Chapter 17 First Date

Io

I glanced at her from time to time as I drove, wondering what she was thinking. When I mentioned we should go and tell her mother of our impending wedding, her enthusiastic demeanor from earlier suddenly changed to anxiousness. She quickly turned away from me to face the window and whipped out her phone to text someone. Who was she texting? A friend for support? Didn't she already know I was enough?

She was so beautiful and she didn't even know it. Her golden blonde hair, amber eyes, and tanned skin seemed to glisten like gold under the sunlight. She reminded me of a golden goddess basking under the radiance of the sun. I guess when anyone paused to fawn over her, the question of her parentage would always be an overwhelming topic, so much so, she would brush away the comments on her looks and quickly defend her parents. My Kiaria loved her parents dearly. A characteristic of hers I have grown to respect.

She must be worried her mother would not agree to the wedding. Asians value education and since Kiaria was only a freshman in college, she knew her mother would be the first to object. Of course, there was the issue of my long string of girfriends which leads to a rather painful question. Would I remain faithful to a woman I had only met? The humans no nothing of the fated mate.

I no longer saw other women as I did before nor does their smell entice me like it once did. The only woman I wanted to see and smell, the only woman who my body yearned for with so much longing was seated beside me, frightened she may regret ever agreeing to marry me. Well, I did promise her I would court her forever and I never rescind on a promise. I better start now.

Instead of driving to her mother's bistro, I drove to my hotel. Marcus was there with a smile on his face, waiting at the lobby, ready to usher us both inside.

"Luna," Marcus bowed low when he saw her. She quickly slid closer to me, our bodies slightly touching, and whispered in my ear. Her warm breath made my ears tingle.

"How am I supposed to, you know, reciprocate? Do I bow too?" Kiaria asked. I smiled.

"No, you don't have to bow or reciprocate any gesture. You are an Alpha by birthright and my Luna," I explained. "If you encounter anyone below rank, you need only nod your head or smile."

"Okay. Is there anyone, like your President, Prime Minister or Pope who I have to bow to?" I guess she didn't want anyone to think she had bad manners.

"The wolves are governed by a High Elder who sits at the highest post of the Council of Wolves. The High Elder and Elders rarely mingle with the rest of us and are only seen when there is a meeting or conference with the Alphas of the various wolf packs around the country. When we are invited to see them or if we do bump into them during a particular occasion, that is the only time you will have to bow. We will be seeing the High Elder at our mating ceremony. Hopefully, we can schedule the event for Sunday or if it isn't feasible, next weekend. I hope my parents arrive later tonight so we can go over the details of our mating ceremony," I said.

"Y-your p-parents are flying in tonight? H-here in Montana?" I heard the anxiousness in her voice. She was afraid they might not like her. I put my arm around her to help quell her fears.

"Yes, my little she-wolf," I answered. "And don't worry. My parents respect the bond of the fated mate. They will love you no matter what." She gave me a weak smile.

"A-are you sure?" I saw the doubt in her eyes. "I mean, there is a possibility they might not like me. You're an accomplished, sought after bachelor. Maybe they would want someone with a better resume. Someone who's like you. You know, accomplished and rich."

"Well, you were just given money from your parents. Doesn't that make you rich?" I joked. She scoffed at me.

"This isn't a joking matter, Io. Seriously, what if they don't like me? Will they call off the wedding?" She asked. And here I thought she may back out.

"No. They will do nothing of the sort. You, my darling, are my fated mate. Remember, it is the wolves' utmost law. The Moon Goddess will not tolerate something like that. Come on. It's time for tea. You can ask me all the questions you want while we snack since this will be our first date." She looked down at her clothes and then at the parlor room of the hotel.

"You mean, tea, in there? I'm a bit under dressed," she pointed out.

"You didn't have trouble entering the hotel wearing your clothes. Why worry now? Kiaria, honestly, even if you were wearing rags, you would still be the most beautiful woman here," I said, reassuring her. I saw her eyes flicker in surprise while her luscious pink lips curved into a soft smile from the compliment I had given her. It wasn't a compliment. I spoke the truth. However, the compliment wasn't enough. She quickly shook her head of whatever nonsense that was running in her head and stomped her foot. She was having a tantrum in my hotel...so cute.

"You are just buttering me up so I don't call off the wedding. Now zip it. I have a supplementary credit card from my dad. I don't think he would mine if I did a little shopping. I do need something pink for Saturday's party," she said. Women and their shopping. Marcus coughed, grabbing our attention.

"If I may be of assistance, Luna. The parlor room is empty. You may have tea now and go shopping after," Marcus said, bowing. She smiled gratefully at Marcus then she met my gaze with hers. I felt myself go hard. Down, boy.

"Io, you should have told me the parlor room was empty. Here I am thinking I wouldn't fit in. Lesson learned...I always have to look presentable. Now let's have some tea. But after, can I go shopping?" Kiaria asked me. Aw, it was sweet she was asking me for permission, however it made me feel bad. I wanted her to be her own person, not like any other Luna who needed to bow down to her Alpha mate.

"No need to ask permission. You are my equal, Kiaria. Do what you need or want to do. I may complain at times, but that is because I want what's best for you," I said. I placed her hand in the crook of my arm and led her into the parlor room where a small table was set up for the both of us. Marcus closed the doors after we entered to make sure we would not be disturbed.

I assisted her in her seat and poured some hot tea in her cup. There were sugary pastries and small slices of cake for us to sample while we had our tea.

"You must have connections to get this room all to yourself or did you have to pay? Kiaria asked. "Either way, I'm impressed." I shrugged.

"Don't be. I own this hotel. When we get married, this will also be your hotel," I said. "Try this one. See if you like it." I placed a small slice of cake on her dessert saucer. She made a face. Okay, not to her liking. I placed the slice of cake on the cart beside me.

"Don't you think we should get a pre-nup?" I shook my head to answer her question. "Why not, Io?"

"What for, Kiaria? You will be by my side until the day the Moon Goddess takes me. Besides, it would be nice to let someone else take some responsibility off my shoulders if you would like to manage some of the businesses for the pack."

"I don't know. My mom wants me to finish school first. She has always, always pictured me as the first doctor in the family. I mean, med school is tough, and although the human body amazes me, I don't know if I can stay in school for an additional four more years for medical school. Anyway, I will help out in any way that I can," she said.

"Well, you can start helping by tasting all the cake slices on your plate and then tell me which one you like the most," I said. "I like this one, but you might not like it." She took the piece of cake that I had pointed out to her and she nodded her head appreciatively. Ah, a winner.

"Why are you making me try everything?" I stared at her bewildered. I thought she knew what I was doing.

"Silly me. I thought we were getting married. I need your insight on the wedding cake, Kiaria." She laughed.

"And I thought this was our first date. You just wanted me to do some cake tasting."

"My sweet, what better way to enjoy several flavors of cake, but on a date? Hmmmm... And it's an original first date. You can tell our children the story of our first date," I told her.

"Our first date was choosing the flavor of the wedding cake. Yeah, that's pretty original, alright. How many children are we talking about? N-not that I'm so keen on having kids soon," she said.

"I don't mind if we have a dozen, just as long as they all have your beautiful eyes. Imagine having twelve pairs of honey colored eyes staring at me. It would be a delight." She placed another piece of cake in her mouth and almost spit it out. She took her tea cup and drank all of her tea to wash off the taste. I placed the slice of cake on the cart. Okay, not that one either.

"Uhm, I've had enough cake. The one you like is nice and this one here." She pointed to the cake she liked. Vanilla with chocolate and strawberry swirls. Good choice. I can have them make a combination cake.

"So, Kiaria, is it okay if we have the wedding here in the hotel?" I asked her. "I can close the hotel off to the outside. No press. Just family and friends." She nodded her head eagerly.

"Yes. I love this hotel, although I have never stayed here before. I tried the cafe on the second floor. I was with my dad."

"Well, you can stay the night if you wish. I will have them prepare the suite." I took the piece of paper which was on the cart and checked off cake. "What color motifs would you prefer? Pink?" She glared at me.

"Do I look like someone who likes pink?!" Kiaria replied incredulously. "I don't know. Maybe blue to match the color of your eyes," she said, thoughtfully. Ah, she liked my blue eyes. I smiled. She did like me... but it wasn't love yet. I wished she would fall in love with me soon.

"Blue then? I was thinking of gold, but it might be too much. Don't you think?" I asked her. She stared up into space, trying to picture our wedding.

"I think blue would be better. The blue of your eyes...like how the blue sky of earth meets space. Beautiful," she said, her voice a whisper. I wanted to giggle like a schoolgirl. She sounded like she had a crush on me. It was a start.

"I'll take note of that. As for food, I can ask your mother or have the hotel prepare their best meal. By the way, I need you to try on your wedding gown later. For necessary alterations. But before you do that, we need to tell your parents," I told her. She immediately stopped daydreaming and the same worried expression was etched again on her beautiful face. She whipped out her phone and read her messages. When she looked up from her phone, she looked relieved.

"Sure, let's go now. My dad is already at the bistro. Then, we can go shopping." He was the one she messaged. Of course, he would cushion the impact of our announcement. Good thinking.

"Kiaria, I will be right beside you and don't worry, I will be doing the talking." She made a face like she highly doubted it would turn out good.

I understood why she doubted me.

She didn't know me quite well yet.