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Once Ashleigh was settled into her room, she joined Caleb for dinner at the restaurant she had no idea existed until that evening.

“This is one of three,” Caleb said as they sat at their table. “One is a deli, it’s between the medical and science sectors. The other is more of a buffet style place near the training grounds.”

“That makes sense,” Ashleigh replied. “The medical and science wolves are likely more interested in the speed a deli offers so they can return to their research. While the buffet style caters to the hunger that comes from intense training.”

“Exactly,” Caleb smiled.

“So, what does this one cater to?” Ashleigh asked looking around.

She noted the tables were all nicely spread apart, giving each table their privacy. The décor was mostly in burgundies and greys, a small light hung above each table, offering just enough light to read the menu.

“Well,” Caleb said. “If you check the paperwork submitted for the approval of the restaurant, it will say that this place serves as a community space to practice socialization and interpersonal relationship building.”

“So… dates?” Ashleigh asked, looking around once more, this time noticing that the rest of the people in the restaurant all seemed to be couples.

“Exactly,” Caleb laughed.

Ashleigh turned back to her mate, she smiled and took his hand.

“Are we on a date, Caleb?” she asked.

The excitement in her eyes made Caleb smile. He reached out and touched her chin sweetly and nodded._.

Ashleigh’s smile grew wide. She was suddenly glad she had listened when he told her to wear something nice. She had almost come out in jeans and a t-shirt. But instead, she wore a blue off the shoulder dress that reached just past the knees. In addition, her hair was pulled back in two braids instead of her usually loose braid.

She only now noticed that Caleb had also dressed up. He wore grey slacks with a matching jacket and a dark green button up shirt.

“Are you that excited?” Caleb asked.

“Honestly?” she asked.

Caleb nodded.

“Yes!” she giggled.

Caleb laughed but was delighted by her reaction.

“I never thought we would go on a date,” Ashleigh continued. “I mean, with the way that our lives have been, it just didn’t seem like there would be time.”

“I feel a little offended by that assumption,” Caleb smiled. “I will always make time for you.”

Ashleigh smiled.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she said. “Just that I didn’t expect it, you’re a busy man, and I have my own projects. Time together seems to be becoming rare for us. That’s all.”

“Which is exactly why I wanted to do this now,” Caleb said, bringing her hand to his mouth and placing a kiss on the back of her hand. “While we have this time window of opportunity.”

Ashleigh was overjoyed by his thoughtfulness.

The waiter came, and they made their orders. They talked about Bell and Galen’s wedding, about Fiona’s blatant favoritism of Bell. They even briefly chatted about Clara and Stacey and where they might lead.

When the food came, Ashleigh was blown away. It was both beautiful and delicious.

“This is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted!” Ashleigh said, taking another bite.

“It should be,” Caleb said. “Once this restaurant was approved, we had four different volunteers learn with the top human chefs. They took turns, improving on the things the previous wolves had learned.”

“I thought your human rotations were for several years, but this place doesn’t seem that old,” Ashleigh said looking around again.

“It’s not,” Caleb replied. “Wolves can apply for special interest rotations among the humans. This restaurant has been around for five years. Two of the four volunteers have returned from their rotations. One is currently training in New York. The last one works here to prepare for his rotation.”

“So, a special interest rotation, how does that work compared to your normal rotations?”

“Normal rotations are mandatory and are usually completed between nineteen and twenty-five. However, special interest can be done anytime, as long as you can provide a valid reason for it.”

“Like wanting to open a restaurant?” Ashleigh asked.

“Yes,” Caleb smiled, “or learning more about a specialized field different than your own. My father took a rotation at a genetics lab about five years ago. He was mostly only studying plants and pharmacology before that.”

“Genetics lab?” Ashleigh asked. “Like DNA?”

“Yes, he was interested in learning more about the genes that allow us to heal ourselves. He was hoping to find a way to create a synthetic way to create the same effect for humans.”

“For humans?” Ashleigh asked with genuine surprise.

“Yea,” Caleb chuckled. “I told you, Summer doesn’t shy away from human interaction. Of course, we aren’t shifting in front of them or inviting them to visit, but we don’t pretend they don’t exist either.”

Ashleigh listened to Caleb with interest. She had always wondered about the humans, everything she had read, watched, imagined. She felt like the Little Mermaid, wishing to just visit their world and see it for herself.

“We gain a lot of knowledge from the humans. So it’s only right that we give them something in return from time to time.”

“That makes sense,” Ashleigh agreed, then she had a question after a moment. “Wait, how long do these special interest rotations last?”

“There isn’t a set time. It really just depends on what the goal is,” Caleb said.

“But your dad was Alpha. How could he just leave?” Ashleigh asked.

Caleb laughed.

“It was a big deal,” he answered. “He was gone an entire year. So mom and I shared his duties as Alpha. It’s part of why I didn’t have too much trouble settling into the role after he was gone. Though it probably also made me a little cocky.”

“You???” Ashleigh gasped with feigned shock.

Caleb laughed and then stole a bite of her food.

“Hey!” she cried out. “You thief!”

She tried to steal a bite from him, but he moved his plate, starting a battle for each other’s food that lasted a full five minutes before the waiter came to see if they needed anything else.

They walked hand in hand when the meal was over, enjoying the night sky. Ashleigh had never imagined a moment like this. It was nice.

“You seem pleased,” Caleb smiled. “Can I take credit for that?”

“You are so cocky!” she laughed.

“Is it undeserved?” he asked.

“Not this time,” she said with a smile.

Ashleigh reached up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and rising on her toes. She kissed him lovingly. Caleb took her in his arms and held her close as they enjoyed their moment together.

When they finally pulled apart from their kiss, they remained held to each other. Ashleigh laid her head against Caleb’s chest and listened to the beat of his heart.

“I love you, Caleb,” she whispered.

“I’ll never get tired of hearing you say it,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I love you too.”

After another minute of breathing each other in, they agreed that it was time to go.

“So, are you walking me back to my room?” Ashleigh asked.

“That is the plan,” Caleb answered. “But not quite yet.”

“Oh? And where are we going now?” she asked.

Caleb smiled but refused to answer.

They walked and walked until there was nowhere left for them to go.

“Where are we going, Caleb?” Ashleigh laughed.

“Would you like to go for a run?” Caleb asked.

“What?”

“A moonlight run through the trees. What do you think?” Caleb asked, a grin on his handsome face.

Ashleigh looked up at the sky. It was full of stars. She breathed in the night air, filled with an earthy crispness. She smiled.

“Let’s go!”