Chapter Eighteen

"HOLY SHIT!" I screamed. I grasped my chest as Sabrina comes bouncing up to me smiling hugely, the room is filled with all of our friends from high school, family friends that I've known since I was young, Mark and Mr. Irvine. My heart was beating sporadically. Sabrina was smiling widely at me, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the room further. Everyone was surrounding me, wishing me a happy birthday.

*'How the hell could I forget my own birthday?!'* I thought to myself, smiling widely now that my heart rate was finally settling down. My 18th birthday. *'Now I could leave this place with Sabrina and Mark and find my dad and Celestial.'* I sighed. How I missed my dad and Celestial.

"I can't believe you guys did all of this for me! You didn't even give me a chance to get the barn smell off of me!"

"That was the point, dumby." Sabrina stuck her tongue out at me. I glared at her.

"Happy birthday, kiddo!" Mr. Irvine patted me on my back, holding a present out in front of me.

"Awww! Mr. Irvine! You didn't have to! You already gave me two beautiful horses!" I started tearing up, wiping the tears already showing from my eyes, I take the present from him.

"This isn't actually from me, kid." He winked at me. My heart jumped damn near out of my chest!

"Wait, you're saying-"

"Open it and find out kid!" He smiled big at me.

I instinctively ripped the wrapping off the box. I opened the top of the box, everyone surrounding me to figure out what could be so amazing inside the perfectly wrapped box I had just ripped apart. At the top of the box is a folded up note. I handed the box to Sabrina to hold as I unfolded the note in front of me. On the perfectly folded paper was beautiful handwriting, instantly knowing that it was Celestial's handwriting.

*Dear Morgan

I hope this letter is finding you well. If you are reading this and your father and I aren't around, then I am so sorry that you are spending your special day without us. We're most likely facing punishment or worse, so I instructed Mr. Irvine to give this to you in my stead. I just want to tell you how amazingly proud your father and I are of you. You've come such a far way as a young lady and now you're turning into a brilliant, beautiful woman as I knew you would. We may not be able to be there for your 18th birthday, but we are always with you, no matter what. We always love you. I can't believe that I was lucky enough to spend so much time with you, and I hope that you are exercising your powers in the correct way. We are hoping that you are staying safe, and keeping that hot-headed self cool. You are your fathers pride and joy and he loves you very much. Please forgive us for following our hearts. We love you so much! There is one for you and Sabrina, keep these with you at all times and you will always be protected.

My Sweet Morgan. Happy Happy 18th Birthday.

We love you!

Celest and Dad*

Tears welled in my eyes as I read through her letter. I'm so glad that they aren't dead, just couldn't be here today. Sabrina and I both looked inside the box. There were two different colored stones. One blue and one red with weird markings on it. Sabrina and I grabbed each one, placing it in the palms of our hands, I put the box on the table next to me. Without warning, both the stones started glowing. Power eminated from each of the stones, encircling us with the markings and words, before entangling themselves around our body, sinking into our skin, making our skin glow the color of the stone. Sabrina started glowing blue, representing her water power, and mine red representing fire. Sabrina and I grabbed our free hands, slowly chanting the strength and protection chant. After a few moments of chanting, we stopped glowing. We moved our stones to each other's hip. Holding the stones close to our skin, the stones seeped into our skin, permanently tattooing our hips with each others stones.

"Now, not matter where we are, if one of us is in danger, the tattoo will light up." Sabrina squealed. I nodded and hugged her. I was so glad I had a cousin that was just like me and it helped because she knew more than me. "Okay, enough with the magic shit, and lets go mingle with everyone else!" Sabrina grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the large group sitting and chatting in the living room. At the corner of my eye, I saw Mark slip into the hallway leading to the hidden room.

"I'll be right back, excuse me." I spoke to a couple classmates that had shown up, when they nodded at my excuse, I turned and headed down the hall that Mark turned down. I walked down the hall, watching Mark turn and dart around the corner.

"Mark?" I poked my head around the corner, but he was walking towards the door. I followed him down the hallway, hearing him whisper the password and saw the door crack open. "Mark, what are you doing?" He turned to look at me and smiled. His perfectly white teeth still as enticing as ever, he held out his hand to me. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me into the room and closed the door behind me. Never breaking eye contact with me, he pulled me to the center of the room. I started to look around the room, red and white roses filling out the area. "What is all this..-" I turned to look at Mark, except he was bent down on one knee in front of me. I gasped, forcing my hands over my mouth. "Mark, you, you-"

"I know we're already mated, but I still feel like I need to do this the right way." He softly chuckled, giving me puppy dog eyes as he stared into mine. "Morgan Renee Klinsing, will you marry me? Be my mate forever? Love me till I'm old and grey?" I giggled softly. "You are the most important woman in my life, and no matter what happens, I will never leave you, I will never give up on you, and I will forever be by your side. So, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" There was never any other answer for this man in front of me. He has been by my side, like Sabrina, since I've met him. He jumped up and grabbed me around my waist, electricity flying through our bodies as he spun me around kissing me. He placed the beautiful 1 CT diamond, white gold banded ring on my finger, grabbing both sides of my face and kissing me again.

"I'm so beyond happy. You're perfect, angel." He leaned his forehead against mine, pulling my left hand up and kissing it. I giggle.

"I can't believe you felt the need to get married when we're already mates. Although, we never really did anything with the mating process." I laughed out loud.

"In different packs, they do things such as a mating ceremony, which is basically like getting married. Since I technically don't belong to a pack, this is the next best thing to me."

"Speaking of which," I pulled away from him to look into his eyes, "why aren't you apart of a pack?"

He shrugged at me. "I'm not really sure. The Moon Goddess didn't allow me to be a part of a pack, and I'm sure, now I understand the reason why." He smiled his gorgeous smile at me. "She kept me from a pack to find you and to help you with the obstacles you will face." He hugged me tightly, before pulling away, his smile slowly disappearing from his face. My heart clenched. I cupped the side of his face.

"Mark, what-"

"Come on," he said grabbing ahold of my hand and started pulling me towards the door, "Sabrina will kill me if I keep you from the party." He smiled softly at me, before pulling me through the door, closing and locking it behind us.

*'I wonder why Mark all of a sudden looked sad. Did he have a pack before? Or did something happen that he was no longer associated with a pack?'* My thoughts tumbled through my mind, finally the both of us reaching the party. He disappeared into the crowd, and I was swarmed, yet again, by classmates and family friends.