THE SORTING

THE DATE

The silence was deafening. We had just stood there, standing on either side of the door frame, waiting for the other to make the first move. Time seemed to stop. I took these moments to take in Dom's appearance, and I was so very glad I did.

His hair got my attention first. It was not its usual messy curly style, which I liked, don't get me wrong. He had slicked it back a little, taming the waves only slightly. It looked wet and I wanted to run my hands through it. His eyes caught my attention next. Their dark green, somehow looking darker than ever. They bore into mine, drilling their way into my soul. I looked away quickly, afraid I would fall in and never come out. His face had some stubble, unlike when I first met him. It made him look rough, rugged. And it made me hot. His mouth suddenly drew my in, telling me to attack it softly with my own. I refrained, scared he wouldn't want that.

His shirt surprised me. It was black, of course, but held a pattern that was very appealing. The small white outline of a rose was plastered multiple times on it. It was a button down, but the first few buttons were undone, and very inviting. I needed to get my emotions in check, otherwise I was afraid I would never come out of this gutter I put myself in. His pants were simple black jeans and his shoes, nice black sneakers. They looked brand new. The thought of him shopping for a pair of shoes for a date with me gave me butterflies. Dom was perfect. In every way. He was patient and kind with me. He never got angry at me or raised his voice. He was a total gentleman. I realized I was the problem. I wasn't right for him. Why would we be mates? I was human. A lowly, poor, dirty human. How was he not embarrassed to be around me? His voice took me out of my self-deprecating thoughts.

"You look beautiful, little one." It came out as a raspy whisper and had my insides turning in delight. I tried to say something, anything, but no words came out. I shyly smiled at him and turned to look at the ground. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that today, I was going to get all the answers I needed. I put a determined look on my face, trying to seem braver and more confident than I was. Dom said nothing as he reached for my hand. I let him take it and he turned to lead me to the stairs, and out the front door after. I had no idea what we were going to do, and I was not going to say that I wasn't a little scared of the unknown, but I put my trust in Dom. I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Which also confused me. He was a werewolf and I, a human. He should hate me, or at least show some form of distain for me. But he never did. And somehow, I knew he never would. This mate thing was weird.

I guess with all my thinking I hadn't noticed where we were going. We were walking in between trees in a wooded area. Instead of getting in a car and going somewhere like I had assumed, I guess Dom led me out in the woods. He was ahead of me, walking as if he knew exactly where to go. We got to a clearing a few minutes later and what I saw had me speechless.

A picnic. Dom had planned a picnic.

A checkered blanket laid on the ground, which was a bit cliché if you ask me, but I still loved it. There was a bouquet of roses wrapped in brown paper and tied together with a white bow set on the blanket next to a brown wicker basket that I assumed was filled with food. I was in awe of his effort. This was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. My mouth was dropped when I turned to look at him. His eyes were shifty and darting anywhere than mine. He looked nervous and vulnerable. He rubbed the back of his neck and addressed me hesitantly.

"Do you like it?" he squeaked out. I did the only thing I could think of that would portray how his date made me feel, as well as make his nerves disappear. I kissed him. I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I was feeling. He reacted quickly, kissing me back and wrapping his arm around my back. He pulled me so close that we were one. My mind turned into mush and I had no idea how long the kiss was, but I knew that I needed oxygen. I pulled back harshly, shocked at my actions. I apologized. I shouldn't have just kissed him. What if he didn't want to kiss me? That was incredibly rude, and I didn't want him to think that I was forcing myself on him or anything. As it turned out, my rambling was not only in my head because Dom grabbed my arms.

"You never have to apologize for kissing me or touching me. Ever. I am yours. Forever. Okay?" Dom spoke with authority and sureness. It calmed me down. He led me over to the blanket after grabbing my hand and interlocking our fingers.

I sat down first, while he opened the basket and pulled out two waters. I grabbed one, remembering my mission. I looked down at the blanket and took a deep breath, gaining the courage to open my mouth, until I finally did.

"Dom." He was grabbing the food out of the basket. So far, I saw he had packed salad and silverware. He had yet to take anything else out when I spoke. He closed the basket and turned to me, signaling that I had his full attention.

"I have questions. A lot of them."