Surprise

Chapter 25: Birthday Girl

Training changed to everyday, the wolves in the back, shifting.  I heard there was separate training in the basement for the vampires and anyone else.

I kept working with Melody, who I had started talking to at other times, in human form, once we’d discovered who each other were when we weren’t in wolf form.  She was really pretty in both forms, her human form having curly shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and almond shaped blue eyes.

It would have been considered a normal, and maybe even a good week, if not for the headaches that never went away.  Every night they returned, and got slightly worse every time.

Stella and Luna Maya used their witchy skills to try and find the source, but it confused them too much.  “It’s not a regular problem, that’s for sure,” Stella told me.  “There’s no energy block, it isn’t related to any kind of stress, and it’s not magic.  Well, nothing we’ve seen before, anyway.”

I took an Advil at night, before the migraine comes in, and I wear sunglasses whenever I go somewhere with bright lights, just to be safe.

Until nights, I was fine.  I was perfectly alright during training, and I didn’t tell a lot of people about it.  I kept up my grades and turned in all my assignments.

Brandon, however, didn’t think I was doing as fine as I let on.  He’d asked me to speak with him after training on Friday, and when everyone else was out of ear shot, he crossed his arms over his chest.  “Maya, I know about the headaches.”  That made sense, considering he was the beta.  He needed to know these things.  “Look, I know how dedicated you are to this training, but until we can figure out how to help, I benching you.  No more training.”

I frowned when what he was saying sunk in.  “But I’m fine.  It’s nothing Advil can’t fix.”

“Maya, the Luna is worried about you.  This isn’t permanent, but we don’t want to work you too much.  Believe me, if we could use you, we would.  You’re the only other person here who’s even seen the shifter in person.”

I nodded.  “I understand.  I don’t like it, but I understand.”  Disappointed, I dragged my feet away.

The next day, Saturday, was Stella’s birthday.  She wouldn’t let me forget it.

“Since it’s my birthday, Maya, will you please go get me some water?” Or “Maya, You know how it’s my birthday?  Would you go get me my sunglasses?” It was getting annoying before breakfast.

“You’re really excited about birthdays, aren’t you,” I asked eventually.

She shrugged.  “I’m just excited about this birthday, I guess,” she explained.  “You know, growing up, no one ever was really sure what would happen when I was seventeen.  There aren’t very many recording of witch werewolf hybrids, and we don’t know much about us.”

I nodded.  It made sense.  I remembered a few weeks ago, that morning I’d been just as excited to find my mate (What a pity thing turned out to go the way they had.)

But it was different for Stella.  Today was about uncovering a secret.  She didn’t even know if she would have a mate, or if her wolf would mature completely tonight.  Since she was part witch, her wolf might not finish growing, like it did for full breed wolves on their seventeenth birthdays.

I swallowed my pride and became Stella’s butler for the day, doing whatever she asked me to do (within reason) without complaint.

Around noon we found the boys hanging out in Tyler’s room and Stella insisted we went out for the day, or at least until training that night at five.  The boys frowned and shook their heads simultaneously.