The Witch's Alpha

Chapter 4: Birthday Disaster

Eva's POV

The party was in full swing when we got downstairs. Seth's friends were hovering over the food table as they waited for him. I nudged Seth towards his friends and told him to have fun. He immediately went over, and then they ran off to god knows where. Leah finally came back with a scowl on her face. She trudged upstairs, and I could only hope her attitude would turn around.

With a shake of my head, I immersed myself in a conversation with Uncle Billy and Charlie. Both men have been catching me up on their lives since I moved away. Apparently, Jacob was filling out. Uncle Billy said he gained a lot of muscle mass lately by repairing cars for people on the Res. Charlie told me that his teenage daughter, Isabella, had recently moved back. I asked where she was, but he told me that she wasn't up for a party. I nodded along, having those moods myself, and let the topic go.

To my right, I caught a familiar face walking up the driveway. I excused myself from Uncle Billy and Charlie before walking to the guests.

"Sam!" I exclaimed. "Seth is going to be so happy you stopped by." Then I looked behind him. "Jared... Paul... What are you doing here? How much muscle did you boys grow while I was gone?"

Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote were in the grade behind Sam and me. We only shared classes with them like Gym and Art, but we enjoyed their company, and they joined our friend group. We would hang out after school and on weekends.

"Hey, Loca," Paul said, wrapping me in a big hug. "How is it possible you got smaller since we saw you last?"

"Very funny. Even being pint-sized, I can still kick your ass, Lahote." In retaliation, he spun me around until I got dizzy. "Put me down, you oaf, before I get sick." He quickly stopped spinning and set me on my feet. I tried to step backward, but the dizziness got the best of me. I would've fallen if it wasn't for Sam catching me.

"Thanks," I whispered. In his arms, the rest of the world slipped away.

"So, where's the birthday boy?" Jared asked, startling me from my daze.

"He's inside. Come on, I'll take you." I grabbed Sam's hand on instinct and dragged him inside.

Seth rushed over from his group of friends and embraced Sam in a tight hug. Sam and Seth got really close during our senior year. I knew that Seth saw Sam as an older brother, and it was heartwarming to see the two together. Sam held Seth like he was something precious, that needed to be protected.

"I can't believe you came. I thought you had work," Seth muttered into Sam's chest.

"I do, but I wanted to see you and wish you a happy birthday," Sam responded, making no effort to remove Seth.

"We just came for the food," Jared replied, making Paul slap the back of his head. I chuckled at their antics.

"There's plenty of food in the kitchen, and Dad said he would fire up the grill in a bit if we run out. Go, help yourselves," I told the heathens. They smiled so wide. Each boy ruffled Seth's hair before sprinting to the kitchen.

Seth slowly released Sam, but I could tell it was reluctantly. Sam handed Seth his present, and the sparkle returned to his eyes. Seth carefully opened it but was confused by what was inside.

"I don't have a Nintendo Switch," Seth said, confusion written on his features.

"It goes with your sister's gift. She helped me pick it out," Sam replied.

I could see the gears turning before the lightbulb went off. Seth embraced me one more time repeating 'Thank you' over and over. I just chuckled and told him he needed to thank Sam too. Sam received another hug before Seth ran off to show his friends his new games. I could already hear plans to play the games over the coming weekend.