0 A.Date?
- A Date?
Ara’s POV
I flopped onto my bed with a groan, sinking into the soft blankets. The whole “mysterious wolf incident had finally died down after Luna sent scouts who found nothing. It had been more than two days. Maybe I’d imagined the whole thing?
Yeah right.
That wolf’s stormy eyes and minty breath were burned into my memory. And the way my stupid body had reacted to him.
Focus, Ara. You have training in thirty minutes.
A knock on my door broke the chain of my thoughts. I sat up so fast I nearly toppled off the bed. “Coming!”
Kade stood at my door, looking uncharacteristically nervous. His usual confident smirk was replaced by… was that shyness? What’s going on!
“Hey,” I smiled, leaning against the doorframe.
“Hey,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was wondering if… we could go out together?”
*For scouting? Sure! When do we leave?” I asked casually.
“Not scouting. I mean we can go for scouting afterwards, he replied.
“Ok, then?” I asked.
“I meant in the town, in Carsten,” he said.
We barely went to the town, only when we craved human food or a stroll, or we needed to buy something specific from the human market, since the market here wasn’t that great.
“Sure, I can accompany you,” I smiled. “Are you gonna buy…”
“No, not like that,” he interrupted, then cleared his throat. “I meant… will you go out with me like a date?”
A Date!
My brain short–circuited. Kade flirted with me constantly, but I’d always brushed it off as his playful nature. “I really like you, Ara,” he continued, his golden eyes earnest. Tve never felt this way before towards anyone. I know we’re not mates, but…” He took my hand gently. “I want to build a home with you.”
A home!
My chest tightened. Kade was everything Lucian wasn’t- kind, patient, honest. And yet… My cancer was still there. I knew I was feeling better but the curse of this disease wasn’t gone yet. And I didn’t even know if it would. Lina couldn’t say much either.
“I know you just got out of a shitty marriage,” he rushed on when I stayed silent. “I understand if you need more time. We don’t have to do this today. I can wait–I mean, whenever you are ready.“.
“Let’s do it,” I blurted.
His face lit up like I’d handed him the moon. “Really?”
10 & Date?
Why not? This was my fresh start. And Kade made me feel safe. Maybe this was my second chance!
“Sure.” I smiled.
Before Kade or I could continue, Amara materialized out of thin air like a nosy ghost with a caffeine.
addiction.
“Sooo.., are you two a thing now?” She chirped, grinning like she’d just uncovered national secrets.
I whipped around so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash.
“Amaral Were you eavesdropping?” I glared.
She
gasped, hand on her chest like she was the picture of Innocence.
“Eavesdropping? Me? I was just casually walking by… with extremely functional ears!” she said, flashing a
grin.
Kade, the absolute menace, smirked like he’d been waiting for this moment. “We are… If she says yes
Oh, great. Throw me under the bus, why don’t you?
Before I could retaliate, Kade dropped a bomb and bounced.
“I’ll see you in an hour, hun,” he winked, sauntering away like he hadn’t just set my life on fire.
Really? Hun!
Amara’s eyes glowed with the intensity of a thousand gossip–hungry suns. “SPILL THE. BEANS.”
“There’s no beans!” I squeaked, my face now matching the color of a ripe tomato, probably.
“Aww, look at you!” She clutched her chest like she was witnessing a miracle. “Blushing like you just got caught writing Mrs. Kade in your notebook.”
“AMARA.” I scolded her. My cheeks were even burning hotter.
“What? You do realise you are practically dating the hottest wolf in town, right?” She grinned again.
“Just stop and help me pick a dress,” I sighed.
An hour later, I stood in a floral dress, that I hadn’t worn since before god knows when. I didn’t have much choice either. My hair in messy French braids. I had no makeup on. Amara gave me a full thumbs up to boost my spirits high!
Kade showed up at my door soon enough. The simple black t–shirt and casual pants made my breath
hitched. His golden gaze bore on me.
His jaw twitched when he saw me.
“You look… stunning.” He smiled.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, suddenly self–conscious.
We left the hideouts and moved through the woods and soon enough the township came to the sight. Carsten was alive with late afternoon activity. The sun was painting the sky in hue. Crisp breeze touched our
faces.
“So, where do you want to go first?” Kade asked, his thumb brushing lightly over my knuckles.
I grinned up at him. “I thought we decided on ice cream.”
A
“Right. Because you have a serious addiction,” he teased, tugging me closer.
“Says the guy who literally licked his bowl clean last time,” I shot back, laughing as he feigned offense.
The ice cream shop was our first stop. Kade, ever the gentleman, insisted on paying, then miraculously ended up with chocolate smeared on the tip of his nose.
“Oops,” he said, blinking innocently.
I rolled my eyes but reached up anyway, swiping it off with my thumb. “You did that on purpose.”
“Maybe,” he grinned, catching my wrist and pressing a kiss to my fingertips before slipping his arm around my waist, pulling me snug against his side as we walked. And in a way, I felt loved.
The town was alive around us, but in that moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the world. “May I ask you something?” I said softly, my fingers tracing idle patterns on his chest.
“Anything,” he murmured, his voice warm, his gaze steady on mine.
I hesitated, then took the plunge. “I heard your mom was a lycan… so what happened?”
The moment the words left my lips, his smile dimmed, and I instantly regretted asking. Everyone had their own scars, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”
“No,” he said gently, squeezing my waist. “It’s better you know.”
He took a deep breath, his eyes drifting to the horizon as if searching for the right words. “After she had me, a war broke out with a neighboring pack. My mom… she was still weak from giving birth. They’d been waiting
for that moment–she was our pack’s strength, and she was down. We lost the war, and they cher
“Oh, Kade!” I gasped.
My heart ached for him, but he continued, his voice steady despite the weight of his past. “Our beta female- she was close to my mom. She hid me, protected me until I shifted on my fifteenth birthday. But my stepmother saw me as a threat. She convinced the pack I’ld bring another war. Then one day. they accused me of something unforgivable.” His jaw tightened. “They said I tried to hurt my stepsister. I never even touched her, Ara. I swear it on the Goddess.”
“I believe you,” I whispered instantly, my fingers tightening around his.
A small, grateful smile flickered across his lips before fading again. “I couldn’t take it anymore. So I left.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks, but before I could speak, he pulled me into his chest, his arms wrapping around me like a shield.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through all that,” I murmured against him, my voice thick.
He kissed the top of my head, his lips lingering in my hair.
“That’s the past,” he murmured. “Now I have you.”
That’s right. We have each other.
It was… nice. Easy. No politics, no expectations. Just two people enjoying each other’s company. I was sinking in his warmth until the air changed.
My skin prickled with that same eerie awareness from the waterfall, Kade stiffened beside me.
10 A Date?
“Ka–Kade…”
“When did he… Kade was taken aback. He didn’t sense him either.
Before we could move, he stepped from the shadows- the same wolf from the waterfall. His stormy eyes
dark with fury.
“Having fun on your little date?” His voice was a growl, deeper than I remembered.
Kade shoved me behind him. “None of your business.”
“This is him,” I whispered. “The wolf I told you
about.
Kade squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect
