The Kitsune and The Werewolf

The Last one with the Dinner

He dropped his spoon back into the pie a bit of the gravy slashing on the table. My acceptance was still up in the air, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. I snapped my fingers quickly twice resetting the illusion to include Isaac in the lie. Everyone threw up their arms and Claire pounded on the counter.

“Hey!” She called, “You’re not here to eavesdrop. Mind your own business!” At the order everyone seemed to return to their own legitimate conversations, though I could hear they were mostly about us and what offer I could have just accepted.

“I don’t want to worry you L-uh-Amalia. But I think my pack may have just thought you agreed to be their Luna.”

I turned looking at them and their wild imaginations. “Yeah, I get the feeling they are making more out of this than necessary.”

“I think you might be underselling the significance.” He finally broke free from the offer and continued to eat shoveling carefully so as not to get anything on his suit.

“I mean it’s just a run right?” I honestly didn’t think it was anything serious, my father used to take me all the time, but that was just teaching me to get used to my fox form.

“Just a run?” He finished another bite wiping his face, “So, I don’t mean to dig into how we view running at night, but when you don’t do it with your pack you just kind of have a completely different experience.”

“What do you mean?” The way I always saw wolves going for a run was as hunters stalking their prey. I used to enjoy the feeling when I was little, but I was young, kids enjoyed all kinds of energetic things.

“When I run with my pack we have a purpose. I am leading them to a goal. When I’m by myself, it’s like I'm getting in touch with the deepest parts of my wolf. I see the world differently. There’s no telling what might happen if you went with me.”

I finally started to dig into my food the warm steak smoked in my mouth with the smooth gravy coating the pastry. It was delicious. No wonder he wanted it for his birthday every year. “Would I be in danger?” I’m sure his wolf could easily over power my fox, but I knew I was far faster and more nimble I could easily get away if he turned on me.

“Of course not.” He spat angrily, before shoveling another large bite in his mouth.

“Well, then why don’t we?” I was finally able to see how much alcohol I had consumed and with half the bottle gone I was clearly not thinking straight. Then again, if we went for a run I could get him distracted and slip away quickly. I could sleep off this buzz in my car and hit the road right after my nap.

“We can I guess.” He was nervous. I was learning one of his tells was he needed comfort himself with eating or drinking when he was nervous. It was an adorable trait that I wasn’t sure he knew.

Looking down at my own food I took a few bigger bites. With no one looking at us anymore he seemed to calm down slightly. “You know that little trick of yours is kind of refreshing.”

I knew exactly what he meant, I also loved not being able to be seen by the world every now and then. Still, I kind of wanted to see him smile more, the prospect of this run was still getting his heart racing and my heart couldn’t help but pump in competition. “What little trick?”

“Those illusions of yours.” He tossed a half smile, “It’s nice to not be seen constantly. It’s as close to alone as we’ve ever gotten.”

Blushing, I was all too excited that I gave him some comfort, “Okay, how about we finish eating.” My cheeks couldn’t stand him much longer and this dinner was getting way out of hand.

He noticed my blushes and stopped eating just short of his final few bites. He rested his head in one hand smiling widely at me, “What would it take to get you to agree to be my luna?”

I paused still halfway through my own food and stunned that my first thought wasn’t another rejection. I tossed the thought of agreeing right now out of my mind chalking it up to the alcohol and shrugged instead, the butterflies in my stomach aching at my inner turmoil. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“If you gave me your real address I’d send you flowers every day until you accepted me.”

“Oh?” I wanted him to continue. I needed to hear the different ways he was planning on wooing me.

“They’d be your favorite of course, once I figure out what that is.”

I didn’t want to admit what my favorite flower was. It seemed like a cliche given my situation. “Okay, don’t laugh.” I pointed my spoon at him warning him to tread lightly.

“Never.”

“Foxgloves.”

He paused, composed himself, and sat up straight taking his last spoonful. “What made you pick those?”

I tossed a side-eye pursing my lips together, “My father planted them all over after my mom died. They decorated the hillside purple and pink. I just loved laying in the field.”

“You don’t anymore?”

Shaking my head I dug through the pie picking out bits of carrots to snack on, “I live in the city. It’s kind of hard to keep plants in my apartment, but it’s fine. It was just something I did as a child.”

He watched me pick through my food getting worried I was just going to leave the rest. He pointed at the pie then back to me and I pushed it in the middle of the table smiling as he once again restrained himself allowing me to eat more while he still got the opportunity to reveal in the taste.

“I think I know just the place we can run to then.” He licked the spoon clean and tossed it back in the bowl. “Shall we?” He stood up and held out a hand to me.

I snapped my fingers so that Claire wouldn’t be surprised to find us leaving. He took my arm wrapping his own around holding me close so our sides touched. Once again that warmth reached out to cradle me. Before we left outside he took off his jacket wrapping it around me. I grasped it closed and flattered he was considering my comfort. It must have been cold outside and he was acting like such a gentleman. That was until I noticed all eyes were on us and he as just making sure that no one else could see too much of his mate’s skin.

“Eyes forward pack!” He called before opening the door for me. He followed after me and I was starting to feel thankful these high heels were about to come off.