54. Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Three

Lana

I move back up against the closed door a moment after I step into the room. Everything Pete did and said out in the corridor to relax me wore off instantly, and I’m nervous in a shaky, jumpy kind of way that makes me wonder what the hell I think I’m doing even thinking about trying to have a pack of mates and an Omega on the side.

Not on the side, exactly. It would never be casual with Brooke.

I have no words for what it would be. It’s something that doesn’t exist in real life.

So, I need to forget about it and move on.

Just as soon as I remember how to function like a normal human being.

Brooke turns and looks over at me. “I did interrupt something, didn’t I?”

“I wouldn’t say you interrupted, exactly,” I start.

“Oh good, so you were done having sex with that guy.”

Oh, God, we’re really going to do this.

“Was it that obvious?”

“Do you even have to ask?” She gives me a smile. “Lana, I’m not here to pressure you to make a decision about us. I just … I wanted to bring the list to you personally because I’ve missed you. So, if you’re freaking out because I caught you with a hook up, it’s cool. I know you’re single, and it’s none of my business.”

I let out a breath. “He’s not exactly a hook up, and I’ve kind of already made one huge decision today. I’m not really capable of making another one so I’m glad you’re not looking for an answer on that right now. Because, honestly, I’m still dealing with the other decision.”

Well, this is going great. I’m a babbling mess, and Brooke is her usual cool, composed self.

She looks like a goddess in that dress, and I’m standing here in my least flattering pants and a blouse that’s missing buttons.

We couldn’t be any more mismatched.

She gets up and moves slowly over to the door where I’m still standing as if I can’t quite bring myself to move. It feels like my feet have merged with the floor. I’m frozen in place.

“Oh my God,” she murmurs, as she gets closer, her gaze zeroing in on my throat. “You … You let him mark you.”

She’s quiet for a second as emotion flashes in her eyes.

I can’t tell what she’s thinking, but it’s probably not good.

“I didn’t know you were serious about anyone. Kellan didn’t mention that.”

She’s hurt. I can hear it in her voice.

I should have kept in contact. I feel awful now for not making that effort.

“I wasn’t seeing him,” I admit, knowing how messed up it sounds.

She narrows her eyes, reaching out to brush my hair back from the mark.

“He was gentle,” she tells me. “It’ll heal quickly.”

She lets my hair drop, without touching the mark.

Folding her arms under her chest, she gazes at me.

“So, who is he, if he’s not someone you were seeing? And do I have to ask Kellan to find a place to bury his body?”

She’s only halfway serious. I think.

“He’s a new security guard. I just met him yesterday, but …”

“Yesterday? If he did something to talk you into this …”

She’s looking past me already, frosty stare on the door and the man she knows is standing on the other side of it. If looks were lethal, he’d be dead in a second.

“He’s my true mate,” I blurt, before she can tell me to get out of her way.

She blinks, her gaze moving back to lock with mine. “Did you say he’s your true mate?”

“Well, he’s one of them,” I clarify, making her jaw drop. “He has a pack, but I haven’t spent too much time with everyone yet.”

She closes her mouth, pressing her red-painted lips together.

When she opens them again, it’s to ask, “Let me guess, you’ve been too busy with work?”

“I’ve been drowning in red tape since I took the job, so yeah, it’s been a pain in the ass.”

“I can imagine. It’s an easy job when you’re on the take, doing whatever the donors ask. At least, it looked that way from the outside. I can guess how much harder it must be when you’re actually trying to do things the right way.” She gives me a wry smile. “But you found your true mates. That’s incredible news. I’m so damn happy for you, Lana.”

She seems more wistful than happy, and that puts a lump in my throat.

I wish things could be different. I don’t know what I would change, but it hurts that we’re both getting almost everything we want, besides each other.

“I’ve missed you, Brooke,” I admit, moving finally, to wrap my arms around her for a hug.

She hugs me back tightly as I swallow the lump in my throat, willing it not to come back.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she responds, that hint of sadness still in her tone.

We probably hold each other for longer than we should, but neither one of us seems to want to let go. I don’t know when I’ll see her again, and despite her pack being okay with us, and Pete basically telling me his pack will accept my relationship with her, too, I can’t quite make myself believe I get to have everything I’ve ever wanted.

It seems impossible.

Too good to be true.

Besides everything else, there are barely enough hours in the day for me to do my job.

I have no idea how in the hell I’m going to juggle four mates, let alone anything else.

When we finally break apart, Brooke sighs.

“Well, now that you’ve shared your good news, we might as well go over the list.”

Right. The list. The real reason she’s here.

“Where is it?”

It doesn’t look like she brought a purse, unless she put it down on the sofa and left it over there.

She puts a hand on her ass and brings back a slip of paper.

“Ta-da! River took up sewing, so guess who I got to sew pockets into all my clothes?”

“That sounds awesome.”

“Oh, it’s my new favorite thing.”

I take the slip of paper when she offers it to me.

“The files were all coded. He had different files for different locations. This is everything that was in the academy file. There’s just one patient I couldn’t identify. He used numbers instead of names. I checked and double checked the names I was able to work out. I found proof for all of them, so they’re definite. That last one, though …” She shrugs. “I couldn’t find a single way to identify her.”

I unfold the paper and read through the list.

There are eight names written next to numbers, with a question mark at the ninth number.

“Funnily enough, my own name wasn’t in the academy list. He gave me my own file. Lucky me.”

“Do you have the file for the ninth patient?”

“Oh, yeah, give me a second,” she says, before she pulls another slip of paper out of a hidden back pocket. It looks thin.

“That’s the file?”

“It’s the main points of the full file,” she admits. “The actual file looks like a whole book written in graphs, bar charts, hieroglyphics and some fucked up version of numerology. It took forever to translate. I had to ask the Alpha Alliance for help. They had this expert in code cracking come take a look. He was amazing, but he did eat all the cookies I baked, so Frost said he’s not allowed back in the house.”

She rolls her eyes, but it’s easy to see the love she has for her mates.

She’s practically glowing with happiness.

“I’m sure Frost didn’t really mean that,” I tell her.

“Well, I’m sure he did mean it,” she says, “but if Damian wants to earn himself another plate of cookies, I’m more than happy to supply them for his help. Identifying these Omegas was just the first step. Getting the extra info that helped me work out who they were was step number two.”

“There are steps involved? Is there a step number three?” I ask, as I look over the second slip of paper.

“Working out what my father was brainwashing them for. What, or who, really.”

Part of me wishes I didn’t ask. I get the shivers when I think about what Brooke’s father did to her. It’s truly fucking awful. Then, it hits me.

“You’re thinking each of these Omegas were brainwashed specifically for someone?”

The horror of that question is still sinking in as I wait for her answer.

She nods. “Basically, I’m thinking he had clients who might have picked the Omegas out when my pathetic excuse for a father told them about his brainwashing “system” or whatever the fuck he was calling it.”

“Shit.” I look at the list of names again.

I recognize more than a few. The Omega I have working on reception is one of them.

No pattern stands out. They’re all Omegas, sure, but they all look different and have different interests. The age range is all over the place, too. Brooke’s theory makes sense. They’re each meant for something specific.

“I have to tell them.”

“We can tell them together, if it helps,” Brooke offers.

“That would be great.”

It’s not going to be easy, but at least Brooke has been in their shoes.

“Do you want to leave Erika to the end, or …” Brooke starts.

Oh, no. Erika. She’s so cheerful and sweet. This is fucking awful.

The thought of losing her as a receptionist makes me tired, but I’ll understand when she tells me she can’t do it anymore. This isn’t the kind of information anyone can just shrug off.

I shake my head. “We should speak to her first. It wouldn’t be right to leave her waiting.”

“Okay. So, do you have any guesses to who the ninth girl could be?”

I look at the second slip of paper.

The scribbles on there are barely legible.

“Uh, you might need to talk me through this stuff.”

“Then we should probably sit down,” she suggests, before she heads back to the sofa she was already sitting on.

I follow her, and she moves to give me room next to her.

Sitting down, I try not to think about how close she is to me, and how good she looks.

“Okay,” I start, pointing at the page. “What does this mean?”

“That’s a helpful one, in theory,” Brooke says. “Her name has two syllables.”

“Full name, or given name?”

“Given,” she says. “He doesn’t seem to use surnames.”

“What else?” I ask.

She puts her finger under the next line. “Tuesday afternoons. That’s when he visited her, so that’s when she’d have an appointment, or when she’d never be in class. Whatever.”

“The Omegas never technically have to be in class.”

She smiles wryly. “Now you see why this has been so hard. Plus, half the students here have two syllable names. If you’re thinking you can print off a list and score out names, we’ll still be left with fifty of them. I know. I’ve done it.”

“Well, that’s discouraging.”

She shrugs. “Sorry, but the other extra information we have is equally useless. He listed her as highly suggestible, which doesn’t help at all. And her main hobby is reading, which is listed as the hobby of most of the Omegas here, who spend way too much of their time cooped up in their suites with not much else to do.”

“Anything else?”

“That’s about it.”

“So, there is something?”

“It’s not for sure, but her perfume probably hasn’t come in. There was a check box that he didn’t tick for her. When we looked at the other names, it seemed like that could be what it meant. It’s not helpful. There aren’t many Omegas here who’ve perfumed. It doesn’t help identify her.”

“Kind of sounds like you need to get the code breaker back for another session.”

“Well, he’ll be at the academy soon, as far as I know,” Brooke informs me. “He’s coming with that psychologist you asked the alliance for. They’re pack, apparently.”

“Damian,” I recall.

“That’s the one.”

“Okay. That’s good.”

“I’ll email you the scanned versions of the files. I’ll have to encrypt them, but he’s good with computers so that’ll be fine.”

Oh, great. Another work-based distraction headed my way.

I guess at least this one won’t make me horny.

“Are you okay?” Brooke asks, sounding a little amused. “You look like you just had a terrifying thought.”

“The last four men I met made me really fucking horny,” I admit. “I seriously don’t need any more of that kind of energy. I think four might be my limit. Man-wise.”

She laughs. “I think you’ll be fine. Damian’s nice, but he doesn’t have that energy. Besides, your mates are the only ones who can get you hot under the collar like that. Trust me, I know.”

She does know, so I stop short of asking, ‘what about us?’

The ship might have already sailed.

It hurts to think we’re not getting our shot, but we both found our fated mates.

That’s more than most people get in their lifetimes.

I clear my throat. “I’ll go get Erika. We’ve got eight Omegas to talk to. We should get started.”