Page 19 of This Fate That Guides Us
CHAPTER SEVEN
NOW PLAYING: SUGAR- Sleep Token
Inside the diner, Shepherd ushers me and Foster into a massive corner booth, making sure we’re both sitting in the middle with alphas on either side. Given the number of booths and tables already filled with customers, I appreciate being away from the edge.
The fewer people I risk interacting with, the better.
Nexus slides in beside me with Callisto following along. Nebula and Titan each take an end. I roll my lips in to fight back a laugh at seeing the drummer squeeze his long legs beneath the table. Restaurant furniture isn’t built to accommodate a nearly seven-foot-tall alpha, especially not with several other huge alphas already in the booth.
A waitress pops up beside Titan a moment later, her eyes wide as she sees him squished into the booth with us. Thecustomer service smile on her face turns real as her eyes roam over Pack Graves appreciatively.
A growl starts to rumble up my chest, but I manage to smother it with an awkward cough. Foster chuckles beside me, noticing and enjoying my struggle entirely too much.
These weird omega reactions need to take a break. I barely know this pack for goodness’ sake!
“Hello, I’m Amy, and I’ll be your waitress today,” she introduces.
When she tries to brush her fingers against Shepherd’s while passing out menus, I choke on a laugh as Foster leaps across the table. His growl vibrates in the booth as he snatches the rest of the menus and glares at Amy. Everyone knows not to flirt with an omega’s alpha, bonded or otherwise. We are very possessive of our mates.
“Please refrain from flirting with our packs. It is unprofessional and won’t be taken lightly,” Foster snarls.
I frown when he says ‘our packs’ as if I have any claim over the men sitting here, but when I see both Nexus and Callisto’s shoulders relax from the corner of my eye, I bite my tongue. I can let her assume they are mine to make them more comfortable.
“We’d like drinks and time to look over the menu,” Nebula tells her firmly.
She seems shaken by Foster’s reaction, quickly taking our drink orders and scurrying away. Shepherd soothes his disgruntled omega quietly. Whispering into Foster’s ear and reassuring him he had no interest in the waitress.
“You good, gorgeous?” Nexus whispers in my ear. I startle at his closeness.
“Yes, are you guys okay?” I ask with a furrowed brow. They seemed more tense during the situation than I was.
“Yeah, uh…” He rubs the back of his neck refusing to meet my eyes. “Cal doesn’t do well with altercations and I have pretty bad anxiety. Especially when I’m getting unwanted attention.”
Oh. He’s embarrassed.
Not that he should be. Anxiety is a very common thing to experience and it can happen to anyone regardless of their designation.
Though I guess the stigma around alpha strength, especially in states with stricter pack and designation policies, can easily make an alpha who experiences any type of serious mental distress feel ashamed.
“I understand. Where I grew up… it isn’t a welcoming place. I grew used to the violence and aggression. I don’t do well in large crowds, like back at the protest. Which is why I usually stick to the edges. My camera is my shield when I have to work around large numbers of people. Is that why you use the masks? So your fans can only see the person you want them to instead of them judging you for who you truly are?”
Nexus’ jaw gapes for a moment before he clears his throat and sits up straight. Suddenly looking very serious. “Sweet girl, I came woefully unprepared for this moment, something I will make up to you one day soon. Please say you’ll marry me?”
I splutter, my face heating rapidly as I try to comprehend what is happening at this table. “I–you–what?!”
“He’s joking,” Callisto says as he elbows his starry-eyed packmate.
“He’s not,” Titan drawls. “He’s excited because he feels seen.”
I can feel the entire pack’s eyes on me now. My cheeks grow warmer beneath their attention. At this rate, I might spend their entire tour blushing.
I’m grateful for the reprieve from our awkward encounter when Nebula draws our attention. “We choose to remainanonymous with the hope anyone listening will focus on the messages we try to send with our songs and not on who we are. Fate chose alphas to be the bridge between omegas and betas so we could form tight-knit groups to help balance out the emotional and physical demands of our biology. How else can we explain the cosmic connection that forms between mates?”
He pauses, his dark blue eyes never leaving me as the waitress reappears to deliver our drinks and take our food orders. I can’t look away, magnetized by the alpha before me. His scent seems to reach out and beckon me closer.
After she leaves, he continues. “More than that, we want everyone to be able to pursue the future Fate sets before them. Whether in a single pairing or a pack, everyone deserves the chance to be happy.”
I think over his words. Lyrics from their songs and catchphrases from their performances float through my mind. I can see it easily now he’s pointed it out. The lore surrounding their band and Fate was already something I was familiar with, but to hear it straight from one of their mouths makes the meaning deeper.
