Chapter 36: The Unexpected Visitor
A key scraped in the lock just after ten. Aurora, still buried in the nest of blankets on her sofa, the fabric that smelled like her and faintly, stubbornly, like him, didn’t even lift her head.“Aurora! I brought you those pastries from that place you like, and I’m not taking no for—oh.”
Rina’s voice cut off.The clunk of a paper bag hitting the counter. Footsteps, then silence.Aurora peeked one eye out from under the blanket fortress.
Rina stood just inside the living room, arms crossed, head tilted. Her sharp eyes did a quick, efficient scan: the empty wine glass on the coffee table, Aurora’s floral dress from last night tossed over the armchair, the sleep-tousled hair, the definitely-visible love bite peeking out from the collar of Aurora’s oversized sleep shirt.
A slow, wicked smirk spread across Rina’s face. “Well, don’t you look like you got properly fucked.”
Aurora yanked the blanket over her head.A muffled groan escaped.“Nope. No hiding.” In two strides, Rina was at the sofa. She grabbed the edge of the comforter and pulled, her alpha strength making resistance pointless.Aurora curled into a ball, shielding her face. “Uh-uh.Look at me.”
Reluctantly, Aurora lowered her arms. She knew she was blushing, could feel the heat in her cheeks.
Rina’s smirk softened into something more genuine, her brown eyes warm.“You neglected to call your best friend. Your emergency contact.The person who held your hand while you made that damn profile. So now, you’re going to tell me everything.But first, you’re getting dressed. We’re going to Mario’s. I need pancakes, and you need to eat something that isn’t your own nerves. Chop chop.”
The diner was all cracked vinyl and chrome, the air thick with the smell of grease and coffee. They slid into a booth by the window, the morning sun glaring off the Formica.Rina ordered a short stack, extra bacon, and a black coffee. Aurora asked for tea and a single pancake, which earned her a look.
“So,” Rina said, after the waitress had dumped their drinks in front of them.“The date. Start at the beginning.What’d he wear?”
“A button-down.A nice one.Dark gray. It… fit him.” Aurora traced the rim of her teacup. “He was clean-shaven.”
“Noted.Smelled good?”
“Like him.But… cleaner. With the wine, later.” She remembered the scent mixing with the candle wax, wrapping around her in the booth.
Rina nodded, absorbing the intel.“And?He behave himself? Open doors, pull out chairs, all that alpha courting bullshit?”
“He did, actually.He was… perfect. A gentleman.”
Rina’s eyebrow arched. “A gentleman who left a mark on your neck the size of a quarter.”
Aurora’s hand flew to the spot. “That was after.At my door. Just a kiss.”
“Just a kiss,” Rina repeated, deadpan.“And the purring? Don’t think I didn’t notice you’re about two seconds away from vibrating out of your seat just talking about him. You’ve got that glow.The ‘I’ve been paid attention to’ glow. It’s sickening.”
Aurora looked down at her lap, a small, private smile playing on her lips. She couldn’t help it.Their food arrived.Rina drowned her pancakes in syrup. “Okay, so he passed the first-date vibe check. He didn’t talk about himself the whole time, did he?Or get handsy in the restaurant?”
“No.We just talked.About his shop. About movies.It was easy.And then… he held my hand. Just like that.” She demonstrated, weaving her own fingers together.“His thumb was doing this thing on my palm. It was…”
“Intimate,” Rina supplied, shoveling in a bite. “Yeah, that’s the stuff that gets you.The casual claim. Bastard knows what he’s doing.” She pointed her fork at Aurora. “And you liked it.”
“Yes.”
“Good.You should.” Rina ate in silence for a moment. “And after the holding-hands seduction?He take you home?Try to come up?”
“He walked me to my door. Kissed me.And I… purred. Right there in the hallway.”
Rina stopped chewing.She put her fork down.“He heard it?”
“Yeah.He stopped. He looked at me, and he just… smiled.A real one. It changed his whole face.” Aurora’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s cooking for me at his place on Friday.”
A long pause stretched between them, filled with the diner’s clatter. Rina’s expression had shifted from amused to something more serious, more calculating.“His place. That’s a bigger step than a restaurant booth, Rory.”
“I know.”
“You’ve never been to an alpha’s private space before.It’s different.His scent will be everywhere. His territory.It’s a test, in a way. For both of you.”
A knot of anxiety, which had been loosening under Rina’s brash care, tightened again in Aurora’s stomach.“What if I do something wrong? What if I hate it, or I get overwhelmed and—”
“Then you say ‘Rhys, I’m feeling overwhelmed,’ and he deals with it. Or he doesn’t, and you leave, and I go have a talk with him.” Rina’s tone left no room for argument. “But from what you’ve said, I don’t think he’s the type to push you into a meltdown. He’s been careful.”
“He has.”
“But Friday won’t be careful. It’ll be intentional.” Rina leaned forward, her voice dropping. “He’s inviting you into his den, Aurora.He’s going to feed you.That’s primal stuff. It’s a big fucking deal.You’re allowed to be nervous. But you’re also allowed to want it.”
Aurora nodded, her throat tight. She pushed her pancake around the plate.“Hey.” Rina waited until Aurora looked up. “You’re stronger than you think you are.You went on a date with a strange alpha from the internet and made him smile. You’re doing just fine.Now eat your damn pancake. I didn’t buy it for it to go cold.”
Aurora took a small bite.The sweetness was comforting. “What do I wear to an alpha’s den for dinner?”
“Something you can run in,” Rina said, then laughed at Aurora’s horrified expression.“Kidding.Mostly. Wear the dress that makes you feel pretty.The one that feels like you. He’s already seen you purring on his doorstep.The package is already open. Just be yourself.”
They finished eating, the conversation drifting to Rina’s work, a funny story about a cat stuck in a tree that didn’t want to be rescued. But as they stepped out into the midday sun, Rina pulled Aurora into a quick, hard hug.“Friday,” Rina said into her hair. “Text me when you get there.And when you leave.Set a boundary before you go in.Just one. Like, ‘I need to be home by midnight,’ or ‘the bedroom is off-limits tonight.’ See how he reacts. It’ll tell you everything.”
“Okay,” Aurora whispered into her shoulder, drawing strength from her friend’s solid presence.
“And Rory?” Rina pulled back, holding her by the shoulders.Her gaze was fierce, protective. “If at any point, for any reason, it doesn’t feel right, you call me. I don’t care if you’re naked.I will come get you. Understood?”
The fear receded, replaced by a warm, solid gratitude. “Understood.”
Walking home alone, the earlier fluttery excitement was still there, but it was tempered now, edged with a new sense of gravity. It wasn’t just another date.It was his den.His territory. A test she wanted to pass more than she’d ever wanted anything.
She climbed the stairs to her apartment, the lavender-scented haven that was entirely hers.For now. On Friday, she would walk into a space that was entirely his.The thought should have terrified her.And part of it did.
But a larger part, a deeper, instinctual part, thrilled at it.