Parker’s Birthday

A little moon pack snippet!

Elliott slid on the party hat then straightened the streamer. He had worked all day to make sure Parker had an excellent birthday. Henry delivered the cake an hour ago and it sat chilling in the refrigerator waiting for the right moment to make a grand entrance. A glance at the time had Elliott cursing. The guests would be arriving any minute and Parker still hadn’t returned home from his work at the club.

After a lot of consultation with Anthony they now lived in a small two-story cottage built on pack lands. A cottage that smelled of simmering sauces and rich meats. Elliott might not be able to bake a cake, but he could sear a good steak. He checked to make sure nothing was close to being done. A well-done meat would ruin his reputation for eternity. His stellar work as an accountant wouldn’t help him with a hungry wolf pack he promised steak.

A loud rapping on the door, jerked Elliott out of his thoughts.

Rushing to answer he found Anthony and Silver on the other side. Anthony gave a quick hug, Silver offered a status report.

“Parker will be another thirty minutes, I’m having him close out the bar,” Silver said.

“Why?” Elliott frowned.

“Because he was giving Dare a hard time about his fan club while Steven was walking by,”

“Ah.” Parker did like to tease his friend. Whenever Dare worked the bar he always had a small crowd watching him mix drinks and just stare. It drove Steven mad. “Yeah, Parker shouldn’t have kicked that hornets nest.”

Anthony snorted. “Dare says the makeup sex is great. I think he provokes Steven for that reaction.”

“Probably.” Dare’s well-known mischievous streak got him into trouble often enough.

After Silver and Anthony’s arrival, the rest of the pack game in dribbles and drabs. It took forty minutes for Parker to make it back home.

“Surprise,” the crowd shouted.

Parker clutched his chest but his wide smile and bright eyes conveyed his true joy at seeing everyone there. “Wow!” his gaze fell on Elliott. “Did you do all this precious?”

Elliott shrugged. “I wanted you to have a good birthday even though you had to work.” He tossed a teasing glare at the alpha.

Parker laughed. He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Elliott, and spun him around in a circle. “Thank you!”

The kiss Parker planted on Elliott’s lips was greeted by a chorus of catcalls and whistles. In true movie star romance style, Parker dipped Elliott. The whistles increased.

Parker’s lips helped Elliott ignore them all despite his usual shyness. When they finally separated, Elliott’s heart was beating faster and harder than normal. “I’m taking it you liked the party?”

Parker grinned. “That depends. Did you burn the steaks?”

“Ahh.” Elliot tore away from Parker and raced through the crowd. “Coming through!”

 He slid to a stop in front of the griddle. A quick examination had him let out a sigh. “They’re fine!” he shouted.

Cheers rang through the house, and someone let off a small air horn, loud enough to deafen the group of shifters.

Parker appeared at Elliott’s side. “All good?”

“Happy birthday, love.”

Parker’s bright smile eased Elliott’s party anxiety. “Thank you. I appreciate the work you put into it.”

Despite the crowd and noise. Elliott would throw a thousand parties to get Parker to smile at him like that one more time.