Chapter 3 Blind date.

"There is a huge problem though," Logan tells his Beta.

Before the men can dive into what the issue could be, Addison comes in screaming,

"I can't believe it. You found your mate. And you didn't tell me? How does she look? Which pack is she from? What is her name? Have you marked her? I heard that's what is reigning nowadays. Wait do Mum and Dad know? Well? Answer me," The dark-haired lady says out of breath.

Her brother becomes mute and stares at her blankly, not really being the chatty kind.

"Calm down, Addie; give him some breathing space. Okay, now that you seem calm..." Ryan holds his mate and turns to face his Alpha.

"Talk to us... Please. I think we deserve to know our Luna; what pack is she from?" The brown-haired man pleads.

Logan sighs, "She does not belong to a pack; that's the thing."

The couple hold morphed facial expressions, clearly unsatisfied with the Alpha's response.

"She is really pretty," Logan adds.

"I, I... " The Alpha is at a loss of words.

He feels stupid; All the words lay at the entrance of his consciousness yet disappear when he needs them the most.

The leader has always struggled with letting others in, especially after he almost lost everything in the past.

Ryan senses the other male's hesitance, "Hey, we are always on your side; you know this. I would like to say that we can leave you alone but we both know that is a lie."

Logan snorts at the remark but regains his composure,

"I know how she looks; gorgeous. I also know where she lives; I was in my wolf form when we met and I was thinking of getting to know her before introducing her to the pack. So the pack must not know that their Luna is here. Oh, and she is human."

"What?!" The two other werewolves shriek.

"This is the problem you spoke about. Hmm..." Ryan thinks.

"Well, it does not matter; we just have to work harder in grabbing her. Hey, babe; do humans feel the bond?" Addie questions.

"Yeah, although not as strong as a werewolf. I think Will can help." Ryan replies.

"His mate is in the area right? We will find our Luna faster." Addie says.

Logan watches the duo make plans and feels a soft emotion crawl up his stomach.

"I'm not knowledgeable in this sort of situation, so what I am trying to say is that I appreciate your help. I cannot afford to lose her," Logan says.

"That is what family is for," Addie says with conviction.

Will is summoned and updated on the discovery.

"Are you positive it is the house with a black roof? And your mate has green eyes?" Will questions.

"I would be blind to mistake that viridian color anywhere," Logan replies.

"That makes things easier then. That is Tess, my mate's close friend and colleague at work." Will says.

"Ooh, maybe Clara can help. At least she knows about us now so we can use her help." Addie muses.

"That makes sense," Will says.

Logan only thinks about the name, Tess. He whispers it like a secret and revels at the smoothness of his tongue. He loves her name already.

.

.

.

Tess lazes around for the whole day and half a day after is spent wondering what to gift her dear aunt.

The several options for a birthday gift do not sound appealing to the blonde. After rounds of indecision, Tess settles for a gift and prays it gets delivered in perfect condition.

Before she can take another bite into the fruity cake she got earlier. Someone breaks in, making her go rigid for a moment; she must have left her front door open.

Clara busts in with a big bag in tow. "Girl, you know how you are always complaining that I don't give you time anymore?"

"What are you doing in my house?" Tess glares at her friend.

"I am sorry. How many times do you want to hear it." Clara sighs exasperated.

"Look, I am trying to apologize for bailing. So, I decided on a triple date with Will and some of his friends and," Clara is cut short.

"And this concerns me how?" Tess does not move.

"Shh... I am not done. Okay, one of of Williams friends does not have a date yet, so I was thinking you could feel in the spot. Consider it a blind date."

Tess eyes the brunette suspiciously. In the past, Clara had tried hooking her up with several guys, and unfortunately, over half of that time, she succeeded. Yearning for genuine love, Tess is no longer interested in all her matches.

"Clara, my answer is no," Tess says sternly.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Clara leans in close to her friend's ear and purrs lowly.

"Come on, it is just a blind date. How bad could it be? And did I mention how much of a hottie he is?"

After so much probing, she emerges victorious,

"Fine, I will go." Tess relents.

"Great. I have the perfect dress." Clara rampages the creaking wardrobe until she finds what she is looking for.

With an exaggerated gasp, Clara pushes her future queen to the bathroom.

"What are you doing, we will be late if you don't start getting dressed," the brunette says.

"what? The date is today? I don't think I can," Tess starts saying.

She is not given the liberty to complain, though, because with a shove, she is in the lavatory, and the door is slammed behind her, leaving her dumbfounded.

The two Belles take turns using the small bathroom; Clara makes sure the other wastes no time.

Waiting on her bed, Tess finds a strapless, knee-high, ocean-blue frock. She recognizes it; a birthday gift from her cousin Damon.

It is a complete set on the bed, with jewelry and a pair of wedges at the feet of the bed. Trevor got her the jewelry on that same birthday to compliment his brother's gift and his two other siblings got the black shoes.

Tess dons the dress, and her eyes catch the locket peeking out from under her pillow; she wears it everywhere. In it is a picture of her and her parents smiling; a magnificent day it was.

Tess completes her look with a light touch-up of her face and styling her hair. She brushes the natural curly volume and proceeds to leave a loose plait by the sides of her head. Her hair flows backward and the tip grazes her derriere.

"Looking good. Trust me, it would be worth it," Clara says before walking out of the apartment in her striking red jumper.

Will's car is packed in front of the house.

"I guess this is our ride," Tess groans.

"Yup!" Clara giggles.

.

.

.

"What is he like? Will's friend, I mean," Tess asks her talkative friend.

Clara smirks lightly, "you'll see."

Tess huffs then let's her mind wander. What will the stranger be like? The eagerness contradicted her then resolve. It is expected to be curious, that's human nature.

Every step is heavy as they draw close to the table occupied by four people. Will is conversing with two people who are practically glued together and he seems not the slightest bit bothered about this. They must do this often, she concludes them to be involved with each other.

To the side is an enigma, a devilishly handsome one that makes Tess kiss her bottom lip subconsciously.

"This has to be mine," The blonde mutters and flushes when she catches the eyes of her supposed blind date.

Tess tries to focus, which proves difficult with the gorgeous man sitting right across from her. Straight and sleek locks falling short of his shoulder, silver irises with specks of black, the look they give her, electrifying.

Could she stand a chance? His nose is as pointed as the steadiness in the male's eyes which are complemented by his full brows.

"Hi," Tess greets.

The two gaze into the eyes of each other, and Tess feels the need to distract herself from the nasty thoughts that have fallen on her.

Jade eyes follow the Alpha's every move, and she could have sworn that the man's eyes flashed gold, but it could be anything.

She, for one, is willing to flash a lot more than any other man has ever seen. The way the alpha stares at every sliver of skin exposed on her so openly does things to her being.

Tess can feel herself getting wet, and a weird passing thought knows that this enigma of a man is dangerous, but it does not make her any less attracted to him.

"Mate," Logan says softly.

"What?" Tess questions.

What is Tess's reaction to being called his mate? What are all these crazy emotions going haywire within Tess? What could be the cause of the attacks on the Alpha?