My Own Destiny

Sweet Seventeen

5 Months Later

Natalia

It is my seventeenth birthday.

I awoke sad and almost in tears that my big sister would not be here for my birthday. I used different excuses to go into town over the last five months and would sneak over to the library to email Aurora.

Aurora never gave much detail about what she was doing or where she was located.

Last week she did say she was not sure if she would be able to email me again before my birthday, so she gave me this big, long, sappy email.

I had an appointment today in town to get my hair and nails done before the party tonight.

Lucian had planned to drive me. Lucian was the one that usually went with Aurora and I into town.

Things have changed within the pack. Tension has been running high. Jullian has taken up residence in the packhouse.

I will give it to Aurora, they were having trouble tracking her down.

For a while, they had a team up North in Canada and Up State NY and another team out towards California thinking that since her phone was out that way, maybe she was too.

Of course, I filled her in on all their theories.

Last night, I heard them saying that they were moving the team that had started searching in Canada to the South, along the train that ran from Canada, near us and down south.

They didn’t alert other packs right away, but now all packs had been alerted that Aurora was missing.

I wanted to fill her in with these changes.

Lucian, Brutus, and I skipped training this morning, since I was due to go into town.

I heard a loud banging on my door. It was not Lucian’s usual knock, plus he would usually just mind link me rather than come knocking on my door.

I opened the door, not thinking much about it, and frowned when I saw Jullian standing in my doorway.

After a few seconds, it occurred to me there could be something wrong.

“What happened?” I asked as fear gripped me.

“Humph.” Jullian scoffed, making me want to kick him in the b***s.

“That sounded genuine.”

“What? Did something happen?” I know I must have appeared confused.

“Nothing has happened, but I am taking you into town today.”

I groaned, I did not hide my disdain for the DuPont’s, especially Jullian.

I turned to grab my lightweight jacket and purse.

“Lucian is supposed to take me.”

“I will tag along with you both,” he said, and I could hear the animosity in his voice. He hated Lucian and was always looking for a reason to give him a hard time or try and punish him.

Not even Lucian knew of my being in contact with Aurora.

I turned and rolled my eyes. Yes, I let him see the eye roll as I walked by and closed my door securely behind me.

I walked towards the main lobby of the pack house where I was to meet Lucian and did not utter another word to Jullian.

As soon as I got to the entrance to the lobby, I heard Happy Birthday yelled from several voices.

Both Brutus and Lucian were there and rushed up to give me a big hug. My brother Nate was there, as well as my best friend Clara.

Clara had some beautiful wildflowers with a card.

Clara gave me a big hug, “I will have these brought to your room and arranged in a vase.

I was tempted to invite Clara with us, but having her along would only make it that much more difficult to sneak off to the library.

The forty something minute drive into town was excruciating. Jullian insisted on driving, Lucian sat in the front seat, and I sat alone in the back.

Lucian and I tried making small talk but it was awkward having Jullian with us.

I tried to make the best of my morning. My manicure and pedicure were first. Then at lunchtime it was time for my hair. That was when I always slipped out.

At the salon I was out of sight enough to not be seen sneaking out the back door. I always gave my stylist an extra $20 tip and told her I would be back in fifteen minutes. She knew already to not let whoever was with me know I had stepped out.

I risked it, even with Jullian with us. I wanted to give Aurora an update.

“Thank you, Trisha, I’ll be back in fifteen.” I said quietly.

I cannot imagine what she thought of the whole ordeal.

The first time she asked me if I was in trouble or if Lucian had abducted me.

I explained that Lucian was a friend of the family, and my parents were just strict and didn’t let me text my boyfriend, so I would sneak off to the library to email him on days we were not in school.

Apparently, it was believable enough.

Sneaking out the back door, I went down the side alley and a block over to the library.

As I walked towards the area where they had computers, I had a thought and stopped at the book shelf. It was the romance section. I shrugged, I’m a girl. It would be believable, right?

‘Ooo, grab the one with the hunky male on the cover.’ My wolf Nara coaxed.

I shrugged and grabbed it, then continued to the computer.

Sitting logging in, I glanced around and did not find anyone looking suspicious.

I had suspected before when coming into town there were wolves from Crimson Moon spying on us. At the time, Lucian had laughed it off at first when I told him of my suspicions, but then started watching our scenery a little closer after that.

While waiting for the slow computer to log into my email, I glanced at the back of the book.

It was about a female named Nora. She had moved away from her small town after high school, became a successful business woman, then had to return home when her mother got sick.

That was as far as I got when I saw my emails come up on the screen.

To my surprise, there was another email from Aurora.

‘Hey little sis, I know I said I probably wouldn’t get another chance to contact you before your birthday, but I just had to say happy birthday! I wish I could have been there, but I promise you, we will make up for it once I return.

Love you!

I couldn’t help but smile, but my hearing from her again already meant she would not see my email telling her that they were planning on moving the search further south. I didn’t know where Aurora had gone but I had a feeling she didn’t stray too far from the railway. Now it could be days or a couple weeks before she saw my latest email.

I filled her in on the latest and logged off.

I started to get up but then stopped, logged off and back on. I did a quick search on the author of the book I had just picked up.

Apparently, Laura Renolds was a big romance writer. I closed the screen I was on but left the computer logged in and left.

I needed to get back since I had been gone a bit longer than the normal fifteen minutes I usually took.