A Vet for the Alpha

Chapter 26: First Date

Alec

Shit! Shit! Shit! All my clothes look the fucking same!

It's been a long time since I've been on a date and I don't remember how I used to dress. Deciding to just go with the outfit I have on, the last of over a dozen changes, I pick my way out of the chaos of clothes spread all over my bedroom.

For tonight's date, Christopher and I had decided on dinner followed by bowling but an emergency patient, a little shihtzu named Mop Top, has to stay downstairs for observation tonight.

I had texted Christopher to cancel at first. Can we reschedule? I have an overnight patient.

oh no is it going to be okay?

Yes but I have to administer meds every four hours and keep an eye on her.

okay I understand what about just dinner? You need to eat, too and I'll make sure we go somewhere quick

Is just dinner okay?

YEs! I am just excited to see you <3

I'm excited, too. I've been missing Christopher more than I ever thought I would. Especially when transitioning from the pack house to normal days aren't going like I'd expect.

The suspicions were troublesome.

I started seeing patients again right away. Every jolt or bounce of the animals had me expecting to see their shape starting to blur. My stomach hurts from holding my breath, waiting for one to shift into a human.

Whispering when I thought their owners couldn't hear me, I've already asked three cats, a rabbit, a golden retriever and a pair of ferrets to shift now or forever hold their muzzles. I never want another problem that ends up in me operating on a human being. Again.

Worse than that are the nightmares, if I fall asleep at all.

I decide on an outfit at just the right time as I hear a knock on the front door. Crossing to the door in the small apartment, I smooth a hand down my shirt and take a deep breath. When I open the door, Christopher is standing there, holding a shiny box and looking amazing.

He always looks good but I can tell he also put more time and thought into tonight. I get a brief flash of the first time I saw him, when he came running in in just some shorts. I realize at this moment that he must have come in like that after shifting from his wolf form.

"Alec?" Christopher asks as if he's repeating himself, waiting awkwardly in front of me. "You okay?"

"Oh! Yes, I'm fine. Do you want to step in for a moment? I just need to grab my stuff."

"Okay! And, here, this is for you." He hands me a box of chocolates. "I bought it in [college town] this week but maybe I should have bought you more than this. You look like you haven't eaten much."

I roll my eyes and turn away. "We're going to dinner right now. And I ate lunch earlier, too. Not everyone eats like a moose."

I place the chocolates on the kitchen counter and pick up my phone, wallet and keys. Dropping them into my pocket I turn to catch Christopher's gaze sweeping around the small space.

Self-consciously, I grab up the pillow and twisted mess of blankets I left on the couch this morning and toss it out of sight, kicking it underneath. There's no hiding the pile of folders, books, snack wrappers and empty water bottles left out in front of it.

"Shall we go?" I push Christopher outside and lock up."I need to check on my patient really quick, do you mind waiting for a minute."

"No problem, can I come with? Christopher follows me down the wooden steps and around to the front of the clinic. Even though the sun is setting, the heat of the day lingers.