The first date.

Seth and both Alpha's returned to the lake house drenched from head to toes. She didn't bother to check what time it was or did anyone try to reach her while she attempted to murder Dominic.

She did learn that drowning an Alpha might be more challenging than it seems - while the man was heavily built, he swam faster than a motorboat.

The next morning came around pretty quickly - the only reason she woke up was a servant girl who wouldn't leave until Seth unlocked the door and agreed to have breakfast.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but then again, she would rather spend the rest of the day in the comfort of the bed. The puma shifter couldn't understand why she felt so drenched of energy all of a sudden.

Seth walked downstairs, wearing the cute sundress the servant had brought her, her eyes searching both men responsible for her arrival at the new place.

The girl was kind enough to guide Seth to the dining room.

She couldn't get over how massive the house was - one could easily fit a small pack inside it, yet the building was nothing but a family weekend house. Seth's eyes met Ryder's - the man smiled as soon as he noticed she was coming closer.

However, there was no sign of Dominic or even a hint of his arrival anytime soon. Servants had set the table for breakfast, but beside Ryder's plates, there were none.

“Sit down, Miss; we will bring everything you will need. Is there something you'd prefer, or would you like to join Alpha and pick anything from his choice of dishes?” The servant girl slightly bowed, showing Seth the same respect any other guest would receive.

Seth smiled, thanked the girl, and announced that she would be happy to join Ryder.

Of course, she wasn't - as any other shifter man, his meal consisted of meats over meats while Seth wasn't the biggest fan of dishes he would prefer. She didn't want to make the staff's day even harder - they were guests, not someone who had the right to dictate whatever they wanted or would deserve.

It was enough that all of them arrived at the last moment and servants had to wake up to deal with extra responsibilities.

For some reason, Dominic didn't bother to warn the staff about his arrival - the guest rooms were kept perfectly spotless, yet none was ready to take in guests for the night.

Besides, treating everyone with disrespect wouldn't get Seth anywhere.

“Where is Dominic? Won't he join us?” Seth questioned Ryder, letting her eyes take in the beautiful room.

The details reminded her of a book she once read - a Royal Lounge room meant for the richest of the rich. She had never seen such luxury, yet deep down, she knew that every other Alpha loved to show off his wealth.

There was no such thing as poor Alpha, even if the man came from a middle-class family, he would do anything to climb the stairs of success.

“Good morning to you too, beautiful. He won't be joining us. Do you remember the proposition we mentioned yesterday?” Ryder took a sip of his coffee and smiled at Seth.

He admired how stunning she was, yet decided to keep quiet for a bit. It wouldn't be quite right to attack Seth with a sea of compliments when she had to leave the bed forcefully.

“Oh, right, sorry. Good morning,” Seth laughed off the awkward feeling, avoiding Ryder's gaze. She was sure that her cheeks turned at least three shades darker, judging by how violently they burned. “Why wouldn't he join us for breakfast if this is his house? And yes, I do remember the reason why we came here. How could I forget? Especially when two Alpha men decided to drop the competition of their lifetime to chase me around. I still think this is an outrageously ridiculous idea; you guys could wait until the competition was over and then look for me. No offense, but you two are a duo of morons,” Seth rolled her eyes, thinking about their decision and intentions.

Of course, if men were willing to give up on such a prize, their intentions had to be serious, but it didn't make them look less stupid.

No other Alpha, in their right mind, would ever give up on their dreams because of a woman.

Seth did have a point, Dominic and Ryder could keep competing and look for her after the whole thing ended.

“Well, to answer your question, I had to make sure that you didn't forget. The offense is taken, by the way. Anyway, I won't have to repeat what he said or explain more, so I can give you some inside information about why Dominic would be absent today. Besides today, being the day when I would take you out on a date, he had some paperwork to take care of. Dominic had to drive to the city early in the morning, and he will be back around late evening, so we have a full day to ourselves. Tomorrow, however, will be his day, so get ready to go to bed early. He will send a servant to wake you up, same as I did. Now, please enjoy some food before we get going.”

Seth nodded her head, eyeing the different dishes set in front of them. She opted for chicken salad since it had less meat in it, and she wasn't the person who enjoyed eating in the mornings.

She had no idea what Ryder had planned, and even though she tried to ask him - the male kept everything a secret. The Alpha grinned like a madman, enjoying the irritation his date felt.

Originally, Ryder planned to tell Seth everything about his idea, but seeing how worked up she was about his silence, the Alpha chose to enjoy the show.

When Seth pouted and rolled her eyes - for some, it might seem like a sign of disrespect, but Ryder thought otherwise. He loved to see the raw and truthful emotions she didn't bother to hide.

“Do I need to change? Since you won't tell me where we would go, I'm not sure if I'm dressed appropriately,” Seth finally managed to find a loophole in the Alpha's plan of torturing her.

Ryder would have to warn her either way - if their date were something like camping, she would need a pair of pants or shorts. If they would go to movies or a cafe, she could wear something different.

Men had to know that some women did think of the most comfortable option for any occasion, and Seth would rather prefer something easy to wear over a dress any day.

“You're fine, really. If you don't like the dress, feel free to change, it doesn't matter,” Ryder smiled at her.

Even though Seth believed that she over smarted the Alpha, she didn't - the male knew what she was trying to do and would never give out the plans. She had to sit back and enjoy, letting a little fun in her life rather than hiding from everything.

“Is it that hard to give me even a hint?” Seth groaned, slowly giving up.

Perhaps if Ryder didn't tell her anything today - maybe Dominic would tell her every single detail tomorrow. There was no way that both men would keep her in the dark.

“Alright, here's your hint - we're leaving in five, be ready on time.”

Ryder stood from the seat and winked at Seth before heading towards his bedroom. She watched him wide-eyed, stunned by yet another time when the Alpha managed to escape her questioning.

“The audacity!” She groaned out, leaving the table and running upstairs.

His secretive nature was unfair; Seth hasn't had a shower or enough time to have one. She ran into the room and slid off the sundress, throwing it on the bed and running straight to her bag.

She found a pair of shorts, a simple t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers, opting for more comfortable clothing. By the time she finally got dressed, someone already knocked on her bedroom door.

“Come in,” Seth invited whoever decided to join her.

She focused on her reflection in the mirror, attempting to gather her hair in a high ponytail.

She side-eyed the door, noticing a casually dressed Ryder approaching her. The Alpha shamelessly wrapped his arms around her waist and grinned, pulling Seth incredibly close.

“We could stay here if you want to. If anything - I wouldn't mind. Also, please do me a favor and wear those shorts every day; you have no idea how incredible your ass looks in those.” Ryder's words shocked Seth a little.

She never thought of him as a shameless person, if anything - the Alpha managed to show himself off as a rather intelligent and high persona. Now, he didn't waste a moment to touch her or voice his genuine thoughts about Seth's body.

Not that she would mind, a man like him, complimenting her so openly, was a huge confidence boost.

“A date is a date. Thank you for the compliment, but we're supposed to leave now, right?” Seth looked over her shoulder; this time, she was the one to wink at the male.

Perhaps he had some victories, but the young woman knew that their war was far from over.

Ryder let go of her, stood next to Seth, and offered her his elbow, like true gentlemen: “Shall we, my lady?”

Seth laughed yet hooked her arm with his, gladly following the male downstairs. As expected, he opened the car door for her, held it while she sat in, and closed it.

Only then he walked around the car and sat on the driver's side, starting the vehicle. Ryder didn't seem bothered when Seth played with the car's radio, looking for a song she would enjoy during the drive.

The only thing he pointed out was the importance of a seatbelt, reminding Seth that she had to take care of her safety since even shifters could lose their lives in car crashes.

Seth kept trying to get any hint from the Alpha, but the male ignored her like a professional. His eyes set on the road, occasional side glances and a sly smirk on his lips meant only one thing- breaking Ryder was impossible.

“Close your eyes. I'll warn you, if you don't, I have a blindfold somewhere in the back seat, don't make me use it,” Ryder sounded playful, as if he wanted Set to refuse.

“Kinky,” Seth added, laughing it off and closing her eyes before she covered them with her palms. She could feel how her heart rate increased, at one moment, she started wondering how she could trust a stranger as blindly as she did now.

Didn't her friends warn her about such things? Following someone she didn't know home, then sitting in their car and even gladly closing her eyes.

For all she knew, Ryder might take her to the middle of the forest to kill her, yet she sat and laughed like an excited child.

The car stopped, thoughts rushed through her mind at a new found speed - the scenarios of her death, some violent and some not as much, kept invading her mind.

Seth heard how Ryder opened the car door and hovered over her to unbuckle the seatbelt, whispering: “Don't move.” The Alpha slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, picking her up.

He walked with her in his arms for a minute or two before setting her on the ground. Ryder stepped back, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. Seth could feel how his hold tightened around her; the male's breathing became a little ragged before he leaned to her neck and pressed a gentle kiss against her skin. “Open your eyes,” he whispered, a hint of annoyance lacing his words.

Seth followed his command, squeezing her eyes shut as soon as she opened them. The sun hit her vision, blinding her for a second. Seth had to rub her eyes like a child before her sight adapted to the brightness.

When she finally took in where Ryder had taken her, she gasped in surprise, unable to suppress the excitement.

“I fucking hate how they keep staring at you,” Ryder growled next to her ear, already acting like she was his private property as he released her.

As charming as he was, his words were yet another reminder of why Seth didn't want to have an Alpha in her life - the men were way too possessive, and none would change no matter what she said or felt.

“Let's ignore that. Please, this is our first date; I want to enjoy it fully,” Seth slid her hand in his, tugging on it to gain Ryder's attention.

Her words were partly true - she wanted both, to enjoy herself and forget the thoughts about Alpha's behavior.

“I could do that. If..” Ryder wiggled his eyebrows, a corner of his lip lifting in a suppressed smile.

“If what?” Seth bit onto her lower lip, facing the Alpha.

Sometimes she wondered if any of those men would be capable of coming up with something new for her - something she didn't expect from them.

“If you kiss me in front of them,” Ryder announced.

The Alpha didn't bother to wait for Seth's answer. Instead, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against hers. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling Seth closer to deepen the kiss. For what it seemed, she didn't mind, gladly giving into the intimate moment they'd share in front of all those people.

Seth didn't care that this kiss was his way of showing off that Seth was his, at least for a day. When their lips parted, Ryder smiled, gently resting his forehead against hers. “Let's go; we have a couple of hours to enjoy the amusement park. Should we look for some rides first, or would you prefer a cotton candy and ice cream hunt? Wait, I'm an idiot - you can't have sweets before doing those rides; you could get sick.”

Seth laughed at the Alpha, his attempts to please her were both adorable and awkward. One would think that Ryder hasn't had a date since high school, but the foolish behavior was only because he had finally met someone he felt genuinely interested in.

“Let's do a couple of rides first,” Seth suggested, ready to run off and enjoy her day.

It had been ages since the last time when someone took her to an amusement park, and she would never go alone. However, no matter how she wanted to rush and enjoy as many things as she could - he held her back. Seth turned around to face Ryder again.

“I could think of a couple of rides you might enjoy,” he winked, implying the double meaning in his words.

Seth laughed it off and pulled Ryder along with her.

As time passed, she noticed how the Alpha tried to resist her urge to run around and kept trying to make any excuses. Seth noticed how their day went by only around 6 pm when they stood near the docks, enjoying the ice cream Ryder agreed to buy.

She watched the sunset and thought of more surprises coming her way. Seth wanted to glance at Ryder since the Alpha was so quiet, but as soon as her eyes darted towards him, he grabbed her wrist.

Ryder turned her to face him, cupped her cheek, and went in for another kiss. This time his lips didn't move in possessive need - he was gentle yet passionate, just like Seth thought the Alpha could be.

It seemed like a perfect ending for an amazing date - kissing in front of a sunset.

“Seth?”