And Then There Were Four (Lilith Carrie)

Chapter 131: Birthday Surprises Cassie.

Days passed and when Saturday finally came, I

was prepared to have the night of my life, considering I had been unable to see Melissa for

the last few days. Cooped up in the house was absolutely aggravating. I finished my final exams Thurs

day, a day ahead of schedule thanks to James and I was ready to be done with that part of my life

and look forward to finding a way to leave

this God awful pack and make a new life with Melissa on the West Coast.

Standing in front of my mirror, I tried on multiple different outfits, trying to figure a way to make myself lo

ok absolutely irresistible tonight, and ended

up settling for a short black miniskirt and a black crop top that shimmered every time I moved.

It was gorgeous,

and I felt absolutely gorgeous in it. I fluffed my purple, pink hair behind my back, smiling at the overall e

ffect the entire outfit and my makeup had on me.

“Damn girl, you look absolutely delicious,” Melissa chuckled. from

my door, causing me to look over my shoulder at her. I knew she had been on her way, but I hadn’t real

ized that she had already arrived.

“Thank you. It took me a few days to decide what I was going to actually wear, but I think I’m pretty plea

sed with the overall outfit.”

Turning from the mirror, I walked

over towards her and wrapped my arms around her. She looked super cute in her dark skinny jeans an

d yellow tank top. She wasn’t a girly girl per se, like I could typically be, but she did do a very good job

at making herself look absolutely ravishing.

The last few days I had thought more and more about the future I was going to have, and regardless

of what my parents had thought and what other people thought I was going to end up doing, I had mad

e the choice I would make my future what I wanted it to be.

Which included me telling Melissa tonight I wanted to be more than just friends with her. I wasn’t sure h

ow she was going to react to that, but I had hoped everything would go the way I had dreamt it.

“It’s already starting to get dark, and I saw your dad’s out there going ahead and

lighting the bonfire. If you’re done, why don’t we go ahead and head down?”

I couldn’t agree with her more. I was ready for the clock to strike 8:00 PM, which was the hour we were

born the moment my mother had given birth during the battle. It would be the moment I would be able t

o finally find out if Melissa could be my mate, and even if she wasn’t… Well, I still wanted to be with her

.

I never really gave thought to mates, and I didn’t particularly take advantage of it like my brother did. Bu

t the idea of being able to have

someone to spend my life with, to love and care for me, no matter what kind of person I was, was entici

ng.

Even if it was someone who I wanted mated to.

Looping my arm into hers, we quickly made our way from my bedroom, heading down the stairs to min

gle with the rest of the guests

still arriving as time ticked by. There had to have been at least fifty people meandering around my hous

e.

My mother was in the kitchen with her friends as my dad‘s wandered around the house, coming in and

out, lighting the grill, preparing the bonfire, the

same as they did every single year. The only difference being this year Lux and I were finally adults.

No more being forced to do things we didn‘t want to do.

No more curfews, and having to stay in the pack. I was going to be free, and I was excited about it. My

entire life had been caged, and now I would be an adult. I could do what I wanted.

The moment Melissa and I made our way outside, music and chaos consumed me. Everybody was da

ncing, laughing, having a good time, and for some reason, the turn out this year was larger than it ever

had been.

My eyes quickly found my brother Pollocks, and as he stared

at me, his gaze narrowed and he frowned. He obviously wasn‘t pleased with my outfit, but considering t

he attitude he had towards me since the day his truck tires got slashed, I could honestly give two fucks.

It wasn‘t even me that had done it, but yet he and even my parents thought it was.

Go figure. I’m the rebellious teenager, the one who doesn‘t ever listen and beats to her own tunes, so o

f course, I‘m the one who did it. Fucking stereotyping assholes, if you ask me.

“So what do you wanna do first? Shall we get a drink?”

Taking a moment to think about Melissa’s offer, a grin slid across my face. “Sure. But if we’re going to g

et a drink, we’re going to get a real drink.”

Her eyes widened in surprise as she giggled and looked around to see if anybody had heard. “Aren’t yo

ur parents going to notice?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I tipped my head to the side and gestured for her to follow me. “Who cares if t

hey notice I’m eighteen now? Well, at least I will be

in two hours, so I can make my own choices. Plus, a friend owed me a favor and this happened to be it.

”

Melissa was still seventeen and would be for another month, but that was okay. Her birthday being at th

e start of summer just meant when she did turn eighteen and we had our apartment on the West Coast,

we would be able to have a lot more fun than we currently were having.

As we walked around the bonfire, heading for my secret spot that sat

off to the side, I stepped around the bushes, revealing a dark navy blue cooler with

a white top, I quickly popped open. Inside of it was a bag of ice, a couple cans of soda, and a very larg

e bottle of whiskey.

It didn’t take me but a second to make Melissa and I a drink, and as we chug down our first glass, we q

uickly prepared for a second. “Shall we

go find trouble?” I asked her with a mischievous smile, she nodded.

“Shit, trouble is your middle name.”

Wandering around, the last person I expected to see at my party was Lucas Vega, but there he stood o

n the other side of the bonfire, watching me. The flickering light of the fire cast shadows across his face

as the moon rose high in the sky.

I didn’t think he was going to come, and I hadn’t seen him since that day after school. But it was obviou

s Melissa had seen

I had noticed him, and as she nudged me, I glanced over towards her. She smiled and gestured with he

r head for me to go speak to him. “What are you waiting for?”

“Dude, absolutely not. Lucas Vega is completely off limits. Not to mention Lux would

fucking kill us both if anything happened. He isn’t even my type.”

“Not

your type?” she laughed hysterically. “Oh, come on. I have known you for years. He is SOOOO your ty

pe, Cassie.”

“Well… still, I can’t. It’s just asking for drama.”

Rolling her eyes, she smiled at me. “Cassie, you deserve to be happy. You can’t keep putting

off everything because of what Lux may say. He

isn’t going to have anything to do with your life once we leave, so don’t miss out on opportunities like thi

s. Lucas Vega may be a bad boy, but he’s completely fucking hot.”

Something about the way she spoke about Lucas made my heart ache. She was right. I did need to ma

ke a move, but the move I currently wanted to make was not on him, it was on her.

“Melissa, actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

She gazed at me with a waiting glance, but the moment | opened my mouth, the crowds began to sing

happy birthday and my attention was taken from Melissa towards my parents, who were bringing out a

very large birthday cake.

Realizing duty called, I gave her a sympathetic look and quickly walked over to where my parents were

waiting so Lux and I could blow out our candles together.

The time had finally come. We were about to be eighteen and as

the moment struck, I would be sent into a frenzy if my mate was near or at least that‘s what I was told.

I just hoped whoever it was

wouldn‘t be disappointed when I told them my heart belonged to somebody else. That even though Mel

issa was my best friend, I had to have her in my life as well.

“Happy birthday, guys,” My mother cooed as she stared at us with misty eyes, my father Damian wrapp

ing his arm around her shoulder as James came up behind her and snuggled in close.

I couldn‘t help but admire the love my parents had, and hoped one day I would have that, too. No matte

r how much they pissed me off, they had a

bond that couldn‘t be matched and I secretly longed for the day to understand what they felt about each

other.

I longed for the day to have my mate look at me the way my fathers looked at my mom.

With a one…two… three… Lux and I blew out our candles and,

as we did, I felt an unfamiliar shiver run across my spine. I wasn‘t sure what it was, but as Lux turned to

his brows in confusion, my nose went up into the air and I inhaled deeply.

The smell was erotic and intoxicating. Almost like fresh rain on a summer day.

It was hard to explain what I was feeling, considering it wasn’t really a scent per se that attracted me, bu

My mother must have sensed what was going on, because as I looked at her, hope filled her eyes and s

My father’s each glanced between them, seemingly uncertain if they were ready for this moment and, as

As if he did not feel what I was feeling, but I already knew he wouldn’t. I had seen his mate, and she did

by this point, she would have moved here.

Unable to control the pull, I turned and walked, following this invisible tether pulling me in a direction tow

Towards someone who I was meant to be with.

As I passed around by the bonfire. I came to a halt for a moment at the place where I had last seen Mel

Step by step. I was enveloped in darkness until a small

clearing up a head caught my gaze and I spotted a figure that stood there, waiting. The only problem wa

Instead, it was a familiar figure I would never forget.

One that had made me feel complicated in more ways than one.

As Lucas Vega turned to face me, his eyes flashed gold with recognition. He

was my mate, and if he knew, that meant he had known for months.

Because if memory serves me right, he turned eighteen four months ago.

And the prick never said a fucking thing.