58. Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Ezra

F ate works in mysterious ways. I knew there was a reason I wanted Shadow to stick with Pete today, I just didn’t realize what it was. Not until I stepped out of the medical wing at lunch time to find my Beta mate standing at the reception desk with a stranger.

I knew that meant Shadow had gone with Owen.

And if Shadow was with Owen, that meant Lana had spent the morning alone with Pete.

Instinctively, I worked out what must have happened between them.

I didn’t need to see the satisfaction on Pete’s face to figure it out.

Lana and Pete are mated.

He lost grip of his control and told her, and I’d bet my bottom dollar that wouldn’t have happened if Shadow had been with them.

That said, something else wouldn’t have happened if they’d stuck together, either.

Owen wouldn’t have started to deal with his anger, and he wouldn’t have decided to accept that Cressidan City is where we need to be.

It all worked out for the best.

I shrug out of the black shirt and pull a white one out of the walk-in closet.

Owen appears at the bedroom door and whistles.

“Someone’s going all out,” he teases.

He leans against the doorframe as I hang the shirts back up, one by one.

“Big date tonight,” I tell him, giving him a wry smile. “Got to make a good impression.”

“Please. You’ve already smashed it.”

I raise an eyebrow at him as I move over to my dresser. “How exactly have I done that?”

“Well,” he starts, “for one thing, you showed up like a knight in shining armor in her moment of need, taking this random temporary job helping Omegas. For another, I’m willing to bet you’re basically running that medical ward, making everything smooth and easy so Lana doesn’t have any extra problems to deal with. And you already know medical scrubs are the hottest thing you can wear. Anything else is gonna look plain in comparison so you might as well put on a regular T-shirt and wait for one of us to rip it off you later, when she’s warmed up enough to decide to claim all of us.”

“Well, clearly, you’ve already been drinking that wine Shadow found to pair with the steaks.”

He laughs. “I’m not drunk. I don’t know which part you think is exaggerated, but you’ll find out pretty soon that I’m not wrong. Lana’s already into you. She likes all of us.”

I open a drawer and pick out a plain T-shirt.

“She likes Pete,” I correct him. “Enough that she said yes to his mark. That’s all we know so far.”

“And you tell me I’m always in a mood,” he mutters, shaking his head.

“This isn’t a mood. It’s nerves. And you’re not helping.”

He pushes away from the doorframe and comes over to take the shirt out of my hands.

“This thing is worn out,” he says, as he moves over to the closet.

He puts it down on a shelf I imagine was meant to be used for shoes.

Then he pulls the black shirt out and passes it to me.

“This is the one.”

“It is?” I ask, unconvinced.

“Short sleeves equal casual, black is sexy, and it’s tailored enough to get her thirsting for more.”

“I’m not sure I trust your judgement,” I admit.

“Well, you’d better get sure because they’re outside the suite now.”

I blink at him. “What?”

He nods back to the other room as the sound of the suite door unlocking signals the arrival of Lana and Pete.

“How did you hear them before the key was even in the door?”

I take the shirt off the hanger and sling it on while Owen slips into the other room.

The buttons keep slipping past the holes as I distractedly attempt to listen in to what’s happening through there while I’m trying to finish getting dressed.

When I look down, I find out I’ve skipped a hole, so I have to redo fastening up my shirt.

A minute later, when I’m ready, I step out into the main room, closing the bedroom door behind me. My gaze fixes on Lana. She’s in a silky white sleeveless top, and I can see part of Pete’s mark on her throat. She looks incredible.

“Hey,” she greets as I walk over.

“Hi,” I murmur.

“Shadow’s grilling steak,” Owen says.

“It’ll be ready soon,” Shadow calls out cheerfully from the kitchen.

“Everyone grab a seat. I’ll pour the wine,” I offer, mostly because I’d like a sip or two to settle my nerves before we all sit down to eat.

The table’s a modest size, but it accommodates all the place settings we need.

Pete pulls out a chair for Lana, and he sits down next to her.

Owen takes the seat across from her.

I sneak a sip of the wine before I start filling glasses.

I get the feeling tonight might get messy, but considering how out of control everything got earlier, and the unexpected surprises that came out of one little change of plan, I can’t complain.

I’m ready to see where the night takes us.