A Date With The Alpha

Quinn

Sky was about to burst with excitement when I told her about my date with Jaxon. I’d never seen someone so thrilled about something that didn’t directly involve them.

It was a challenge to concentrate on self-defense training with Sky bombarding me with questions.

“How did he ask you?”

“Where did he do it?”

“What was he wearing?”

“What were ~you~ wearing?”

“What ~are~ you going to wear?”

“Is it a dinner and movie, or— Ouch! That hurt!” she cried out.

I guess I punched her a bit harder than I meant to.

~Oops.~

“Hey! Less talking, more training,” Harper yelled from across the field.

“Didn’t you hear? Jaxon’s taking Quinn out on a date!” Sky announced, loud enough for the whole group to hear. I wished the ground would swallow me up.

“Did you have to broadcast it to everyone?” I muttered through gritted teeth.

“Oh, lighten up! You’re already mated to each other. Who cares?”

~I’m going to punch her again. I swear…~

“Where’s he taking you?” Harper asked, walking over. “Is it somewhere fancy?”

~Really? Now Harper’s interested too?~

~Why is everyone so fascinated with other people's love lives?~

So, abandoning all pretense of training, I spilled the beans and agreed to let them help me prepare for the big night.

I was hesitant at first, but I had to admit that I didn’t know the first thing about dating etiquette, so I accepted their assistance.

***

Jaxon was due to pick me up in thirty minutes.

Sky let me use her room to get ready. She didn’t think jeans and a T-shirt were suitable for a first date, so she had me try on her entire wardrobe…literally.

“Ooh! This might look good on you!” she said, holding up another outfit.

~Ugh.~

“What do you think? Swipe left, or right?”

“I don’t know what that means,” I replied.

I was beginning to understand why people disliked dating. Not that I didn’t want to go. I was genuinely excited.

Sky gave me all the fashion advice I never asked for, while Harper’s input was limited to a series of shrugs and nods.

She understood me.

Eventually, I chose a sleeveless off-white ‘maxi dress’, as Sky called it, with green and lavender floral patterns around the edges.

I thought it was too girly, but Sky insisted I looked great. Even Harper approved.

“So, what exactly are we supposed to talk about?” I asked while Sky was doing my makeup.

“Anything!” she replied. “Ask about his interests and likes. Something that’ll keep him talking.”

Alpha Jaxon talking about himself…that didn’t seem like it would be a problem. Or maybe I was being too judgmental.

“Just go with the flow, you’ll figure it out.”

~Great.~

“Yeah, like if he tries to get in your pants,” Harper teased.

“Wait…is that what he’s expecting?” I asked, nearly falling off my chair.

“NO!” Sky shot back. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“But if you do,” Harper added, “make sure he wears a condom. You don’t know where he’s been.”

Harper and Sky debated the proper protocol for sex until it was time for me to leave. I was more confused now than when I started.

There was a knock at the door.

I opened it to find Raphael, who informed me Jaxon was waiting for me downstairs whenever I was ready.

I looked to Sky and Harper, who offered some last-minute advice.

“Just be yourself,” Sky encouraged.

“Don’t give head on the first date,” Harper advised.

Both seemed like sound advice, I suppose…

***

My jaw dropped when I stepped out of the pack house to find Jaxon leaning against a sleek-looking black Mercedes-Benz convertible. It looked like a classic from the 1950s or ’60s.

He wasn’t joking when he said he was going to pick me up.

He wore a well-fitted suit and tie, one that looked like it belonged in the same era as his car. He looked like a sexy grandpa. Was it weird that I found that attractive?

The urge to have him throw me onto the hood of the car and have his way with me right then and there was screaming in my head.

~Oh, my god…that sounds incredibly hot…~

He stood up straight and smiled as I approached.

“I never pegged you for a hipster,” I said, grinning.

“Hipster?” he said, surprised. “This is ~vintage~.”

“Well, either way, it suits you... very gentlemanly.”

He smiled. “Well, you look very ladylike yourself.”

~Did we just have a cute moment?~

~Forget the date, let’s just fuck!~

But I suppressed that urge. I was a ‘lady’, after all.

He opened the door for me, and soon, we were zooming down the road. I’d never been in a convertible before. I loved the feeling of the wind in my hair.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” he replied, smirking.

He drove for a few miles before turning onto a dirt road. We climbed up the side of a mountain before he parked.

He led me through a forest until we reached a clearing with a view of the valley below. There, illuminated only by candlelight, was a table set for two surrounded by wildflowers.

I had to admit, it was incredibly romantic.

Jaxon guided me to a larger table off to the side, where a lavish spread of food had been laid out.

Ever since I’d joined the pack, my hunger had been on the rise. Sky explained it was my body gearing up for a new diet after the shift, one that would need more calories.

While a two-thousand-calorie diet was enough for humans, werewolves needed at least four-thousand to feel somewhat satisfied. I was okay with that. I loved food.

“So, tell me about yourself,” I said, halfway through our meal. We’d been pretty quiet up until then, but I figured I should make an effort.

“What do you want to know?” Jaxon asked, his mouth full of mashed potatoes and gravy.

“What are your likes, your interests? What do you do when you’re not playing Alpha?”

“Umm…”

He wasn’t exactly a pro at this.

“I like to collect vinyls. Does that count?”

“Sure! My mom had an old record player. What are your favorite bands?”

“Well, I’ve always been into classic rock like AC/DC... Bowie... Queen... Violent Femmes—but growing up, I was really into bands like the Foo Fighters... White Stripes…”

I felt like he was speaking a different language. I had no clue what he was talking about.

“What about you? You into any of them?”

“All my mom ever played was K-Light 106.4, which was mostly Kenny G and Josh Groban—not exactly rock and roll.”

He laughed. “Anything else you like to do when you’re not listening to bands I’ve never heard of?” I asked.

“To be honest, I don’t have much free time outside of pack duties. It’s pretty much a twenty-four-hour job. Though, I was really into N64 back in the day.”

“N64? How old are you?”

He wouldn’t tell me.

“So, what about you? What do you like to do, aside from wandering around the forest alone?” he asked, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“As you can probably tell from my limited music knowledge, I grew up pretty sheltered. My mom hardly ever let me out of her sight. The most excitement I got was going to the local library—though I do love to read. I’m a homeschooled kid.”

“Was it one of those crazy religious households or something?”

“Not religious, but…protective. My father died when I was very young. Then, my Aunt Jodie went missing just a few years ago. No one’s seen her since.”

“That’s terrible. I’m sorry to hear that.”

By now, we’d both finished our meals.

“So, yeah, it was just me and her. After Aunt Jodie’s disappearance, my mom kept me on a tight leash. I couldn’t do anything. So, my best friends have been people like Agatha Christie and Walt Whitman.”

“When was the last time you spoke with her?”

“My mom? Not since the day before I left home.”

“Have you thought about calling her?”

Now that he mentioned it, I hadn’t. Did that make me a bad person? How would she react if I did try to contact her? Probably not well.

For the first time since I left, I was hit with a wave of guilt for leaving her. What must she think had happened to me? My eyes started to well up.

“I don’t think it would be a good idea. At least, not right now,” I said, trying to casually wipe my eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s just been a while since I thought about leaving her.”

There was a long silence between us. I instantly regretted bringing up my family. It wasn’t exactly a happy conversation for a first date.

He reached over and wrapped his hand over mine.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For telling me.” He stood but didn’t let go. I let him help me up and we began to walk the grounds. “I was also an only child. I lost my family, too, when I was very young, but I’m sure it doesn’t compare to what you’re going through.”

The way he gently rubbed his thumb against the top of my hand as we slowly intertwined fingers was comforting. This was the first time we’d ever held hands. It was subtle but intimate.

“She probably hates me,” I said, letting a tear fall.

Jax wiped it away. “I’m sure she doesn’t. From what I know about you, I’m sure she loves you very much. You’re an easy person to—”

He stopped himself.

~Oh, my god, was he about to say the “L” word?~

I could feel my heart racing.

“Jaxon—” I nervously interrupted.

“Call me Jax. Jaxon’s just a formality for the others.”

“Okay…Jax. There’s something I wanted to ask you…”

“Tell me.”

“About wanting to be with me. Why did you change your mind?”

He looked nervous as he took a moment to think about what he was going to say.

“I’ve tried to stop this bond from growing since you first set foot here. But the day you threatened to reject me, I realized... I didn’t want it to stop. It took almost losing you to see that. It’s not what I wanted and still don’t.”

He had never been this open with me before. Could this really be the same person?

“You aren’t just my mate, Quinn,” he said, stepping in, “you’re my future.” I felt our lips drawing closer. I could taste his breath. “And I also want to be that for you.”

And I did, too.

A part of me didn’t want to believe it, but it was true. I wanted him just as much as he wanted me.

The way he looked at me with his powerful gaze drew me closer. I wanted to be near him.

My heart was pounding as he rested his palm against my cheek. It was calming to the touch. I felt a yearning for him begin to rise from within.

In that moment, I understood that my raw desires weren’t just about lust anymore... it was something more. I started to shake.

As he moved closer to me, I shut my eyes, and our lips gravitated towards an unavoidable kiss.