Aurelia the Pink

Chapter 2: A Sweet Cabin Escape

2 Days to Kang’s Birthday

- Aurelia (Ling) POV -

The pack house was covered with decorations for Kang’s birthday celebration. Yellow sunflowers and red hibiscus coloured up the halls and exude sweet fragrance in the air. Besides representing our pack colours, yellow and red, sunflowers signify a bright future while hibiscus signify passion and romance for our new Alpha, Kang. A thousand hand-folded paper pinwheels hung on the ceiling of the pack house to bring in the good fortune, something we believed in traditionally. A crystal chandelier encrusted with precious gems replaced the rustic oil lampstands. The lights in the chandelier always shone due to the enchantment from fairies. I busied myself with some of the preparations, taste testing the cake for the celebration in two days’ time and lining the dining tables with elegant white-laced tablecloths.

“What are you thinking about, Ling?” asked Jian, my best friend. She had to call my name a few times before I registered that she was talking to me. Although Aurelia was my Northern name given by my mother (only my mother and Kang called me Aurelia), it sounded more familiar to me than my native name, Ling. “Sorry, Jian! I was daydreaming about Kang’s rock hard abs,” I joked. Jian responded with a blush and playfully shoved me. Jian is the complete opposite of me. She is shy and introverted while I am boisterous. I recalled the first time I met her when we were 5. She was a tiny orphaned omega being picked-on by a group of bullies. Many onlookers blatantly ignored the situation. It was normal as our pack lived on hierarchy. Omegas were the lowest of ranks and not kindly regarded. However, my mother taught myself and Kang otherwise. Respect should be given to anyone, unless they have proven that they do not deserve it. I remembered going up to one of the bully and punched him right smack in his nose. Kang gulped and quickly grabbed onto me and Jian before pulling us into a run. We were not afraid of them; we were terrified of my mother. True enough, my mum caught wind of her wild daughter’s shenanigans. That night, Kang and I were made to stand at the pack house holding books above our heads and to profess that ‘violence begets violence’ a thousand times. At the end of it, our arms were sore and our voices hoarse. Kang rolled his eyes and grumbled about how even a future Alpha like him could not escape my mother’s clutches. In our surprise, Jian’s eyes twinkled as she threw her head back and chuckled. This was the first time we ever saw her happy! After learning about her plight, my mother adopted her as one of our own. We even got to celebrate our birthday together on the same day since Jian did not know her own birthday. My mother spoilt Jian tremendously. She allowed Jian to skip the extra home schooling when she pleaded to opt out. I did not have that privilege. Every time I begged to skip a single lesson, my mother insisted that I studied.

I was brought back to reality by the gentle tugging on my sleeves by Jian. Oh right! The sleepover! I was bubbling with excitement at the anticipation of my first sleepover tonight with Jian and Kang. We rented a wooden cabin out in the woods beside a lake. It took a whole year of puppy eyes from me and Jian to get my mum to agree. In the end, my mum only allowed us on the condition that we do not do anything foolish. If you know what I mean… When I was alone with my mum, she made me promise to never reveal my eye colour to Jian and Kang. I mean, what could go wrong? They knew me for years. Out of respect for my mum, I just agreed anyway.

I packed a red bikini with cute little white polka dots for our swim later. Something sexy yet cute. For the day, I put on a navy blue flair dress which goes down to my knees and a golden belt around my waist to accentuate my curves. The colour of the dress complements my loosely braided blond hair and fair skin. To match my dress, I wore wedge heel sandals with golden straps. I put on light makeup and a nude lipstick to complete the look. Jian, on the other hand, packed a simple black one-piece swimsuit with long sleeves. Modest. As for the day, she dressed in a pastel pink romper that highlights her sun-kissed skin. She put her wavy black hair into a neat tight bun. We grabbed a picnic basket and raced to the cabin. When we reached the lake, my eyes widened at the sparkling water surrounded by tall grasses. It looked like a painting. In the middle of the lake, I spotted Kang swimming towards us. Once he got out of the lake, I looked at his delicious body. He smirked and flexed his chest muscles when his eyes caught mine staring ravishingly at his torso. “Like what you see?” Kang asked cheekily. I shook my head out of my trance state. Jian dragged me into the cabin to change into our swimsuits. We then jumped into the cooling lake, a perfect remedy for a hot day. We spent the day splashing at each other and enjoying the serenity until the sun set, painting the sky a pinkish hue.

After dinner, Kang brought me out for a walk under the stars. It is so romantic. We found a bench to sit down and our fingers intertwined. Kang sighed happily as I leaned my head onto his strong shoulders. We silently watched the lake reflecting the full moon. The only sound came from the melodious tunes of cicadas found in the tall grass. I wish this moment will last forever. I felt his warm fingers gently grip my chin to turn my head towards his and another finger tucking my stray hair to the back of my ears. I was sure he could hear my heart beating out of my chest. “I just wanted you to know how beautiful you are inside and out. Regardless of whether you are my fated mate or not, you are my first love. I will always be grateful for you sharing with me everything in your life,” Kang broke the silence.

“We will be fated mates!” I replied earnestly. “Umm… I have not been sharing everything with you,” I continued sheepishly. Kang stared at me quizzically as if I grew a second head. I sighed. I knew I was going to be in huge trouble if mum finds out. But, he deserves to know, right? After all these years. “Promise not to freak out?” I asked. He nodded silently, still unsure of where this conversation was going. I slipped off my enchanted ring while my eyes changed from the sky blue colour to this bright neon pink glowing in the dark. Kang gasped with a hand clasped in front of his mouth. I explained everything to him and made him swore the same thing my mum made me: this information should never reach anyone else’s ears. He agreed and held me in a tight embrace, reassuring me that I am still his beautiful first love both inside and out. We enjoyed our time together until it was almost midnight. We walked back to the cabin, swinging our intertwined hands childishly like kindergarten kids.

When I reached my room, I saw Jian lying down with her belly on the bed and a book. She immediately asked me what happened during the mini cabin getaway Kang and I had. I explained to her all the romantic gestures. Everything except for my greatest secret of all time. Jian pouted jokingly because we always make her the third wheel. She proceeded to shove a pillow onto my face exclaiming, “PILLOW FIGHT!” We had a great night of abusing our pillows until half of the feathers fell out of them. Not that it mattered; sisters over pillows.