Page 47 of For All My Effort

Rather than continuing to argue, Zeke had declared that he was calling in his date night with me. Which led to me looking at every piece of clothing I had, trying to figure out what to wear. Zeke said something comfortable and easy.

I had originally picked out some tights with a thin, spiderweb-esque skirt, and then a top with long sleeves that came off just one shoulder. Then I showed Zeke, and he recommended something ‘loose’.

The new top was a heavy sweater that had been cut to just below my breasts. A string was at the bottom which allowed me to pull the hem tight around my rib cage only. It was the bottoms that I couldn’t figure out. Sweats? Something loose off my hips?

My phone was telling me the temperature outside might need more coverage than having my whole stomach exposed.

I found a long skirt, one that would be tight along my thighs but both sides had a slit going up it, making it flowy and was pretty accessible to my legs.

What I wanted to do was get large safety pins, like comically large ones, and pin the slit together to give it more of my style. I just didn’t have any, so I was out of luck. Not that it stopped me from making a note on my phone to get some ordered for later.

I stomped my way down the stairs, platformed boots in hand, only to stop on the bottom step while all four alphas stared at me. Jackson growled, the sound tempting my slick to leak which was very dangerous considering I wasn’t wearing anything underneath my skirt.

“Nah uh,” Zeke said, stepping between me and Jackson when the alpha tried to get closer. “No fucking before the date or else we’ll never leave.”

I sat down on the stairs, lifting my leg and working to get my boots on.

Seb’s low growl caught everyone’s attention. Through gritted teeth he said, “You’re not wearing any underwear, princess.”

Zeke’s head turned around to look at me so quickly that I wondered if he had hurt his neck. His gaze immediately went to my legs. A smirk pulled at his lips, lifting up one side of his smile. “Atta girl.”

He held a hand out to me to help me up and then pulled me so my back was against his front while my other mates said goodbye. Whenever a kiss went too long, he shoved at their shoulder, demanding distance. My arousal was just barely perfuming in my scent as we left.

Each of the alphas had their own vehicles, all large enough to drive every member of the pack at once. Zeke’s had a weird, folded table in the back that he explained was a travel tattoo station.

“I thought you worked at a studio?” I asked as Zeke started driving.

He tapped a little button on the roof of the car and pulled out a pair of sunglasses he put on. Then he pointed to the little handle in front of my legs. I found a large pair of heart shaped glasses for myself.

“I do,” he agreed. “Sometimes people pay more for a house visit. Some people even pay for us to be at events.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Yeah, and when you tell me, I’ll be surprised.”

Zeke chuckled. “Nice try. I thought you wanted to get to know your mates better.”

“I do.”

“So, ask me something.”

I knew it was a distraction, but it was such an enticing offer that I couldn’t refuse. The questions came out without any thoughts, wanting to know how he grew up, what his favorite memory was with me, his favorite color.

How did he become a tattoo artist? Did he have a favorite piece he’s done? When was his birthday?

We talked for so long that I didn’t even notice when he’d parked at our destination until he turned the car off. I immediately looked out the window, trying to figure out where we were. The parking lot was just a designated lot of dirt with a path off to the side and arrows directing to the ‘entrance’.

I was basically skipping as Zeke led me down the path. The building was a dark black color, which was shocking. A little fence surrounded it, also black, and it looked like dead vines were intertwined on it for decoration. Little rocks on the ground were a mix of dark reds and burnt oranges and some that looked purple depending on the angle.

“What is this place?” I asked, my voice just a whisper.

“It’s a garden.” I turned my attention away from the gloomy colors to stare at him in shock. “Full of poisons, actually.”

Then my jaw actually dropped open. “No way.”

That explained the dark vibe of the place and made me even more excited for this date.