Page 71 of A Second Chance for the Beta

Nothing seems unusual for the first few hours, and I almost start to feel disappointed by the lack of success. I had such high hopes for this mission. I want to protect Charlie; I need to, but it seems all we do is useless.

That is when Nefeli stirs in my mind.Someone is watching us,she says.I can almost feel their eyes on us. I will try to locate them further.

I try not to show anything, just nibble at my desert while linking Lane and Dante.Nefeli feels someone’s presence,I say.

Oh, thank Goddess,Dante says. He pauses.Maybe we should split up.

What? That’s new.

Yes, but we are three people. Maybe it’s better when we give them more of an… opening.

I like that idea,I say.Are you on board with this, Lane?

Absolutely, Beta Ella!

The three of us talk for a bit before Lane gets up and walks to the bar to talk to Ye-Joon. The latter catches on instantly and chats with her, asking her about school and if she wants another dessert. He even mixes her an alcohol-free cocktail.

Meanwhile I take Dante’s hand, smiling at him.So should we wait for Nefeli to find out who it is and beat the loser up, or…

Better to have him follow us,Dante suggests.I think he might be after Charlie, but when we disappear, he might get nervous or curious and follow us to see what we are up to.

Where and how to lure him in?

Any ideas?Dante asks in return.

We could do the crazy couple fight, drama, you know?I suggest.

Yeah, but I’m not sure if we won’t scare him away then. How about a horny couple who can’t leave their hands off each other?

I like how you think,I say.But I don’t think it will prompt him to follow us.

I clutch my fingers around my necklace as an idea strikes me.Just play along,I say.

He nods while I skim through my phone, pretending to receive an interesting message. I play my part, acting like I just received something groundbreaking. I even look around nervously, before starting to whisper with Dante. I make it as obvious as possible by gesturing towards my phone and acting all nervous.

Dante plays along and grabs my arm, squeezing it, seemingly to calm me down. “Maybe we should go somewhere… quiet,” he says while making a wide gesture towards the door that leads us to a corridor with the restrooms and several storage rooms.

Dante and I get up, and like out of a bad spy movie, we toss suspicious glances all around while sneaking towards the door.I hope we didn’t exaggerate too much,I link him.

I don’t think so,he says while we step into one of the storage rooms.To someone sitting next to us it might look crazy, but to someone further away it’s different. There are times to be subtle; this isn’t it.

Nefeli tenses. I don’t need her to talk to me to know that someone is following us. I use this moment to start talking about the Council, spinning a story about how my contact just sent me new information about the group of hitmen.

Dante asks questions here and there when he notices I don’t know how to continue. We make a great team. If this weren’t a mission, I would have totally jumped his bones right now. He sniffs the air slightly, his eyes darkening while he grabs the door handle, throwing the door open without further warning and grabbing a young man, pulling him into the storage room.

“Finally,” Dante growls.

The guy drops his phone when Dante drags him inside, and I pick it up, noticing that he has been recording us.

“Please,” the man stutters. “I… I just walked by.”

Dante lets out a low but threatening growl. All his kindness seems to have been washed away from his expression. He just looks angry. “You have been sneaking around my family,” he hisses. “Tell me a reason why I should let you live!?”

“But… but I am human,” the guy blurts out. “You can’t hurt me!”

I laugh. “Who said that?” I ask.

“Well, my girlfriend…” he pauses, looking unsure all of a sudden. Looking at him close up, he seems like a lost pup. He has soft features, messy hair, and he is on the skinny side. More pretty than rough. How come he is working for actual hitmen and for werewolves?