Wolf-less Omega Luna novel Chapter 57

Alana’s POV

“Oh, my goodness. Where did you guys find this cake?” Emily practically recoiled at the sight of it.

“Be nice, Emily, we spent so much time and resources baking that cake,” Coral said.

“I think it looks nice if you ask me. You just have to look past the decorations. I mean, the right side of the square looks nice, right, Lexi?” I asked and Lexi nodded in support.

I would admit the whole cake wasn’t as beautiful as it had been in my mind, but we still got some part of it right. I was sure the cake would taste nice since it looked like a cake after we brought it out of the oven. But as we got to the icing part, the colors just weren’t adding up. 

“I didn’t realize it was a square,” Emily deadpanned and Coral burst into a fit of laughter.

“Thanks, girls. I appreciate the compliments. And Coral, keep laughing. You forget we made this together.”

“Fine,” Coral straightened her leather pants and walked to the other end of the kitchen island where I was trying to fix the left side of the cake. “It’s not our finest work, but I think we tried.”

The back door opened and I didn’t have to turn to find out who it was. Lexi’s cheeks turned ten shades pinker and the annoyed scwol from Coral revealed the person's identity. 

“It smells good in here,” Tyler said. “Is that Axel’s cake?” He pointed at the blue and ash rectangular-squarey cake that stood at the center of the five of us. 

“I’m sure it tastes better than it looks,” I put in.

“I think it looks perfect for Axel,” he chuckled. “Speaking of Axel, he’s on his way here now.”

My heartbeat picked up. It’s not like I was doing something that I wasn’t supposed to. Well, I was. But at the same time, I was supposed to do it. As private as Axel liked his life, he deserved a nice little party to celebrate his new age. 

I gave the kitchen a once over. It wasn’t too much of a decoration, but it had that a person that loves you did this’ kind of vibe. 

The letter banner spelled “Happy Birthday Axel” and the once white marble kitchen island which usually only had a bowl of fruits was now covered in gifts, cake, snacks, and drinks.

“How long do we have?” I asked in between my raspy voice. 

“I’ll say five minutes. Pack members were stopping him to say birthday wishes and words of prayers and that’s what’s giving us that much time.”

Tyler walked over to Lexi and planted a kiss on her forehead before they indulged in small romantic talk. Lexi completely ghosted me in this moment of a mini-crisis.

“We should get in position,” Emily said, getting up from her seat on the island. “Axel might hear us from far away if we’re shuffling about.”

“You’re right,” Coral confirmed.

And so we did. 

Soon, the front door opened and a very large and very hot man stepped inside in nothing but a boot, oversized jeans, and white round necks that hugged him in the right places. His slightly confused eyes narrowed and locked on me holding the now melting cake and his lips broke into a small smile.

“What did you do, Princess?” He asked as he pocketed one of his hands and took purposeful strides to me that made my heart melt in my chest, and my legs wobble under me.

“Happy birthday, Axel,” the five of us chorused.

“Happy birthday, you,” I said as I put down the cake and met him halfway across the room with a cone that I knew I was going to struggle to put on his head.

“Oh no, that’s not staying,” he laughed and waved me away.

“But I have one on. Tyler does too. Everybody does. Have you ever seen a birthday boy that doesn't wear a hat?” I asked with puppy eyes.

“Exactly, I’m not a boy.”

“I told you he wouldn’t wear it. Not even if Tyler does,” Emily deadpanned.

“Come on, Axel. Please. For me,” I doubled the intensity of my puppy eyes.

He heaved a defeated sigh. “Fine.”

“Bend over, Hulk.”

He dipped his head to touch my chin and I wore the hat on him. As he lifted his head backwards, his lips met mine halfway and he took my lower lip in a small kiss. As surprising as it was, I couldn’t find it in me to pull back even if we were putting on a show for the other people in the room.

“Get a room, you two,” someone said from behind us.

Even if my senses were blocked to not make out who said it, I knew for a fact that it had to be Coral.

“What was that for?” I asked as he interlocked his fingers with mine and we walked back to the party in the kitchen.

“What?” He asked all innocently.

I cocked a side eye at him and only shook my head.

“Go ahead and cut your cake then open up your present,” I said.

I expected him to look at the cake with a scrunchy nose and a sarcastic comment but instead, his face was that of realization. “So this is what you've been up to with those manuals you’ve been falling asleep on lately,”

“Did you open those?” My brows snapped together.

“I didn’t, Alana. Thank you for the cake.”

“It tastes better. I’m sure of it,” I said in defense. 

“I don’t care,” he pulled me by the waist and wrapped me in an embrace, inhaling and breathing down the crock of my neck. 

As he pulled back, I brought out the small box where I wrapped his gift and pushed it into his hand.