werewolf. She doesn’t think they have anything in common anymore.”
Bennett shrugged. “That’s so very Emma of her. Maybe she can get over it for one night, though. She’s the one who asked for this surprise party, isn’t she?”
“Well, yeah. . .” Colby thought about it for a moment, but then he shook his head. “No, I know my Emma. She wouldn’t want a bunch of random people here for her birthday. I’m going to try to make the most of the party with everyone who can make it.”
“If anyone can make it,” Bennett pointed out.
By the time Saturday came, it was pretty clear that no one was going to be coming to the party besides Colby and Declan. Seth and Penelope both had plans to meet up with her family in Ohio for the weekend. Seth would be meeting them for the first time since they’d ended up together. Apparently things had been shaky between them since she’d joined the Tala pack, but she was too excited for them to meet her mate to cancel the plans they’d made for Emma’s birthday party.
Colby had even tried inviting Samara’s parents over for the night, but they wanted to stick to Daven’s sleep schedule instead of bringing him along (and Colby couldn’t blame them. Wolf babies didn’t do very well when they didn’t stick to the same routine).
Emma was supposed to get home from her job at the beauty salon, where she answered phones and put people in the tanning beds, at nine o’clock. Colby had gone to the grocery store earlier that day to buy a birthday cake, some frozen pizzas and hot wings, and birthday decorations. Streamers already covered the walls, and he’d bought some birthday hats, too—a princess crown for Emma and Sponge Bob-themed hats for him and Declan.
He knew that it all seemed immature, but what did it really matter? The surprise party wasn’t going to live up to what Emma had in mind, anyway. He would be in the dog house later, anyway (no pun intended).
Around eight o’clock, his phone rang. One glance at the caller ID told him it was Declan.
“Hey, what’s up, man?” Colby asked.
“I have bad news, Colby,” Declan replied. “I’m not going to be able to make it tonight.”
“You’re not?”
“No, unfortunately Daven’s come down with a cold. I called Dr. Mink and, luckily, his office is still open tonight. He said it’s probably nothing major, but he wants me to bring him in so he can take a look just in case,” Declan replied. “Tell Emma I said happy birthday, though, okay?”
“I will,” Colby replied. “I hope Daven feels better.”
“Thanks,” Declan said before hanging up the phone.
At that moment, Bennett appeared in the living room in front of him. “Declan can’t make it, either, huh?”
“No,” Colby replied, not meeting his gaze. He knew that Bennett was going to go off on an I-told-you-so rant, and he really wasn’t in the mood to hear it. He’d really wanted to make Emma’s birthday special for her, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen.
He felt like a failure.
“It’s never too late to invite those people from your high school,” Bennett insisted. “They might not have time to buy Emma a present, but at least they’ll show up.”
“That’s okay. I’ll pass,” Colby replied, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.
“Fine. Do as you wish,” Bennett replied before going invisible again.
Colby only hoped that he would stay invisible for the rest of the night, but he doubted that would happen. He seemed to be popping up more than usual lately, each time more sarcastic than the last.
Around 8:45, Colby turned all of the lights off in the house and then hid underneath the dining room table. He was going to yell surprise when Emma came in. It would probably be the most disappointing surprise birthday party ever, but what could he do now?
Half an hour later, he finally heard the sound of the front door opening and Emma calling out to him. “Colby Jack! I’m home!”
He climbed out from underneath the table and yelled, “Surprise!”
She turned on the light and blinked. “What are you doing?”
“I threw you a surprise party,” he explained.
Emma glanced around. “So, where is everyone, then?”
“Well, that’s the thing. . .” Colby tried to decide on the best way to explain what had happened to her before he finally blurted, “No one was able to make it besides me. I’m so, so sorry, Emma. If I had known earlier that you wanted a surprise party, I would have made sure I threw one at a time when everyone could make it, but . . . it didn’t work out the way I planned for it to. I hope you’re not mad.”
A smile broke across her lips. “Why would I be mad?” she asked
. “You were incredibly sweet by throwing me a surprise party at all. I don’t care if anyone was able to make it. Maybe next year you can throw me a bigger party—even if it’s not a surprise party—but all that matters is that you’re here.”
Colby grinned and knelt down to plant a small kiss on her lips. “Happy birthday.”
*
Glancing up at Bennett now, he said, “For your information, I think Emma’s birthday party went really well, even without your help.”
Bennett shrugged. “Perhaps, but maybe next year you should consider heeding my advice. Give her the party of her dreams.” He winked before disappearing, as usual, into thin air.
Chapter 9: Emma
It was starting to get dark out, but Emma entered the woods anyway. She ran as quickly as her gray paws could carry her. She wasn’t sure what was inside the woods, but she had a feeling that there was something there that she needed to see.
Ever since she’d become a werewolf, Emma had learned to trust her own instincts. First, there had been the time when she’d sensed that Joe McKinley’s legendary talisman was missing. And then there was the other incident, with Samara. . .
*
“So, do you want to go see a movie at the mall today?” Emma asked. “I heard that new one with Sandra Bullock is really good. Or there’s that one with Channing Tatum. It has a lot of action, which isn’t my thing, but I’m willing to watch it with that level of hotness in it.”
Samara shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I would rather just stay in.”
“Again?” Emma asked exasperatedly. It had only been five weeks since Luke had died, so it was to be expected that Samara would still feel broken over his death. It was even worse than losing a loved one; she’d lost her mate—someone who she’d been physically, emotionally, and mentally connected to. Of course it was going to hurt, even if Declan was her mate, too.
As patient as Emma had tried to be with her best friend, though, she didn’t think it was healthy for her to stay locked inside her bedroom all the time. It was just so . . . sad.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me, Em,” Samara replied.
“I know, but . . . what about Declan?” Emma questioned. “I’m sure that he’s missed seeing more of you, too.”
“Actually, we’ve been seeing each other a lot lately,” Samara replied, her face brightening a little. “He’s been bringing me my homework every day and then he usually stays until bedtime.”
Samara had opted to finish the rest of the semester at home. The school had been very cooperative over it, since she was grieving the loss of her husband. Emma missed seeing her best friend every day, but she understood how hard it would have been for her to go back to the same school hallways that Luke had once walked. It even made Emma sad sometimes if she allowed herself to think about it.
“Well, I’m glad you’ve been spending time with Declan at least,” Emma replied. “I know I’ve missed you, though. And so has the rest of the pack.”
“I’ve missed you all, too,” Samara replied with a small, sad smile. “I’ll come around, though, in my own time—probably soon.”
“Good.” Emma smiled and opened her mouth to fill her in on some of the gossip about their fellow classmates that she’d missed out on since she’d been home (mostly to have something to talk about, because she really didn’t care all that much about gossip anymore) when Samara’s stomach took on a beautiful blue glow. The light radiated through her shirt; it was obvious that it was coming from the other side. Emma stared at it for a few moments and then glanced up into her best friend’s eyes. “Sam, do you have something under your shirt?”
Her best friend raised her dark eyebrows at her and then glanced down at her stomach. “No. Why?”
“Because your stomach is glowing. It’s blue,” Emma explained. “Don’t you see it?”
Samara shook her head. “No. . .”
Emma wondered why her best friend couldn’t see it, even though she could. A thought crossed her mind. “I know this is going to seem like a strange thing for me to ask, but . . . do you think you could be pregnant?”
Samara blinked and swallowed hard. “I-I don’t think so. . .”
“When’s the last time you got your period?” Emma asked.
“I don’t know. It’s been a while,” her best friend murmured with a frown. “But it’s probably just because I’m stressed.”
Emma shook her head. “No . . . no, I have a gut feeling about this, Sam. You’re pregnant, and it’s a boy.”
Samara laughed. “I don’t think so.”
“I don’t want to be too nosy, but what type of condoms were you and Luke using? They’re not all as effective. Colby and I use Beastly Pleasure, but even those aren’t one-hundred percent effective, I guess. If you guys were using Maximum Howls, it’s actually really likely they didn’t work. Those aren’t much different from human condoms, supposedly.”
Her best friend narrowed her eyes at her. “Human condoms? What are you talking about? Aren’t all condoms made for humans?” She laughed a little. “We were just using Trojans . . . when we used them at all.”
“Oh, no. No one told you how fertile we are, did they?” Emma asked. “Or that you need to use werewolf condoms when you have sex?”
“No, I didn’t even know there was such a thing,” Samara replied, starting to look a little panicked.
“Human condoms don’t work for werewolves, since we’re much more fertile,” Emma explained. “You need to take a pregnancy test, Sam. Right now.”
“I guess we need to go get one,” Samara agreed, rising to her feet.
“Actually, that won’t be necessary. I carry one with me at all times,” Emma replied, pulling a foil-wrapped test out of her purse. When her best friend stared back at her with wide eyes, she explained, “You can never be too careful.”
Samara took the pregnancy test from her, but she hesitated for a moment. “What if I am pregnant, Em? What am I going to do?”
Emma turned to her best friend. “You don’t have to worry, Sam. I know your parents would be supportive, and we’re all here for you—the whole pack.”
“What about Declan?” Samara whispered, a look of fear in her eyes.
“He loves you. I’m sure that he’ll learn to accept it,” Emma replied, and she wasn’t lying. She didn’t think that Declan’s love for Sam was going to change just because she might have been pregnant with her now-deceased mate’s baby. Declan was the type who would stand by her side through it all, no matter what. Emma could just feel it.
“I don’t know. . .”
“Just take the test and we’ll worry about Declan later, okay?” Emma said.
“Okay,” Samara agreed before turning away from her and heading out into the hallway for the bathroom.
Once her best friend disappeared, Emma sat down at the chair to her computer desk and thought about everything. Even if the pregnancy test gave a false result, did it really even make a difference? Her best friend hadn’t had a period in who knows how long and, more importantly, it was possible to get a false negative on a home pregnancy test.
Emma! Emma, you need to turn off your own thoughts for, like, a second and just listen to me, Colby told her, sounding frustrated, through mind-speak.
What is it? Emma asked. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d been trying to speak to her.
I’ve been trying to reach you for the past ten minutes, but you’ve been thinking over me, Colby replied. I just wanted to tell you that even if Samara takes a thousand of those pregnancy tests, they’ll all turn out to be negative. Human pregnancy tests don’t work on werewolves. A sample of her blood would need to be sent out to the werewolf lab for testing.
Oh, I didn’t realize that, Emma replied to him through her thoughts, just as the door was flung open.
“See, Em? It’s negative,” Samara said, waving the pregnancy test in front of her face.
But then Emma explained what Colby had told her.
The next
day, Sam had gone to the doctor and had her blood drawn. Declan had been excited about the idea of a baby even before they got the test results back, luckily.
When the test results came back, sure enough, Samara was pregnant. Not long after, they learned that she was having a boy—which explained why the light that radiated through her stomach had been blue, rather than pink. Emma didn’t quite understand why she was the only one who could see Samara’s stomach glowing.
Eager to see if her own stomach glowed, Emma ran through a clearing and glanced down into a stream. In the rippling water, her stomach looked just the same as it always did. If she was able to tell that Samara was pregnant, how come she wasn’t able to sense whether she was or not, too?
Maybe it was because Emma’s premonitions only seemed to work on everyone else, but not on herself. Or maybe it was because she was too afraid to find out the truth.
A twig snapped from somewhere behind her.
Hello, Emma, a familiar voice said.
Chapter 10: Emma
Realizing why she’d been drawn to the forest, Emma stood frozen in her tracks. What are you doing here?
What do you mean, what am I doing here? Her stepdad, Gary, snorted. I live here. I have no place else to go.
That’s not true, and you know it, Emma replied. She noticed that Gary’s hair looked matted and mangy, almost as though he had some sort of nutritional deficiency. He also looked a lot thinner than he had been the last time she’d seen him. You can’t tell me that you’re not lonely out here, living all alone in the woods. Do you even have a pack?
He sat down, staring at her evenly. No, I don’t have a pack. I should have been a part of the Tala, I suppose, but everything seemed to be in limbo when Samara bit me. Things changed too much, and I somehow got lost in that.
How do you even know about the Tala? It seemed like her stepdad had a hermit-like existence living out in the woods. It made no sense that he knew any pack names.
I’ve come across a few werewolves over the past year. Enough to learn the ropes, he explained.