Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 158: Chapter 158

Lena’s POV

Samuel spread his hands and put on the most innocent face ever. "What? You didn’t like it? I put serious thought into this. I looked into what she likes and built the whole experience around that."

Dominic shot him a look hot enough to set the room on fire. "Get them out."

"Hold up. Lena, you didn’t like it?" Samuel leaned past Dominic and bent toward her while she was still pressed tight against Dominic’s chest. "Just be real with me. These are the finest males from every nightclub in the area. I handpicked them."

She stayed against Dominic’s chest, her whole body shaking. She was trying so hard not to laugh.

She’d seen what was inside the box. A tall, ripped man with sharp features, wearing nothing but a few strategically placed ribbons.

Samuel had really gone all in.

"Get out!" Dominic barked, the edge of a growl in his voice.

Samuel let out a dramatic sigh. "Alright, alright. Everybody out. I’ll transfer the money to your accounts."

The men filed out one by one. At last, Dominic let her go. Then he caught her biting her lip, clearly holding back laughter, and his frown got even darker.

"Well?" Samuel turned to her, practically glowing with hope.

"Not bad," she said, and then she lost it and laughed.

Samuel clapped his hands and turned to Dominic. "See? She loved it. Told you. Honestly, if you were willing to jump out of that box yourself, she’d be even happier."

She tried to picture Dominic covered in ribbons, climbing out of a giant white box. Her mind just short-circuited.

Dominic looked like he was one second away from throwing Samuel into a wall.

"I’m just saying. You two could totally recreate this at home." Samuel had absolutely zero survival instinct.

"Can I order eight performers to the house?" she asked, deciding to play along.

Samuel winked at her. "Eighty, if you want. You say the word, I’ll make it happen."

She grinned so hard her face actually hurt.

Dominic still looked stormy as hell, jaw tight, eyes dangerous. Neither of them cared.

Samuel’s stunt was ridiculous, totally unhinged, and honestly kind of a mess—but it was exactly what Lena needed. For the next few minutes, she and Samuel went back and forth, arguing over which guy had the best body. Samuel was fully backing the one in the box. After thinking it over, Lena had to admit he had a point.

Dominic stood off in the corner, looking like he was mentally figuring out the cleanest way to dispose of a body.

Samuel glanced at his phone. “There’s one more surprise.”

Lena’s eyes lit up. “There’s more?”

A naked guy locked in a box was already insane, so what on earth could top that?

Samuel dragged it out on purpose, clearly enjoying the suspense. Dominic, meanwhile, had officially hit his limit.

“Outside. Now.” Dominic’s voice came out sharp and icy. He didn’t wait for Lena’s response before turning and walking out.

Samuel just shrugged like none of this fazed him. “Be right back.”

“Don’t start throwing punches.” Lena shot a glance toward the door Dominic had just gone through.

“If you hear me screaming, come save me.” Samuel flashed her a grin, then followed Dominic outside.

Lena watched the two of them disappear from view. She didn’t go after them.

Whatever was going on between them, their friendship wasn’t going to fall apart over a few men and a ribbon.

She settled onto the couch, surrounded by flowers, pastries, and fruit, and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face.

The door opened. She turned, thinking it was Dominic and Samuel.

It was Anna.

“I thought you guys would be out longer. When did you get back?” Anna walked in, looking around the room.

Lena grinned. “Are you the second surprise?”

Anna blinked, confused. “What? I didn’t know there was a surprise. Samuel just told me you were here and asked me to come hang out. I came straight over after work.”

“Well, seeing you is definitely a surprise.” Lena meant it.

“What’s with all the flowers?” Anna sat down beside her and draped an arm over her shoulder. “Did Samuel buy you roses? And Dominic’s seriously okay with that?”

I told her everything. Anna just froze, eyes wide like her brain had flatlined for a second.

“I should’ve come earlier. I missed all of that?!” She grabbed my arm, miserable, like she’d just watched a winning lottery ticket blow away in the wind.

“You didn’t see them when you came in?”

“Nope.”

I’d assumed Dominic and Samuel were still outside.

Samuel’s POV

I followed Dominic out onto the terrace. He was leaning against the railing with his back to me, shoulders tight.

I held out a cigarette to him. He turned his head, and the look on his face was so cold it could’ve iced over the whole damn city.

“Don’t look at me like that. You told me to figure out a way to cheer her up. You gave me, what, two hours’ notice? This was the best idea I had, and hey, it worked.” I lit my own cigarette and took a drag. “Did you see her face? When was the last time she laughed like that?”

He thought about it, then gave a small nod.

I smirked. “Bro, forget Lena. If I were her, I wouldn’t forgive you either. Not a chance. You could parade a hundred performers in front of me and I’d still be pissed.”

“Shut up.”

I took another drag. “Truth hurts.”

Silence dropped between us.

Dominic stared out at the city beyond the glass, jaw locked so tight it looked like he might crack a tooth. He didn’t say a word.

Then the terrace door behind us slid open.

I turned around. Eliza had stopped in the doorway, clearly caught off guard. “Sorry. I thought no one was out here.”

I glanced at Dominic. He didn’t turn around.

“Done with the tasting?” I asked.

She caught my meaning right away. Realizing she wasn’t interrupting some private exile, she stepped closer. “Yeah.”

“Your restaurant’s doing really well. One of my clients ate there last week and hasn’t stopped talking about it since. He even brought friends back.”

"Thanks for helping spread the word." Her smile was polished and graceful.

"I didn’t really do anything. He brought up this restaurant, and I just said I knew the owner. That’s it."

Eliza didn’t look the least bit awkward. Her gaze drifted to Dominic’s back. "Dominic seems kind of off tonight."

"He pissed off his mate and is now racking his brain trying to make it right." I flashed a grin. Honestly, nothing cheered me up more than watching Dominic deal with the fallout of his own mess.

Eliza stayed calm, her expression steady. "Lena seems like a reasonable she-wolf. So what exactly did he do?"

Dominic shifted, threw the two of us a brief look, and said, "I’m going back."

"Figured out how you’re going to apologize yet?" I called after him. "If not, my offer still stands."

He didn’t turn around.

After he left, Eliza let out a soft sigh. Something flickered across her face, there and gone in a second. "I’ve never seen him this worried before."

"People with mates aren’t like everyone else." I still had half a cigarette in my hand. No point wasting it. "The second they realize they’ve hurt their mate, everything else basically stops working until they fix it."

Eliza looked out at the skyline in the distance. "He really is different now."

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