Mystery's Alpha

The Date

The beautiful scenery flew by them, but if Mystery were truthful, she noticed very little of it. She alternated between smiling ridiculously at Drew and sighing with pleasure as she closed her eyes, leaned back in her seat listening to the engine's power and feeling the vibrations through the seat.

Drew's eyes rounded in wonder. He could smell her arousal! He'd never had another woman in this car. Tempest, like her brother had got used to the power of the vehicle but in the early days their reactions were of glee.

"Are you enjoying yourself over there?" Drew grumbled at her.

Mystery threw him yet another wide, exhilarated smile stating very clearly, "Oh yeah! I am enjoying every single pleasure this beauty has to offer."

Drew felt green-eyed that his car had brought her to this state. He had a wonderful surprise arranged for this date and her car bringing her such pleasure, was not one of those surprises. That was his job. He felt slightly robbed.

"I think you'll find that if it was somebody other than you driving this car, I wouldn't be enjoying myself quite as much. You really are a very good driver." Mystery chuckled at him, whilst waggling a teasing eye at him.

He couldn't help but laugh at her. She had seemed so uptight, but here she was teasing him about her aroused state. This woman was trouble. He was enthralled by her. He would say she was a witch if she were of the magical world. His thoughts touched on the issue that he was keeping hidden from her. How he would ever broach that subject was beyond him. His wolf was already wanting him to tell her. His smile dimmed but the warmth he felt inside was unshakable.

"So, come on. Tell me. Where are we going?" She pleaded.

This was a game that he was very used to with his brother and sister - especially his sister who thought she could just bat her eyelids at her, plead sweetly and get what she wanted. He was immune to this pressure and just smiled at Mystery. "I will tell you that we are heading for Inversnaid Pier."

"Wait, isn't that Loch Lomond?" Mystery asked excitedly.

He looked blankly at her. "Of course. Are you not familiar with how close Loch Arklet is?"

"Loch Arklet? Nope. Don't think so." A naive curiosity was clear in her response. Did she even know where she was?

"That's the loch that you've been camping on." Drew informed her, wondering if she was teasing him.

"Oh, you mean the lake that I've been camping on is called Lake Arklet." Understanding dawned.

"Yes, it is. Loch Arkelt, not Lake Arklet." Drew corrected her." Technically, where you are camping is beyond the inhabited part of the loch. You have been staying in the Trossachs National Park, which is where Loch Lomond is. You did know that, right?" Drew was frowning slightly.

"Not really. I haven't sat down to examine where I am yet. I just follow the road, unless I have somewhere specific to go. I simply headed down from Fort William, and here I am. It's all just chance." She talked as if this was perfectly normal.

"How do you support yourself?" He asked curiously.

"I'm self-sufficient. I am a proof-reader. It's easy to do and not a problem on the road."

The fact that she was educated was not a surprise. That she had chosen a profession like proof-reading was intriguing. "What do you proof-read?" He asked.

"Lots of different things. Mostly I do work for 'Brick Fairs Publishing'. I read through new author's work, because I don't mind dealing with high error level. I also freelance for all sorts of projects. I get the odd website which I really like. Sometimes I will pick up instruction manuals and project reports, but I am not so keen on those. I really don't like that so much. I'll do the odd dissertation and that is fun. It's amazing how much you learn. I prefer the fiction, but you have to stay alert because if you let yourself get caught up in the story, you can start reading over the top of errors. I try to be clinical but I confess that it is one of the perks of the job: free reading material just pops into my inbox. What more could I want?" She looked at Drew who was frowning slightly.

"How about friends? What about relationships? Surely this is a really lonely life." He seemed concerned for her.

"I haven't found it a problem so far. I'm not great with people. My own company is enough, plus I have never had a relationship with anyone. I get what I need and I haven't needed anyone in my life so far." She looked at him in confusion, not realising how much she had surprised him or how unsettled her comments made him feel. "Besides, there are several f*******: communities for vanlifers. You'd be surprised how many of us there are. You sort of become friends and sometimes I come across someone I know from a group. Not that I tend to do anything other than say 'hi'. But really, you'd be surprised how many of us there are. Go onto YouTube and watch some vanlifers' channels. I love 'John & Mandy', 'Liam the Terrible' is great and 'Louise and Emma' are probably my favourite couple. I was really sad when John and Mandy sort of separated. I came across 'Custard' in a layby across from my park up. I was in the Brecon Beacons. There are loads of places to park for the night. I'd bagged an amazing spot with a little waterfall behind me. Across the road was a deep layby which had two or three vans in it and I recognised a famous YouTuber couple, so I went over to say high. I popped in for a chat and a cup of tea. After that, I helped the boy in the next van to play with his kite."

Both of them stayed silent, pondering over what they didn't know about each other, which was a lot. Drew determined that he was going to eke out as much information about Mystery's life on their date. Mystery realised that she hadn't really thought about Drew's life. He must have had relationships. Where did he go to college. What did he do for a living. How many ex-girlfriends were left behind Drew. Had he been married? Heck, she didn't even know whether he was already married. She should find out this stuff. All she knew was that he had a weird uncle, had a great brother and sister, knew a vicious old lady who wanted her gone from Drew's life even though she had just met him. Plus, he had some sort of secret. Yeah, she had a lot to work out, including what they were doing for this date.

Drew put his hand over the top of hers as they drew up to the hotel. Had he booked a room for the night? She panicked for a moment. Drew felt her panic and just said, "We aren't staying at the hotel." He parked at the back of the hotel, got out a huge picnic basket and motioned her towards the pier. Maybe he was going to set up a picnic on the edge of the loch.

When they reached the wall overlooking the loch, he pointed towards a set of steps. "Let's go down to the dock edge. We'll be closer to the water." He took her hand again and led her down the steps.

As they walked down the pathway, she saw the jetty that he had told her about. She looked up to see that there was a platform. She imagined that it was a place where a lifesaver sat during the day, saving stupid tourists. Along from this platform, at the end of the jetty, sat a bobbing cruiser. It was tall, but its length was fairly small. She would love to go out on this loch. Apparently it was the largest loch in Scotland. Loch Ness had the most water and another loch had the deepest depth but this loch was the largest.

Drew pointed at the boat at the end of the jetty. "Do you like that?" he asked.

"I would love to go out on something like that. I know that this loch is huge and I love the idea of being on the loch, nowhere near other people. Maybe I'll have one of those tourist boat rides soon." She stared at the boat whimsically.

"By all means, go on a tourist boat, but tonight, we are going out on that little cruiser. It's ours for as long as we want it." He was talking but Mystery just stared at him in disbelief.

"Really?" Drew nodded at her. "Really, really?" She asked again, unable to let herself believe that this was what her date was going to consist of.

Drew had a massive grin on his face. He was thrilled that she had reacted to his plans with such pleasure. This promised to be a pretty awesome date. All they needed to do was to enjoy each other's company, learning more about each other. Beyond that, he had no plans. Everything would go at Mystery's pace. He was lying if he said that he didn't have an overwhelming desire to kiss her right now and he would very much like to do other things to her, but today, for their first date, he wanted to enjoy her company and she to enjoy his. He had firmly communicated this to his wolf.

Mystery guided the boat from the raised 'driving seat'. She clearly had no experience with boats. That hadn't stopped her from grabbing the wheel and demanding that Drew show how the boat turned on and how she 'drove the steering wheel and gear stick - or was it an automatic'?" She was like a child in an adult's body. She had no fear. She was just full of excitement, as if this was the best present ever and totally uninhibited. This side of Mystery was a joy to watch.

Realising that the expanse of water would ensure no harm would come to boat or any other people, he stood back and let her steer them across the water. The only time that he intervened was when she raised the speed. "I love this boat!" she shouted to him.

"You do know that this isn't a speed boat Mystery?" He called back.

"What? Oh! My bad." and she slowed the engine.

Drew made an attempt to take over from Mystery but they tussled for a while, making Drew give up the battle. They were giggling like teenagers as he tried to talk her through slowing to a stop, explaining that they need to stop so that they could enjoy their picnic.

"Great idea!" she exclaimed, simply jumping away from the controls so that Drew took over anyway. She was so impulsive. She dove at the picnic basket, nearly falling down the ladder from the platform.

As Drew came down the platform, he could see that Mystery had already dug in. "Mmmm, this is so yummy. I am starving." she looked at him, a large, but half devoured pork pie in her hand. Bits flew out of her mouth as she pronounced the level of her hunger." He wasn't sure how his uncle would take to her.

"Yes, I can see that Mystery. Have you left any for me?" he teased?

Mystery blushed a little but she met his eyes. Slowing down to swallow her mouthful, she explained, "I was so nervous about our date that I have only had breakfast and lunch today."

"Ummm, what other meals do you normally eat?" He asked, a little puzzled.

"I have a really high metabolism. I always have a big bowl of pasta something or other in the fridge. I just cook too much so that I have snacks. Plus, I love ham - by the packet. You know those big packs with wafer thin ham? 50 slices or so? Anyway, I have nut mixes and sweet stuff. I just get hungry and so I eat. I don't eat as much as your brother and sister. Those guys are just food machines." Her eyes were big as she talked about the twins' eating habits and she made a face with her cheeks puffed out as if her mouth was stuffed full of food.

"Okaaaay. That's kind of unusual for a human. No human friend I have ever had eats anywhere near as much as you do!" He laughed.

Mystery frowned, "What kind of friends do you have that aren't human?" She had stopped eating and had the pork pie half way to her mouth. It now stood frozen in mid- air.

Drew felt a slight panic and thought desperately. What a bungle. An idea came to him. "Dogs. I love dogs. Big ones. Really greedy ones that are always hungry." He managed to complete his fictitious explanation but winced slightly.

"Oh, you love dogs too. I love them. I never got to have one but I know what you mean about them always being hungry. One family I stayed with longer than the others had a Labrador. If it couldn't steal food off the counters, out of the fridge or from the bin, then it would try to steal from your plate. It was a real bully when food was around." Her face was relaxed and he saw real happiness in her eyes. He forgot about his blunder and enjoyed gazing at this free and content Mystery.

The evening shifted from light to dusk. Drew's wolf eyes could still see clearly, but he worried about Mystery's comfort. Pulling her up, he suggested that they go down below.

"Oh." She looked so disappointed. "I was enjoying looking at the mountains and the beautiful water with its calm ripples. She pointed up above her. "The stars will be so visible in a bit. Can we at least stay out until then. I can't go below until I have bathed in the moon a bit. It's only five days until the full moon."

Drew frowned. She said such odd things for a human. How could she make out such distinct features in this dim light? She seemed to have a relationship with the moon. She responded to it as if it were a thing to revere. He could understand that. As a wolf-shifter he was drawn to the moon and its powers. He had no idea that it had any impact on humans at all. Mystery was an intriguing woman.

Mystery leaned into him, "Will you come and lie down on the front of the boat? We can just stare at the sky. Drink in the stars and moon before we have to go back? It would be lovely to do this with someone else. It's one of my favourite things about being a vanlifer."

Drew was completely putty in her hand. He couldn't deny her anything. Snuggled up against his side he felt like he was seeing the night sky for the first time. He wrapped an arm around her body and nestled her head into the crook of his elbow. She turned in his arms to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. He breathing heated up, but he just allowed himself to trace around the edge of her face and brush across her lips.

Drew gazed at her for a moment with a sweet smile on his face. Slowly, he pulled his eyes from her face, settling back with her tucked up beside him, and took in the night sky above them.

"Everything is perfect. I don't know the last time that I let myself really enjoy the heavens at night. I used to know all of the constellations. Let's just lie on the front of the boat and watch the sky turn black. We can worship the moon and stars before making our way back." This last sentence was said with some disappointment. He had enjoyed this date with Mystery immensely. In fact, it surprised him, just how much he was enjoying it.

Drew sat up and produced the bottle of Prossecco from the picnic basket. His other hand held two plastic glasses. "I don't know what makes me think this, but I thought you'd be safer with a plastic glass." He laughed, giving her a challenging look.

She smiled back at him, "It's as if you can read minds." as she grabbed a glass and the bottle of wine.

Drew flinched as she started to release the cork. Instead of it flying at him, a window, or simply aimlessly through the air, Mystery handled the bottle like a professional and it simply popped as it was gently released from the bottle.

She c****d an eyebrow at him. "I'm not that much of a train-wreck. I can be delicate and civilised."

He snorted and nearly choked in disbelief. He looked back at her with tears running down his face. "What.." he wheezed, trying to get himself back under control. "do those two words and you have in common?" He chuckled as his eyes stopped watering.

"Now, that's just plain rude. I'll have you know that I was a Silver Service waitress when I was at university. I know how to do lots of delicate things." She sat rigidly glaring at him.

"Okay, okay." He held his hands up to her." She lunged at him, pushing him backwards making his glass fly out of his hands and drink spill everywhere. "I rest my case!" He struggled to get up again.

"You are as arrogant as your uncle." Mystery grunted, wiping off some of Drew's spilled wine.

It was a throwaway comment so she was surprised when Drew's face showed shock and worry. "My uncle? What do you know about my uncle. Tell me!"

"Oh, I met your Uncle Seth at the lake last night. He was properly arrogant, shouting at me when I was naked in the water. Told me I had no right to be in that spot by the lake." Drew instantly corrected her use of the word lake instead of loch. She ignored him. "When I got out he was really aggressive and rude, like he expected me to trot off like a good 'little girl'. I mean, he actually called me that. There I was completely naked and a little bit annoyed. I can't believe his arrogance thinking that just because he ordered me off his land, I'd just go without a fight."

Mystery looked up to find that tears were running down his eyes again. He was silently howling with laughter. "I can't believe it. I'd have paid to be there. Oh my. I would have loved to see you both. You naked, all annoyed, with a pretty poor record dealing with authority figures. There's Seth, facing a naked, beautiful, raven haired, savage who has no idea that he is a leader and expects the community to just do as he says." He carried on laughing.

"I did quite like him though, and I think I made quite an impression on him." she replied thoughtfully.

"I bet you did!" Drew pulled her down so that they were facing each other on the blankets. He was smiling now, his laughter under control. He gently caressed a finger around the outside of her face. "So my uncle has seen you naked before me? Should I be jealous?" He kissed her gently and then resumed his gaze to the sky with Mystery again tucked up next to him.

All was right in the world. He felt like Mystery was going to be lucky for him.