AN: The picture above is the spot where the date will take place!
Two days later, on Max's Birthday:
Lucas's POV-
I made sure to get up very early this morning. It was around 6am and I was already dressed, my teeth were brushed, and I had my shoes on. But I stopped for a moment to write Max a note. "Happy Birthday my love. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you woke up, but I promise I will make up for it tonight. This rose is only the beginning." I sat the note on the kitchen counter, and I sat a red rose next to it. I went back to our bedroom, gave Max a peck on the forehead, and then I made my way outside. Sam was already there, waiting for me, and he shot me a grin.
"Ready to get started?" he asked. I grinned back at him.
"Hell yes", I said. Sam chuckled and we shifted into our wolves, then we ran in the direction of the lake. But that wasn't where we were going. We were going somewhere even better than the lake.
Once we got to the lake, I led Same near the large boulder, and showed him that there was a small dirt path that led away from the clearing. It was hard to spot unless you looked closely, but I've known about this path for almost a year now. I led the way down the narrow path, Sam close to my tail. After a few minutes of walking down the path, Sam and I ended up at another small clearing, however this particular clearing was quite special to me.
In the clearing, complete with a small beach, was a waterfall, and the waterfall crashed into a small river that flowed into the lake upstream. It was a beautiful place, and it helped me find peace and comfort after my parents died. Sam whistled in awe.
"Damn, I can see why you would bring Max here", he said. "It's breath-taking."
"It was a haven for me for a time", I said. "It provided comfort and a place for me to distract myself." I sighed, but shoved my slightly growing sadness aside and focused on something that instantly brightened my mood: Max's birthday. "Come on, let's go get the things we need to set everything up. If everything goes well, we should get done around nine at the latest."
"It's 6:21 right now", Sam said, checking his phone. "So let's go!" I grinned and we shifted into our wolves and we ran back to the pack house. Once we got there, we shifted back.
"I have fairy lights and a large white banner", I said. "You grab the wireless speakers and some markers. And grab a few packs of those. I'll meet you outside." Sam nodded and I went to my office to get the fairy lights and banner, while Sam went to one of the storage closets to get the other stuff. I quietly opened the oak doors to my office and rummaged through the desk. I opened a drawer and pulled out the banner, the fairy lights, and some batteries.
I quietly crept out of the office and made my way downstairs, and out the front door. Sam was waiting for me outside, and he gave me a nod and we started to walk back to the waterfall, but thats when a thought came to me.
"We sound get the ladder from the cellar", I suggested. "That way we have an easier time hanging the lights and banner from the trees."
"Good idea", Sam said. "Let's go get it." Sam and I walked to the cellar doors and quietly opened them. We decended the stairs and found the ladder on the ground, just off to the side. Since we moved that Mage, or now Tranquil, somewhere else, we didn't run into him. Don't worry, he's alive. We aren't that heartless. He's just somewhere where he can't cause trouble. We sat the other supplies on the steps and lifted the ladder onto our right shoulders. Holding the ladder securely, we picked up the other supplies with our left hands and slowly climbed the stairs. We stepped into the early morning sunlight and we closed the doors with our feet. Then we began hiking back to the waterfall.
"Lucas, what time are you taking Max to your picnic spot?" Granny asked through the mind link. "I need to know that way I can have to food ready at a decent time."
"6pm sharp, Granny", I replied.
"Then I'll start cooking around 4", she said. "Thank you."
"No problem", I said cheerfully, then I felt her close the link. By now, Sam and I were approaching the path from the lake to the waterfall. By the looks of the sunrise, it looked like we were making good time. But getting over confident could set us back, so it's best we do the job quickly and efficiently. After a few minutes, we made it to the clearing with the waterfall and carefully sat the supplies on the ground along with the ladder.
"How do you want to set this up?" Sam asked. "This is for your mate, not mine. So you're the one who's going to make the decisions with this." I scanned the small U-shaped clearing, and I began visioning on how I wanted it to look like once we set the decorations up.
"I also want to see how Max would want this set up", I said. "So I'm trying to think about where he would put the decorations if he was planning this." With one more quick look of the area, I finally came up with a good plan.
"I want the banner to be hanging above the opening to the path, but facing the waterfall", I said. "And since there are two long strands of the fairy lights in the package, I think it would look good have one strand on each side of the banner. That way they will spread light all through the clearing, but it will also make the banner pop. We can set the wireless speakers against the bottom of a few trees, and have them spread out like surround sound. I can play music from my phone through the speakers."
"Shit, how are you so good at planning stuff like that?" Sam asked. I chuckled.
"To be honest, I'm just winging it", I revealed. "I'm hoping Max likes it. His uncertain response is making me and my wolf slightly anxious." Sam scoffed.
"Lucas, you are over-thinking this way too much", he said, firmly. "Max will love what you do for his birthday no matter what, because he loves you more than anyone or anything, or else he wouldn't have thrown me the other say when he thought I hurt you. Now, quit being anxious, and help me set up these damn fairy lights." I lightly chuckled, and I picked up the package of fairy lights. Sam was right. I was over-thinking this, too much. I know Max will love this, but there will always be that shread of doubt or fear that he won't. However, I'll use those emotions to go above and beyond and prove myself wrong.
I was now tearing open the package of lights, and realization decided to pop into my head that that moment.
"We forgot to get tape to hold the lights in place", I said, a bit frustrated. "I'll be right back. Start on banner while I'm gone, I shouldn't be long." I shifted into my wolf and began sprinting down the path. Around ten minutes later, the pack house came into view. I shifted back and I entered the house, sneakily going up to my office.
Once I got the tape, which was invisible tape of course, I started making my way back to the front door. That was, until a little ball of intense energy slammed into my legs.
"Hi!" Mason shouted, joyfully. "What are you doing?" How was he up this early in the morning? I swear, when I was his age, all I did was want to sleep! Damn... I sounded old... I'm not even nineteen!! But anyways, back to his question. I obviously couldn't tell him I was giving Max a surprise, since he could all too well blurt it out to Max on accident. So, I chose a different approach. Tell a version of the truth.
"I'm getting Max a present", I said. "It's his birthday today, and I need to go and get his present." Mason's eyes widened with pure delight.
"Can I go tell happy birthday please?" he asked, bouncing up and down. "He's still sleeping, but can I please go tell him?" I smirked, knowing I would later regret this, but it would be worth it.
"Of course you can", I said. "And be sure to be extra noisy." Mason let out a giggle of pure mischief, spun around, and ran towards the stairs, and up to the fifth floor. I chuckled, knowing I'll be in trouble for using Mason to prank Max, especially on his birthday. But I think that when he sees what I've been doing today, he'll forgive me.
Speaking of which, I got to the front door and I quickly slipped out of the house before Max came and hunted me down. I shifted to my wolf, carried the tape carefully between my teeth, and I ran back to the waterfall.
~
Max's POV-
"Lucas, you're going to get it", I whispered. Not only had Lucas once again told Mason to scream at me to wake up, he did it on my birthday! And it was 7:30 in the morning! I spent all day training the warriors on Mage Battle Magic yesterday, and I was exhausted from all of the use of magic. And instead of sleeping in and resting properly, I was woken up by Mason shouting "Happy Birthday!!" to me, and now, I'm a bit grumpy. Lucas better make it up to me, because I'm going to get revenge with this. Because his fuckery was now going to be thrown back at him. But Mason was currently shouting at me for attention, so I stopped planning Lucas's doom... for now.
"Can we play a game?" Mason asked.
"Sure, what do you want to play?" I asked. Mason thought for a moment, before his face lit up.
"Can we play Go Fish?" Mason asked.
"Of course", I replied. "Let me get ready for the day, then we can play."
"OK!" Mason yelled, and bounced to the kitchen. I shook my head and headed to the closet. Picking out a pair of black shorts and a blue T-shirt, I stripped out of my pajamas, and I threw on the other clothes. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, but on some deodorant, and I did my business with the toilet. After washing my hands, I went out to the kitchen and sat next to Mason, who was still very hyper, aka over-the-top excited, to play. I held out my hand and a deck of cards appeared in my palm in a puff of white smoke. Shuffling the cards well, I dealt out the cards between Mason and I.
A few minutes later:
"Any Jacks?" Mason asked, giggling. I sighed, and reluctantly gave Mason the Jack I had just picked up, and now there were no more cards left to be played. I only had a few matches, while Mason had the rest of them. He clearly won, but it mattered little to me. After all, it was only a game. We played a few more rounds, and I won a couple, and Mason won the others.
By now, I guessed it was a little after 8am. My stomach started to grumble, so I went to the fridge for something to eat.
"You hungry Mason?" I asked.
"Yup!" he replied, bouncing in his seat. I allowed the first small, but genuine smile to breach my lips for the first time that morning, and proceeded to look for something to eat. But I looked on the counter by the fridge, and I saw a red rose, along with a note. I picked up the rose, and I smelled it. It smelled amazing, and I smelled it every now and then while I read the note. It was from Lucas, and it did seem that he had plans with me for today. Smiling sheepishly, filed with excitement, I turned back to the fridge.
~
Lucas's POV-
We were almost finished with everything. I was currently on the ladder, carefully taping the last part of the second string of fairy lights. Sam held the bottom of the ladder, and I carefully climbed down it. While I had been hanging the lights, Sam had been setting up the Bluetooth speakers and drawing out bubbled letters that said "Happy Birthday Max!". I was going to color the letters in, and hang it up in the trees, with Sam's help of course. Luckily, the banner already had thick strings for hanging it up on things, so we didn't need the tape anymore.
AN: Use this as a reference to the banner!!
I decided to go with the rainbow pattern. Rainbows are amazing!! And Max loves them, so it's perfect. Sam and I colored the letters in the rainbow pattern, which took a while because we wanted to keep the colors within the lines. So after a stressful, but completely worth it, forty-five minutes of extremely careful coloring, Sam and I were finally hanging the banner up in the trees, just below the fairy lights.
I tied the banner on a couple of small branches, being careful to not rip them or the banner. After tying the last knot, and making sure that the banner was secure, I carefully decended down the ladder. I hopped the last step, and I did a dramatic pose.
"We did it!" I yelled, making Sam chuckle.
"Yeah we did!" Sam shouted with me. I calmed down though, and I began to get a bit awkward.
"Sam", I said, the awkwardness getting into my voice slightly.
"Yeah?" he asked, but in a tone where he knew what I was about to say.
"Thank you, truly, for everything", I said. "You've always been there for me. And without your help, this would've taken me twice as long to do." Sam only chuckled and trapped me in an unexpected hug.
"Lucas, you dumb-shit", Sam whisper-yelled. "I will always be there for you, no matter what. Now, before I get emotional, help me with these damn supplies!" I chuckled and tightly hugged him back. Although he didn't say much, Sam's words were touching, and they meant more to me than he could ever know.
"Come on, let's take this stuff back and go to the city", I said. "I better buy Max an 'I'm sorry' present. I pranked him by telling Mason to go scream happy birthday to him, and I'm pretty sure it woke him up." Sam started laughing his ass off.
"Holy shit, you're so dead!" Sam said, still laughing, now clutching his sides. "Good thing your getting him that present. What are you getting him?" I smirked and gave him a sly grin.
"You'll see", I said, mysteriously.
"Oh a mystery?" Sam said, dramatically as we began to pack everything up to take back to the pack house. I snickered and started to get the ladder ready for us to carry back. Sam finishes putting the little stuff into a pile for us to pick it up from. I picked up the smaller stuff, and Sam and I onto our right shoulders. Clutching the smaller supplies in my left hand, and Sam and I keeping the ladder securely with our rights, we began to walk down the narrow path and back to the pack house. We walked along the path for a while until the clearing with the lake came into view. We found the other path that lead to the pack house, and started down it.
The pack house soon came into view about twenty minutes later, and there were already people outside enjoying the nice weather. Some waved at us from afar, and we sent warm smiles back as we went to the cellar to drop off the ladder. Once we put the ladder away, I told Sam to put the extra markers and tape away, mainly because I didn't want to risk Max seeing me. Sam went into the house, and he reappeared after a few minutes.
"Ready to get to Denver? Or are you staying here?" I asked him.
"I might as well go with", Sam said. "I might see something Emma might like and get it for her."
"Well, let's not waste time then, and get there", I said, starting to walk to the garage where my truck was, with Sam close behind me. Once we got to my truck, we hopped in and we set out for Denver.
Timeskip: After the drive to Denver...
The city's lights came into view, and Sam was staring out the window. The reason why, I don't know. He's just weird I guess. Knowing what I wanted to get for Max, I drove around the city for a while until I found the store I wanted. It was a small store, just off of one of the very busy squares in the city. It was a light blue building, and it had a billboard on the front of it the read "Geodes, Fossils, Crystal's, Gemstone Jewelry" and it had a picture of of a clustere of crystals painted in the center of it. While I was here, I wanted to buy a peice of jewelry for Max.
AN: This is what the building looks like, and its actually in Nederland, Colorado, not Denver!!
Parking my truck in front of the small building, Sam and I got out and walked into the shop. The inside of the shop was, to put it simply, just filled with wonder. When I first walked in, I was met with a few shelves of small, but polished stones. They were small enough to be put in small little gift bags, that were laying in a small box on one of the middle shelves. It looked like something more for smaller kids around Mason's age. But turning directly to the left, I was looking at a decent sized room, completely dedicated to different types of crystals and gems.
There was a giant jewelry case in the center of the shop, that formed a U-shape, and it had a couple registers. A woman, who was human, was running one of the registers. She greeted us with a welcoming smile, then she went back to doing what she was doing. I walked along the side of the large case, looking at the other shelves on the wall. A few of them had very pretty pieces and slabs of crystals, like turquoise, summer stone, jade, and aquamarine. Sam was wandering on the right side of the case, which looked like it was mostly smal, decorative things, and even small carvings made from different types of stones and crystals.
Deciding to look in the case, I peered at the stunning jewelry. Although all of them were very nice, none of the necklaces, rings, or bracelet spoke to me. I was about not bother anymore and walk away, until something caught my eye.
It was a wolf shaped pendant, with a sliver painted lining, with a pretty blue stone that sort of sparkled. It had a decorative brown bead on the string.
"Excuse me, could you tell me what kind of stone that is please?" I asked the woman at the register. She perked up, and walked over to me, seeing what I was pointing at from behind the glass.
"Oh, that's abalone, which is a fragment of a seashell", she explained, taking the pendent out of the case and showing it to me. I could already picture Max wearing this, and it made me smile. Right then and there, I knew that this was the one.
"I would like this one please!" I said, getting excited. The woman grinned, and she went to the register.
"That will be $115 please", she said. I swiped my card, not caring about the price one bit. She set the pendant in a small black box, and handed it to me. Sam came up behind me, with a small necklace with a polished chunk of amethyst as the jewel. It was very pretty, but I loved Max's present a lot more.
"Hey Sam, look!" I said, opening the small box and showing him the pendant. "Max will absolutely love this!" Sam chuckled and nodded.
"He'll love it for sure", Sam agreed.
"Oh, who's Max?" the woman asked as she rang up Sam's necklace for Emma.
"He's my ma- boyfriend", I said, almost saying "mate", but catching myself. Shd smiled warmly.
"He is one lucky guy!" she replied. I grinned and waited for Sam. A moment later, Sam had payed for the necklace, and was ready to go.
"Thank you so much!" I said, as Sam and I began going to the door.
"You're very much welcome!" the woman called back. "Have a great day!"
"You as well!" Sam nearly yelled as we left the shop and went outside to my truck. I put the box with Max's pendant in my front pocket, and got in my truck, Sam following suit.
I started the truck, and we buckled our seat belts. I pulled out of the parking space and began the long process of getting out of Denver. After at least 20 minutes of very annoying traffic, we finally made it out of the city. Mg heart fluttered, knowing Max would love his surprises later today. Although I knew he would be grumpy with me for pranking him again, I knew that the surprises would be 100% worth it. I also had the feeling that tonight would be a night to remember forever.
To be continued...
AN: The pendant Lucas bought for Max. Just imagine that it has a silver painted chain instead of a string, and BOOM!! Anyways, here's chapter 26, and I hope it was worth the wait. I appreciate each and every one of you all for being patient with me!! It might be another while before chapter 27 gets posted, but I am working on it! Please comment any spelling and grammar errors! Love you all!!
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