The Werewolf Lottery

CHAPTER 2: Earlier that day

EMBERLYNN'S POV:

Curled to perfection and pinned in the front on one side, my curly auburn locks were so long, I could feel them tickling the bottom of my back. Looking into the mirror on my dressing table, I couldn't believe I had managed to execute this make-up look. With smokey brown winged eye make-up and a glossy coffee colored lip, I truly did look like a glowing goddess.

A knock on my door made me jump out of my skin. The door opened slowly and when I turned around I saw my best friend Abergail step inside.

Abby is the daughter of our pack's Alpha and the twin sister of our future alpha. Technically, Abby could have been our Luna and her future mate would have been Alpha but since her brother Logan was born first, he would inherit the Alpha title. Abby and I met in our first year of school and have been the best of friends ever since.

"Happy birthday, girly!" She steeled as she ran over to me to squish me in a hug.

I was slightly older than Abby. Well, exactly two weeks older to be specific. Since Abby was of the Alpha bloodline she was guaranteed to get her wolf on her eighteenth birthday. Unfortunately, I was not and until the clock struck 8.32pm today, which was the exact time I was born, I will not know if I have been blessed by our moon goddess with a wolf of my own.

With my fingers and toes all crossed, I pushed my fear to the back of my mind and greeted Abby.

"Thanks, Abs! Oh babe, you look stunning!" I squealed back as she continued to squeeze the air out of my lungs in the tightest hug ever. Flushed and struggling for breath, I repeatedly tapped her arm until she let me go.

Now that she had let me go, I took a moment to look her over and assess her outfit choice for the evening. Abby was always effortlessly beautiful, but at this moment in time, she looked almost ethereal in her sparkling lime green gown. Her pale blonde hair was pin straight, and her subtle make-up was finished off with a show-stopping red lip.

"Enough stalling Ember, it is time for us to get you in your dress!" Abergail said in her well practiced Alpha female tone. I was powerless to disobey.

While Abby grabbed my dress from where it was hanging in my closet, I stripped off my robe and stood in my gorgeous red lace underwear that would perfectly match my dress. Looking at Abby as she walked over with my dress, I was taken aback by how breathtaking it really was. My dress was a vibrant ruby red, off the shoulder moment with a slit up one side that would reveal almost my entire leg at the right angle. Perfect for photos.

Abby held the dress for me as I stepped into it and she then proceeded to lace up the corset back. Lacing up the dress took her a few minutes and I silently thanked the moon goddess for this beautiful bestie of mine that she had blessed me with. There is no way that I would have been able to sinch up this dress by myself, atleast not well. I'm sure my mother would have tried to help, but I can't imagine it would have gone great.

Finally, in the dress, I slipped on my gold heels and grabbed my matching gold purse and, with one final glance in the mirror, I smiled triumphantly at the beautiful creature who was staring back at me.

Linking my arm through Abby's, we left my home and stepped into the limousine that Abby had convinced her father to let us use, and we headed towards the pack house where my party was being held. Admittedly, the pack house was mere minutes from my home, but Abby insisted we arrive in style!

Inside the limousine, Abby and I poured ourselves a large glass of wine and started taking selfies and giggling at the ones we had pulled funny faces for. The party was due to start at 7pm, but we asked the driver to do a few laps of the town whilst we took more photos. By the time we had finished our wine, we had successfully accrued two hundred or more photos, so by the time we arrived, it was around 7.30pm.

My body was feeling slightly unusual. However, with 8.32pm fast approaching, I can only assume it's just my nerves. Ever so slowly, I was beginning to feel the warmth in my belly and the giddiness in my soul from the wine starting to work its magic. So, with the wine staring to ease my anxiety, I sucked in a deep breath and decided to just rip off the metaphorical bandage and head inside.

Inside, the music was blaring, and the disco lights were sweeping across every wall in the room. As soon as I entered, the music stopped, signaling to everyone that the birthday girl had arrived and everyone started to cheer. Then, almost as if it hadn't happened, the music resumed and the party raged on.

Abby and I made our way over to the bar and grabbed ourselves another glass of wine each and chugged them down, before joining the large group in the middle of the dance floor. We jumped and danced to the beat of the song, whilst grinning at each other as we had the time of our lives.

As the song died down, I left the dance floor to catch my breath. No sooner had I taken a seat at one of the tables, then multiple people started approaching with well-wishes and gifts.

"Oh Emms, happy birthday! I bet your wolf will be fierce." my friend Winnie squealed, running over.

"Ember, this is your best party yet!" Harley added as she joined me, Abby, and Winnie at the table.

"I am so glad you are all here. The whole girl gang is together!" I squealed back with a similar amount of enthusiasm. Suddenly, the music cut off.

"Surely it's not the end of the party already." Harley whined. A clinking of silverware against the side of a glass caught the attention of the whole room.

"Excuse me, everyone!" My dad cleared his throat and addressed the room. "As you all know, my little girl Emberlynn was born on this day, eighteen years ago. She was officially born into this world at 8.32pm, which is in approximately one minute. So, with that in mind, I would like to wish my baby a happy birthday, and I would like to invite you all to count down with me."

"TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMBERLYNN!" everyone shouted as ribbons of all colors fell from the ceiling.

It was tradition on a werewolf's eighteenth birthday for them to step outside into the moonlight on the evening of their birthday. At this time, they will know if they are to be blessed by the moon goddess or not. No one really knows how she decides who to bless, as everyone in our pack is born to an all-wolf family as no other species can procreate with each other successfully. So it is really a game of luck, a werewolf lottery if you will.

My body, almost as if it had a mind of its own, started making its way over to the French doors. Flinging the doors open, I stepped out onto the balcony and let the moon soak me in its beautiful beams of light.