Chapter 182: Because She's the First.
Alessandro’s POV
I had walked the length of my office five times in the last minute. Maybe six like a madman, tugging at the sleeve of my jacket, then fixing it again. The damn fabric didn’t even need adjusting, but I couldn’t sit still.
My mind was a mess of ideas most of them unrealistic, half of them downright stupid. I had two hours. Just two hours.
This was insane. What the hell was I thinking?
An impossible date? That wasn’t me. That wasn’t anything I’d ever done for anyone.
And that was the problem.
“Aurora,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.
“What are you doing to me?”
The door burst open without a knock of course.
“Okay, what is going on with you?” Rafael strolled in, arms spread wide like I owed him an explanation just for breathing.
Gabriel followed right behind him, sipping a cup of coffee, expression calm as ever.
I gave them both a sharp look.
“Do you two knock anymore or…?”
“Not when your pacing is so loud it sounds like a stampede from the hallway,” Rafael grinned, hopping up to sit on the edge of my desk.
“Spill. You’re acting like a teenage boy waiting for a text back.”
Gabriel raised an eyebrow, looking amused.
“We figured either the pack is under attack or you’re finally taking a girl out.”
I exhaled and dragged a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Rafael blinked. “Uh-oh. He’s spiraling.”
“I mean it!” I snapped, throwing my hands up.
I stared at them, then sighed.
“I planned a date. A real one. With Aurora. And I have no clue where to start and I have like—”
I checked my watch, “—two hours before I go pick her up.”
Both men froze.
Gabriel lowered his cup s-l-o-w-l-y. “That explains the weather.”
Rafael let out a long whistle.
“Damn. That’s... actually sweet. Ladies love that kind of stuff.”
I dropped into my chair with a dramatic thud, dragging my hands down my face.
“I have no clue what I’m doing.”
“An impossible date you say?” Rafael leaned forward, grinning like the idea thrilled him.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean I said I’d take her on the kind of date no one’s ever been on,” I muttered.
“Not just a walk or dinner... something special. Something unforgettable.”
Gabriel raised a brow. “You’re not usually this intense about things.”
“I know.” I let out a shaky breath. “That’s the thing.
I’ve never done this for anyone. She’s the first woman I’ve ever wanted to… I don’t know… win over. Not for a night. For real.”
Rafael tilted his head. “Win her over? You already have her attention, man.”
“Yeah?” I scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
“Why the doubt?” Gabriel asked, voice steady.
I stared at the floor for a second before saying it.
“Because I think she might still have feelings for Leonardo.”
That shut them up.
Gabriel blinked. Rafael’s smirk faded.
“Wait, what makes you say that?” Rafael asked carefully.
“I saw her face when she heard that Leonardo collapsed,” I said, my voice quieter now.
“She was... shaken. Not just concerned. It was more than that.”
“She’s a kind person, Ale. Empathy doesn’t mean she’s still in love with him,” Gabriel said.
“But it wasn’t just empathy,” I insisted.
“It was something else. I know what I saw. And ever since then, it’s been in my head.
What if I’m just a rebound?
What if she’s just—”
“Stop right there.” Rafael raised a hand.
“Don’t self-sabotage. You and Aurora have something real, man. Something Leo never had with her.”
I leaned back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling.
“You think so?”
“I know so,” Rafael said confidently.
“Leo had control. You give her freedom. That’s the difference.”
Gabriel nodded slightly. “Just be yourself. Plan the date from your heart. If she says yes to that… then you’ll know.”
I took a deep breath.
From my heart.
Right.
That meant risking everything.
But wasn’t she worth that?
I was still staring at the ceiling, trying to steady my heart, when Rafael leaned back on the couch, tossed his coffee cup onto the table, and said, “And besides, women don't give their body to just any man.
She loves you, and that’s why she had sex with you, dude.”
I blinked, then slowly raised a brow, turning toward him.
“Uh oh. So what about all the women you’ve had sex with, huh?”
Rafael shrugged like he was talking about the weather.
“Well, they all love me and so they gave me their bodies. Don’t blame me for being this handsome.”
Gabriel choked on his drink.
I stared at Rafael like he’d grown a second head.
“You will never change.”
“Nope,” Gabriel added, nodding. “But I believe that one day, you’ll meet a woman who’ll bend you to love and submit to her alone.”
Rafael scoffed, but I caught the flicker in his eyes just for a second.
“That woman,” Gabriel continued, pointing his coffee cup at him like a prophet,
“I will give all my respect.”
Rafael narrowed his eyes, lounging deeper into the couch.
“That woman better be fictional.”
I chuckled, finally feeling like my heart wasn’t about to implode.
“You say that now. But I’ll be right here when it happens, watching you fall like a tower.”
Gabriel smirked. “Flat on his face. Like gravity decided to take personal revenge.”
“Okay, okay, okay, enough!” Rafael held up both hands.
“Let’s go back to talking about your love crisis, Romeo.”
I smiled quietly to myself.
Yeah… crisis or not, I’d walk through it all if it meant earning Aurora’s heart.
Now I just had to survive this damn date.
“Alright,” Rafael clapped his hands together, “let’s crack this. You said impossible, right?
Give me a theme. A vibe. What are we working with? Fairytale? Forest? Romantic comedy with tears and fireworks?”
Gabriel added, “Do you want her to laugh, cry, fall into your arms dramatically, or all three?”
I gave them a flat look. “I want her to remember this night. I want it to feel like something she can’t forget.
Not just because it was big… but because it was real. Not grand gestures—just something that shows her I’m trying.”
Rafael leaned back, rubbing his chin.
“Huh… Okay. How about this: You take her somewhere no one else knows. Some place personal. That always works.”
“Except I don’t have a secret enchanted meadow, Rafael,” I groaned.
Gabriel raised a finger. “But we do have access to the old lake cabin. The one everyone in the pack think it's haunted. It’s quiet. Secluded.m and cozy' feel women either love or run screaming from.”
Rafael perked up. “Yes! The haunted love cabin! Perfect combo of danger and romance.”
I hesitated. “You think she’d go for that?”
Gabriel smirked. “You’re Alessandro. With the right setup, you could turn a war zone into a candlelit dinner.”
Rafael nodded in agreement. “We’ll go ahead and get the place set up. Some lights, flowers, soft music, maybe some fairy lights outside. You show up with her, act like it’s a total accident, and boom. She falls harder.”
I stared at them, heart thudding with cautious hope. “You guys would actually help with that?”
Gabriel grinned. “We’re your brothers. Of course we would.”
Rafael stretched lazily. “Plus, I’m emotionally invested in your love life now. Don’t let me down.”
I stood up slowly, something warm tugging in my chest. “Thanks, guys. Seriously.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Don’t thank us yet. Wait till she either kisses you or throws a shoe at your face.”
Rafael wagged his brows. “Either way, it’ll be memorable.”
I laughed, the nerves still there but lighter now. Two hours. I could do this.
Aurora was worth every second of planning and more.
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