Beloved

20

Dante knew this weekend would mark the very first dates Gaia would experience and he wanted to set a precedence of romance on the first one even though it was to be casual. He went to his old room to shower and get ready so she'd have privacy and the space to do whatever she needed without feeling rushed by him. This also gave him the space to pull together last minute details with which to surprise her.

Having already purchased the tickets for the mid-evening show, he also arranged for a bouquet to be delivered ten minutes before they needed to leave for the restaurant. He'd considered adding in a toy bear or some chocolates, or both, but ultimately decided he could space such things out over several dates. He gave the delivery person a generous tip, then stood at the bottom of the stairs to wait for his date.

Gaia was nervous as she looked through her clothes in the closet. Dante had told her that tonight was to be casual, but she wanted to try to dress up a little and wasn't certain how to go about it. She called her friends for help.

Darla was preparing for her own date with Colton, but was willing to give an opinion on the final look.

Lucas insisted on seeing every item of clothing in Gaia's closet before he suggested a flower print summer dress with a cotton crochet cardigan and sandals that tied around the calves.

After finagling her hair into a loose dutch braid and brushing her teeth, she applied a touch of mascara and frosted berry gloss. Then she took a photo of her final look to send to her friends. They both responded with a thumbs up, and Darla promised to come over the help her on Sunday.

Bounding down the stairs she saw Dante at the bottom of the staircase, casually leaning against the railing, scrolling through his phone. Her breath caught in her throat when he looked up from his phone and smiled at her.

"Hey there."

"There you are." He slid his phone into his pocket and held up the bouquet as he faced her, chuckling, "You look adorable."

Gaia gasped, "You got me flowers?" She felt heat flushing her cheeks and bit her lip, accepting the flowers. She inhaled the soft scents of daisies, lilacs, and roses. "Thank you."

Dante smiled, pleased she appreciated the small gift, "You're welcome. I'll get a vase down and then we'll go, okay?"

"Mhmm," Gaia inhaled the scent again, following Dante to the kitchen where he pulled a vase down from the cupboard above the refrigerator. After the flowers were settled in water, Dante twirled his keys around his finger, took Gaia by the hand, and they left the house.

"Where are we going for dinner?"

"How does burgers at the diner sound?"


"I like burgers. Can I have onion rings?"

Dante chuckled, "You can have whatever you like, little mate."

At the diner, Dante sat across from Gaia in a booth by the window. They each grabbed a menu to peruse, and discussed the merits of the various offerings.

"Well hello there, good lookin', what can I start you off with tonight?"

Gaia stiffened and her eyes darted up at the curvy blonde woman in heavy make-up and smacking gum, looming over their table, before casting back down to the venue in her hands. It was obvious the waitress was vying for Dante's attention, undressing him with her eyes, while coyly playing with the pendant at her collarbone. The woman had even loosened an extra button on her uniform shirt to better expose ample cleavage.

Dante glanced at Gaia before addressing the waitress. "We'll both take water, I'll have also have a coke and my fiancé will have a banana shake. And please save your advances for someone else. I'm very much a taken man."

Gaia's eyes widened and she stole a glance at Dante as the waitress huffed, but turned away.

"She's very pretty. I was expecting you to flirt with her."

Dante's brow shot up and he tilted his head as he studied her before rising from his seat and sliding beside Gaia, wrapping his arm across her shoulders, saying, "Gaia, baby, this is your first date with me, so I forgive you not knowing this about me. When I'm with my girl, my girl is my priority. You are my girl. I won't let anyone get between us. Do you understand?"

Gaia kept her eyes on Dante as he spoke, blushing when she realized her body responded to him calling her 'his'. She nodded, "Yes, I understand."

"Good," he kissed Gaia's forehead, "Now understand this. You are gorgeous, Gaia. You're naturally beautiful, both physically, and you have a beautiful heart. You're perfect."

The waitress returned with their drinks in time to overhear Dante's words and sniffed, glaring sulkily at Gaia. She took out her pad and pen, "Are you ready to order?"

Dante rubbed Gaia's arm and looked at her, obviously encouraging her to order first.

Gaia cleared her throat, and said, "I'd like the bacon cheeseburger, with cheddar, and a side of onion rings, please."

"And I'll have the mushroom swiss burger with a side of fries, thanks."

After the waitress left, Dante murmured, "You say she's pretty, but I have to ask how you'd even know with all the make-up she has on? It's like a mask. And she felt the need to unbutton her shirt to be noticed? She can't hold a candle to you."

Gaia watched him take a sip of his beverage. Without a straw. The absolute maniac.

She picked up one of the straws and inspected both ends before tearing off one end. She slid the paper down a bit, put the straw to her mouth and pointed the paper end at Dante, then blew. He turned to see what she was doing just in time for the paper to hit him square between the eyes.

She quickly shoved the straw in her shake and took a sip desperately trying to hold in her giggles.

Dante's eyes shut when the paper hit him, and he opened them slowly, smirking at Gaia, who's eyes were shining with mirth as she was failing at keeping a straight face. He picked up the other straw and tore the wrapper, meaning to blow the paper at her, but there was a hole in the intact end. He slid the wrapper from the straw and tossed the paper at her, hitting her in the cheek before falling into her lap.

Gaia erupted in giggles, nearly snorting banana chunks through her nose. She plucked the wrapper from her lap where it had fallen and rolled it into a ball.

Dante chuckled and slid the straw into his soda.

Gaia flicked the tiny ball of paper at Dante just was he was taking another sip of his drink. He snorted and set his drink down, then grabbed her waist, tickling her until she gasped, "Okay, okay, I'll be good!"

Laughing, Dante asked, "You promise?"

"No," Gaia answered, but when Dante pressed his fingers into her waist again she quickly relented, "Wait! Yes, yes I promise!"

Dante released her waist, and lifted his arm to rest along the back of their bench, shaking his head with a sigh.

"It's not like I have any more straws or wrappers," Gaia muttered.

"You're a little minx!"

Their food came and Dante slid back to facing Gaia so they wouldn't bump elbows. He mocked offense when she took a fry from his plate, and grinned when she offered one of her onion rings.

When the bill came Dante paid it with cash, leaving a decent tip, then they left for the theater. Dante got their tickets, and drinks and snacks, and they found seats just as the previews began rolling.

After the movie, he noticed she seemed a little down and asked if she was okay.

"Yeah, it's just... sequels are never as good as the original. I go in knowing this, but it's always a disappointment."

"Huh, really?"

"Yeah," Gaia shrugged. "Have you ever seen a sequel as good as the original movie? I mean besides the Lord of the Rings franchise, or any other sequential movies based off books."

"Um, I guess I never really noticed."

"Blasphemy. Anyways, it's usually the main reason a third movie is made, to make up for the failures of the second."

Dante narrowed his eyes in thought. "So does this hold true for superhero movies based off comic books?"

"In most cases it's more true for movies based off comic books, but that's partly because of all the different artists and writers branding their own versions of the superheroes. Except for Dark Knight, and that's mostly because Heath Ledger was brilliant as Joker, but also because Christopher Nolan stepped away from the campy material earlier directors caved to."

Dante grinned at her. "You have some very strong opinions on these things."

"Its art, Dante. Art is supposed to evoke emotion and strong opinions. That's the purpose of art since people started dipping their fingers in ochre and leaving their handprints on cave walls."

He threw his head back, laughing deep from his belly. "Well then, I'm now very interested in what you'll have to say about the ballet we'll be seeing on Sunday."

***
Darla arrived at the pack house after lunch on Sunday. She grabbed Gaia's hand and together they sifted through Gaia's wardrobe. Darla quickly decided Gaia didn't have a thing to wear and dragged her to the mall. Before they left the house Dante handed Darla a credit card, knowing Gaia would balk and shy from using it.

Gaia protested that she had the card his mother had given her. Dante kissed her forehead, answering, "That card is for the house and Luna projects, not your personal purchases. The card I just handed Darla is yours. I gave it to her because I know you and I'm pretty certain our Beta here is comfortable spending money, more so than you are," he tapped her nose. "Darla, spoil her, okay?"

"You got, Alpha. C'mon G, let's go do some damage to your man's account."

Darla took Gaia to several different stores, ending their outing at the day spa for a facial and manicure before she was satisfied. She had Gaia change at the the spa, as she called Dante to pick Gaia up from the spa by the mall.

Dante insisted Darla wait with Gaia until he arrived.

"Well, you need to hurry. I've got my own plans this evening and I'm running late."

Darla had chosen an above the knee black silk slip dress with red lace detail, and a lightweight fringed merino shawl to drape over her shoulders. She paired the outfit with red kitten heels, and cat eye makeup with a red lip.


Dante's breath hitched when he saw her. He nodded at Darla, dismissing her, as he took Gaia's hand in his own to kiss her knuckles.

"Wow, you're really handsome in a suit." Gaia smiled shyly.

"You look incredible." He smiled and took all her bags, glancing at her as they walked to the car.

Gaia felt the color rise in her cheeks every time she felt his eyes on her.

The restaurant he'd chosen for the evening was an Italian style on the same block as the theatre in the nearby human city. His hand lightly touched Gaia's lower back was they were led to a secluded table and waited for the host to pull Gaia's seat for her before taking his own across from her.

Gaia glanced around the restaurant before she opened her menu. It was the nicest restaurant she'd been to, and it rather reminded her of her grandmother's restaurant, though the scents weren't quite the same.

Their waiter came by and told them of the specials for the evening. Dante chose the Florentine steak with risotto, while Gaia chose the Osso Bucco.

"I notice they didn't give us straws.

Dante laughed softly, "No, no straws here. Did you have fun today?"

"It was nice to hang out with Darla. I haven't done that in a while, since she's found her mate. Her birthday is next week."

"You didn't exactly answer the question."

"Shopping isn't exactly on my top five favorite activities list. It's not on my top ten list, either."

Dante answered dryly, "I noticed. Did you do anything besides shopping?"

"Darla made me get my nails done. That was kind of relaxing."

"Really? You don't have any nail polish on."

"I made them take it off. I didn't like it. I really don't like nail polish. My nails can't breathe."

"Your nails can't breathe? I didn't even know that was a thing."

"Well, it is for me," Gaia huffed, "So they buffed my nails instead, which that was okay."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, she made me get a facial, too. The massage was nice, and I like how the attendant applied my make-up. I don't wear the stuff very often because I don't really like how it feels, but once in a while is okay."

"Well, you look stunning." Dante smiled.

"And what did you do while my bestie was torturing me?"

"I caught up with Colton for a few hours. We shot some hoops, then I went home and got ready."

"Did you dribble rings around him?

"Of course."

When their meals were served, Dante noticed Gaia seemed a little disappointed with her order.

"Is it bad?"

"No, it's not bad, it's just a little... it's not as flavorful as my nonna's."

Dante's brows rose. "I'll trade a bite of mine for a bite of yours."

"Sure." Gaia carved a bite of her veal and was about to put it on his plate when she noticed he was offering the bite of his steak to her directly from his fork. She blushed and delicately wrapped her mouth around the morsel, sliding it from his fork, while holding her offering up for him.

"Mm. Not bad."

"Mama Bianchi's granddaughter is a food critic."

"Nonna was Sicilian, and I ate dishes like these pretty regularly. Mom's not as passionate about food, so she never paid much attention to the recipes, but I've been thinking of going back to the house for them."

"We should definitely do that. And grab up anything else you think you'd like. You wouldn't happen to know if those maple cookies she used to give out to children is one of the recipes in her collection? Those were my favorite."

Gaia smirked, "Those were my favorite too. I helped her bake a batch of those pretty often."

After their meal they headed to the theatre. Dante could feel her anxiety as they entered the building and walked through the well dressed crowd. He planted her tiny hand in the crook of his arm, leading her to his family's box.

Gaia's anxiety melted under Dante's constant touch as he led her through the crowd mostly made up of humans, though her nose was able to detect a few other non-humans mixed in. Allowing Dante to lead her, she was able to look around and was entranced with the Art Nouveau architecture. She was also thoroughly impressed with the Alpha's private balcony box. They had cushy seats, and a small table with goblets and a pitcher of ice water, and a small plate with lemon wedges was waiting for them.

She was not happy that sitting down she was short enough the railing cut off her view.

Dante chuckled and teased he would call for a child's booster, laughing when she glared at him. "Come sit on my lap, then."

When she hesitated, he said, "If this were a concert it wouldn't matter that you can't see the stage from your seat, but this is a ballet and ballets are meant to be seen. If you don't want to sit on my lap, I'll call for a booster to be brought for you."

Gaia sighed and accepted the booster. It arrived just as the curtain rose, and was just a box that fit under the chair. She was amazed to see an entire orchestra in the pit and knew this would be an experience she wouldn't soon forget. She leaned forward, resting her hands against the railing and widened her eyes to take everything in.

Gaia stayed in her seat for several moments after the performance ended. Her emotions had been tugged every which way over the course of the past two and some hours, and she was still processing a favorite children's tale brought to spectacular life in a way Disney couldn't touch.

Dante watched her, waiting patiently. He'd witnessed an amazing array of emotions take hold of her face and body during the performance, and knew she'd need a moment to gather herself.

"That was beautiful," Gaia whispered, finally turning to face him. "Thank you."

Dante's brows rose and he smiled. "You're very welcome. It was my pleasure and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Are you ready?" He stood when she nodded and offered his hand to her, gently grasping hers when she slipped her small hand into his. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her when she impulsively threw her arms around him.

Blushing, Gaia released Dante and stepped back, glancing up at him before casting her gaze downward.

Dante caught her chin, tilting her head up and planted a soft kiss on her mouth, delighting in the tingles enhancing the sensation of her plump mouth.

Gaia's eyes widened with shock, but fluttered closed as she melted into the sensations of his mouth momentarily on hers. All too soon the kiss ended and she opened her eyes to see him watching her.

Dante could tell she seemed uncertain. "You okay?"

"You kissed me."

"Yeah. A small one. Is that okay?"

"I've never - I wasn't - I wasn't expecting you to kiss me. It was nice."

Dante's face cracked with his biggest smile. "I've been wanting to kiss you since before we left the hospital." His deep voice rumbled softly, "Let's go home, little mate."

***
Birthdays


Darla, Lucas, Brent, and Randal's birthdays were within a few days of each other, beginning with Darla's and ending with Brent's. Darla and Lucas had never had big parties for their birthdays, preferring to keep it close with just the three of them until Darla's sixteenth when she had decided they would go clubbing.

With fake I.D. cards for Lucas and Gaia it had been a successful evening of dancing, at the hot new club in the neutral territory, where shifter-kind could enter at sixteen but couldn't imbibe alcohol until eighteen, and had to leave at midnight. They'd returned for Lucas' birthday, then at least once every few months until Gaia moved in with Dante.

For Darla's eighteenth she just wanted a small gathering with her closest friends, so Colton arranged a night of pizzas, wings, beer, and movies at the Beta residence.

Since his eighth year, Randal had always been at camp for his birthday, and had only heard impressive tales of the massive birthday bashes his twin had enjoyed. This year he was expected to attend their birthday, and be in attendance in the Glenwood River territory for four days preceding and four days after their birthday, for a total of nine days, where his parents had since moved to support their daughter.

Randal declined the extended invite, saying he'd attend the party, but he wouldn't be staying more than a few hours. The party ended up being cancelled due to Angelica succumbing to her first heat. The young gamma wasn't one to let a quiet evening at home alone go to waste, but his close friends had planned to meet up at his house with cake and balloons around the time he would be returning from Glenwood River.

Opening his front door he did a double take of Lucas, who entered his front room following Colton, Darla, Gaia and Dante, all of them tossing confetti and yelling, "Surprise!"

Eyes glued on Lucas, he closed the distance between them in a few strides, and lifting his hand to stroke Lucas' lightly stubbled cheek, said, "Mine."

Lucas' jaw dropped, but before he could say anything, Randal drew him in for a passionate kiss, much to the delight of their small audience. Lucas' shock dissipated quickly, and clutching Lucas to him, he returned the kiss with fervor. When they finally parted to catch their breaths, they discovered their friends had quietly left, leaving the balloons to float along the ceiling and the cake untouched on the table.

A few days later for his birthday, Lucas just wanted help moving in with Randal, which the Alpha and Beta couples, and Brent all readily agreed to. With everyone's help, everything Lucas' parents had left behind was loaded on a truck to be put into storage, and Lucas was fully moved in with the decor and other trappings the young couple had chosen for themselves.

Brent and Heather threw a party for their correlating birthdays that rivaled Colton's kegger two months prior. Renting a venue in the neutral territory because they were inviting the entire senior and junior classes, as well as youth they knew from the neighboring territories and everyone attending the local college.

Heather found her true mate at midnight, a young warrior from one of the neighboring territories who was attending the local college. She immediately tried to reject him, wanting to defy the Goddess and stay with Brent. Unfortunately for her present disposition, Brent broke up with her saying it was for the best, and the young warrior rejected her rejection saying he was intending to woo her.

Brent didn't find his mate that evening, but he shrugged it off saying he didn't mind and he was willing to wait. Witnessing his Alpha find his mate had sparked a sense of unease within him he hadn't been able to shake, and that unease had grown with each successful mating he'd since witnessed.

Following Brent's birthday was the home stretch month before classes commenced at the local colleges.

Gaia couldn't help but feel left out that she wouldn't be attending classes on campus, but when she learned Dante had arranged for his first year of classes to be online as well, she felt relieved.

"Are you sure it's okay you're taking your classes online?"

"Of course! The Moon Valley college has online options specifically because it caters to shifters. Also, my wolf wouldn't let me go to campus without you, anyway. He gets jittery every time I take my morning run outside instead of on the treadmill, even though I'm still on property."