My Long Lost Mate

Luke was smiling from ear to ear as we got out of the boutique, still feeling overjoyed after hearing my confession. If he was in his wolf form, I'm sure he would be wagging his tail right now. 

I've never seen him this happy before. He was bouncing a little in his every step, showing how good of a mood he was in. Despite his tall and big body, he looked adorable to my eyes. I wonder what would the people think if he saw him like this? They would certainly be shocked to see their mighty Alpha acting like a kid.

"What do you think a couple will do during a date?" he asked, turning his head in my direction. 

"I don't know," I replied, shaking my head. Never in my wildest dream have I dreamed of going on a date, not to mention with a man like him. Even the mention of going on a date with him made my cheeks turned a tint redder, "I've never been on a date before." 

Hearing it, the smile on his face only grew wider, "Right, I shouldn't have asked you. I'm glad to know that we are both clueless about this."

"You never went to a date?"

Unlike me, he was free to do whatever he wanted. Considering his high position in society, there must be a lot of women who were swooning over him and dreamed of taking his hand in marriage. Even I know that he was everything a woman could ever wish for in a man. 

"No, I was waiting for you," he stopped walking, his hands cupping both of my cheeks, "I have no interest in other women who is not my mate."

"Then what if I was not your mate?" I asked, "Will you still hold the same feelings towards me?"

I was curious about how would he think about this. Because whatever feelings I have for him right now, it was coming from me, not from the mate bond. What if the feelings he had for me were only because of the mate bond he had, and not because it was his true feelings? 

"That..." he faltered, as if he was unsure about his answer, "Truthfully, I don't know. At first, it was the mate bond that made me fall for you. But after it, it was my choice to grow those feelings into something more, though I must admit it's a choice I made under the influence of the mate bond. But after the days we shared with each other, I'm sure I would still fall for the woman you are even without it because you are just... perfect."

"And what kind of a woman I am?" I asked the man. I couldn't help but to feel happy when hearing his answer.

"Really?" I asked, a smile forming on my lips, "Am I a strong person?"

"Really," he repeated, planting a soft kiss on my forehead. In all honesty, it must be him who gave me the courage to brace myself for the unknown future. I'm brave because he was here with me. 

"What should we do now? We still have some time before the sun's down," he pointed to the bright sky before smiling, "It's our very first date."

"Surprise me with your choices," I giggled, baring my teeth to the man, "I like surprises." 

"Then you should be prepared for the best date ever."

...

"Come, come! It is starting!" shouted a man, "The infamous arm-wrestling competition of Gordom is starting soon! Pay for the tickets and place your bets!" 

The arm-wrestling table was surrounded by people, and I found myself standing in the midst of the crowd alongside the man who brought me here. 

"Here comes our unbeaten champion, The Rock!" As the host presented the champion, a big man with a bald head appeared from behind the crowd, pushing the people aside to make way for him to the table. 

As the two people met on the wrestling table, a grunt between the two was shared to show who was the strongest. The crowd started to cheer for their choices and bet their money, though most of them placed their trust on the unbeaten champion. 

The audiences were promised twice their money if they win their wager, but risk losing them if they choose the wrong side. Looking at the history of the man who calls himself The Rock, people trusted him with their whole fortune thinking that it would be an immediate and definite way to multiply their money. 

And so, as the competition began, the people's high expectation was not let down by The Rock. In less than five minutes after they started, Captain South received a taste of The Rock's incredible power and accepted his woeful defeat.

With a slumped shoulders and a sullen look on his face, Captain South left the table and disappeared without a trace into the crowd. 

Adding another victory to his arm-wrestling history, The Rock roared with pride, "WHOSE THE CHAMPION? I AM THE CHAMPION!" he pounded on his ċhėst, the veins on his neck visible as he hollered to the crowd.

"Now, are there any other brave fellas out here who dares to challenge our champion?" asked the host, but no one answered. It seemed that everyone knew that they were no match for The Rock, and only came to bet on him. 

A moment of silence passed with no one dared to challenge the unbeaten champion, but the silence was soon broken when the man who stood by my side raised his hand. I turned my head as quick as a lightning, surprised to see what Luke was doing, "What are you doing?" 

"Another brave fella!" the host exclaimed, beckoning Luke to come forward to the table, "Please, come up here." 

I saw a smirk on Luke's face when he pulled out a gold coin from his pocket, handing it to me, "Bet for me, will you?" 

Hearing his brave remark, The Rock laughed loudly and ċȯċked his head back, his hands holding his stomach that was starting to hurt from too much laughter. Not only the champion himself, but I also heard the audiences snickering at Luke's remark, saying that even by looking at their sizes, it was obvious who would be the winner. Though Luke was a tall and muscular man, The Rock was twice his size, a humongous man. 

"May I ask for your name, young man?" the host questioned, earning a polite smile from Luke. 

"You may call me The Black Wolf," he winked at me, grinning, "Or handsome—both will do." 

The host nodded his head, "So now, it is between our unbeaten champion, The Rock, and the brave young fella who announced himself as the new champion, The Handsome Black Wolf!" he clapped his hands, "Who between these two strong men will win the wrestling? Place your bet now!"

Without thinking any further, all of the crowd placed their bets on The Rock. When the people walked to the other side to support The Rock, I was the only remaining who stood behind Luke's side. I was his only supporter. 

The people's attention immediately went on me, surprised to see me standing on the opposite. Some were laughing and some were coaxing me to move to the other side, but I remained still. Instead, I raised my hand, showing the gold coin in my hand, "I bet one gold coin for... The Handsome Black Wolf."

"Pfft! She will surely lose her money!" said someone. 

"Lady, you should trust us and move to the other side. Don't fall for his face!" said another. 

"Don't say we didn't warn you!" 

"Well then," announced the host, "Let the match begin!" 

The Rock had a smile on his face before they started, thinking that he would get an easy win on this match. But the smile on his face soon disappeared as the match started, while in turn, it was Luke who had a sinister smile on his face. 

As if playing with the champion's hand, Luke swayed it side to side, "What's wrong, champion?" he emphasized on the word 'champion', mocking the man. Through The Rock's muscular arm, bulging veins were seen from the force he was using to beat Luke, but it was of no use. By the next minute, the back of his hand had touched the table—for the very first time in his arm-wrestling history. Luke had defeated the man with close to no effort.

The look on the people's face soon fell, their eyes widened, and mouth agape at the turn of events. Even the host was surprised, but have no choice but to announce the new champion of the arm-wrestling competition, "O-our new champion, The Handsome Black Wolf!" 

I didn't know how our date turned into an arm-wrestling competition, but at least we got another gold coin to our pockets. It was truly, a surprising surprise.