Ever Series: My Forever... Truly?

It had been three weeks since graduation, and now it was Emerson and Ember’s eighteenth birthday.

June 14 was a beautiful sunshiny day.

“A good day for a party,” Dad had said when he’d gotten Ember up.

Now at the party, Ember stood next to a tree watching the partygoers, all fifty-plus of them.

“Hey, Ember, why aren’t you joining the game?” Dad asked.

Ember glanced over as her dad walked up. “I’m not much for touch football. That’s Emerson’s thing.”

“Guess that explains why he started it earlier then, huh?” Dad said with a chuckle.

“Yep, guess so.”

“Anyway, why are you over here all alone? I saw Deanna looking for you earlier,” Dad said as he put an arm around Ember.

Leaning into him and breathing his cologne in deeply, Ember answered, “Deanna found me, wished me happy birthday, then went off to find her mate.”

“Oh? I didn’t know she found her mate. When did that happen?” Dad asked in a shocked tone.

“It’s been a couple of weeks now, I suppose,” Ember answered. “That’s why I’ve been staying home and doing nothing. I have nobody to hang out with right now.”

“Ah, sweets, you could always hang with me. You know I love having help in the kitchen,” Dad said as he gave her a mock pout.

Ember giggled as she squeezed him. “I know, Dad.”

“Okay. Well, your mom wanted me to tell you that Alpha Pete’s sister came to visit. It seems she has a daughter who just turned eighteen two days ago.

“He’s hoping you might show her around some tomorrow if you have time.”

“Sure, Dad, I can do that. I have nothing but time,” Ember agreed. If nothing else, it would keep her mind occupied and off her lonely feelings.

“Is she going to be here today so I can make plans with her?”

Dad looked around thoughtfully. “I thought I saw the Alpha’s daughter come in with a girl. I remember the girl being a tiny thing with reddish-blonde hair.

“There are so many people here, though, so it’s hard to find anybody.”

“Once more, you have something to thank Emerson for since he did it,” Ember teased.

Dad looked back at her and chuckled. “Yeah. He’s quite friendly, to be sure.”

They stood there for long moments, watching the football game silently.

Mom walked out the door and waved at Dad.

“I think that’s my signal to bring out the cake,” Dad commented as he waved back, letting Mom know he’d seen her.

Mom walked back inside as Ember said, “Better get moving, Dad.”

Smiling, she watched her dad walk toward the house. Mom may be a born alpha and Dad omega, but their love for each other was indeed the forever kind.

It was the kind of love Ember hoped to have one day with her own mate.

“All right, everyone, gather ‘round and let’s have some cake,” Mom called as she and Dad walked back outside with a giant cake.

Emerson reached the cake first and frowned as he looked around him. Then he yelled, “Ember!”

“Don’t yell, brother. I’m right here,” Ember softly spoke from behind him even as she jumped a bit at his yelling.

Emerson growled low but said no more as he began cutting the cake and everyone sang “Happy Birthday.”

Emerson handed her the first piece before cutting a slice for himself.

Their dad stepped forward to finish cutting the cake and passing out pieces to everyone else.

Ember watched as her brother stepped back to stand next to her and took a big bite of his cake. Suddenly he froze, fork halfway to his mouth with his second bite.

She stopped eating to watch him, wondering what was wrong. She was about to ask, but didn’t get the chance because he suddenly put his plate on the table and took off through the crowd.

Emerson almost knocked people out of his way to reach a tiny slip of a girl with strawberry-blonde hair. Everyone watched as the two of them stood staring at each other.

Then Emerson picked her up and took off with her through the trees.

“Well, I believe the birthday boy found his mate,” Dad commented as he resumed cutting the cake.

“Good, maybe he’ll leave me alone now,” Ember muttered, though it saddened her a bit. She wouldn’t have company for even one day now.

“And I guess I won’t be showing the new girl around after all. At least…that was the new girl, wasn’t it?”

“Yep, that was her,” Dad agreed.

Ember nodded and continued to eat her cake.

***

*Two Years Later*

Ember watched Emerson as he laughed and smiled at his mate. She was tired of seeing him so disgustingly happy.

Yes, she was glad Mr. Grumpypants was gone, but it also made her long for a mate of her own.

Finally, she retreated to her room to stare at Ryker’s picture.

Yesterday had been his eighteenth birthday, and she wondered if he’d had a good one. She also wondered what his wolf looked like and if he’d found his mate.

Her parents had gone by to drop off a gift and she was sure they had spoken to Ryker. However, neither of them had told her how he was doing, because Ryker was still a sore subject for her.

Picking up her tablet, she pushed Ryker from her mind and tried to concentrate on an e-book she was in the middle of reading. She’d barely glanced at it when her mom called out that dinner was ready.

Sighing, Ember set her tablet down before heading downstairs. Sitting down at the table, she was soon joined by her brother and Staci, his mate.

“So, what have you kids been up to today?” Dad asked as he put plates in front of them.

“We went to that new ice cream place in town after playing goofy golf,” Staci replied.

“I didn’t even know kids played goofy golf anymore,” Mom said.

“Well, Emerson didn’t want to go,” Staci admitted.

Mom nodded before turning her attention to Ember. “What did you do today after class, Ember?”

Ember, who was now halfway through her second year of college, shrugged. “Not much. Deanna and I were going to go to the mall after class, but her mate called.

“They said I was welcome, but who wants to be a third wheel?” She glanced up just in time to catch her parents sharing a look. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just…well, we worry about you sometimes, Ember. Maybe you should think about getting a part-time job since you have a light load in college this year.

“It will get you out so you can meet more people,” Mom suggested.

“I know plenty of people, thank you very much. However, I did put in a couple of applications this week, so who knows,” Ember said as she felt her throat begin to clog with emotion.

She needed to get out of the kitchen and away from everyone. “May I be excused? I’m not very hungry.”

Swallowing hard, she glanced quickly at her parents. Everyone was paired now, everyone but her, and it hurt.

She wanted her mate, too. She wanted someone to love and hold and have everything the others had.

“Yes, Ember, you may go,” Dad softly said.

Ember quickly got up and practically ran for the stairs before the tears fell. What was wrong with her? Why was she so emotional?

“Okay, I know I’m an omega and we feel things more strongly, but this is ridiculous,” Ember muttered once she’d reached her room and wiped at her face.

“Maybe Mom’s right. Maybe I do have too much time on my hands.”

Ember picked up her tablet with a sigh and once more began to read until her stomach growled.

Looking at the clock, she saw it was now almost nine-thirty. She made her way downstairs, only to stop at the bottom when she heard her parents talking.

“I saw Anna in the store today,” Mom was saying.

“Oh? What did she have to say?” Dad asked.

“Well, since we weren’t able to talk to Ryker when we dropped off his gift, I asked how he was. Anna said they were a bit worried about him. It seems he still hasn’t shifted into his wolf.

“Eric can smell the wolf in him, so they know he has one, but he isn’t shifting.”

“Do they have any idea why?”

“Something about him is emotionally suppressing his wolf,” Mom answered.

Ember wondered what that meant precisely, but to go in and ask was admitting to eavesdropping. Instead, she slipped back up the stairs and went to bed hungry.