On the Town

Lilac

“Are you ready, little flower?” Kyril asked, throwing on a shirt.

Lilac let out an exasperated sigh. “As if I have a choice,” she said, pouting.

Kyril had decided that today was a perfect day to introduce Lilac to more of the pack.

She knew this meant she would have to socialize with the community. She couldn’t hide behind her mate and stuff her face with food to avoid conversation.

The idea of having so much attention thrust upon her shook Lilac’s nerves, but she thought about breakfast and how she had survived that just fine.

If she wanted to get better, she would have to push past her fears. Besides, she would have Kyril at her side the whole time.

Like being marked, this was another eventuality she would rather address now and get out of the way.

She also remembered how Kyril carried himself at the council breakfast, and she didn’t want to disappoint him by portraying herself as a Luna who hid from her people.

She had to do her best to project the same assuredness and strength that her mate did.

Kyril pressed a small kiss to her forehead. “I’m not going to leave your side, and if anyone scares you...I’ll tear them apart.”

Lilac giggled in response, assuming his threats were playful exaggeration.

With butterflies in her stomach, Lilac walked out the door with her mate, gripping his sleeve tightly in her hand.

Before they’d met a single wolf, Lilac noticed the sheer scale of the village. Kyril’s territory was substantially larger than her father’s.

“How many wolves are in your pack?”

Kyril shrugged. “Seventeen hundred, give or take a few.”

“Seventeen hundred!” Her eyes widened. “How can you say that so dismissively? Other packs barely have five hundred.”

“I’ve been the Alpha of my pack for over a decade now. I suppose the number doesn’t shock me as much as it used to. About eighteen years ago, several of the neighboring packs requested permission to merge with ours,” he reminisced.

“You see, for years some of the smaller packs were having issues with rogues, and we could only help for so long. Constantly sending our men to protect the outer packs was becoming burdensome for our own people and weakening our own defenses.

"Ultimately, we met with their leaders and agreed that having them join our pack indefinitely made sense for everyone.”

“What do you mean by rogues?” Lilac asked, her eyes wide.

“Rogue vampires, but there is nothing to fear now. This happened years ago,” he answered dismissively. “No one would dare to come near our lands without authorization.”

“Is that what I saw in the bushes?”

Kyril let out a frustrated sigh. “Perhaps, but you don’t have to worry. We chased it away. Incursions like that are very rare now.”

Lilac was suspicious of his response. He was too quick to dismiss the threat when he had been so protective before.

Her attention was soon drawn to the pack’s outdoor market, where werewolves and lycans of all ages strolled between vendors of all types, talking and laughing with each other.

They all seemed at ease, unaware of their Alpha’s and Luna’s presence.

Lilac wanted to keep it that way. She would rather be invisible than be the center of attention. The only attention she desired was Kyril’s.

Almost on cue, a sly smile made its way onto his lips. ~If attention is what you crave, I’ll be more than happy to satisfy that need.~

Lilac jumped at the voice in her head. ~Stop eavesdropping. That’s very rude~, she scolded.

A light blush appeared on her cheeks at the thought of what he meant by satisfying “that need.” She was still getting used to his lust for her.

As they walked deeper into the market, people began to notice the couple and bowed their heads toward them out of respect.

Lilac couldn’t help but feel the growing number of eyes staring at her, following her every move.

Excited whispers danced through the crowd as she passed. They were all eager to catch a glimpse of their Alpha’s mate.

Lilac realized that the sight of her brought peace to their hearts, for it meant that their Alpha finally had a balancing force to counter the feral emotions that lurked inside him.

Upon reaching the opposite end of the market, Lilac was exhausted. She had survived the spotlight, but it had drained her completely.

Taking notice of her, Kyril leaned down and whispered into her ear.

“I think that’s enough introductions for one day. How about we go somewhere off the pack grounds, just the two of us?”

In the back of his mind, Kyril knew it wouldn’t be just the two of them. Ever since yesterday’s incident he had secretly dispatched a dozen werewolves and lycans to shadow Lilac’s every move.

“Where will we go?” She looked up at him.

“It’s a surprise,” he whispered back.

She clung onto his arm tighter, smiling excitedly for whatever he had planned.

***

KYRIL

The village was a bustling melting pot, where demons, vampires, witches, and all sorts of other creatures strolled the streets and conducted business.

It was not unusual for werewolves to venture there, but Kyril had less control over their surroundings.

This made him uneasy, but he could sense that Lilac needed to get away from the pack, and in the village, the chance of her being recognized was slim compared to his pack headquarters, where everyone knew her face.

Kyril wrapped an arm around Lilac’s waist while helping her out of the large black carriage. He gripped her hand firmly yet gently. “Don’t leave my side, little flower.”

Lilac

“I wouldn’t want to,” she sheepishly responded.

She was excited yet anxious to be in the village. Exploring was something she was looking forward to.

At first, the crowds of people made her anxious and claustrophobic, but once she realized that none of them paid her any notice, she began to relax and enjoy watching these strangers scurry about their days.

Lilac and Kyril walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, admiring the outdoor shops and displays.

Eventually, they ended up in front of an elegant restaurant.

Kyril led Lilac toward the gilded double doors, and just as he was about to push them open, a man wearing sunglasses and wrapped up in a scarf stormed out, almost bowling them over.

Kyril pulled Lilac to his chest, growling viciously at the man who had almost crashed into her.

“Watch where you’re going!” Kyril snarled.

The stranger and his hooded companion didn’t even acknowledge Kyril as they flew past as if they were terribly late for some engagement.

As Lilac looked on, she heard a tiny jingle against the concrete.

Glancing down, she saw a golden bracelet, which she assumed belonged to the cloaked woman who had accompanied the oblivious man.

Kyril had loosened his grip on Lilac’s hand once he saw his men approach. “It’s fine. Just a false alarm.”

Lilac bent down to pick up the bracelet off the walkway.

“What is it?” he asked.

“A bracelet. That woman must have dropped it by accident,” she answered, scanning the street to see if they were still nearby. “I can’t find them.” Lilac frowned.

Kyril examined the stones set in the stylish gold band. “Ambrosia stones. These jewels are hard to come by.”

“Should we leave it with the manager?”

“You’re so trusting,” he replied.

“If it’s as valuable as you say, surely she’ll be back for it,” she protested.

Kyril rolled his eyes. “I’ll have one of the men leave a note with the hostess. Will that do?”

“Yes,” Lilac replied, feeling triumphant. “In the meantime, I’ll hold on to it for safekeeping.”

As soon as they stepped inside the building, a hostess approached them with a smile plastered on her face.

“Hello, Alpha, Luna,” she greeted. “I’ll show you to the private room.”

Kyril placed his hand on Lilac’s lower back as they followed the hostess to the rear of the restaurant, where she ushered them into an elegant room with upholstered walls and a crystal chandelier.

“This place is gorgeous,” said Lilac as Kyril pushed her chair in. “What’s the occasion?”

He cleared his throat before answering. “I just...wanted to take you out. Spend some quality time together.”

“Like a date?” she asked shyly.

The tips of Kyril’s ears began to redden.

“No,” he blurted out. “Yes, I mean yes. Um, a date. I wanted to take you out for a date,” he stammered.

Kyril looked confused, like he had never been this flustered by a simple question before.

Why was it so hard for him to admit he wanted to do something nice for his mate?

“The way we met was hectic. I didn’t behave as I would have liked,” he said, avoiding her gaze. “I was hoping to make it up to you.”

Lilac felt a river of emotions flowing through her.

This was a date. Her first date ever.

She sent a quick prayer to Selene in hopes that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in front of her mate.

“You’re too cute,” she said, smiling softly.

Before either one of them could exchange another word, a trio of waiters came into the room, each pushing a large serving cart decked with platters of meats, greens, potatoes, soups, salads, and a host of sides.

Lilac reveled in happiness as she stared at the mouth-watering spread.

“I’ll serve,” he said, signaling to the waiters that they could leave.

Grabbing the plate in front of Lilac, Kyril piled it high with all types of food. “I want my mate to eat as much as she can. I want her to be healthy and happy.”

Her stomach grumbled loudly as he placed the bounty in front of her.

“Go ahead and start,” he said.

“No, I want to wait for you,” she replied. “I want to enjoy this meal together.”

“Very well,” he answered, picking up his own plate.

She was so gleeful. This was exactly what she’d hoped their reprieve from the pack would be.

Watching her mate pile food onto his plate, Lilac felt her heart blossom with joy.

Even though there was a side to him that she found intimidating and scary, he was still a person who craved nourishment and acceptance just like everyone else.

They would have time to work on his temper.

What she was more troubled by was her mate’s cagey behavior.

Why was Kyril so reluctant to talk about what she had seen?

What was he hiding from her?