Page 61 of Examining the Bond

“No.” I shake my head. “No family; it’s just me.” Her expression falters, but I keep going before she can feel sorry for me. “What about you?”

“I have a lovely pain-in-the-ass older sister named Lana.” She laughs. “She’s a beta, but that doesn’t stop her from bossing me around.”

I make a face and take a swig of my milkshake, nearly moaning as the chocolate melts over my tongue.

“You really let her boss you around?” I cock an eyebrow at her.

“Lether?” Skylar laughs again. “She’s like a goddamn Chihuahua; tiny and feral. I don’t stand a chance.”

Our laughter rings out through the restaurant, catching us a few curious glances.

“She really is lovely though. Sometimes.” Skylar shrugs. “She has a heart of gold. I think you’d like her.”

Heat prickles over my cheeks, and I drink my milkshake to disguise my smile. The thought of Skylar introducing me to her sister, to the rest of her family is… nice. Nerve-wracking, but nice.

Thankfully, the food arrives soon after. It takes two people to bring it to the table, and every inch of the surface is overflowing with plates. It smells heavenly, and my mouth waters as I devise a plan of attack.

“Dig in, preciosa. I don’t want to eat all this by myself.”

I cackle, snatching a steak fry and taking a bite.

With a smile, Skylar reaches for her glass of water and raises it to me slightly. “To our first date.”

My insides wiggle.Our first date.

What would she think if I told her that this is my first real date ever? Sure, I’ve met alphas at the academy mixers, but they’re supervised. Arranged and coordinated by the staff, they’re hardly natural.

I decide against it, picking up my enormous milkshake and clinking it against her glass, feeling courageous despite my nerves. “To many more.”

She takes a sip of her drink, but I don’t miss the way she smiles around the glass. We dig in, Skylar making sure I try a bit of everything and even feeding me a tender piece of steak off her fork. I can’t remember the last time, if ever, I had food this delicious.

“It’s so good,” I moan, and her eyes light up. It looks like she’s enjoying watching me eat more than the steak she’s chewing.

We weave in conversation between bites, which is mainly me trying to mine for information about her without turning it into an interrogation. Once the questions start coming, everything feels more natural, and the conversation starts to flow.

“No pets at all? Not even a fish?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “I take care of people every day at the clinic. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I just focus on myself when I’m not there.”

“What about a mate? Do you want one of those to take care of?” The question flies out of my mouth before I can stop it. I quickly grab a cheesy steak fry, shoving it in my mouth to shut myself up.

Her features soften unexpectedly. When she meets my eyes again, I feel like I’m seeing straight through the guarded mask she puts on for everyone else. Getting a glimpse of the real Skylar that probably very few people know.

“I spent so long thinking a mate wasn’t an option for me that I nearly gave up,” she admits, her voice tender. “It’s always been my hope to find someone who’ll accept a lone female alpha, someone who won’t focus on what I can’t give them and just accept what Ican.”

My chest seizes. I hadn’t meant to spark something so emotional, but Skylar's honesty pierces straight through me, leaving me speechless.

“The answer is yes,” she goes on. “I would bend over backward, do anything within my power to take care of my mate.I’d give her the world on a silver platter if it was within my power, spoil her senseless, do anything she asked of me.”

A huge silence falls between us. The rest of the steakhouse fades to white noise, and we’re blanketed in our own little bubble. Right now, no one exists but Skylar and me. I know she didn’t say it wasmespecifically, but I can’t help but interject myself into her hypothetical.

She would spoil me senseless.

She would do anything to take care of me.

My pulse lurches as I struggle to form coherent thoughts, my mind suddenly overwhelmed with what a forever with Skylar could look like.

But, before I can ask anything else, she changes the subject.