Apollo's Wolves

Epilogue Two -- Delta

"Delta, if you keep pacing like that, you're going to wear a hole in the floor!" Jake chuckles as he hammers a table leg back in place.

"I can't help it!" I exclaim, chewing on a nail nervously. "This is the first time I've celebrated my birthday with anyone other than my mom."

"Well, pacing and chewing on your nails isn't going to help," he says gently, prying my finger from my mouth.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair aggressively, feeling strangely trapped inside of the dining pavilion. "When is Amari going to get here?!"

"She'll get here when she gets here. Besides, your birthday is in a week. You two can plan the best birthday party that'll fit both your needs. But, pacing won't bring her here any sooner," he tells me, rubbing my arms to try and calm me down.

I sigh and nod. "You're right."

"You've come a long way since the last time you saw Amari," Jake murmurs, making me look up at him. "I mean, the last time you saw each other, you were barely tolerating her. Now, you can't wait to see her. And the way you act towards the campers has drastically changed as well. You aren't as aggressive and don't go out of your way to scare people away. That's some major character improvement if you ask me."

I smile as I realize what he's saying is true. "That's right. Wow, I guess I have changed a lot. You know, if Mom hadn't died, I probably wouldn't have ever come here and found Amari. I guess there was some good with Mom dying," I say solemnly, staring off into the distance.

Jake pulls me into a hug. "You found more than just Amari," he mumbles, stroking my hair. "You found a whole new family."

I nod and breathe in his scent. "That's right."

Before I could say anything else, someone yells, "Amari's here! And she's brought company!"

Jake releases me and I shoot off to the border, eager to see my sister. Bolting past the other campers who are also running, I get there first. I quickly shift and tackle Amari to the ground once Brindin is safely off. We yip and greet each other happily. Then, we shift back and hug like normal human beings.

"It's good to see you too!" Amari chuckles.

"I've missed you," I mumble, slightly embarrassed at the way I acted.

She laughs. "Don't sweat it," she tells me. "I missed you too!"

I quickly grab Amari's back and sling my arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, Brindin! Let's go!" I call to him.

"Coming!" He quickly walks over to Amari's other side and grabs her hand before we start walking towards camp.

"I can't wait to start planning our party!" Amari exclaims happily.

"I hope you don't mind, but I've already started planning it. I was super anxious and had a hard time waiting for you to come, so I needed something to do," I say sheepishly.

"No worries. We only have a week, so that's less off our plate," she replies, waving off my concern.

"Let the party planning commence!" Brindin yells goofily, making Amari and me giggle.

**********AWeek Later**********

"Happy Birthday, Amari and Delta!" The campers yell when we emerge from the Apollo cabin on the morning of October 16, our birthday. "You're 17 now!"

Amari groans and pushes her hand through her disheveled hair. "You guys, I haven't even woken up properly yet! I look terrible and I'm hungry; I can't do this yet," she mutters, turning to go back in the cabin.

Before she can take a step, though, Brindin steps up and spins her around before planting a kiss on her lips and causing the campers to hoot and holler. She lights up a bright red which makes me laugh.

"Happy Birthday, Delta," Jake whispers, pressing a kiss to my cheek and making me blush.

"Jake!" I whine, pushing at him.

He chuckles. "C'mon, Birthday Girls! Breakfast is served!"

We're led to the dining pavilion where a grand feast is laid out. The rest of the day is fantastic. All of our friends are there,celebrating our birthday. It's so different from what Mom and I used to do. I like this way better!

"Are you cold?" Jake asks as we're sitting in front of the camp fire.

I shake my head. "Nah. Werewolves have a much higher body temperature than normal people," I tell him, "so I'm good."

He looks slightly disappointed. "Oh. Well, I was going to share this blanket with you, but I guess you don't need it," he murmurs.

I roll my eyes and grab the blanket from him, spreading it over our legs. "You're so cheesy," I mutter, snuggling into his side.

He beams at me. "Of course I am."

Best birthday ever! Spent with friends and family, I couldn't ask for anything better!