The Rogue Alpha’s Claim

“Oh lord! Not again!” Ariel yelled out for the whole world to hear. Her best friend in the other part of the world was watching her lose control, and as tempting as it was to laugh at her predicament, she knew that Ariel wouldn’t find it funny.

“What happened?”

“I can’t find a dress to wear.” Ariel exhaled loudly, her hands flopping down to her side. She had been rummaging through her wardrobe in search of something presentable to wear to her date.

“Calm down, Ari; the date isn’t till tomorrow.”

“I know, but I need to get a dress now and try it on to know if it is okay, or I will have to go shopping.” She picked out a Chanel dress she had gotten to mark her graduation from college, but she was shaking her head. “No, too boring.”

At this point, Claudia couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes. “You are doing too much, Ari. You could show up in sweatpants, and this man will still think you are the most beautiful woman that walked the face of the earth.”

“You don’t know that.” She ran her fingers through the dresses, trying to pick a suitable one. “I know I am doing too much, but I am going on a date with someone I like, and I want to make an impression.”

“Fine, but you don’t need to do so much.”

“I can see you don’t want to help me.” Ariel grumbled under her breath, loud enough that Claudia could hear her.

“Girl, you literally own more than 100 outfits; I don’t even know where to start if I want to help. A little word of advice: you can never go wrong with a black dress.”

And Claudia was right.

***

Ariel stood behind her, her ears trained for any incoming footsteps. Kane should be here any time, but that was doing little to calm her nerves.

You will be fine; it is just Kane. She tried to reassure her.

But that was the problem.

This was Kane, the man that she was gradually falling for-the man who always put her needs before others, not some random blind date.

Her heart rate spiked up as she heard the firm footsteps of the man who had been invading her thoughts, and she swallowed hard.

She smoothed her dress-there was no need to-and she stood waiting for his knock. It went off almost immediately, and she stood there for a few seconds, taking a breath, and she opened the door.

“Oh my.” Her breath caught in her throat as she was the Prince Charming in front of her. If she had thought the man looked good in his regular clothes, it was nothing compared to how breathtaking he looked in a dress shirt.

“You like?” Kane asked, flashing his dazzling smile for her, and she melted like defrosting ice cream.

“Hmm.” Ariel could only nod her head; if she attempted to say what was on her mind, she was sure he would run away with his heels touching the back of his head.

He was adorned in a black short-sleeved shirt and dark pants, and he had paired it with a silver necklace. Ariel hadn’t said, but she was a sucker for men in necklaces.

And seeing one on Kane was making her weak on her knees.

“You look stunning too.” Kane said, and she lowered her gaze, fighting the rush of color to her cheeks. She had been too lost in her admiration to see that Kane was also going through similar issues.

She had gone for an asymmetrical double-strap fringed Sandro dress, pairing it with a golden accessory, and honestly, she felt beautiful.

“For you.” Kane said, producing a bouquet of red roses from behind him, and Ariel’s lips curled up in a smile, not expecting the gesture.

“Thank you.”

This is how you get treated when you date a man. The obnoxious voice in her head reminded her, and she could see reasons.

She took the flowers, bringing them to her nose, and took a long breath, loving the subtle scent of earth and his perfume. “I will just keep this.” She said, and she was going back to her room, placing the bouquet on her desk, before walking back to meet him.

“Shall we?” Kane asked, taking her hands, and she gladly placed her palm in his, blushing a storm as he brought it to his lips and gave it a little kiss.

They floated through the hallways and down the stairs, and Ariel was grateful that no one was around. “Did you tell them to stay inside?”

“I wasn’t sure if you would like the attention, so I asked them to just stay in their rooms, at least until we were gone. Is that okay with you?”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“Yeah, it is fine; thank you for looking out for me.”

“Anything for you.” They fell into comfortable silence as they walked down the stairs until they got outside, where a black Mercedes was packed and waiting for them.

Ariel could barely contain her excitement as he opened her door for her, and she entered, sighing in bliss at the feel of the smooth leather.

Not too long later, Kane was in the driving seat, driving through the tarred road and unconsciously driving her crazy.

“Why is the pack located so far away from civilization? How do you guys even survive?” Ariel voiced out her thoughts, and Kane glanced at her for a few seconds before he turned back onto the road.

“We are werewolves, and our existence is still unknown to humans, and the werewolf community is a diverse one; we produce most of the things we use.

“Hmm.” Ariel nodded; only the red alarm was blaring in her head. They were closed off from the world, which also meant they could get away with any crime they committed and no one would blink an eye.

But she ignored all those thoughts and allowed only happy thoughts, looking out the window as the world passed by.

They stopped in front of a building dimly lit by golden lights, and Ariel sat back on her seat, waiting till he came over to her door and opened it for her.

“Thank you.” Ariel flashed her pearly white to him, getting out of the car and letting him lead her inside.

“Mr Miller.” A waiter came closer to them, dressed in a signature white shirt and black pants. “This way, please.” The waiter gestured upstairs, leading them to a private room.

Ariel looked around, expecting to find something else, but there was only a drawing easel facing each other, and there was a bottle of wine laying there.

In the background, a grand piano was stationed, and the player played slow jazz, creating a romantic atmosphere.

“This is a welcome surprise.” Ariel mused, eyeing the easel. She hadn’t been to a sip and paint because she was horrible at anything that came to the arts-she couldn’t even draw a cup-but for Kane, she would try.

“I thought dinner was a little too boring, and a sip and paint should do the magic. Is it to your liking? They have a restaurant upstairs, and we could go there instead.”

“No, it is fine; I don’t mind. Like I said, it is a welcome change.” Her response earned her a smile from Kane, and she couldn’t help the way her heart lurched.

They sat down, and another waiter came beside them, explaining how it worked. They had placed some images in front of them, and they only needed to recreate them.

“This should be easy.” Ariel mused, picking up her brush.

But a few minutes later, she was eating her words. “I am horrible.” She whined as she looked at the painting in front of her. You would think there was no way one could fuck up a painting of a horizon, but she had managed to do so.

Ariel grabbed her nearly empty glass of wine, pouring a generous amount and taking a few sips. She looked at her painting again, at the undulating lines and the unblended colors, and she was cringing hard.

“Let me see what you did.” She asked, craning her neck to see Kane’s work. In the course of their date, someone Kane had moved to sit beside-the best decision yet.

Kane shifted his head at that moment, leaning towards her, and their mouths met for the briefest moment in a peck.

“Sorry about that.” Kane was apologizing as she grew still.

“No, I liked it.” She replied, turning to him with a wide smile, and he leaned in closer until they were just an arm’s distance away.

“You should like this one better.” And he was connecting their lips together.