Unexpected Shift

11

"I know exactly where to go but it's a surprise," he cheesed, so I rolled my eyes but nodded.

"Fine, let me go change first."

He nodded, chewing on the inside of his cheeks and I hopped away to my room. I returned a few minutes in a black sundress that was casual enough for me. It wasn't until then I noticed he was wearing jeans and a shirt that I was sure I didn't own.

"When did you change clothes?" I asked, and he turned around in surprise.

"Oh, you're back. I asked a friend from the pack to grab me a pair from home." He shrugged. "Let's go?"

"Yes."

I quietly walked behind Asher and he kept on pausing to say something, but then he'd shake his head before moving on again. When it happened for the fifth time, I sighed and asked him what was wrong. He replied with a simple 'Oh nothing' so I kept quiet till we reached his car.

The air was a little awkward as he seemed to be holding himself back from saying something. I gaped at the race car in front of me. It was red and totally suited Asher's personality.

"It's pretty, right?" he asked as he opened the door for me. I beamed back, quickly settling into the passenger seat of the expensive car. Asher sat down from the other side and we went on in a silent but comfortable car ride. Each of us full of blushing cheeks.

Being with Asher throughout the day was surprisingly more comfortable than I would've thought. As soon as we were off the car, he stepped closer beside me and silently asked for my hand to hold. Turns out, that was what he wanted to say to me.

The first half of our date went in a round of the whole town where he'd stop at multiple places and asked me to try things there. We had a lot of street snacks but they were all shared so we could still have space for dinner. At one point, I had started to feel like everything I was eating was a new discovery, despite how many times I had eaten the same thing before.

Everything was like an adventure with Asher.

A lot of people seemed to know him around town He being the social butterfly he was, would stop and introduce me, too. I could only smile and adore him while he put his smart mouth to use and let out a scurry of jokes throughout the day.

Whenever things weren't serious, Asher seemed to be a person with a happy-go-lucky personality. We eventually stopped to have dinner at this grand restaurant that he deemed was ‘the best one ever.’ It was starting to grow slightly chilly in the car, so I asked him to turn off the air conditioner and somewhere along the way, the comfortable weight of his palm on my lower thigh made me feel a little better about the situation at hand.

This date was a good distraction even if it meant just a few hours.

"So, how did you like Millerville? Does it fit your city standards?" Asher teased, nudging his shoulder against me. The boy's cheeks were slightly reddened with the exhaustion of the last two days, but he seemed to be more than delighted.

"No." I scrunched my nose up. "It's way better."

"Oh?" He giggled, raising a brow at my honesty. "I'm sure you like it here because of me only. Nothing else."

"Of course," I replied with a sarcastic smile, nudging his shoulder back playfully. It was starting to seem less sarcastic and truer with every passing second.

The restaurant was just as good in it’s exterior as it was in the interior. The place seemed really expensive and I couldn’t deny the giddy feeling in my belly because of it. We took a seat at one of the smaller tables against the glass window and enjoyed the view after placing the order.

Our order arrived a couple of minutes later and once again, the comfortable silence was back. When we were done with the dessert too, he insisted on paying with the premise that he was the one who asked me out. I denied it. He had been paying for everything all day long!

"Hey, Elaine?" he called when we were walking back to his car and I hummed in his direction. "Do you want to come to meet my pack now? It's for your own safety."

I parted my lips, wanting to put his offer down right away, but he interrupted again.

"Please? I don't want anything to happen to you, Audra will understand and I want you to trust me, too" he pleaded, amber red eyes shining back at me in a way that made my heart thump.

"Okay," I breathed out. "Let's go."

Chapter Nine

Asher's red race car rolls to a stop in front of a huge mansion painted gray and white. The building looked rich but not the kind that would attract too much attention from the outside and it was situated beyond the thick woods. There were several windows that displayed lights on in people's rooms and an underlying feeling of comfort was available in the area.

He sighed in relaxation and gently took hold of my hand to lead me inside. We passed by a censor where Asher pushed his thumb against the door, and then it opened quick enough. I was in awe of just how advanced the technology for their house was. "Don't freak out, okay? Everybody's a sweetheart here." I nodded and smiled at his assurance.

We moved past hand in hand through a corridor that opened up into a hallway where a red-headed girl stood with her back to us. His skin felt warm against my own and I smiled at it. I could grow to like this a lot. Asher cleared his throat and she turned around to greet both of us.

"Oh hey! You're back?" She chirped happily.

"Yes, I am." He smiled back. "Samantha, this is Elaine, my mate, and Elaine, this is Samantha, my cousin sister," Asher introduced and my ears went red at the word 'mate.' I could sense the underlying implication of this. The pack would now think we were mates.

Not that I minded anything, the term mate alone was heavy enough for me to lose my breath.

"Oh." Samantha quirked a brow, lips turning up in a mischievous smirk.

"Good evening." I slightly bowed my head and she hummed back in greeting.

"If you're looking for Alpha, then he's in the study. Everybody else in the meeting room," she instructed and strutted off to sit comfortably on one of the several expensive couches.

Man, Asher must be really rich.

"Let's go meet, Dad," he whispered against the shell of my ear and I nodded hastily; too nervous to say or do anything else. The two of us crossed the well-lit luxurious hallway to enter the study where Asher tentatively knocked on the door before a deep voice bellowed out.

"Come in," said the Alpha, the authority dripping in his voice made me shiver in fear and submission. He twisted the doorknob and pushed the wood open quietly. We entered one after the other and then I finally saw Axel Chester, the Alpha of the Eclipse Pack for the first time. The man was strong and wise in both his words and actions.

Something I, too, aspired to be someday.

"Good evening, father." Ash smiled and Axel returned it. "This is Elaine, my mate."

The air seemed to have stilled the moment Asher had said that. The Alpha's brows raised and his boots clicked in our direction. "Your mate?" he let out as he stood in front of me, so big that it made me cower, but then I remembered that I too, was a wolf.

I was the strongest wolf in the world!

So, I straightened my spine and extended my palm out for a handshake. Maybe the move was a little bold. Axel seemed pleased as he shook my hand. "Elaine Lyca," I introduced confidently.