An Angels work is never done.

16 years later, a birthday party.

Star POV

I had just made it back to my room from the communal shower, one towel around my hair, the other held firmly around my body, I'd forgotten to take clean clothes with me, when someone hammered on my door.

"Star, are you still in bed?"

Came my least favourite voice, Stacy. She may be the Alphas daughter, but she missed out on the "care for all pack members" class.

I'm not sure what I did, I don't remember her ever liking me.

"I'll be right there Stacy."

"Hurry, I'm starving and no one has made breakfast" she complained.

Obviously her highness cannot risk breaking a nail making her own breakfast, though I'd hate to have to clear up the mess if she tried.

5 minutes to tie back my long chestnut brown hair, pull on my only pair of black jeans with a grey t-shirt, that matches my eyes and old gym shoes, and I was in the kitchen.

Kitchen duty in the packhouse is a tough gig with most of the single pack members to feed. Fortunately I'm seldom stuck cooking alone, although I do love to cook. Head Omega for the pack, a lovely chubby lady called Pauline has always been one of my 2 favourite grown ups in the pack, the other is our healer, Lena.

Pauline has taught me all about cooking, Lena has encouraged me in learning, and also helped me with healing, more often than any of the other teenage Wolves. They only need one punchbag, and I drew the short straw, possibly because I cannot keep my mouth shut and will always call my packmates up if I feel they are being too hard on anyone else. Not many people notice that I need a defender too.

I'm preparing breakfast with my friend Amy today, and we work well together, quickly producing piles of pancakes, a heap of bacon, trays of sausages and a huge bowl of scrambled eggs, alongside chopped fruit, juice and coffee, I also made fresh croissants served with Strawberry jam I made with our home grown strawberries. Amy celebrated her 18th birthday last week and hasn't found her mate yet. A petite at 5'4", beautiful blonde with vivid blue eyes Amy is a prize for whoever is lucky enough to be her mate. not only beautiful, she is clever and quite skilled in defence training. I hope the party tonight brings Amy her mate, although It is Stacy's birthday party there will be unmated visitors from other packs, so we shall see.

Having complained of being starving, Stacy picks at a pancake, while giving Amy and I orders for her party preparations, which was a waste of time, we already had our orders for the day, and we were going to be kept busy.

The Alphas only daughter was turning 18 at midnight, and the party was to welcome her wolf.

The hall and garden had to be decorated, but I would be spending the day in the kitchen, cooking and finishing her cake. With luck this would mean I made it through the day without adding to my bruise collection.

Stacy also took this chance to let us know that her brother, future Alpha Liam is due home for her first shift. We haven't seen Liam since he went for Alpha training 12 months ago, he's 20 now and we haven't heard anything about him having found his mate yet so I'm sure the unmated females will all be hoping to take that spot this evening.

Decorations inside the packhouse were colourful, lots of tinsel, and coloured lights. They would remain for the human festival, Christmas, that the pack loved to celebrate. Families enjoyed an excuse to share gifts, even though it isn't strictly a festival of our faith, we don't mind sharing the joy.

Stacy's birthday is the winter Solstice & as it is the shortest day, lights are an important part of the decoration. Although we don't mind the cold and snow, the long dark nights of winter can be depressing, even for wolves. Rows and rows of glittering fairy lights helped cheer everyone up, and hopefully, for the party tonight, we would have some Wisps and Sprites joining us, adding their lights to the atmosphere.

As I spent most of the day in the kitchen, providing lunch as well as preparing the food for the party, I made it through the day unscathed. When it came time to dress for the party, I was glad to be wearing a uniform. The pack doesn't starve me, but I have no money for extras like clothes, I live in hand me downs, or uniform. One of my dreams is to attend a party dressed up like Stacy and her friends, well, maybe not showing quite as much skin as them, but at least something new and fashionable.

Make up was something else I had never had money for, nor was I that interested in how to use it, but for the party I had allowed Amy to put some eyeliner, mascara and lipgloss on me.

Amy and I joined the Omega team laying out food on the tables for the buffet, and stocking up the drinks tables, though we were to serve the pack leaders with drinks, everyone else could help themselves.

The whole pack was turning out for Stacy's party, and we had visitors from neighbouring packs as well. As usual, at a gathering like this, there were many hoping to find their mate, the one chosen for them by the Moon Goddess. Was I wrong to hope Stacy found her mate tonight & he came from a different pack? If he was an Alpha then Stacy would move to his pack and one of my most persistent bullies would be out of my hair.

After lunch was cleared away and most of the party food was cooking, I helped Pauline show visitors to their rooms as they arrived. Although it was hard work, we all enjoyed the build up of the atmosphere as everyone prepared to party as only wolves can.

About an hour before the party was due to start I rushed back to the shower. Most of the day in the hot kitchen had made my hair greasy, and I had worked up enough of a sweat that putting on clean clothes without washing felt wrong. I put on the black skirt & white shirt of a server and made my way to the kitchen to pick up my 1st tray of the evening.