Chapter 69: A Date With Yuki (2)
Yuki took me to a restaurant outside Oakland. It was in a city called Blackjack, which everyone nicknamed the Free City. It isn’t ruled by Alphas or any of those higher wolves who think they own the air we breathe. In Blackjack, anyone can actually become a leader through voting. I had heard people whispering about the city before, but I had never actually stepped foot there until now.
The restaurant was the first place we visited. Yuki said she was absolutely starving and wanted me to taste the savory richness of real seafood. She didn’t even look at the menu for long before ordering.
She ordered a massive seafood tower that looked like it could feed an entire pack. It had every kind of seafood you could imagine. There were shrimp, lobster tails, giant crabs, clams, and oysters. The side dishes filled up the rest of the table. There was tuna with shrimp pasta, spicy tuna curry, grilled scallops with a tomato and red pepper chutney, creamy potato salad, and so many other plates I couldn’t even name them all.
Everything was going perfectly well until the waiter will a mustache came around and started pouring expensive champagne into our glasses.
"Can I get some water or maybe orange juice instead?" I asked the waiter quickly. He nodded and poured me a glass of orange juice.
"Drinking a little champagne won’t get you drunk that easily, you know," Yuki said, watching me with a curious look.
But that wasn’t the reason at all. I’m pregnant, and the maternal teacher specifically advised me to stay far away from alcohol. I would have told her the truth right then, but I didn’t want it to lead to her canceling the rest of the date. Especially not if she found out I was carrying an Alpha’s pup.
"Hahaha, yeah, I know. But when I get a taste of alcohol, I just don’t stop. I drink until I pass out on the floor. I really don’t want to embarrass myself in front of you," I lied. I could feel my eyes twitching slightly, which always happens when I’m full of it.
"Oh, I see. You’re an alcoholic," she said, nodding her head like she’d just solved a puzzle.
"What? Me?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat.
"Yes. You just said you don’t stop once you start drinking. That sounds like a textbook addiction. It’s fine, I’m just getting to know my fans," she said.
Fucking hell. Now she actually thinks I’m a teenage alcoholic. This is definitely not how I want Yuki to see me. I don’t want to be some fan who can’t control their drinking habits. No fucking way.
"No, I’m not an addict. Please don’t think that," I blurted out, feeling my face get hot.
"Don’t worry, I really don’t judge. Everyone has their own issues and demons. It’s actually good that you’re being honest with me. Some people lie just to try and impress me, but you seem like a genuinely honest person. I won’t judge you for what you are," she assured me.
And now I felt even worse than before. I felt terrible because I was lying right to her face. I wasn’t being honest at all, but what else could I really do? If she hadn’t made that sharp comment earlier about hating Alphas, I would have just told her I was pregnant. I wouldn’t have had any hesitation.
"So, tell me about your life, Faye. What’s popping?"
"Popping? Nothing is popping. I don’t have a pup... wait... what exactly do you mean by what’s popping?"
Oh fuck. I’m embarrassing myself again. Someone please just shut me up before I make this a million times worse.
Yuki laughed at my total awkwardness, sipping her champagne as she tried to calm herself down. I knew she wasn’t mocking me or being mean. She just found amusement in almost everything. Even in those bloody cage fights, she always smiled through it all.
"You’re funny, you know that? I just meant.. what’s new with you?"
"Oh. Nothing much, really. Just school, work, home, and then repeat the whole thing," I said.
"Wow, you actually go to school?" she asked.
"Yes. I’m in grade 10 right now."
Her brows lifted up slightly.
"How old are you... 15 or 16?"
"I’m sixteen," I said.
"Oh, that means I’m a whole year older than you. I definitely deserve to be called senpai," she teased.
I just smiled back at her. I couldn’t believe she was really taking everything so lightly. It felt easy to be around her.
We kept talking as we ate. I told her all about my life back in Redwood, and she said she’d love to visit there someday because she has a lot of fans in that area. She also mentioned that she studied privately because of her professional drafting. She couldn’t stay in one place for very long and had to move from city to city for all her matches.
I wanted her to record a quick shout-out video for one of my friends back in Redwood. But when I pulled out my phone to open the camera, I saw 50 fucking missed calls from Princess. I hadn’t even noticed them because my phone was on silent the whole time.
Why the fuck was she calling me fifty times?
I swiped the notifications away as fast as I could and handed my phone over to Yuki. She recorded the video in one perfect take. She was so used to this kind of thing that it just came naturally to her.
After we finished eating every bit of the seafood, Yuki offered to take me somewhere else fun before dropping me back home.
We were in the green car, driving along, when I suddenly started feeling really dizzy. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I felt like the world was spinning. I didn’t know if it was the heavy seafood or the orange juice, but something felt very wrong in my stomach. While she was talking, I tried my best to hold it in, but I just couldn’t.
"Stop the car!" I gasped.
She pulled over, and I quickly stepped out, looking for anywhere to throw up. I leaned over a small patch of grass, my head throbbing.
What the fuck is happening to me?
Yuki rushed out of the driver’s seat and asked if I was okay. I asked for some water, and she helped me right away. She poured some over my head to cool me down while I rinsed my mouth and took a long drink.
She asked what happened so suddenly, and I told her maybe it was just the food. Yuki immediately assumed it was a case of food poisoning from the shellfish.
I told her maybe it wasn’t that. I really wanted to tell her the truth this time. I wanted to tell her I was pregnant and that maybe the smell of the scallops probably triggered it. But then she suddenly stopped talking and looked straight ahead.
Her eyes began to glow a deep, bright violet.
"Alpha..." she muttered, grinding her teeth together.
I was confused and still wiping my mouth, until the thick, heavy caramel scent hit me.
