Strength to Find Her Way

Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Quinn POV

Dad and I had a productive training session today. I managed to knock him on his ass a few times and he even took me down a couple as well. We ran a couple dozen miles and did some weight training. I was actually feeling a bit worn out. It's been a few days since I'd had a good session like this. Those royals were really slowing me down lately.

I chuckled at the thought as I approached the pack house. Now I have to go get ready for my date with Liam. If I'm being honest with myself, I'm a bit nervous. I know I've spent time with Liam alone before but those few times were different. This was going to be our first real date.

We're going to be off pack territory and it's just going to be the two of us. My stomach was all sorts of jumbled just thinking about it. I know I'm attracted to Liam. I tried not to spend too much time thinking about that. But I can blame those feelings on the mate bond. What I don't know yet is if Liam and I are truly compatible. I know the moon goddess destined us to be together but can she make mistakes? Could we be incompatible? Would he truly be able to make me happy?

As I stepped through the large doors of the pack house I was attacked by a hard force.

"What took you so long?!?" I heard Suze cry from on top of me.

I took a second to get my breath back before shoving her off. "What the hell, Suze?" I yelled. "Why did you tackle me? I'm sore."

"Oh hush, Quinny," she brushed me off. "I need to get you ready for your first date! We only have half an hour!"

"Ugh," I groaned. "Who told you?"

"That doesn't matter," she replied. "Let's go. You stink."

She grabbed my arm and practically sprinted up the stairs. My sore muscles protested the speed with which she was making me climb them.

"Suze," I whined. "Can we go a little slower? I'm a little sore."

She shook her head, "No way. I'm going to need every second I have to make you look presentable."

We finally made it to my room and I saw my cozy bed calling out to me.

"Don't even think about it!" Suze called out to me from the bathroom. "Get your butt over here!"

I gave my bed one last look before I trudged over to the shower. Five minutes later, Suze practically dragged me from the shower and had me sit on a chair in front of my dresser.

"I'll dry your hair while you do your makeup," she commanded.

"Suze, I'm not wearing makeup. Liam sees me like this every day. I don't need to pretend I'm something I'm not."

"Hush," she scolded. "This is your first date! We're going all out. Makeup is a necessity."

I groaned, "Fine. But just a little mascara. Nothing else."

"You need eyeshadow and lipgloss too. I can agree to no eyeliner. I know you struggle with that."

I sighed. I guess I can agree to that. It wasn't worth arguing any further. I started on the eyeshadow first. Suze was working hard on my hair and trying not to move my head around too much. She really is a great friend, even if I didn't think it was really necessary for her to do this.

Ten minutes later my makeup was as good as it was going to get and Suze was putting the finishing touches on my hair. We decided to leave it down and natural. She added a few products to give it shine but other than that, I felt like I looked mostly like myself.

Suze led me from the chair to my bed where she'd laid out an outfit. It was a navy blue sundress with a long silver necklace and off-white wedge sandals. I loved it.

"Suze, this is great. Thank you so much!"

"I know what you like, Quinny," she hugged me tightly. "Feel free to keep it if you want. I'm sure it's going to look way better on you than it does on me."

"I love you, Suze," I said, hugging her back.

"No sappy business," Suze cried as she pulled away. I could see her eyes were getting a little misty. "I don't want you messing up your makeup."

"You know I don't care about that, Suze," I said. "But for you, I'll save the sappiness for later. Just know you're amazing and I'm so glad we're family. Blood or not, you're my sister, always."

Suze left me alone to get dressed. I looked at the clock and it was six thirty. We should be leaving soon. I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror one last time. Deciding I still looked mostly like myself, I grabbed my purse and headed for my bedroom door.

Just as I was about to open it, I heard a knock. I opened the door and there Liam stood in dark jeans and a navy button down shirt. Suze must have planned this.

Liam didn't say anything at first. He just stood there with his fist still up in the air. I reached out to push his hand down to his side. I still wasn't used to the sparks yet. They did things to me that I had never experienced before. It made it hard to think whenever we touched.

"You look nice," I said, pulling him from his daze.

He shook his head slightly and I watched his hair bounce across his forehead with the movement. "No Quinn," he grinned. "You look amazing. I am nothing when standing next to you. I'll be with the most gorgeous girl in the room tonight. Everyone will be jealous of me."

I blushed. He really knew how to make me feel good. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"I'd say it's a surprise," he began. "But I'm taking you for dinner. Then we're going to go somewhere fun. I hope you'll enjoy it."

"I'm down," I replied. "Let's get going."

Liam held out his hand to lead me toward the stairs. All of the pack members were home at this time so there was bound to be suspicion seeing the prince and I leaving together all dressed up.

We reached the bottom of the stairs and there were a few teenage pack members in the living room playing games. No one glanced up at first so I thought we were in the clear. That was until I heard a voice call from the top of the stairs, "Have fun on your date Quinny-poo! Remember to be safe! I'm not ready to be an uncle again!"

Every eye in the room turned to see Charlie at the top of the stairs with the biggest shit eating grin on his face. The eyes then all turned to Liam and me. I stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. Then I felt Liam's hand on the small of my back and I started to feel slightly calmer. My feet started to work again along with my brain and we turned back for the door. I could feel the boys in the room still staring but then Liam let out a low growl and the eyes were no longer on us.

"I'm going to kill Charlie," I growled under my breath.

Liam rubbed his hand up and down my back, "Don't let him ruin our night. We can deal with him when we return. I'm sure I can think of some fun ways to get our revenge."

I gave Liam a disbelieving glance and smirked. "Oh, I'm so going to hold you to that!"

Liam barked out a laugh and pulled me towards the driveway, "Come on."

We got into his car and drove off. I wondered why none of his security guards followed us. Maybe he really did want this to just be the two of us. I appreciated how much he thought about me and my wishes when he planned this. I think I'm really going to enjoy this date. I'm glad my first is with Liam, my mate.