5 – THIS IS NOT A DATE
1685 Words
THE alpha’s eyes shot up when she smelled the familiar scent of Akiku. She wore a perfume that had a tinge of sweetness and something more.
Riley straightened when she noticed the frown on the other woman’s eyes. Her eyes followed Akiku’s movement until she sat on the opposite side of the table.
“You should have canceled this meeting if you want to catch your sleep.”
“I’m sorry.” She said but it was followed by a yawn.
She called Akiku last week. Riley asked her nicely for a meeting so that she could properly apologize for her ‘rude’ behavior. She did not give the vampire princess a chance to decline.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. I had a long flight. How are you?”
“Been better.”
They both asked for coffee when a waiter came to get their order.
It was a little over nine in the morning. Riley’s flight arrived half an hour ago and this restaurant was only a few minutes away.
“Would you like to order anything? I mean, aside from coffee.”
“I usually don’t eat in the morning. Besides, I had a heavy meal last night.” Akiku responded before she took a sip from the black coffee that just come in. “You should eat. Food in the plane isn’t five-star.”
“Join me. I want to see how you eat on our first date.”
“This is not a date!”
Instead of being offended, the female alpha chuckled. She continued to laugh despite the glaring she received from the other woman.
“Relax, Ms. Chen. I will not treat this romantically.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
Riley shrugged. “But you know, if you change your mind---”
The shifter raised her hands in surrender when Akiku’s frown deepened. The red lining on her irises became more prominent.
“I heard, the steak here is to die for,” Riley stated before grabbing the menu.
“I’m not in the mood to eat.”
“Please?”
“Fine.”
Akiku ended up ordering pasta while Riley asked for the steak.
While waiting for their food, once in a while, Akiku would check her phone. On the other hand, Riley never touched her phone although it has been ringing. At least a couple of messages followed.
“I will not be offended if you check your phone. It might be an emergency.”
“An hour won’t hurt me.”
“Oh, please.”
Riley sent her mate a smile when she saw her roll her eyes. She picked up the phone from the pocket of the suit jacket she was wearing.
Kenzo’s name appeared on the screen.
“Hey.”
“Read your mail. Good luck, man.”
“Thanks.” She was about to end the call when he called out.
“Shebala? Be careful.”
“I know.”
She returned the phone to the inside pocket. Riley’s attention went back to Akiku.
“Everything alright?”
“Yeah. It was a friend. I asked a favor from him. Let’s eat.”
“You said your flight just landed. Where did you come from?”
“Japan.”
Something changed in Akiku’s eyes when Riley said that. Yet, it quickly disappeared.
“It was a great country. One of the cleanest countries I’ve been to.”
“True. When was the last time you’ve been there?”
“A while.”
“I can take you there anytime. Next date? I know someone who could make a killer ramen.”
“I’ll think about it. And this is not---”
“A date. I know.”
“Besides, we’re only doing this once.”
“Can we at least pretend that we’re alright? That you are not going to break my heart?”
“Stop smiling.”
“Believe me, I wanted to pour my heart out but I can do it another day. When you are not looking.”
The sadness appeared on Akiku’s pretty face. She tried to hide by looking down at the plate of pasta on her plate. She gently jabbed the prawn with the fork.
“Riley…”
“Hey, I’ll be fine.” The tall woman cleared her throat. “Just don’t reject me right away. I just found you.”
Riley blinked her eyes a few times. She cleared her throat again. She sent Akiku a smile and cut a small piece of the steak she ordered.
The meat was juicy. It smelled good, too.
“Hmmm, this is great but my mom can do better than this.”
She looked up when she did not get a response.
Akiku was looking at her intently. There was a hint of melancholy in her eyes. This time she did not hide it.
“Hey.”
“Alright. Not today.”
For a reason that Riley refused to fathom, a tear fell from her eyes. More followed. She wiped her cheeks before it made a mess on her face.
“T-thank you.”
Riley composed herself. She took the tissues from Akiku’s hand.
“You’re a child.”
“My apologies, Princess.” She followed it with a giggle.
Her heart felt heavy but she felt better when she heard the confirmation that she would not be rejected today.
It sounded better despite the thick tone. She felt a little better at the thought.
“What did you do in Japan?” Akiku changed the topic. She also continued picking on her food. She placed the seafood on the side. The prawns were murdered.
“I visited a friend. His parents wanted to see me and they were a little older to travel to my place.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“They are good people.”
“Are they shifters, too.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you have friends that aren’t like you?”
“A few. I conduct my business not only with the supernatural but with humans, too. Some humans are good people.”
“Fragile.”
“True. The more reason to respect their boundaries.”
Akiku shook her head. “Humans or not, weak are trampled upon by those who are strong.”
“Maybe.” She bit on the last portion of the steak. “But Spiderman thought me well.”
“That crawling guy with spandex on?”
Riley laughed so hard at the repulsive expression on her mate’s face.
“Give him a break. He’s young.”
“And emotional.”
“Yes, but he meant well. He has great values. No greed in his heart.”
“There is no one in this world that has no greed in his heart. A weak man desires for power to be strong. A man with power craved more for supremacy. Isn’t that imperative in packs?”
“You are partly correct. An alpha asserts his authority so that his subordinates are reminded who leads who. However, respect and leadership are earned for an alpha to stay in power. An alpha alone will not make a pack flourish. An alpha alone is not a pack.”
“You live in a cave, young alpha.”
Riley chuckled. “Not anymore. A Neanderthal alpha died a long time ago. Either he was killed by the members of the pack he led or he was killed by another alpha who wanted his people.”
“Which one are you?”
She looked at the gray eyes of the vampire princess.
“I am the one who believed that the pack needs me in the way that I need them. I am the one who will defend not only the weak but every member of my pack.” She answered. “But I can be neanderthal when my emotions run amok.”
Akiku rolled her eyes again but asked again.
“Are you an only child?”
“Riley. My name is Riley.”
The chinky woman breathed out. “Are you an only child, Riley?”
Grinning, she shook her head. The young alpha liked it when her mate indulged her by repeating the question with her name on it.
“I have a younger brother.”
“A brother? Aren’t the eldest son supposed to be the alpha’s heir?”
“Other packs imposed that the eldest son should be the next alpha but my father followed the ancient mandate that the next alpha should be the first child, not the first son. Our pack followed that rule.”
“Really? Are you the first alpha female of your generation?”
“No. I was the third. However, Shebala has been the last name of the alpha of the Wa Ya Ha pack.”
“Male allowed the female alpha’s last name to be retained?”
“Yes. The other two males even used them.”
“That’s new.”
“They accepted it. They also wanted the Wa Ya Ha Pack to be governed by the Shebala.”
“Weak men?”
“No. We have a different definition of strong men, Akiku.”
“We have different opinions on several matters, young alpha.”
“That’s true. I wanted to know you more. And possibly, we could meet halfway in the future.”
Akiku huffed. “You seemed to have a lot of time on your hands.”
“Riley. My name is Riley.”
The vampire princess made a face. “Look, you seemed to grow up in a wonderful family. I am happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
The female alpha sent the other woman a smile but did not add another word. In her mind, she wanted to know what kind of family Akiku grew up in to make her view things very differently.
She did not have a lot of time on her hands, contrary to what Akiku believed in, but she would find time to know everything that she could get about her mate.
- Writer
