A Mate for Christmas

Downtown Los Angeles

It was finally Friday, the day that Treyton had been waiting for. Yesterday was torture since he had a lot of work and a Christmas party to plan for the pack. However, Garret and Trinidad would assist him in planning the party. It was difficult to fall asleep last night and concentrate throughout the day; his excitement got the best of him. Yet, the time finally arrived.

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. The Alpha made a left turn and was about 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. I think we will be able to get to our destination a bit 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 were in different lanes following them. One car 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 but spoke of their plans not to get caught. 

Aidoneus felt uneasy about spying on his father, but he knew Trinidad wouldn't stop bugging him. Garret drove far enough that they wouldn't be seen. Yet, Aidoneus couldn't deny his curiosity and wanted to see his father having a good time. He sat in the back seat as Garret and Trinidad spoke about what would happen in tonight's event, but he opened the window where the chill air hit his face. Aidoneus had been thoughtful about his father and mother; he didn't expect his father to accept her being at the party. The young man couldn't help but admire him and his maturity. His parent's marriage made him realize his fear of finding his mate at a late age. Aidoneus didn't want that to happen, so he tried not to date as much. He wanted to find his mate. As he felt the cool air, he noticed a couple of cars, including Patrisha's car. 

Then, 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, but it eventually disappeared. "What the-!? What was that!?" he asked himself. 

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

This made the young man snap out of his thoughts. "Huh, sorry, what?'

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

"Yeah, sure..."

Trinidad sighed. "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 come by in Downtown LA due to the traffic and awful parking. However, since Christmas is coming soon, the building lights remind me of Christmas lights!"

"It would seem so. 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. The Alpha would glance at her hand; he wanted to hold it. It had been a while since he had been on a date, and he had forgotten when it was appropriate to hold a woman's hand. Maeve felt his stares and noticed that he would glance at her hand; that was when she knew what he had wanted. She slowly reached and held onto his hand; he flinched in surprise. Treyton blushed, but he gently squeezed her hand. 

Maeve also couldn't help but blush. She couldn't believe her bravery in holding his hand; it felt good. Her confidence was slowly returning. From afar, she noticed a group of people surrounding something, and that was when she knew it was 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 toward the ice rink, where there was a line to rent figure skates. It took twenty minutes to finally get to the renter, who rented them the shoes. Once the skates were on hand, Treyton felt nervous. The memories of his late ice skating with his son flooded him; he fell many times. He didn't want to embarrass himself but didn't want to tell Maeve anything. The Alpha felt that he had to wing it.

While the couple took off their shoes and put on the skates, they didn't know they were followed and spied upon from different sides. Patrisha and Persefone were by a café that was a bit far off the ice rink. She 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 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!" When she realized it would be impossible to glimpse the duo, 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. We've come this far, and we will not give up. 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 to be hidden behind groups of people. Patrisha tippy-toed to see a glimpse of Maeve and Treyton. She stopped when she caught a glimpse of them. Treyton was seen struggling to put on his figure skates. "Holy jingle bells! He is a handsome one!"

This caught Persefone's interest. "Really!? Let me see!" Persefone, who was shorter than Patrisha, jumped to get a glimpse of Maeve and Treyton. However, some people crowded the rink, which made it difficult. "Darn, I'm going to get a better look." Persefone walked the opposite side where there weren't many people.

Meanwhile, 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, Aidoneus. Trinidad may not admit it, but she worried about your father after his divorce." Aidoneus chuckled as he walked with Garret. He agreed with Beta regarding Trinidad's worry. She and Garret 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 and the look on his face. "Aidoneus, are you alright?"

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

"What smell?"

The young men walked toward the ice rink, where the scent came from. Whenever he got closer, the scent got stronger. His heart pounded harder and more rapidly. Then, he stopped when he realized where the scent came from—a young woman. His eyes widened as the scent came from. When Aidoneus saw her, he felt his world stop. Everything and everyone around him was nothing when he saw her. 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 like him, she became stunned. The two were eye to eye. "What's your name?" Aidoneus asked.

"P-Persefone..."

"Persefone...mate..."