The Arrangement

The First Date

Nicoli took a deep breath as he dug in his closet. What did he mean by nothing too fancy? 

“Nic, I have never seen you so flustered in my entire life. What's going on?” Riot’s voice expressed concern. “You look pale, like you had just seen a ghost.” Nicoli turned and faced him. “I felt something with her, and I knew I did when I saw her on the field. When I touched her, I felt the rush that everyone talks about but she didn’t shift. I have never known a wolf not to shift early when meeting its mate. It’s confusing!” His voice cracked. “What if, what if she doesn’t have a wolf?” Riot grabbed his friend, making Nicoli look at him. “Alaina said something that has stuck with me. She said sea wolves do things differently. Maybe the difference in our wolves has something to do with her not shifting or even recognizing the bond. I will go discuss it with Mela and see how it differs, but if not, would her not being a sifter really matter? Your mother was a human. The possibilities of you having a wolf were slim to none. Now look at you! You are the strongest Alpha our pack has ever known.” Silence hit the room as the young Alpha pondered the thought. “No, her not having a wolf wouldn’t matter, I just don’t want her to suffer any heartbreak ever. The thought of her hurting is just so cringy.” Riot studied the alphas' face and he smiled. “I have never seen you like this, puppy love at its finest! Get ready for your date, I will meet up with Mela for research”, Riot said as he got up walking towards the door. “Hey Riot, one more thing before you go?” “Yes, Alpha, Anything.” “Do you have any not to fancy clothes?”

The afternoon was warm and the sun was setting. Alaina was ready in a red dress that ended down to her knees. Her hair was still loosely braided. “Hey girl. It's six forty-five and there is a tall man at the door.” Giving an eye roll she got up and gave a nod motioning to Mela to greet her guest. “Hello Mela, I was hoping that fifteen minutes wasn’t too early, I was hoping to talk to you more about the wedding.” Riot quickly explained. Mela gave an unsure look at Alaina, who looked as if she was going to die of laughter. “Isn’t it supposed to be Lainie going on the date? How did you even find me?” His face flustered, with no answer to give, he started to stutter. “I let him know where I live, in case he needed to talk with me about his Alpha’s wishes.” her best friend interjected. “Yeah! And you did say you were best friends. I figured you would be here assisting her with getting prepared for the date.” Mela squinted her eyes, suspicious of Riot. “Fine, My best friend deserves everything to be perfect. Are you going to be okay?” She looked over to her friend for a reply. But she was stunned. There standing behind Riot was the Alpha himself. Dressed down in tan cargo shorts, a black tank top and a pair of black nikes. Even his hair was kinda messy. Alaina smiled, looking at Mela. “Yeah, I will be fine.” She hugged her friend, grabbed the picnic basket she prepared before heading out the door. “I wasn’t entirely sure what you were interested in, but I went ahead and planned out the date because I do understand the pressures of being a leader… I figured letting loose for a change would be nice.” Nicoli stayed quiet with a slight smile. It had been a long time since he had gotten the chance to just be himself. He had been dealing with the War for so long that he hadn’t gotten a chance to have fun. His fun consisted of training with the guys and going for a run in wolf form. “What’s in the picnic basket?” Alaina gripped the basket. “Oh, I had prepared a picnic, I planned to eat on the beach and just talk. Then we could go to my father's amusement park on the dock, or even the trading market nearby. It’s something my father told me he and my mother did when they found each other.” her voice was filled with sorrow, but she continued to smile. “I wish I could have met her. My father had said so many kind things about her. He said she was the most gentle and giving person anyone could have ever hoped to meet.” He grabbed her palm softly. “If that was the case, why did your father kill her?” tension circulated in the air as if a hurricane was going to hit the beach. “What? Is that what you were told happened?” Nickoli’s breathing was in a panic. “That is the whole reason for the war. One of our generals came and reported that my mother had been viciously murdered while on a visit to her sister, who I was named after.” Alpha Nicoli’s breathing became faster. How could this be the reason for the war? The stories that his father had told him were not the same. “But enough of the past. We are here to officially put an end to bloodshed and I would like to at least get to know you.” Thoughts ran through his mind, he was going to get to the bottom of this if it was the last thing he had done. The truth was going to be let out, one way or another.

After a  two-mile walk, they had come across a blanket spread over the beach, with a table and pillows surrounding it. Candles were lit and wild flowers gently placed perfectly on the table. She placed the basket on the table motioning with her hand so Nicoli would sit. “You finally get to see what I have prepared.” She gave him a smile, bringing out a bottle of wine, lamb chops , glazed carrots and roasted vegetables. His eyebrows raised. “You did this?” She gave him a quick glance before grinning. “Indeed I did. I have done some research on you, Alpha. I have a cousin who works for you in the kitchen. She told me that this is one of your favorite meals.” With nimble fingers, she plated his food delicately. “Who is your cousin? I will have to thank her.” “I will never tell.” She shook her head playfully, licking the glaze from the carrots off of her finger. Causing the Alpha to shiver. “What's wrong, Alpha? Has a date never cooked for you before?”

Nicoli looked down nervously. “I have never been on a date before, I have been waiting for my mate.” Confusion struck her face. If he had never been on a date, how would he ever know who his mate was? “Then why are you on a date with me?” Surprise struck the Alpha. “Do you not know?” He questioned “Know what?” She replied, taking a sip of wine. “Never mind, You will know soon enough.” His voice flowed with amusement. 

“I am absolutely stuffed, Alaina. That food was cooked to perfection, where did you find time to learn to cook like that and be the prized war strategist of your pack.” His voice was filled with genuine curiosity. “I grew up choosing to put time into my people, I communicated with the pack and let them know what was going on with the war and picked up duties that our fallen wolves were responsible for. I help widows and widowers, orphaned children and even helped rouge wolves find a home here. Our pack needed all the help that we could give them, besides we all have the same father.” She shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “What do you mean by the same father?” He was confused and didn’t understand that concept. “Our pack wasn’t made in a typical way. Our pack was made of two wolves and we grew, bringing in wolves from other packs, passing on traditions of the hunt. Us sea wolves have adapted to the sea, we catch fish to eat and when we want something different, we hunt on land. This delicacy we are eating today we got from the traders' market.” Nicoli looked at her in amazement. The pack she was part of was so generous, and built by two people. It was no longer confusing to him why these wolves took so much pride in their pack. “You swim to eat?” She nodded. “That is where I was when I met Riot. I was swimming,nearly gave him a heart attack when I came out of the water naked.” Nicoli’s face paled. “He had failed to mention that.” Alaina laughed. “When you shift back to human form, do you have clothes on?” Her heart started beating faster, and Nicoli could hear it. “No…”  He replied leaning in closer to her. “It is the same for seawolves, and because of that we do not swim with our clothes on.” she leaned in closer. “Then maybe we should go for a swim.” Nicoli teased. “I don’t think so, You can wait for our wedding night.” She got up and skipped towards the doc. “Come on, ride a roller coaster with me!” He shook his head cautiously following her.