31. Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Lana

L ocking up the office, I lead Owen out across the reception area toward the medical wing.

“This side of the building used to mostly be used for storage,” I explain as I walk. “We had a few rooms that were used for health check-ups, and of course the bathroom and staff kitchen for the clerical staff were always here. Now it’s a medical unit while we work with the handful of patients’ we still have from the big rescue the Alpha Alliance facilitated.”

“Uh huh,” he murmurs, not sounding impressed.

I don’t know why I keep talking around him.

Something about his silence makes me nervous, I guess.

He pulls the door open when we get to it, and I step into the medical wing’s corridor.

“I’m hoping we can keep this wing open, and have it made into a permanent hospital for Omegas who need the extra layer of protection that this location provides.”

“I thought it was supposed to be temporary,” he mutters, sounding suspicious.

“It was,” I confirm. “But I think it could be a good thing for the city and its surrounding areas if we’re able to make it a permanent fixture. The Alpha Alliance have only gotten started freeing Omegas from traffickers. They have a lot of work still to do, and I’d like it if we were able to keep helping them.”

He grunts in response, and I press my lips together.

I should shut up. He doesn’t really care.

I walk the rest of the way to the staircase without saying another word.

He doesn’t try to fill the silence, but when we get to the bottom of the stairs, he touches my arm.

I stop and turn to him. “What?”

“The lights are out up there. I’m pretty good at walking around in the dark, but you need to tell me where we’re going.”

Damn it. I forgot about the lights.

“Pete fixed them …” I start, trailing off when I remember this plan is dependent on them being off.

“Yeah, and he undid that mistake when I sent him back up here earlier. So, let me know where we’re going when we reach the landing and stay quiet while I walk you to your room.”

I frown at him. “Once we get there, you’re staying outside.”

He gazes back at me without a word.

“I’m not letting a stranger into my bedroom.”

“I’m not a stranger. I’m part of your security team.”

Clearly, he’s not going to bend on this.

I let out a sigh. “We need to turn right at the top of the stairs, and it’s the last room on the right.”

He nods. “No more talking.”

I blink at him. “Why?”

“We want to catch this threat, not scare it away.” He smirks.

Oh my fucking God! The nerve of this guy.

I’m too angry to say another word, so I just march up the stairs ahead of him, fully intent on dashing to my room and locking him out before he realizes what I’ve done.

It’s the pitch-black of those last few stairs that puts me off that idea.

My stomach churns as I stop a couple of steps before it goes so damn dark.

He’s at my side a second later, offering his arm.

I stare at him for a second in the darkness, before I take my keys out of my pocket, keeping them in my right hand while I link my left arm with his.

If I’d been alone, I would have used my phone to light my path.

That’s probably exactly what would have made me vulnerable if someone was actually waiting in the dark for me. I’m still not convinced that someone in the building wants to hurt me, but, honestly, I don’t like the thought of being alone tonight.

Owen might be an Alpha-hole, but he has mates I trust. If Ezra and Pete love this guy, there must be a decent human being hidden somewhere under the stereotype. It doesn’t make me like him any better, but I can feel a grudging kind of trust starting to build toward him.

He nods and starts to move, slowly.

I let him lead me forward into the darkness.