Chapter 8: Other Manifestations of True Love

He was too close.

Ran raised her hand to slap Caph.

He anticipated this and caught her hand.

A mischievous smile took over his face, blue eyes amused.

'Just an arrangement,' he pointed out.

Heat rose in her cheeks. She scowled.

It was already getting difficult to tell the difference between the act and the real thing. He was confusing her by doing things they had not yet discussed.

'Why are you so legalistic about romance anyway? I mean, you must have liked someone before, right?'

There was a pause. A waiter filled their glasses with ice water.

Ran waited for him to go away and tried to think of a way to change the topic.

She didn't want to talk romance.

But she wasn't interested in getting to know him better either.

Caph looked at her expectantly. She sighed.

'Romance is a lie,' she said to Caph. 'It's an stupid concept used by society to take advantage of people's weaknesses and undermine true love.'

'Oh? So what is true love?'

Ran narrowed her eyes. She had not expected that question.

'True love is what I do for my pack. That's why I'm putting up this farce to protect it from power-hungry mutts.'

The waiter came again with their food. A large steak with mashed potatoes soaked in brown gravy.

It smelled good but Caph scratched at his steak with his fork absently.

'Like your uncle? Don't you think his concern for you could be another manifestation of true love?'

Ran decided there was no point explaining that to Caph.

He just wanted to argue with her.

She swept hair out of her face and bit into her steak without cutting it.

Gravy stained her lips. One strand of black hair escaped her fingers and clung to her makeshift lip balm.

He bit his lip to keep from grinning like an idiot. When it came to her position of Beta, Ran was attentive and professional. But now that she were relatively off duty, he realised she was just a klutz.

Caph leaned over and pulled the hair from her mouth with one hand.

With the other, he grabbed a napkin.

Ran twisted to the side and blocked his wrist. 'I can do it myself.'

He tossed the napkin to his other hand and leaned closer. 'Let me show you—'

And Ran kicked his shin with her cousin's open-toed high heels. Her attack didn't even make him budge. Instead, she lost her balance and fell off her chair, pulling Caph along with her.

Metal utensils clattered loudly and all the werewolves in the restaurant turned to look at them.

Ran found herself only inches from Caph's playful blue eyes. Too close to see the ironic smile on his lips.

'Nice arrangement,' he whispered to Ran.

Caph took advantage of the situation and looked up with a sheepish expression.

In a louder voice to the watching audience, he said, 'Sorry. We'll get a room.'

Silence fell over the restaurant.

You could hear a pin drop.

Ran wanted to club him with the heels of her cousin's shoes.

'We didn't kiss!' she hissed a little too loudly.

That only escalated things.

Rumours spread like wildfire within the packs of Septrion County that the stoic female Beta of Eridanus had fallen love with a prince charming from Cassiopeia. Retellings of what happened at the Alpha Phel's 100th birthday party became more exaggerated with each telling.

By that evening, when Cass told Ran the latest version of the incident, it involved the two of them running away from the restaurant and a tryst at the motel one town over.

'No! We did not! That's ridiculous!' Ran wailed. 'We didn't even kiss!'

Cass stared at her, surprised by her outburst and speechless.

Ran couldn't take it anymore.

She stormed up the stairs of the manor and burst into the guest room that had become Caph's.

Caph looked up from the book he was reading, brushing red-brown hair from his face.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall.

'It's only day one,' he said, an indulgent smile creeping over his features. 'Do you want to sleep together already?'

'No way!' Ran yelled.

He winced at her sudden outburst. 'So what's up?'

Ran scowled at him. 'Haven't you heard the rumours?'

'What rumours?' He blinked innocently.

'Us!'

Caph half-smirked and stalked over to confront her burning coal eyes head-on. 'What about...us?'

She was about to explain the latest additions to the retelling of the accident at the restaurant but the words died in her throat. She turned beet red.

'It's getting out of hand!' she said instead.

The irritating smile on Caph's face grew bigger. 'What's getting out of hand?'

'The rumours...' She purposely avoided the specifics. 'About us.'