Page 26 of Beta and the Beast
Lucas is standing in the lobby, looking at his phone when we enter. He told us he'd meet us so we wouldn't have to go through the staff at the front and get someone to let us in the elevator. Did Hazel and I think he was joking when he sent that text? Yeah, we did. Turns out it wasn't a joke.
"You found it," Lucas says with a smile, looking up from his phone. "I'm Lucas." He holds out his hand to Hazel, who shakes it.
"Hazel," she says, using the sweet voice she does with alphas. I already told her Lucas was off-limits. I might not know what I want with Henry, but I do know Hazel sleeping with his brother isn't a good idea.
Thankfully, Lucas feels the same way I do.
"I'm not for you."
He's polite about it, but when Hazel pouts teasingly, his eyes flash gold for just a moment, and the atmosphere in the lobby changes instantly. When Fenrir commands entire rooms of other alphas and omegas, it's always because he's extra angry. Lucas just gives control to Remus, and every alpha in the lobby is looking at the ground.
Hazel's lips pull back in a bright smile when Lucas's eyes return to their dark brown shade. "No, you're definitely too much for me."
"I'm sure plenty of other alphas are willing to keep you company." Lucas chuckles as he leads us toward the elevator. "Gabe, maybe?"
It's my turn to snort and watch as my best friend's face turns scarlet. It takes a lot to embarrass Hazel, especially when it comes to her attraction to alphas. I've asked her if she's reached out to Gabe, too, and she hasn't told me anything about it. Pretty rude if you ask me.
"Your cousin isn't interested," Hazel says, keeping her chin up as she says it.
That kills all the fun I'm having laughing at her. I thought he was at least interested in having fun with her based on how he looked like he wanted to eat her. Even Lucas looks down at her like he's not sure he believes her.
"That's not what I heard," he says cautiously.
"Then you heard wrong." Hazel stares at him. She's never been scared of alphas, and it's something that's gotten her in trouble plenty of times. Lucas is safe, though. He has even better control over his beast than Henry does over Romulus.
The elevator dings when we reach Lucas's floor. He doesn't break eye contact first, though, so I stick my hand in the door to keep them open and wait for this dick-measuring contest to end.
"Can we please talk about my coffee shop instead of doing whatever this is?" I groan when the doors try to close for a third time.
As much as it kills Hazel to lose, she faces me first. Lucas's eyes shimmer with victory, but he doesn't say anything about winning, even though it was just a stupid staring contest.
"I'm surprised an alpha hasn't already tried to lock you down," Lucas says as he leads us down the hall to a door at the end. "Not all of them can appreciate someone so stubborn, but plenty would like seeing if they could make you purr."
I roll my eyes and mouth the word 'ew' to Hazel, who does the same to me. Lucas notices over his shoulder as he pushes the door open.
"I've seen you around my brother. Don't start pretending now, Sarah."
I glare daggers at him. I have never once purred for anyone. Not only is it not something I can physically do, but I also know, if anything, I'm extra prickly and stubborn around Henry because he's trying to get me to submit to him.
Do I maybe think about how nice it might feel to let him take control in the bedroom? Sure, but that's something I fantasize about with betas, too. Most of them just suck at balancing being dominant in bed without acting like a piece of shit.
"Coffee shop talk," I tell him, pushing past him and into the entrance hall of his apartment. His massive, vaulted-ceilinged, walls-made-of-windows apartment. "Oh my."
"Are you sure you don't want a beta for a little while?" Hazel asks as she looks over the spacious apartment.
Marble floors, plush dark rugs, and the windows. I already mentioned them, but they're massive, floor-to-ceiling windows. We're so high up there's no reason for curtains, and it looks out onto the city.
"Not even a little bit of a beta chaser." Lucas laughs, following us as we explore the open areas of the apartment. I want to go searching for Henry's room, but Hazel and Lucas are waiting for me to try so they can say something about it.
"Pity just your brother is," Hazel says, her forehead pressed to the glass window as she tries to look down.
I frown at her words and realize I've never thought about whether Henry frequently seeks out betas. He doesn't seem like the type and hasn't pursued me like beta chasers usually do, but that doesn't mean he's not interested in me purely because of my designation.
"He's not," Lucas says, his tone harsh and almost angry.
Hazel's head snaps in his direction before something like understanding settles over her. She looks at me, her features softening.
"No, of course, he's not," Hazel says, giving me a small smile that makes me feel childish for being so easy to read. "But we're still pretending like Sarah isn't interested in him, so no ruining that."
