A sign depicting a large seashell that glowed with all the beauty of the moon shining overhead welcomed Jasper and Gwen to the Silver Scallop. Although the Cowrie Cabana boasted a handful of other restaurants that provided a wide variety of food for its guests, none could compare to the elegant oceanside eatery.

Despite wearing a three-piece suit, black tie, and golden cufflinks, Jasper felt as if he was wearing nothing but an ice cream-stained t-shirt. Though they attempted to hide it by sneaking furtive glances from behind their menus, there was no denying that all eyes in the restaurant were on him.

For his part, he couldn't stop staring at Gwen.

Dressed in a dark purple dress with a platinum necklace that brought out the effortless confidence in her jade-green eyes, Gwen strode into the Silver Scallop as if she owned it. Though her beauty did not stir anything within him, he couldn't deny the Moon Goddess had blessed her.

"We have a reservation for two under Jasper Stillwater of Cedar Pack," he told the hostess.

The selkie's eyes widened as she signaled to some of the other staff, no doubt telling them a pair of Alphas had arrived. "You're a bit earlier than we expected, but we can go ahead and seat you now if you'd like."

"That would be lovely, thank you." Jasper offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the inconvenience. I'm still sore from the hunt the other day, so we thought we might as well head to dinner early."

"It's no trouble at all." The hostess grabbed a pair of menus with a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Right this way, please."

She led them to a table on the far side of the restaurant, weaving through a maze of chairs and waitstaff as effortlessly as a fish navigating a coral reef. Jasper possessed no such grace as he limped after her, his aching leg protesting each time he tried to close the distance between them.

"No need to rush," Gwen murmured, resting her hand on his arm and matching his slow gait. "The table won't run away."

Jasper chuckled. "That's definitely a plus since I couldn't outpace a slug right now."

At last, the pair of them arrived at their table in a quiet corner away from the other diners. Jasper eased himself into his seat with a sigh, quietly thanking Gwen for her patience. The hostess brought them their water before returning to her podium, leaving the two of them alone. Only the live jazz band's velvet-smooth music broke through the other diners' indistinct chatter, leaving Jasper with no distractions from his own thoughts.

The day had gone well enough. Though his aching leg had restricted him to nothing faster than a stroll, Gwen had been more than willing to take plenty of breaks to soothe his muscles. If anything, she'd enjoyed the ample opportunities to talk to the museum's staff, cooing over pictures of baby sea turtles and gushing about the facility's partnership with Periwinkle Port's wildlife rehabilitation center. Watching Gwen's face light up as she learned about the local conservation efforts made it impossible for Jasper not to enjoy every moment they spent together.

"What are you thinking of getting?" Gwen asked.

Jasper flushed, his gaze darting to the menu. The words in front of him swam before his eyes as sheer embarrassment flooded his mind. How long had she been trying to talk to him? "I'm honestly feeling overwhelmed by all this," he admitted. "Sorry if I've seemed distracted. I promise I enjoy spending time with you. It's just..."

"A lot," she finished for him. "It's alright. I've been nervous, too."

"Really? But you always look so confident."

Her light, practiced laughter rang like bells. "I'm glad I look that way because I certainly don't feel it." She took a small sip of water. "I guess I've just had a lot of practice pretending. My father hates it when I don't act like what he expects from an Alpha."

"Mine's the same way, but he means well, I think." At least, his father was more than willing to stand up for him if the situation called for it. "When I came out as asexual, some of my packmates took it badly since they thought it meant the pack wouldn't have a future. Father made it clear our pack's future wouldn't include wolves like them."

Gwen grimaced. "I'm so sorry people treated you like that."

"If they can't accept how the Goddess made me, that's their problem, not mine." Although he'd be lying if he said losing so many packmates hadn't hurt. "Thank you for being so understanding. The future is exhausting enough to think about without worrying if my future mate will accept me."

"Think nothing of it." Gwen cast her gaze about the room before lowering her voice. "Although, while we're on the topic, there is something I've been meaning to discuss with you. I wanted to tell you sooner, but it didn't seem appropriate to discuss something so important in a letter, and we haven't had much privacy until today."

Jasper reached out to take her hand. Though his stomach churned at the thought of what must have been weighing on her heavily in the months they'd been corresponding with each other before finally meeting in person, he'd do everything in his power to make her feel supported. "I swear in the Goddess's name that I won't tell a soul unless you want me to."

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Thank you." She took a deep breath, her eyes flitting about the room one last time before she whispered, "You're a wonderful wolf, Jasper, but I don't think romance is something the Goddess has in mind for me. I've never felt drawn to anyone in that way."

Jasper let out a long, slow breath. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but her coming out as aromantic certainly wasn't it. "Thank you for telling me."

"I know that's probably not something you had in mind for your future mate." Her fingers brushed against his, as soft and delicate as a butterfly's wings. "I still want someone to share my life with and raise pups with someday, but I understand if that's not something you would be happy with."

"Of course I'd be happy," Jasper said. Though the idea of marrying someone he didn't love still troubled him, he could easily imagine himself sharing a future with someone as kind and passionate as Gwen was. "It may not be what I imagined, but who ever knows what to expect of their future mate?"

"I suppose you're right." Gwen's smile brightened as if an unseen shadow had been cast away from her face.

After baring their hearts to each other before they even ordered their food, it was only natural for their conversation to drift to less emotionally fraught topics. Jasper learned that Gwen was saving money to pursue a master's degree, and Gwen delighted in listening to his stories about traveling abroad to research new ingredients for his pack's perfumes.

"You'd be surprised how much demand there is for the scent of musk oxen," Jasper said. "If it were up to me, I'd never have to smell those shaggy stink machines again for as long as I live, but up north, packs need all the help they can get tending to their herds so they can make clothes out of their fur."

"I wish my father invested in more practical scents, but I can't remember the last time he wanted us to make something that wasn't the olfactory equivalent of peacock feathers," Gwen said. "We really ought to diversify what we sell. There are so many untapped markets we haven't explored yet. They may not be as big as our core target audience, but—"

"Good evening." A tall, broad-shouldered selkie wearing a chef's apron marched to their table with a notepad in hand. Her bright red hair reminded Jasper of Brooke's, except this selkie kept hers much shorter. "My name is Marina, and I'll be your waitress this evening. Our specials for tonight are lobster risotto, pan-seared scallops on a bed of sea greens, and venison tenderloin served with a side of roasted potatoes. Do you know what you'd like to order, or do you need a couple minutes?"

"I was too busy enjoying my date's company to pay much attention to the menu," Jasper said apologetically.

"We could split the seafood tower," Gwen said. "My pack doesn't eat much seafood, so it would be fun to try a bit of everything."

"Sounds good!" Especially since Jasper didn't have much experience with it either. As cathartic as it would be to sink his teeth into the elk that had injured him, it would be a shame not to order something the restaurant specialized in.

"Excellent choice." Marina wrote down their order and collected their menus with a flourish. "I apologize in advance if we're a little slow getting your food out tonight. Many of our staff are tending to the banquet, so we have a guest chef handling the desserts this evening."

The faint scent of mangoes clinging to Marina's uniform told him exactly who that was. "It's no trouble at all. I'm sure Brooke will do wonderfully."

Marina's eyes widened. "How did you know she's my sister?"

"She mentioned you the other day," Jasper explained. "If you're half as good a chef as she says you are, I'm sure the food will be amazing even if we have to wait a while."

Marina chuckled. "Well, I can't take all the credit since Dad's the head chef, but I hope you'll enjoy it, anyway." She cleared her throat, schooling her expression into a practiced smile. "I'll do my best to make sure you both have a wonderful evening. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything else I can do for you."

Seated across from Gwen and enjoying her wonderful company, there wasn't a doubt in Jasper's mind that he would have a wonderful evening indeed.