The Alpha's Hybrid Mate

Chapter 7

Vanessa could hear her accelerated heartbeat. It was so loud, she was afraid he could hear it as well. Being part of a pack. How could she? All the pack members she went to school with either ignored her, or downright bullied her. Would that change if she was living with them? Probably not. But she could sense that this was important to Raffaele, that he would not leave his pack for her. She wasn’t even sure if she could ask him to leave his family to be with her. It looked like he was close with them, or at least his mother, and she didn’t want him to sacrifice anything for a little hybrid girl like herself. But he is our mate, Chiara insisted. Yeah, right now he was, but would he still be after he found out exactly why she wasn’t in a pack? She hadn’t been lying when she told him that due to her mother not being in a pack, she was neither. But of course, she left out the part where her mother wasn’t a wolf.

Would his pack even allow her to join as she wasn’t a pure wolf? After all, her mother was kicked out because of her not being a full vampire. And she wasn’t even sure if she was comfortable with everyone knowing about her mixed heritage.

So many thoughts were swirling around in her head, it was a miracle that she didn’t feel dizzy yet. But the flavours and textures of the wonderful food kept her grounded. The wine helped her relax. She was determined to enjoy this one evening to the fullest before telling Raffaele the entire truth, and then he could figure out whether he wanted to continue seeing her or not. She had to tell him who she was, before he got too close to her and his rejection would hurt even more. Can we maybe just forget about being a hybrid? Chiara winced, not wanting to lose her mate over this. And then what? Someone would recognize her and tell him anyways, and the lie would make it even worse. And if she fell in love with him, her heart would break into a million pieces as he ripped their souls apart. No, her mind was made up. She would tell him tonight, after this date, after getting to play pretend for one evening that everything was normal.

Vanessa smiled, feeling a little bit like Cinderella, who got to enjoy that one night at the ball before having to return back to her miserable life. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him enjoy a bite of his lamb. He was so handsome; she couldn’t believe the Moon Goddess paired her with such a wonderful guy. And she could feel that he was desperately trying to find out as much as possible about her, to get to know her better without pushing her away. In her eyes, that made him perfect.

Only two courses left, she couldn’t believe how fast this evening had gone by.

“So far, I think I made the right decision trusting you,” she admitted.

“I hope you keep feeling that way,” Raffaele smirked at her, causing her to blush again.  

“I hope so, too,” she breathed, feeling those sparkles again as he reached over the table and took her hand in his. His fingers caressed over the back of her hand, making her heart flutter and her cheeks heat up. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, he wasn’t joking when he said he hoped she would continue trusting him. She had to lower her gaze, she felt like looking into his eyes would make her reveal her true self earlier than she wanted, and she really wanted the rest of this evening to not be overshadowed by the truth that could potentially separate them.

He pulled back his hand when the waiter came back with the last course before dessert. “Pigeon, carrots, cocoa and hazelnuts,” he explained. Vanessa tried to eat slowly, cutting her meat into tiny pieces. She didn’t want this evening to end too soon. But eventually, her plate was empty and got carried away. Their wine glasses had been refilled one last time with the rest of the bottle, and she savoured her last few sips.

“Would you like something to drink with the dessert?” Raffaele asked her. Vanessa thought about it.

“No, I think I’ve had enough alcohol for tonight. Or are you trying to get me drunk?” she teased him as he blushed slightly.

“Of course not, I just…”

“It’s fine, I was just joking.” Vanessa couldn’t hold it in, the expression on his face made her laugh out loud. He faked being hurt by her words for a moment, but then joined in on the laughter.

The waiter smiled as he walked over to the happy couple with the last course of the evening. “Soufflé, salty caramel and vanilla ice-cream, please enjoy.”

The soufflé was airy and light and together with the sweetness of the ice-cream and the saltiness of the caramel, it was the perfect ending of this perfect meal.

“I wish I could cook like this, I would make a soufflé like this one every day,” Vanessa moaned after cleaning her plate.

“But you would gain a lot of weight, would you want that?” Raffaele jokingly replied.

“I wouldn’t care, I’d have a soufflé to keep me company,” she retorted.

“Don’t worry, if you made a soufflé like this, I’d keep you company as well.” Her eyes grew big at his statement.

“Then I’ll have to learn how to make it.” He had taken her hand into his again, his long fingers slowly caressing the inside of her wrist. Her last words came out merely a whisper.

“Would you like anything else?” The waiter’s words brought her back to the here and now. Raffaele looked at her questioningly and she shook her head. She was completely satisfied.

Being so close to him, her small hand completely covered by his, she imagined cuddling close to him, leaning her head on his chest and just breathing in his cucumber-minty scent. She barely noticed the waiter bringing the bill and a small espresso for Raffaele, lost in her daydream. Raffaele drank his coffee in one shot and placed his credit card into the bill holder the waiter had placed on the table.

“You know, when you order this menu, a part of the proceeds go towards the foundation of the owner’s family. They support people in need all over the world.”

Vanessa looked up at that. That sounded wonderful, and it made her even happier that Raffaele had chosen this place for their date. They got up, bid the staff their goodbyes and went outside.

“Would you like to… go for a walk?”

She thought about it for a little, but then remembered that it was a school night. She sighed. “I would love to, but I have to get up early tomorrow.”

He understood, led her to his BMW and opened the door for her. While she got comfortable, he walked around and got in himself, then started the car. She listened to the words of Claudio Baglioni, who sang about a ‘piccolo grande amore’, a little big love. She loved Italian music, especially oldies, and from the sound of it, he probably did, too. At least they had something in common, she thought.

The drive back home seemed shorter than the one to the restaurant, but she knew it was just because she was dreading the end of this evening. Maybe the end of their relationship. Not that she was foolish enough to believe they actually had a relationship, but she was hoping it could blossom into one.

She had asked him to stop a little further down the road, she didn’t want her mother to hear her coming back and investigate who she was with. Raffaele switched off the car, lowered the volume of the music a little and turned towards her. Vanessa stayed still, looking down at her hands, fiddling with her fingers. This was the moment of truth, she couldn’t hide it any longer. Praying for a fraction of the self-confidence of Caterina Caselli, who just now was singing how nobody could judge her, she took a deep breath.

“I really enjoyed this evening, thank you very much,” she started slowly, hating that her trembling voice betrayed her like that.

“So did I. I would like to see you again before I have to go back to university on Saturday evening,” Raffaele tentatively asked, the hope in his face evident.

Vanessa closed her eyes, not wanting to ruin everything with her confession, but knowing he had a right to know the truth. Collecting all of her courage, she looked straight into his eyes, determination hardening her features. “There is something you need to know before asking me out again… I’m not… I’m not a pure wolf,” she admitted, trying to gauge his reaction. When he didn’t respond, she nearly faltered, but explained further “I’m a hybrid. My mum… she’s a vampire. That’s why we don’t live in a pack.”