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David

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I knew we had to get to work. I knew it was all very important work we were doing too. But I couldn't help being excited and wanting to spend as much time with my new mate as I possibly could. So with that in mind I was constantly thanking Reece inside my head because he had assigned me to work with Rawlynne personally. Thank you again my wonderful Alpha.

The first thing we had to do was formulate a plan of action that would work well for our investigation. We needed to know where to go and who to see. Those were the first steps. So for today, the day after my glorious and erotic mating with Rawlynne, we were brainstorming at their loaner house.

I was sitting sprawled out on the couch with Rawlynne next to me. Jackson sat across from us and would glare at me almost constantly. Probably because I had my arm wrapped around Rawlynne's shoulders while we were talking.

"Do you have to do that?" He had complained when I first put my arm around her. "We're trying to work."

"I'm working as well, you know. I have been assigned to help you with all of your investigations. Alpha's orders." I had just smiled at him as I tightened my grip on my girl's shoulders.

"Not my Alpha." Jackson had snapped back at me.

"If you two kids don't stop fighting I will lock you in a cell together and do this assignment on my own." Rawlynne hadn't even looked up from her work when she yelled at us.

I could tell that Rawlynne was a dominant type of person. She was a she wolf who liked to be in charge. She was the type of person who wanted to control situations and outcomes to the best of her ability. It was probably what had led her to being a nomad, some would consider her a rogue. And it was probably also to blame for why she had joined the FBI to begin with. She was a strong independent type of woman.

That's fine with me. In most situations I was the take orders type. I was ranked a Delta in my pack only because of my strength, and I had no desire to move to a different rank. I was content and happy where I was. And I didn't mind letting Rawlynne boss me around at work.

I didn't mind because I knew what it was she truly wanted. She was a strong type where all could see, but she wanted a man to take control in the bedroom. She didn't want to be dominated, that much I could tell. However, she wanted a man, specifically me, to take the lead when deciding how the intimacy went.

I had heard of her type before. I had heard about women who most would consider a bitch or a control freak. Usually both. They would think that she needed to be the one to boss them all around. Yet, there was one thing that most of them didn't know about women like her.

Women like Rawlynne were in charge all the time. They called all the shots and got everyone to do their bidding. But when it came to the bedroom, that was when they wanted someone to take control from them. Rawlynne was that type and she had shown me that last night. My beast was in his element when we were with her. I could definitely do what she needed me to.

"We need to go see some of the other Alphas in the area." Rawlynne was looking at a list that Reece had given her the other day.

"The other Alpha wolves?" Jackson looked at her with curious eyes. He didn't like me much yet, but he was really starting to like this whole supernatural world thing. He was already excited about the meetings.

"Wolves, yes, but also the bears and the felines that are close. Colorado doesn't have any merfolk as far as I know. And we should try contacting the head of the Warlocks."

"Warlocks I already knew about, but there are feline and bear shifters too? He looked surprised. "And merfolk?"

"Yes." Rawlynne still hadn't looked up yet. "There are the bird shifters too, we should visit with all the different packs and clans in the area."

"Why is this so easy for you to talk about?" Jackson was looking at us with wide eyes.

"What?" Rawlynne and I asked at almost the exact same time.

"Don't do that." Jackson frowned at us. "It was creepy." He pretended to shudder at the thought of us talking in unison. "But how can you all talk about magic and merfolk, and shifters?"

"To be fair, we grew up knowing about all of this stuff. It's new to you, yeah, but for the two of us it's just life." I summed it up for him as best as I could, but he still looked like he was having a hard time wrapping his head around things.

After talking for a while we had decided that it was best for us all to go see Landon Clayton the feline Alpha, Trevor Jacoby the bear Alpha, and Noir Steelwing the avian Alpha. We needed to know if any of their children had been taken and to warn them to keep an eye out for Edmond.

Once the planning work was done for the day I asked Rawlynne to go to dinner with me. Thankfully she accepted with no complaint, and she even told that pest Jackson to stay home. I was getting happier and happier.

We went to Kaleidoscope, it was the restaurant that I had heard Reece had taken Trinity to on their first date. If it is good enough for an Alpha and Luna it would be good enough for us too, right?

Apparently, Rawlynne loved the unique design of the glass ceiling and she couldn't stop looking up to stare at it while we waited for our food. This first date was going pretty well so far, all things considered.

"Can we get to know each other?" I asked her only once the food had been brought to the table and the waiter in his fancy suit had already left.

"What do you want to know?" She looked at me skeptically.

"Everything." I could hear the soft, awed sound in my voice.

"That's not asking for much is it?" She laughed. "But I guess we will have to get to know each other sooner or later."

"We can learn over time, but I want to know what I can for now, enough to get us by."

"Well, I was an only child and my parents died in a plane crash when I was in my first year of high school. I refused to stay in the pack after that, so I left. I didn't like the pack lifestyle to begin with. That decision shocked so many people. So many of my former pack mates thought I was being stupid to want to leave but I didn't care."

"I think it was a good idea for you."

"You do?" She sounded like she didn't believe me.

"Yes, for a few reasons. One being it led us to being able to meet. For another, you're a leader and in a pack that's hard to find, but you found that in the FBI, right?"

"In my time as a punk on the street then as a street cop and now as an FBI agent, yes."

"That's awesome. I've never known a woman as strong and amazing as you." I sounded like I was in awe, which I was.

"Don't let your Alpha or Luna hear that." She was laughing in such a musical way that it lifted my heart and made me feel like dancing. "Your Luna is pretty amazing too I hear."

"But I only have eyes for you, Rawlynne."

"You're smooth in the bedroom, but you seem a little nervous right now." She noted with seriousness. Those words and tone of voice made me blush crimson.

"I-I-I-I'm not nervous." I blushed even more then because when I stuttered like that it definitely made me sound nervous.

"Riiiight." She laughed while drawing the word out. "Don't worry. Let's just stick with the status quo for now. I will lead you around like a lost little puppy all day and when it comes to the bedroom, just do what you did last night."

"Sounds good to me." I smirked at her.

"You know, David, you look so innocent and sweet." She was looking at me intently now, her eyes darker than usual. Oh how I loved those eyes, the deep dark brown of their depths that were offset by that ring of gold. The eyes went well with the rest of her too, the long wavy brown hair and the olive complexion with his golden hue. She was so beautiful and exotic.

"Was I all that innocent last night?" I purred the words at her.

"No, I guess not. But, I need to ask, how old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

"TWENTY-THREE!" She shouted the words and drew the attention of those sitting around us. "Oh my Goddess." She sounded like she was hyperventilating now.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her, curious about her reaction.

"I'm just not used to being with someone younger than me, that's all." She was still looking down and therefore away from me.

"Am I all that much younger than you?" I wondered, with my head tilted to the side. "What are you? Twenty-four? Twenty-five? You don't even look twenty-one yet honestly."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." She laughed. "And no, you're wrong on both, actually I am thirty years old."

"Nice." I laughed. "I like an experienced older woman."

"Have you been with many?" She glared at me, like my experience would be a bad thing.

"Not before you, but I love it now."

"Nice answer." We laughed together.

We ate slowly, talking about ourselves and learning as much as we could. She learned that I too was an only child, and that my family was one that was sent to help other packs a lot, even though we were from the Red Springs. My parents were still currently helping out in another pack. And I had spent a lot of my childhood bouncing between my relatives in Arkansas and Tennessee. We were both loners in a sense and would be perfect for each other.

Was it wrong that I was already falling for her with my heart and not just with my, well you know?