Mated to the Alpha and His Beta (Lanie Stanton) novel Chapter 290

Chapter 290
Lanie
Growing up, I’d heard stories about young wolf shifters who went into the human cities to party. It was supposed to be almost a rite of passage, hitting the town to party amongst people who’d be terrified of us if they knew what we were, or those who’d exploit us because they knew exactly what we were. There’d even been rumors of h ookups.
I’d never gone along on any of those clandestine adventures, but I had to admit, I could see the appeal of the human city now. So much hustle and bustle, so much to see. Hear. Smell. This city was so different from Stillwood that I might as well have been on another planet.
Lily paced and chuffed as the scents of fried food and beer tickled my nostrils, and my stomach rumbled. I’d been too worked up to eat much of anything before we left the house. Based on the number of people on the sidewalk outside the bar, this spot was popular. Somehow, seeing how busy it was made me feel a little better. Who could possibly notice me among all these others?
Unfortunately for me, the man guarding the door did. He held up a hand to stop me from going through, and he frowned as he looked me up and down. “You got any ID?”
For a second, I thought he said “idea,” but I caught myself before answering him. I’d almost forgotten that human bars don’t allow anyone under twenty-one human years to enter. I could tell by the way he was assessing me that he was a little suspicious, but not because he could tell I was a wolf. Just because I looked young, which I was.
“Yes, right here.” Smoothly, I pulled out the small plastic card that I’d never had to use before.
All wolves got them except the ones who lived in the f arthest territories-humans couldn’t smell each other the way our kind could, and they relied on these licenses to prove who they were.
Whatever he saw on mine must have satisfied him, because he gave it a long, narrow- passed it back to me with a nod. “Have a nice night.”
ut then
Inside, neon lights gave the bar an almost dizzying glow, while the soft, repetitive thump rereverberated deep in my chest. Or maybe it was just that my heart was pounding so hard that e
came through the speakers made it seem like the earth was shaking.
It felt like every eye was on me as I came through the door and scanned the room for any signs comeone who could possibly be Darkt una. Lily had risen as close as I could let her without having her visible, and with her enhanced vision, I could see easily even into the darkest comers. The trouble was, I creouldn’t make out anyone who looked as though they were waiting for me.
hadn’t dared to bring the instructions with me, but I had committed them to memory, I was supposed to hheld for an empty booth near the back of the bar. But first, a drink. I wasn’t thirsty, and I wasn’t going to risk urgutting even the slightest bit tipsy tonight, but well, it was a bar. Without a drink in my hand, I was going to Statick out like a sore ear
11nVius, hearing to hela me tuned into the conversations rising and falling all around me Young
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Chapter 290
humans, as it turned out, talked about the same things young wolves usually did. Who liked who, where to go for a good time, that sort of thing. When the bartender handed me the beer I’d ordered, I took it to the empty booth waiting for me.
“Xander, I’m here.” I sent this through the mind link as I slid into the booth’s bench. He’d been so pis sed off about not being able to come with me that I’d had to promise him I would keep in touch during every step | took. “Xander?”
Nothing. A tingle of unease curled through me. He must be too far away…but not so far away that we’d immediately noticed he’d be out of reach. DarkLuna must have set this up perfectly on purpose, but how could she have figured out the exact range of our mind link?
How did she know so much about us?
A few minutes passed while I sat alone. I even took a sip of my beer in case anyone was watching me. A waitress came by to ask if I needed anything else, and I ordered some fries I didn’t really want. I tried not to twist around every few seconds to stare at the door opening as more people arrived, but as the minutes ticked by, it became more and more apparent that DarkLuna wasn’t coming.
I’d been stood up.