The Prophecy Of The Wolves I - The Beginning
~ Chapter Six ~

Cayden knew precisely where to take his little dove to dinner. She was gorgeous, and they would fit in perfectly. Moreover, the restaurant was close to his house, so it wouldn’t take them long to get home after eating. As they got closer to the restaurant, he glanced at her. “Okay, I know this will sound weird, but I want you to close your eyes.”

Liliana frowned. “Why?” She asked with her head slightly tilted to the side in curiosity.

Cayden chuckled. “Could you please do it for me? I promise you won’t regret it.”

Liliana pouted as she crossed her arms but complied with him anyway. “Fine. I’ll close my eyes.”

Cayden shook his head with a broad smile as she closed her eyes. He quickly pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and cut the engine. “Keep your eyes closed, little dove,” he said before jumping out of the car and rushing to her side.

Liliana kept her eyes closed as he opened her door and grabbed her hand gently in his. He helped her out of the car. “Cayden, where are we? Why do I need to keep my eyes closed?” She asked as he led her toward the entrance.

“It’s just for another minute, little dove,” he said as they stopped in front of the entrance to the restaurant. “Okay. You can open your eyes now,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck in uncertainty.

Liliana opened her eyes and looked at the restaurant he had taken her to. Her eyes widened as she looked back at him. “This is where we’re having dinner?” She asked in shocked excitement.

Cayden chuckled. “Yes. I figured we were both well dressed, so it’d be perfect for a first date,” he cleared his throat. “Unless you don’t want to,” he said nervously.

Liliana smiled as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “It’s perfect,” she whispered as he held her close.

Cayden grinned and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let’s get in there and get you some food then, little dove.”

Liliana giggled as he led the way inside. They stopped at the podium, and he smiled at the host. “Is it going to be a table for two tonight?” The host asked with a smile.

Cayden held Liliana close. “Yes, please. Preferably at one of the more private tables with candlelight.”

The host smiled brightly. “Oh, of course. Please follow me.”

The host led the way through the restaurant to the private tables that they had at the back of the restaurant. They stopped at a private booth with lit candles on the table and a curtain they could use for privacy if they didn’t want to be interrupted. As they sat down, Liliana looked around in amazement. “This is amazing,” she said softly.

Cayden grinned. “My mom said this is where my father took her for their first anniversary.”

Liliana smiled. “That’s sweet.”

Cayden grinned. “My father was always a romantic, according to my mother.”

Liliana giggled as she grabbed the menu on the table in front of her. “Have you been here before?” She asked as she started looking over the menu.

Cayden rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he cleared his throat. “Um. I have been here before. My mom and I used to have a standing date night weekly.”

Liliana looked at him with a bright smile. “Awe, that is so cute,” she said as she placed her hands over her heart. She bit her lip. “My father used to take me on cute little dates before he passed away. Ryan tried, but with him being the alpha, he didn’t have time,” she shrugged.

Cayden smiled. “Well, if you’d like, we could do a date night once a week,” he said as he moved closer to her.

Liliana gave him a bright smile that was more than enough of an answer for him. “I would love that, Cayden.”

Cayden grinned and moved close enough to kiss her temple. “So what are you in the mood for, little dove?”

Liliana bit her lip as she looked at the menu again. “There are so many things that sound so delicious.”

Cayden chuckled. “Take your time, little dove. Maybe we could order a bottle of wine while we’re waiting.”

Liliana blushed. “I’m only twenty,” she said quietly.

Cayden shrugged. “It’ll be fine. If you want it, I’ll get it.”

Liliana bit her lip as she peeked at him from behind her menu. “To be honest, I have never really had alcohol before. So I wouldn’t know what to get,” she whispered.

Cayden grinned. “How about I order something, and you can try it? Of course, we can always get a soda or something if you don’t like it.”

Liliana giggled. “Okay, love,” she said softly.

Their waiter came to their table shortly after they decided on the wine. From what Ryan told him about her addiction to sweets, he hoped she would enjoy the wine he chose. “Have you decided what you’d like to eat, or did you need more time for that?” The waiter asked them politely.

“We still need a bit of time,” Cayden responded. “Thank you.”

While the waiter was getting their wine, they went over the menu to decide what they wanted. In the end, Liliana chose a pasta dish, and Cayden decided to go with the steak. The waiter had brought their wine and pulled out his notepad. “Are we ready to order some food now?” He asked politely.

Cayden nodded and let Liliana order first. Once the waiter left them alone again, Cayden grabbed the wine. “Okay,” he said softly. “I hope you like this wine, but if you don’t, then it’s alright.”

Liliana nodded and bit her lip as he poured them both a bit into their glasses. Cayden handed her a glass full of wine, and she took a small sip. Liliana furrowed her eyebrows as she took another sip. “Mm. This wine is delicious,” she said with bright eyes.

Cayden chuckled. “I’m glad you like it,” he sighed in contentment as he pulled her into his arms. “So, tell me more about you,” he said with a grin.

Liliana giggled. “Um. Okay, let’s see. I told you quite a bit earlier,” she bit her lip. “Okay, after my parents passed away, I started exploring the forest more often. I felt closer to them being in the forest. One day, when I was fourteen, I explored the forest when five hellhounds started chasing me. I may have been young, but I was old enough to know that hellhounds need a witch or warlock’s help to get into our realm. I tried running, but they were quite fast. One caught my calf with its teeth. I thought I was going to die right there, but then this man dropped out of the trees,” she shook her head with a small smile. “Turns out he was a vampire. The oldest vampire, as he puts it so often,” she rolled her eyes at the joke. “Anyway, he protected me. He sent the hellhounds back to the underworld. It all happened so quickly that I couldn’t keep up with what he had been doing. Once he had taken care of the hounds, I suppose I passed out from the pain and blood loss. He took me to his house and took care of me. Being a vampire, he could heal my leg with his blood. Of course, he asked me if I was okay with it first because now he could easily tell where I was at all times. He’s been like another father to me ever since,” she shrugged. “He keeps me safe when I’m exploring the forest. Well, him and Orthrus.”

Cayden looked at her with wide eyes. “Are you talking about the Orthrus?” He questioned. “The one that was on the island with Geryon?”

Liliana giggled. “Yes. That’d be the one. He’s such a sweetheart. He usually stays close to me. Even when I’m at home, he’s close by unless Jacques needs him for something,” she shrugged.

“That’s insane. I thought that Orthrus was dead. No one has seen him in decades,” Cayden said in shock as the waiter came by with their food.

Liliana let out a joyful laugh as the waiter gave them their privacy. “Orthrus doesn’t like to be seen. He likes peace and isn’t a big fan of other people.”

Cayden frowned as a thought came to his mind. “Where was he when Sebastian found you earlier today?” He questioned.

Liliana shrugged. “He was close by, hiding in the trees. He didn’t come out and attack because he could sense that I wasn’t in danger. The only time he’d come out is if we were alone, I was in actual danger, or if I felt like I was in danger and called him to me.”

“Sounds like he’s quite loyal to you,” Cayden said as they started eating.

Liliana giggled. “Jacques says that he has only seen Orthrus act as he does with me. I’m the only one that can give him love and whatnot. He says that I tamed him.”

Cayden stared at her in awe. “Amazing,” he whispered.

Liliana blushed as she looked down at her plate of pasta.

They continued to talk and get to know each other throughout dinner. They even had dessert before they decided it was time to leave. “It’s getting pretty late, little dove. We should get you home and into bed,” Cayden said as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

Liliana let out a yawn before giving him a nod in agreement. Cayden chuckled and waved the waiter over to get the bill. Once Cayden had taken care of the bill, they headed out to the SUV. Liliana let out another big yawn as he helped her into the SUV. He chuckled as she curled up in the seat and was almost instantly asleep.

Cayden got into the driver’s seat and headed towards his private home. He grabbed his phone and called Sebastian. “Hey, what’s up, Cayden?” Sebastian asked as he answered.

Cayden sighed. “I know it’s getting late, but I need you to meet me at my house. Liliana is asleep, and I’m going to need some help with all of her boxes,” he explained as he drove.

“How long?” Sebastian asked.

Cayden looked around. “About ten minutes.”

“Alright. I’ll meet you there.”

“Thank you.”

Cayden hung up and drove the rest of the way to his house. Sebastian was already waiting for him when he parked in his garage. “I see the little thing tired herself out today,” Sebastian said with a chuckle.

Cayden chuckled. “Yeah. She’s had quite a day. We also had a big dinner, so she barely made it back to the SUV.”

Sebastian chuckled again. “So let’s get these boxes inside so you can get her into bed. Do you have a room set up for her?” He questioned.

Cayden groaned. “I actually don’t. Just put all of the boxes in one of the bigger guest rooms. Her suitcase can go to my room. Hopefully, she doesn’t get mad about sleeping in my bed tonight.”

Sebastian laughed at that. “I don’t think any woman would ever be mad about sleeping in your bed.”

Cayden rolled his eyes. “Just get the boxes, Seb.”

Sebastian kept laughing as he started grabbing boxes and carrying them inside. Once they had all of her things inside, Cayden patted Sebastian on the back. “Thank you, Seb. Tell Jasmine that I apologize for interrupting your guys’ evening.”

Sebastian shrugged. “She’ll be fine,” he chuckled. “She can never stay mad,” he said with a wink.

Cayden shook his head as he made his way to Liliana. “Alright. Just remember, meet in my office at the pack house in the morning.”

“As usual, Cayden,” Sebastian said with a smirk.

As Sebastian left, Cayden carried Liliana up to his room. She was so light that he was able to hold her with one arm as he pulled the blankets back on his bed with the other. He gently laid her down and moved her hair out of her face. He carefully took off her flats before covering her up with the blanket. He sighed as he looked around his room. The only other place to sleep was the small couch in front of the fireplace; he knew he was too big for it. He looked at the bed where Liliana was sleeping and chose to risk it. He changed into a pair of sweatpants and joined her in bed. He couldn’t help himself as he lay there and watched her sleep. That changed when she moved closer to him and snuggled into him while she slept.

Cayden was shocked but didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her and hold her close as he fell asleep.