Page 36 of Zodiac Monsters

Cute.

I shook off the thought, but didn’t budge on holding the door.

“I wasn’t raised by wolves, literally or figuratively.” I chuckled, nodding to insist she let me offer this courtesy. I could feel how much that relaxed her from my safe distance.

“I can open a door myself.” She protested next.

“I’m well aware. But why should you have to?” I furrowed a brow, a bit lost over what the issue was. Though this absolutely wasn’t a date, I was a bit saddened to learn the concept of a man opening a door for a woman he’d invited out was anything other than the bare minimum expectation. Admittedly, I wasn’t entirely familiar with common custom among humans though. My parents had raised me to blend with society, but it was hard to know what idiosyncrasies were innately magic-kind when I spent every day surrounded by others like me. I would have thought something as simple as this would be universal. “This isn’t to demean your ability to perform simple tasks. This is just basic kindness and respect.”

“The only time I’ve ever seen someone open a car door for someone else in this day and age was my parents.” She smiled at me, and that little bit of boldness was comforting. She sat down, and I closed the door gently, before taking my place in the driver’s seat.

“Some of the people who live and prosper in Grave are thousands of years old. Chivalry hasn’t died here.” I added as I put on my seat belt. “Though I certainly hope that courtesy hasn’t completely vanished from human spaces.”

“It gives you away a bit, to be honest.” Her laugh was gentle, and I could tell from the emotional bond I had with her that she was joking. Marking her had given me free access to her emotions, where unmarked I was only able to sense hints, and I would be using that to my advantage tonight.

I backed out of the parking space and pointed toward downtown. I’d gotten reservations at one of the nicest restaurants in Graves, figuring she deserved a treat for everything she’d been putting up with while keeping her silence. Just because this was a casual and platonic meeting, that didn’t mean food quality and atmosphere should be compromised. There was no reason tonight wouldn’t be pleasant and peaceful.

But if I was being honest with myself, the timing went far beyond protecting her from my brother for this lunar phase. The outdoor patio with its view of the sunset, paired with the complete exposure to the full moon that followed, would be the most controlled-but-subtle way I could have her in a position to observe her transformation—whether she was an Alpha who needed to be triggered, a Beta who had no choice, or an Omega who had no power, I would be figuring that out tonight.

I would have warned her if she hadn’t been so stubbornly set on the idea that she was human, but this was easier. By the end of the night, I was confident there wouldn’t be any question.

I frowned as I neared the restaurant. With such subtle manipulations and secret plotting, was I really any better than my brother?