S

  I was so happy she said yes.

  I could protect her better than I ever could before now.

  I was hers, and she was mine. We both knew it.

  The blue glow in her chest dimmed when we reached the entrance.

  I found it beautiful. How she walked. How she acted towards her people. How she became my Mate.  How she became Anti's mother.  How she radiated grace and kindness.

  I don't think she even realized it.

  I shrink down to her height.

  "Glad to join the short people?" She asks, still holding my elbow.

  I roll my eyes playfully. "No. Just didn't want you to feel short."

  She scoffs. "How dare you." She chuckles.

  She looks so beautiful. The seamstresses did such an amazing job.

  So simple on a stand, but so much more when she wore it.

  She didn't need makeup.  Didn't need her hair styled. Didn't even need the dress.

  She looked perfect any way she dressed.

  We walked through the open glass doors, and the hostess' eyes opened wide.

  She has her red hair in a ponytail, wearing a black shirt with her nametag.  Her wings were red stained glass.

  She wore a deep red apron, holding straws, notepad, and napkins.

  "A...  Alpha Moon...  It's an honor."  She comes out from behind the podium, bowing thier head.

  She shakes her head.  "Please, Storm, there is no need for that. We are just normal customers." She smiles, reading her name off the tag pinned into her shirt.

  Another reason she was beautiful.  She didn't think she was above everyone else.

  The hostess blinks, snapping her head up.

  "Of...  Of course.  Table for two?" She smiles, grabbing menus from behind the podium.

  She nods.  "That's correct."

  The hostess leads us to the left, where an empty table was waiting, the polished wooden table set up with two chairs.

She places the menus down, then asks us what we want to drink.

  Moon glances at the drinks.

  "Ill have a water, please."

  She scribbles on her notepad. "Alright.  And you, sir?"

  She turns to me.

  "Ill take a water, too, thank you." I say.

  The hostess smiles, tucking her notepad in her apron, hurrying to the kitchen.

  Moon taps her finger on the table, other hand on her cheek.

  She looks distressed.

  "Are you alright?" I ask.

  She nods, those big blue eyes staring at me.

  "Just thinking."

  I hold her hand. " 'Bout what?"

  She sighs. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but what were all the gifts for?" She tilts her head a little.

  I smile.  "It's mother's day. And you do so much for everyone already." 

  She blinks.  "Well, that makes sense." She smiles.

  I shrug. "Everyone pitched in."

  She laughs. "Nice distraction. It seriously had me fooled."

  I smile. "Thanks.  It was her idea, anyway."

  Her ring glints in the light.

  She looks at my left hand.

  "Where is your ring?"

  "Don't have one."

  She shakes her head, taking off her ring.

  She puts it in her palm, her eyes flashing a lighter blue.

  A obisidian ring with light blue lines engraved into it appears in her hand.

  She grabs my hand, gently slipping my ring on.

  "Now you do." She grins, slipping on her own ring.

  I take a closer look at it.

  The lines were criss-crossed over each other, weaving in and out.

  Showing that we were entwined forever.

  "Clever." I say.

  She winks, smiling.  "I try."

  The hostess comes back with our water.  "Im sorry that took so long. The system is backed up."

  She waves her hand. "No need to rush. We've got plenty of time."

  The hostess sighed, setting our glasses of water down. "Thank you, Alpha Moon."

  She nods. "No problem."

  She was so kind to her people.  That's why people say she is the greatest Alpha that there will be.

  She doesn't think anyone else is below her.  She doesn't use her power in the wrong way.

  She repaired the name of Alpha. She made everyone see that she was different from the others.

  And everyone knew it, treating her with more respect than I could ever hope to achieve.  And I have a very high-ranking postition.

  I honestly didn't want praise.

  I just wanted to do my job, protecting humanity. 

  Moon taps my arm. "What do you want?  I can't choose." She frowns, palm on her cheek.

  I glance at the menu. "Might want to keep it easy on the staff. Really busy tonight."

  "How about a salad?  We could split a medium." She suggests, eyes sparkling.  I doubt she noticed they were.

I nod. "We need to keep it light anyway."

  We wait for the hostess to come back.

  "Have you decided what you would like?" She asks, pad and pen ready.

  "One medium salad, please.  If it wouldn't be too much, could you get us two extra plates?" Moon asks, stacking our menus and handing it to the hostess.

  She nods. "Alright.  Anything else?"

  We both shake our heads. "That's all."

  "Your food will be here shortly. Hopefully." She grumbled.

  She noticed our rings.

  She gasped. "Are you..."

  Moon put her finger to her lips. "Keep it quiet for now, alright?"

  She nodded, rushing off to the kitchen.

  We decided while our food was getting prepared that we were doing a public announcement. 

It would just be easier if we told everyone at once.

  Our food came not much later, and we started eating happily.

  The salad was fresh and delicious, and my stomach was full after eating.

  We stacked our plates and glasses, getting ready to leave.

  Moon was just waiting for the hostess to pass to give her a personal thank you.

  We heard clattering.  But not the regular clatter of silverware hitting the porcelain plates.

  We both looked to the right of our table, and a adult male was pulling an adult female out by her arm, and she was clearly resisting.

  Moon shot up, rushing to the female.

  I shoot up, too, following her lead.

  She steps in front of the male. He towered over her, but her eyes were steeled over.

  No going back now.

  He had deep blonde hair, purple silk suit and black shoes. His skin was pale, his eyes narowed in anger.

  "What are you doing?" She questions, feathers puffing out.

  It was just to intimidate. But I know she could easily take this guy out.

The male looks shocked. He got caught.

"Taking what is mine."  He growls, clutching her wrist harder.

  Moon stiffens. She doesn't like the idea of people being property.  Just by looking at her body language I could tell she wanted to deck this clown.

  I stand behind her.

  The male's eyes darken.

  "Release her. Now." I say, my eyes narrowed dangerously.

  The female looks relieved.

  He lets go of her wrist, growling.  He storms out, Moon glaring at him the whole time.

  As he walks out the door, two guards tackle him.

  Moon had sent out a signal. She was better prepared than she looked.

  The two guards knock him out, teleporting to wherever Moon asked them to bring him.

  "Are you alright?" Moon asks, looking at the female's wrist.

  The female was still in shock, her amber eyes wide and afraid.

  The female was wearing a floor-length dress, deep purple.  Her hair was brown, curled into neat spirals. 

  She had no wings.

  Her wrist was red, the males hand imprinted onto it.

  "I... I'm fine now...."  She wraps her arms around Moon, shaking.  "Th....  Thank you..."

  Moon puts one hand behind her head and the other on her back.    "It's okay.  You're safe now.  He can't hurt you anymore."

  The female backs away, looking less shaken.  She looks at Moon's face.  Her eyes widen.

  "A....  Alpha Moon..." 

  She holds up her hand. "Please. I was just doing my job."

  The female smiles, walking back to her table.

  Some people were staring.

  Moon didn't care. She sighed in relief, walking to our table.

  The hostess comes back, looking awestruck.

  Moon hugs her, thanking her for the food.

  "I honestly thought you were going to deck him." I say as we walked out.

  "Just about to." She says, looking back at the female, sitting back down at her table with her family.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. "Let's go."

  She nods, smiling. "I'm really excited."

  So was I. More nervous than anything.

  I had never taken her out to dancing before.

  I hoped she enjoyed it. I wanted her to have one of the best nights of her life.

  And judging by what just happened, it could go both ways.