I was in the living room, watching the news as I fixed my bracelets. I could see the Alpha King outside of his company building where Kara and I worked, surrounded by paparazzi.
"Alpha King! You pulled the search parties for your Luna! Is it safe to say that you have found her? Is she alive?" A reporter yelled.
"Yes, I have located my Luna. Her identity will be hidden until she is ready." The Alpha King answered. "No further questions."
"So, it seems the Renley Wolfhound has been located and the search has been called off." The News Reporter said. "The question is, is this against her will? Why did she run away? Is there more to the story?" The TV cut off and I looked at Kara.
"Don't worry about what they say." Her eyes scanned me. "You look beautiful." I looked down at my dress. It nearly went to my feet. It was pretty much a summer dress, but it hugged my torso. I wore white heels with it and braided my hair.
"Do you think this is good enough for the Alpha King?" I smoothed out my dress.
"I believe that he would love whatever you choose to wear." She smiled.
"I need to grab my purse, hold on." I turned away and went back to my room. While I was looking for my bag, I heard the doorbell ring. Anxiety flooded me as I looked around. I could hear Kara talking as I grabbed my wallet and crammed it into a white purse. I pulled the shoulder strap out and put it on my shoulder. When I went to my door, I paused and listened.
"Yes, I work with Ren. My desk is right next to hers." Kara spoke. "My name is Kara. What is yours?"
"Lucah. I handle all of the Alpha King's affairs, even business." Lucah answered.
"If I may ask, why are you going to dinner with them?" She asked.
"Added security." He said simply. "I won't be sitting with them."
"Will they be in danger?"
"I do not believe so, but it is good to be prepared."
"That's true." She spoke. There was a pause. "Let me see what's taking her so long." I stepped out from behind the wall and looked at the door. Lucah stood in the doorway.
"There you are. Okay, be safe, have fun, and remember to breathe and use protection."She smiled. Heat entered my cheeks. Did she think we were going to have sex? She rubbed one of my arms. "I'll see you later, okay?"
"You better be up." I gave her a small hug.
"I'll try to be. Now, go!" She pushed me towards the door. Taking a breath, I approached Lucah. He stepped aside to let me by and bowed his head slightly. Parked on the side of the road just before the driveway was a black car with tinted windows. The Alpha King stood outside with his hands in his pockets. He wore a black suit, jacket included. I could feel myself being pulled towards him as I walked. When he saw me, he paused like he was seeing something elegant and beautiful. I gave a small smile, feeling embarrassed. I stopped a few feet in front of him.
"Sir." I gave a small bow.
"To you, I am just Kai, remember?" His voice was soft. "You look even more beautiful than our wedding night." Heat flashed in my face. My heart screamed at my mind too quickly for me to understand.
"If I recall correctly, I nearly drowned and my makeup washed off, exposing my bruised and battered skin." I meant it as a joke, but bringing it up brought pain to my chest.
"You shouldn't have endured that trauma. I am sorry." He told me. "I would like to know more about it when you are ready." I felt my expression begin to fall. He cares about what happened to me? After all this time? I quickly masked my face with a smile.
"One step at a time." I said. "For now, we will go to dinner."
"After you." He opened the back door. I carefully slid in and he closed the door. He got in on the other side while Lucah got in in the passenger seat. Kai filled the back of the car like a lion with a house cat tree. I wondered why he didn't opt for a bigger car when he couldn't fit comfortably in this one. Money couldn't be the issue. The car ride was quiet and every few minutes, I snuck glances at Kai. I felt breathless being so close to him. Something about him did something to me. His presence scared me, yet relaxed me. It felt good being next to him. When we came to a stop, I looked out of the window. We were at a fancy restaurant that took ages to get into. And it was very expensive. I hoped that I could afford it. WIthing seconds, we were surrounded by paparazzi and reporters.
"Who leaked our plans to come here?" Kai snapped, making me flinch. Jumbled knocks sounded on my window as they started to yell.
"I don't know, Sir. You know they're good at finding out private information." Lucah responded calmly. I could feel my breathing escalate as panic began to set in.
"Don't worry. They can't see through the windows." Kai informed me, opening his door. He got out and closed the door.
"Alpha King!"
"Who is in the car with you?"
"Is that your long lost Luna?" Reporters started talking over each other and trying to push past each other, their voices and shouts merging together. A deep growl ripped through the air, the sound tearing its way through my body. I could feel the anger and annoyance in the growl. They all stopped speaking and trying to push past each other, staring with fear. Lucah got out of the car and Kai came to my door.
"If any of you so much as speaks a word, I will have your careers destroyed." Kai threatened. The people backed away from the car, giving him room. He opened my door and crouched down next to me. He was practically my height sitting down and even then seemed a little taller. "I bought out the restaurant for the night so it will just be us and the staff. Would you like to continue?"
"Yes." I answered, calming my heart. So what if I ended up on the news? I don't HAVE to talk to these people. He offered me a hand and I took it, kicking my legs out of the car. He stood, holding my hand as I got out. He closed the door behind me and we began the slow walk to the restaurant doors.
"It really is her!" Someone whispered.
"Shh! Do you wanna lose your job?" Another hissed. I knew that Kai would ruin someone's job in a heartbeat if it's what he wanted. My father's pack reputation steadily went downhill when I ran away. He lost a lot of business and even pack members left. The news covers an update about the Wolfhound Pack every once in a while. I watched someone slowly lift a camera only for it to be batted down by Lucah. The fear that rattled through them almost made me smile. I was safe. We entered the building and when I looked back, I could see guards blocking the doors. The area was dimly lit and it was elegant. We stopped at the podium where a man in slacks, white button-up shirt, and a suit vest waited.
"Hello. I am Eilas. I will be your waiter this evening." He introduced. "If you would follow me, I will take you to your table." Kai still had my hand as we followed the waiter. It gave me comfort. When we got to a circular table with a red table cloth, Kai released my hand and pulled out my chair. I wondered if he would continue to do this when we were gray and old. I sat and he scooted me in before taking a seat across the table from me. I hung my purse on the back of my seat, taking the time to look around. The walls were several shades of blue, purple, and red. The floor, which was carpet, took those colors and put them into elegant patterns that danced away from me. There was a massive chandelier that gave off most of the glowing light in the massive room. The other tables were clothed with either blue, red, or purple table cloths to match everything else.
"I assume that you have never been here." Kai's deep voice pulled my attention.
"I haven't…. I saw this place when I was living on the streets. I promised myself that one day I would come here." I looked up at the ball like lights. When he remained quiet, I looked at him. He was just looking at me. Heat filtered into my cheeks.
"Did anyone hurt you after you left?" He questioned.
"No…. No one could get close enough." I looked down at the table.
"How did you meet Kara?" I began to fidget with my dress.
"She would bring me food everyday and talk to me. Just talk. One day I got sick. She found me unconscious and took me to the hospital." I started, looking at my fidgeting hands. "The doctors started getting me better, said I would've died if Kara wasn't there. She made a deal. She would bring me to her home, get me a job, and get me new clothes as long as I never used or sold drugs. And that one day I would help someone else."
"I don't know where she got the drug idea from. I'd never even touched headache medicine until I moved in with her." I smirked slightly.
"And she didn't know anything about you for 2 years?" I looked up at him.
"She didn't know my past. She knew that I was abused and broken and that I was hard working." I replied. "She didn't need to know more than that at the time."
"Champagne?" Eilas moved to Kai's side. He nodded and Eilas began to pour the golden liquid into a glass. I had tried Champagne when I got my job and every time I moved up. Kara would buy it to celebrate. Elias began pouring into my glass. "And what can I get started for you this evening?" I realized that I had been so preoccupied with looking around and talking to Kai that I never looked at the menu. I quickly opened it and scanned the items.
"I-I'll do the salmon and broccoli." I closed the menu and he took it. "Thank you."
"I will do the steak, medium rare." Kai handed him the menu.
"Right away." Eilas walked away. I slightly moved the plate holder in front of me.
"In your work file, it says that your name is Renley Smith and that you're human. Why did you lie about being human?" He questioned. My eyes found his mismatched one.
"I didn't want to be found. I figured that if a picture was ever sent to the media, they couldn't match me because I was listed as human." I explained. Wolves never said they were humans because wolves were superior. So, if you said that you were a human, most people believed you.
"That's smart." He placed his elbows on the table.
"Am I allowed to ask you questions?" I placed my hands in my lap.
"Of course. Ask anything you would like." He laid his clasped hands on the table.
"Why did you continue to look for me?" I studied him. "I ran away and hid for two years. Why keep looking?" He stayed quiet for a moment.
"Do you remember when we met?" He responded.
"In my father's office." I nodded.
"You were crying. When you realized that I was there, you pretended that nothing happened."
"Okay?" I looked at him with confusion.
"When I made you look at me, something shifted in me. I had to protect you. I had to… love you." I felt my eyes widen.
"Why…. You knew that I was broken. Why would you choose me?"
"We don't always choose our mates. You are so used to burying everything down that you don't realize that we're fated." He stated. My jaw tightened. "I felt the pain and agony that you felt. I can feel now that you are nervous and a little insulted. I never stopped feeling you." He tapped his chest over his heart twice with two fingers. My eyes began to burn. I never want someone to feel the things that I felt.
"I'm sorry." I half choked out.
"Don't be sorry. Every day that I felt you, I knew that you were alive. As long as you were alive, I had a chance."
"If… our bond is so strong… how are you just now finding me?" My voice was soft.
"I found you 6 months ago." He responded. What? Why did he keep the search on? " I knew that you didn't want to be found. I was willing to wait for you."
"Wait, wait. You were halfway across the world 6 months ago." I shook my head slightly.
"I was looking through my list of employees when I was in France when I came across your name." He explained. "I couldn't leave so I sent Lucah. He was the one to confirm that it was you."
"Why keep the search on?"
"I was afraid that if I called it off, it would put you in danger. The press found a photo of you and were going to release it." He answered. I looked down at my hands, feeling bad.
"I'm sorry." Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked up at him. "I shouldn't have run away. You seem so nice and caring. I'm sorry." He studied me before getting up and coming to me. He knelt down and took my hands as I turned in my seat to face him.
"I know why you did it. You were afraid. There was no way for you to know that I would never hurt you." He looked at me with his ying-yang eyes. "You did what you thought was best for you and I'm happy you did. I would never want you to do something you didn't want to do." A feeling welled up inside of me. My heart seemed to swell. Was this what love felt like? I reacted without thinking, pulling my hands from his. I placed my hands close to the back of his head and pulled him close. I pressed my lips against his forehead. The bond between us strengthened, tightening in my chest. When I released his head, his eyes found mine again.
"You want to continue growing our bond?" His voice was soft. I cupped his jaw in my hands. Despite the fact that he had stubble, his face was incredibly soft.
"I already accepted you as my mate. If there was more that I could do, I'd do it." I told him. There was one thing, but I wasn't ready for that. He took one of my hands and kissed it before standing and going back to his seat. I sat correctly, watching him.
"I saw that you had a boyfriend…. Josh?" I smirked.
"Wasn't much of a boyfriend. We weren't serious. He begged me to date him even after I said no. Then he cheated on me." I shrugged. "I'm not missing out on anything." I watched his face start to grow angry.
"I will make sure to fire him." He spoke.
"If that's what you want to do." I looked at the waiter as he approached us with two steaming plates. He set down our plates in front of us.
"If there is anything you need, just call." Eilas bowed.
"Thank you." I smiled. My gaze returned to Kai, seeing him cutting his steak. He looked so relaxed. Taking a quiet breath, I grabbed my fork and cut a piece of salmon. I brought it to my mouth and began chewing. This was the first time I ever felt like I was eating wrong. We ate quietly, stealing glances at each other. The food was surprisingly good, which made me feel better. Elias refilled our Champagne and water glasses several times before we finished eating. I set my fork on the plate and studied the emptiness.
"Are you full?" Kai questioned.
"Oh…. Yes." I looked up at him.
"You didn't eat a lot."
"I never do. I'm… used to starving so my stomach is small." I looked at my plate again.
"You will never have to starve again." He said.
"The bill." Elias held up a small, black book. I raised my hand to take it, but Kai took it quickly and placed a card in before handing it back. Elias walked away.
"I was supposed to pay." I stated.
"If you are with me, you won't be paying for anything." He straightened his plate and utensils.
"You don't have to spoil me." I smirked.
"I will whether you like it or not." He looked up at me. His eyes seemed so mischievous, making me not want to argue.
"Okay."