It was finally Friday, the day that Treyton had been waiting for. It was 7:44 p.m., and he was almost to the Starbucks location that Maeve sent him earlier in the day. He was five minutes away, and he was ecstatic. Making a left turn to find parking, but to his relief and happiness, Maeve stood by the building. When she saw him, she smiled, waved, and entered the car since other cars tried to reach the drive-thru. Treyton drove out of the Starbucks parking lot and onto the road. "Hey, Treyton. You came by earlier than expected!"

"I could say the same thing about you. We should be able to get to our destination sooner than anticipated.

"Well, since it's already the first day of December, I think that traffic will be bad since the Christmas tree lighting will also occur. Parking can also be a hassle and-"

"Don't worry about that. I have a parking app where I can reserve parking; I did it yesterday. Luckily the parking structure is close to the ice rink, so we don't have to walk far."

The two spoke throughout the drive but were unaware they were being followed. Two cars in different lanes followed them. One was a white 2010 Nissan Altima with Patrisha and Persefone, and the other was a red 2023 Tesla with Garret, Trinidad, and Aidoneus. Both sides didn't know they were on the same mission.

Aidoneus felt uneasy about spying on his father, but he knew Trinidad wouldn't stop bugging him. He sat in the backseat with the window opened as Garret and Trinidad spoke about what would happen in tonight's event. While feeling the cool air, Aidoneus saw many cars, including Patrisha's, pass by. A scent hit his nose; he stilled—a scent of pomegranate and sweet pea flowers. Patrisha drove forward, and Aidoneus looked around, trying to find where the scent came from. "What the!? What was that!?"

"Hey, Aidoneus, what do you think of my plan?" asked Trinidad.

The young man snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh, sorry, what?'

"I asked if you were okay with my idea?"

"Yeah, sure..."

Trinidad sighed, knowing that he hadn't listened to her idea. "You're just like your father."

Meanwhile, twenty-eight minutes went by; Treyton drove into a parking structure where he showed the security guard his confirmation, who motioned him to go to the structure's upper level. Treyton arrived and parked his car; he and Maeve got out of the car where large buildings of Downtown Los Angeles surrounded them. The light shined bright with the night skies; Maeve was in awe of the city's beauty. "Ah, how lovely! I don't go to Downtown LA due to the traffic and awful parking."

"Well, are you ready to go?"

Maeve nodded, and the two began walking down the parking structure's stairs. Once down, Treyton motioned her to follow him toward the ice rink; they walked side by side. He glanced at her hand, wanting to hold it. It had been a while since he had been on a date, and he had forgotten when holding a woman's hand was appropriate.

Maeve noticed his glances and realized what he had wanted. Slowly, she reached out and held his hand; he flinched in surprise. Both couldn't help but blush and enjoy each other's warmth. From afar, she noticed a group of people surrounding the ice rink. "I guess we're here. By the way, do they rent figure skates?"

"They do, but don't worry; I'll handle it." The couple went to the ice rink, where the line to rent skates took twenty minutes. Once the skates were on hand, Treyton felt nervous. Memories of his late ice skating with his son flooded him, and he fell many times. He didn't want to embarrass himself and felt he had to wing it.

While the couple removed their shoes and put on skates, they didn't know they were being followed and spied upon from different sides. Patrisha and Persefone were by a café a bit far off the ice rink. Persefone had a pair of binoculars as she tried to focus on Maeve. "Darn, the people are blocking the way!"

Persefone took a sip of her Spice Chai Frappuccino. "Well, it's a popular time, Trish. We should just go and-"

"Nuh, uh. I drove here and paid for parking. We're not leaving until we see what this man looks like!" Patrisha ultimately decided: "We're going to get closer."

"Wait, what? You can't be serious. Maeve might see us and-"

"We won't get caught. Get up." Patrisha stood from her seat and eyed the young woman, who reluctantly stood with her Frappuccino in hand. They walked closer to the ice rink but ensured they were hidden behind groups of people. Patrisha tippy-toed to see a glimpse of Maeve and Treyton, eventually catching a glimpse of them. "Holy jingle bells! He is a handsome one!"

"Really!? Let me see!" Persefone, who was shorter than Patrisha, jumped to get a glimpse of Maeve and Treyton. "Darn, I'm going to get a better look." Persefone walked to the opposite side, where there were fewer people.

                                                                                                 ❄

Trinidad, Garret, and Aidoneus finally arrived at the ice rink and noticed the large crowd. Aidoneus groaned in annoyance. "There's many people here. We should-!"

"Nope, don't even try! We're here to stay until I see what I want to see! I want to see the Alpha fall on his butt!"

"I shouldn't have driven us. We have no right to..." Garret couldn't finish his statement since his wife walked toward the ice rink, leaving him and Aidoneus alone. "Why bother?"

"Geez, Trinidad is something else."

Garret nodded. "Yes, my wife is very eccentric, but I know she's excited about your father. Trinidad may not admit it, but she worried about your father after his divorce." Aidoneus chuckled as he walked with Garret. The couple always visited his father during his lowest points and tried their best to motivate him to move on. As they got closer, Aidoneus stilled when he smelled a scent; it was the same scent he smelled while driving to Downtown LA. The smell felt so addictive that his entire body felt euphoric. Garret noticed Aidoneus stopped. "Aidoneus, are you alright?"

Aidoneus's eyes glowed into a golden color. "Do you smell that heavenly scent?"

"What smell?"

Aidoneus walked toward the ice rink, where the scent came from. As he got closer, the scent got stronger. Then, he stopped when he looked at where the scent came from—a young woman. When he saw her, everything and everyone around him was nothing. The young man walked toward her but stopped when he stood beside her. The young woman finally noticed him and looked as if she was going to say something but became stunned. "What's your name?" Aidoneus asked.

"P-Persefone..."

"Persefone...mate..." Aidoneus felt that being close to her made him feel complete.

"Huh, excuse me?"

Another scent hit him, and the realization hit him: Persefone was a human. It didn't matter if Persefone was human; he would love her the same. "S-Sorry about that. So, uh, Persefone, what brings you along here?"

"A friend brought me here to check up on another friend, who is on a date." She blushed. "What's your name?"

"The name is Aidoneus Bledig. I would like to know if you want to go for a walk and if I can buy you a warm drink. It's getting a bit chilly."

"Oh, uh, I already got a drink. My friend and I got something to eat before coming here."

"Well, how about a walk? We can walk around the area to keep an eye on the rink. What do you say?"

Persefone looked at the ice rink and Patrisha, who was looking on. Then, she looked at Aidoneus and felt an unexplainable strong pull towards him. "Yeah, that sounds great." Aidoneus motioned out his hand for her to follow him, and the two walked toward the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, Maeve and Treyton were skating on the ice. Maeve struggled at first but remembered how to handle her balance and eventually got the hang of it. She turned to see how Treyton was doing; his legs and feet were wobbling uncontrollably, and he was holding onto one of the poles. "Hey Treyton, do you need help?"

Treyton looked up and tried to look confident, but it was difficult since he couldn't balance himself well on the ice. "Uh, no, it's okay! It's been years since I've skated. I need to remind myself how to skate again."

Christmas music played on the ice rink; the first song was 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.' Maeve waited patiently but noticed that people skating around the ice rink were moving away from Treyton or looked annoyed that he was on their way. She went to him and stood before him. "It's okay to fall. You need to fall once in a while to practice. Let me help you." The Alpha was hesitant and didn't want to embarrass himself. However, Maeve gently grabbed his hands to make him unhand the poles. When he let them go, his weight made his unbalance worse. The Alpha couldn't stand, and he fell on the ice. Maeve's eyes widened and covered her lips. "Treyton, are you okay!?"

Treyton sat up. The fall was nothing; the embarrassment was more painful. "I'm fine. This takes me back to memory lane." He held onto the fence and poles to help him stand.

"How about this? Try to practice gliding one foot forward and then the other. Keep on practicing, and once you get the hang of it then you can let go." Maeve smiled. "I will guide you along the way." She gave him space and instructed him to glide his right foot first. Treyton struggled a bit but eventually did what he was told. "Okay, now immediately glide on your left foot. Remember, if you feel that you're going to fall, bend your knees as low as you can and put your feet together. Your legs and feet have to get accustomed to your weight."

He felt he could fall a few times but kept his feet together. Eventually, he went around the ice rink and felt ready to skate without support. He let go and slid on the ice; his legs wobbled, but he bent his knees and waist down slightly. When going upward, Maeve motioned out her hand, which Treyton held. He was guided once again on how to maintain balance and his weight.

Garret and Trinidad noticed Treyton and Maeve skating. "Well, at least he didn't fall on his bum as much as last time. Everything is going well!" squealed Trinidad.

"The Alpha is having the time of his life. Trinidad, we should get going and let the Alpha be. He won't be happy if we were caught spying."

"We're not spying, my love. We're just looking out for him. There's nothing wrong with that."

On the other side of the ice rink, Patrisha had difficulty seeing Maeve and Treyton since more people were coming in. The older woman moved around, but she bumped into someone. "Whoops, sorry there, hun! I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Oh, no problems."

Patrisha was able to get a good look at Maeve and her date. "There she is! My goodness, he is quite a looker! She wasn't joking!"

"Looking at someone?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I tend to speak aloud. I was looking out for a friend of mine. She is on a date with a hunk and I couldn't help but be curious on how he looked. What about you?"

"My husband and I are also looking for a friend. He had been through a rough patch, and we were worried about him. So, who's your friend?"

"That one right there." Patrisha pointed at Maeve. "Yours?"

The couple cringed when they saw that Maeve was Patrisha's friend. "Y-You're kidding!? You're spying on her and Treyton!?"

Patrisha flinched when she looked at Trinidad. "You're spying on my friend!? Honey, don't even get me started." The women playfully bickered with one another, but a couple moved, making the trio noticeable. Garret tried to get his wife's attention, but it was futile.

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Maeve and Treyton were skating a little faster. Treyton was getting confident and was enjoying himself. He and Maeve were going to make another turn, but at the corner of his eye, he noticed his friends. "Garret, Trinidad!?"

Maeve was confused and looked to where Treyton was. Her eyes widened in surprise when she also noticed her friend. "Patrisha!?" The surprise made them lose concentration and balance, and they struggled to keep on their feet. Treyton fell on the ice first, and Maeve fell on top of them. Treyton and Maeve glided until they hit the fence where the trio was.

Maeve and Treyton looked at one another; they blushed profusely. Then, they slowly looked up where their friends stood. Everyone knew that there was going to be a lot to talk about.