Chapter 3: A Birthday to Remember

(Ella’s POV)  

The clubhouse was popping off, alive in a way that made my skin buzz, and it was all for me. My eighteenth birthday, holy shit, eighteen, and Marcus had turned the place into something unreal. Little lights twinkled from the ceiling like stars you could touch, music blasted so hard the floor shook, and pack folks were yelling and laughing over it all. I stood right in the thick of it, heart going wild, thumping fast with this crazy joy I don't get to feel a lot. For once, I didn't feel like the oddball human trailing behind, I felt like I fit, like this was my spot.

Mia snatched my hands, dragging me into a dance before I could even breathe right. "Happy birthday, Ella!" she shouted, her dark ponytail swinging as we spun around like total goofballs. I laughed, loud, messy, free, letting her pull me wherever. Jasper hopped in too, gray eyes all bright as he shuffled his feet to the beat, clumsy as hell but giving it a shot. Dancing... he always sucked at it, and that's where the fun lay, in our minds, at least.

"You totally suck," I teased, elbowing him, grinning like an idiot.

"I'm just here for the snacks," he came back with that great big dorky grin of his.

Mia rolled her eyes, over, the, top like she does. "You're both hopeless. Come on, Ella, show us up, birthday girl's gotta own it!"

I let the music take over, hips swaying, spinning with them like nothing else mattered. My blue dress, Mia's, because I don't have anything that nice, swirled around my legs, soft and floaty, and I felt light, like I could drift up to those lights. Marcus made this for me, I'd seen him earlier, moving through the crowd, gruff voice barking at people to show up. A party like this for a human in a wolf pack? That's not a thing, not usually, and it hit me deep, this warm, achey feeling, all thankful and soft.

The song kicked up, bass rattling my bones, and I glanced over. Marcus was by the bar, chatting with some dude, his big frame easy to pick out. He caught my eye and nodded. His tough face just for me split into that little smile. I mean, I waved back, grinning so hard that my cheeks were on fire, feeling like a kid he'd just patted on the head. Then Sasha inched up next to him, blonde hair sparkling like a halo. She walked towards me with cup in hand, lips contorted in a surprised smile, gentle, not the usual bitchy smile she made.

"Ella," she said, all quiet and sweet, like syrup. "Happy birthday. Got you something to drink."

I stopped cold for a second, staring at her like she'd sprouted wings. Sasha doesn't do nice, not with me. It's always digs and shade, like I'm dirt she can't shake off. But tonight? She almost seemed chill. I took the cup, fingers brushing hers, cool against my sweaty ones. "Thanks, Sasha," I said, smiling back, careful. "That's real nice of you."

She shrugged, smile stretching a bit. "It's your day, right? Drink up."

I nodded, thinking maybe, she was finally okay with me being here. Took a gulp, the fruity taste popping on my tongue with a little bite at the end, sharp, but I dug it. "This is good," I told her, and she just watched me, quiet, eyes locked on.

Mia grabbed my arm again, yanking hard. "More dancing!" she yelled, hauling me back to the floor before I could say anything else.

I laughed, trailing her, sipping the drink as we moved, the cup cold in my grip. The room got warm, lights smearing a little at the corners, like they were dripping. Didn't see Cole come in at first, not until I spun mid-dance and caught him by the door. Green eyes nailed on me, hard and pissed, like he hated being here. He stood tall, black shirt hugging his shoulders, all alpha's-son swagger. My stomach did a weird flip, quick and dumb, but I brushed it off, waved at him anyway. He didn't wave back, only glared.

"He's here," Jasper whispered, leaning in tight so I'd be able to hear over the commotion. "Looks ready to punch something."

Mia spun me again, hands tight on mine. "Screw him. This is your night, Ella."

I nodded, trying to hang onto the high, the beat thumping through me. But something felt wrong, way wrong. My head started spinning, slow at first, like I'd danced too hard, then faster, dizzy as hell. Legs wobbled, shaky under me, and I squeezed the cup, plastic crunching. "I need a sec," I said, voice coming out all thick and weird, like it got stuck.

Mia froze, brows scrunching. "You good?"

"Yeah," I lied, forcing a smile that felt off too. "Just hot. Going to grab some air."

I shoved the cup in her hands, shaking, and turned to head for the door, music receding to a muffled thud. Night air hit me on the outside, cold and biting, and I breathed it in deep, hoping it would heal me. But my head kept spinning, worse now, like the ground was sliding sideways. What the hell? I'd only had that one drink from Sasha, barely a buzz.

I leaned against the wall, wood scraping my arm, and shut my eyes for a beat. Hands felt like lead, breathing all shaky and thin. I opened my eyes, took a step, legs buckled fast. I stumbled, grabbed the railing, fingers slipping on the metal. Everything blurred, lights from the clubhouse streaking into smears, and my heart was hammering, slamming too hard.

"Sasha?" I called, spotting her by the door, face glowing blue from her phone. She was texting, fingers flying, not even glancing over. My voice barely came out, a scratchy whisper. Something about her standing there, ignoring me, twisted my gut, but I couldn't think clear, couldn't piece it together.

I tried to walk to her, needing help, something, but my knees quit again. I hit the dirt hard, hands scraping rocks, pain shooting up my arms. I couldn't yell, throat locked tight. Vision fuzzed out, dark spots swallowing the edges. I pushed at the ground, arms trembling, but they gave up, dead weight.

Panic clawed me, cold and sharp. Something was bad, real bad. I blinked hard, fighting to see, heard footsteps, not Sasha's, heavier, slower, coming my way. I turned my head, slow like it was concrete, and saw a shadow closing in. Some rough-looking guy, grabbed my arm, yanking me toward the trees, a rough sack in his hand. "She's done," he muttered like he was talking to himself.

I tried to move, scream, anything, but my body was toast, limp, sinking. The shadow got bigger, his grip tightening, dragging me further. My heart pounded in my ears, wild and loud, but I couldn't fight, couldn't stop it. Everything spun fast, tipped over, then went black, pulling me under.