The alpha and his stubborn thief

Chapter 9 - Date

Cassie groaned as she looked into the mirror for the millionth time that night. She couldn’t believe she was going through with that stupid date, and even more annoyed that she didn’t know what to wear. Her room was a mess since she kept throwing clothes all around the room in frustration, cursing Tabitha for putting her in this position.

“What’s your take on all this?” she asked her wolf as she finally opened their mindlink after blocking her out for a few days.

“I didn’t know you cared about my opinion,” Alexa scoffed, and Cassie immediately regretted asking her wolf.

“Look, I know we don’t see eye to eye on this, and I’m sorry for blocking you out for so long, but I really need your input on this,” Cassie groaned and fell on the bed in defeat, hating feeling so indecisive about one stupid outfit.

“Why do you care so much about your appearance when you don’t want your relationship going anywhere?” Alexa asked, confused.

“I don’t know,” Cassie sighed and sat up, “I hate to say it, but he seems like a nice guy, and even though I don’t want him as a mate, I do want to experience being with him, if only for a moment.”

“You know it’s not going to be the end of the world if you open yourself up to him,” Alexa said reassuringly.

“Maybe not, but I can’t risk that,” Cassie sighed deeply and could feel a knot in her chest forming.

“Listen, I know things have been rough, and I know we butt heads a lot of the time, but we are a team, and I would never suggest you do something that could hurt you,” Alexa pleaded.

“You’re not suggesting that I let him know who we are? Are you?” Cassie frowned.

“No, I know you’re not ready for that,” Alexa said calmly, “I’m only telling you to give the guy a chance and don’t be on the defense all night long.”

“Fine, I’ll try,” Cassie muttered after considering her suggestion.

“And put on the green skirt,” Alexa suggested.

“You mean the asymmetrical one?”

“That’s the one.”

Cassie put on a dark green skirt that was shorter on the left side, showing off her toned legs nicely. She paired it with a tight off-shoulder black top and black ankle boots. Then she put on some simple gold earrings and a necklace and light make-up.

She looked in the mirror, finally happy with her looks, and noticed the time was 7:50.

“s**t, I’m late!” she cursed as she grabbed a simple black jacket and ran out the door.

---

Joshua was nervous as he stood outside the restaurant.

It was a few minutes past eight, and he wondered if Cassie had decided on not coming, and he was surprised how disappointed that idea made him. He barely knew the girl, but it was like she had a hold on him that he couldn’t explain.

“Do you think Leila is right? Should we keep our distance?” he asked his wolf as he checked the time once more.

“I hate to admit it, but Leila did have a point, and you know you’d have allowed her to interrogate Cassie if you hadn’t known her,” Rhys commented.

“Maybe…,” Joshua sighed, “I can’t explain it, but I believe she’s not the one we’re looking for.”

“Since I’m part of you. I can understand where you’re coming from, but it’s not going to fly for someone else.”

“I know, and we’ll figure things out, but right now, I just want to enjoy the night,” Joshua nodded as he looked around the street.

“You mean if she shows up?” Rhys muttered.

“She’ll be here.”

“You seemed sure of it when you didn’t even give her a chance to say yes last night.”

“It was a risk,” Joshua chuckled to himself, but then he heard footsteps closing in, “But it seemed like it was a worthy risk.”

He could smell her scent as she walked up to him, and he could feel his heart skip a beat as he turned around. She was wearing a green skirt, a black top, and a black jacket, and a part of him wanted to take her right there, but he guessed the restaurant guests on the other side of the glass would not be as enthusiastic about that as him.

“Wasn’t sure if you were going to show up,” he smiled as Cassie walked over to him.

“Wasn’t sure myself, but I didn’t want to have my free night go to waste,” Cassie shrugged.

“I’ll try to make it worth your while then,” Joshua smiled, “You look amazing, by the way.”

“Thanks, you don’t look too back yourself,” Cassie smirked, “So, are we going in?” she asked and gestured to the restaurant.

“No, we’re not going to eat here,” Joshua shook his head and nodded down the street, and they started walking.

“So why meet outside that restaurant then?” Cassie asked as she walked beside him and looked at him questioningly.

“I felt like “Meet me at my hotel,” wouldn’t send the right message,” Joshua chuckled and rubbed his neck, “And since I’m not from here, this was the only place I could think of.”

“Then what do you have planned?”

“Honestly… nothing,” Joshua admitted.

“Nothing?” Cassie asked, surprised.

“Well, I’ve been trying to come up with something all day, and all the fancy restaurants were fully booked, and I didn’t feel like going to the movies since I’d rather have a chance to talk and get to know you.”

“So, this is like an adventure date?” Cassie giggled, and her laugh made Joshua’s chest warm up as his nervousness faded away.

“I was hoping you’d look at it like that,” he sighed in relief, “And maybe you have some ideas of what we could do since you live here.”

“Well, how about we start by getting something to eat,” Cassie suggested, “It’s nothing fancy, but I know of a great food stand that has the best chilly fries in town.”

“I’m always up to try something new,” Joshua smiled and followed Cassie as she led him down the street.

---

Cassie led Joshua through the town until they got to the town square and headed towards a food stall in the center. They got in line, and Cassie ordered for the two of them, and Joshua insisted on paying. They got their fries, sat down on a bench close by, and watched the people around them while eating their food.

“I’ll admit it,” Joshua said as he ate another fry, “This is pretty good.”

“I told you,” Cassie grinned as she took another bite, taking a moment to check Joshua out as he was distracted by his food. He was wearing a black leather jacket, gray shirt, and black pants, and he had styled his hair to the side, making his blue eyes stand out,

“I guess I was overthinking things when I wanted to take you out to a nice restaurant?” Joshua chuckled.

“I’m not really the fancy type,” Cassie said with a soft smile, “I feel like there are certain standards one needs to meet to fit in those places, and I’d rather just be me instead of changing who I am.”

“I think I like you even more now,” Joshua stated as he finished his fries. 

“But weren’t you born into a life like that?” Cassie frowned, since most alphas were well off and lived a life of luxury.

“What gave you that idea?” Joshua asked, and Cassie almost choked on a fry as she realized that there was no real reason she should know this.

“Well, that hotel isn’t exactly the cheapest in town, and you got one of the finer suites,” she came up with, hoping he’d buy her reasoning.

“I guess that’s a reasonable conclusion,” Joshua sighed, “Yes, I’ll admit that I’m used to a certain “fancy” lifestyle, but I was raised to understand that it’s a privilege, not a right, and it doesn’t mean that other people are anything less. That I must work hard for my goals and what I want.”

“Sounds like you have parents that have their heads on their shoulders,” Cassie smiled but cursed under her breath that, so far, there was nothing about Joshua that she could use as an excuse to stay away.

“They are good parents,” Joshua agreed as he finished his food.

“Any siblings?” 

“Two. I’m a middle child. I have an older brother and a younger sister.”

“I’m guessing it was never quiet around your house when you were growing up?” Cassie chuckled.

“That’s one way of putting it. My brother and I have been competitive for most of our lives and don’t really see eye to eye. So, we’ve destroyed the house quite a few times during our bickering.”

Cassie chuckled softly as she pictured young Joshua and his brother in wolf form laying waste to their house, “I kind of feel bad for your parents.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Joshua laughed, “My mother made sure we’d regret it as we had to fix everything we broke or pay for replacements out of our own pockets.”

“Seems like a reasonable woman.”

“How about your family?” Joshua then asked, and Cassie took a deep breath as she wondered what she should say.

“My family…,” she muttered and glanced over to a couple waiting in line at the food stand, holding hands with an eight-year-old girl with pigtails that had the biggest smile on her face.

“Let’s just say that there’s not much to talk about,” Cassie shrugged as the girl asked her father to pick her up and proceeded to give him a giant hug as they giggled.

She could feel Joshua staring at her for a moment, no doubt trying to figure out what was on her mind, and he noticed the family she was looking at.

“Since I don’t have anything specific planned for this date, I was wondering if you’d like to walk around and show me what this town has to offer,” he suggested, changing the subject, and Cassie felt relieved and grateful that he let the matter slide.

“I’d be more than happy to,” Cassie replied as she took the remnants of their food and threw it in a trashcan close to the bench.

“Then you lead the way,” Joshua said with an exaggerated bow, making Cassie laugh.

She led him around town and showed him the most popular places, like museums, restaurants, markets, and other stuff. They didn’t go inside any of those since most were closed in the evenings, but Joshua seemed content with just walking around.

Eventually, they came to an arcade.

“I didn’t know this town had one of those places,” he beamed with excitement.

“You want to play?” Cassie asked and gave him a small grin.

“Are you sure? I don't want you to do something you've no interest in."

“Please, I can probably wipe the floor with you,” Cassie rolled her eyes and smirked.

“I’ll take that as a challenge,” Joshua grinned back, and they headed inside.

They started playing all the multiplayer games they could find, and Cassie was pleasantly surprised by how good he was at those games, but unfortunately for him, she was better.

When she had beat him for the fifth time in one of the shooter games, his shoulders slumped a bit, and he sighed.

“Damn, you’re good.”

“Sorry,” Cassie chuckled awkwardly as she rubbed her neck, “I spent a lot of time in similar places when I was younger.”

“No need to apologize,” Joshua stated, “I lost fair and square.”

“Most guys I’ve met tend to take it to heart when a girl beats them in games,” Cassie grinned as she walked over to him and whispered into his ear, “So, what do I get as a prize for winning?”

Cassie let her hand slide down Joshua’s chest, and he held his breath as she reached the hem of his pants.

“If you continue, I might be tempted to give you your prize right here,” Joshua murmured as he pulled her in and gently squeezed her ass while his hand slid into her hair. His lips came crashing down on her, and Cassie gasped as he deepened the kiss and could feel how her body warmed up and noticed a wet spot forming in her underwear. 

“I’ll behave,” Cassie breathed when their lips finally parted, “But I won’t promise for how long.”

“Then I think we should get out of here,” Joshua whispered, and Cassie wondered if he could smell her excitement.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Cassie agreed, and he grabbed her hand, and they walked outside into the cool evening air and headed straight for the hotel.