Feral things

Perspective

Darlyn Point of View

I am twenty today. I could dance, could scream, could listen to music forever, however, I have a bad feeling about today, like I should stay in, hang out with my Axel and my sisters, Mom could make Pasta.

"We threw a party, you've been planning it for weeks." Axel reminds me when I share my thoughts.

"You are twenty, babe." He says, and I scream in glee, hugging him.

"I am twenty."

"Are you ready?" I hear, and look at my doorway to see Raven, my immediate younger sister.

"You are only twenty once." She says, and extends her hand. I take her hand, and the three of us walk downstairs where everyone is waiting.

"Happy Birthday Darlyn!" They scream when I get down, and I burst into laughter, and a little bit of happy tears.

"Thank you." I say to everyone.

"Happy birthday baby girl." Dad says, hugging me. I stare at Mom, things have been a bit rocky since that night, but we've been slowly mending.

"Happy Birthday." She kissed my cheek, and I hug her.

The entire Pack is here, I glance down at my dress, it is a long dress that hugs my curves, with a slit that goes as high as my thigh.

____

For the next hour, I go around the party greeting everyone, thanking them, and making sure no one is causing trouble. I also spent a better part of the hour looking out for Asher.

It is my birthday. Everyone knows he was invited. I personally delivered the invitation. He promised to come.

"Darlyn."

I turned back and saw the Alpha, with Luna. I bow my head slightly "Hi."

"Heads up, you are a Queen." Rina says, hugging me.

"Happy Birthday, Darlyn. You look exceptional." Alpha Luca says, and I beam.

"Thank you very much, you both look splendid." I say, and they laughed.

"Did you, by chance, saw Asher?" I say, nervously.

"Oh, yeah. He is over there, he was busy with Pack's business." Rina says, and I smile, relief coursing through me, he came.

"I should say Hi." I say, and excused myself, then walk towards him.

"Asher," I say, and he looks at me, unable to say a word for some seconds.

"Darlyn, this is a nice party. Happy Birthday." He says, and I smile.

"I got you a gift, didn't know what to get you, so I hope you like it." He says, and hands me a wrapped box.

"Thank you Ash. Are you okay? You seem a bit ruffled."

"Just overwhelmed." He says, and I nod, catching the tone in his voice, the dismissal. I swallow the hurt, and walk away. I stare at the gift in my hands, deciding to open it when the chaos of the party is over.

"Dar."

"Caspian!" I hug my brother. I hadn't seen him or Magnus in weeks.

"Happy birthday, Dar." Magnus says, and I hug him too.

"I have missed you boys." I laughed, then wider when I see my sister, Dahlia, walking towards us.

"Lia." I say, draping my hands round her shoulder.

"Have you seen Asher Kane? He got hotter." She says, and I laugh, because this is Lia, raw Lia. I miss my siblings, I haven't seen them as much as I used to.

"Partying without me?" Raven teases, as she links our hands.

I glance at the other end of the room and see Asher with his family. His Dad - Callahan, his Mom - Jessy, with his brothers - Knox and Axel, and of course, his only sister - Ember.

_____

"It's time." I heard, and walked back inside in a hoodie and joggers. I couldn't wear the dress again after roaming the forest for hours.

An hour ago, I wolfed out, and ran free. It was splendid, the freedom and beauty that comes with it, I am a woman now, a Werewolf.

"Time for Darlyn to find her mate." Mom says, and the party is at standstill.

I exhale, inhale, and lean into my senses, no pressure, it comes naturally. I let my Wolf take over, and my eyes snaps open as a sensation runs through me.

It's like I can feel everything, but just everything in one person, the beat of his heart, everything he encompasses.

"Mate." I growled, knowing my eyes were bright yellow, staggered when I saw myself standing before Asher, his eyes matching mine.

Asher Savage Kane is my mate.

"Oh fuck." Dahlia says, but I smile, Asher is my mat --

"No." He says, taking a step away from me, and my smile falls off.

"What?" I said, my voice sounding as small as I felt.

"No, this is not possible." He says, and I shake my head.

"Asher, feel." I said, placing his hand on my beating heart, placing mine on his, the tempo the same, we are made as one to begin with, so I told him so.

"No." He took a step back.

"Asher, what are you doing?" Axel says.

"Ash." Knox snaps, and there's a warning in his voice.

I looked around, panicking and looked at what was going on.

"Asher!" Caspian and Magnus yelled, and I gasped when Asher looked up.

"I, Asher Savage Kane, reject you -- "

"No." I gasped, crying.

"Ash, please, what are you doing?"

"I reject you Darlyn Scar -- "

"Asher!" I scream, running to him, but he pushes me away. I fall to the ground.

"I reject you, Darlyn Scarlette Ravenwood, as my mate. We are no longer bound."

"Oh God." I gasp, as my whole world crumbles before me, as pain wrecks through my body, as my Wolf takes the rejection.

I look up at Asher as he groans, just as his Wolf takes the rejection too, it's like a knife in my heart, and he is the one holding it.

______

It is the next morning, and my flight leaves in thirty minutes.

"Are you sure?" Caspian asks, and everyone looks at me with pity.

"Yes." I said, and took my handbag, knowing everything else would be shipped to Rhode Island.

"I am not coming back." I said to my parents.

"I am never coming back here."

"Darlyn," Mom says, and I look at her, feeling empty, how can I not, when the other part of me is gone, forever.

"You wanted this, Mother." I said, and walked out of the house I grew up in, knowing fully well, I would have to make a new home, start over, alone.