The pouch was also made of leather, just big enough to fit in the palm of his hand, with a drawstring and a braided cord rope chain that attached to his belt so the bag could hang at his hip. When he’d woken to find it next to him on the pillow Sarang had been using, he’d been unsure of its purpose, but now it all made sense.
It’d been obvious the bag was meant for the marbles from the note his alpha had left saying as much, but there’d been no mention of an outing, so Shiloh had been surprised when Valentine had waltzed into the bedroom, almost catching him nude, and announced Sarang had organized a surprise.
Things must be really going well between the two of them, and Shiloh was admittedly hopeful that whatever this surprise entailed, it was leading to the bite.
Sarang’s need for romance still wasn’t one that he shared in, but if it made his alpha happy, Shiloh could play along for his sake. It wasn’t like it was a hardship, letting the alpha be sweet to him. It was actually kind of nice even, even if it wasn’t fully necessary.
This past weekend had been incredible. Sarang had thoroughly used his body, but had also consistently praised him and held him close. There’d been no barriers between them, no tricks, or twisted words. They’d spoken and acted plainly and openly in a way Shiloh hadn’t realized was possible.
He’d been missing out.
And everyone had been wrong, because clearly the alpha didn’t despise him for his past transgressions. Sure, he’d asked him not to get his hands needlessly dirty from here on out, but that was fine. That had more to do with wanting to protect him than Sarang being grossed out by him.
The car came to a stop in front of a hotel building, and Shiloh was momentarily disappointed it wasn’t Taboo. Perhaps the alpha wasn’t fond of the place now that Shiloh had held him captive there. That would suck, since it meant he’d have to sell it and start fresh, but oh well. There was time, and maybe this go around, he could openly ask for Sarang’s feedback instead of having to guess what the alpha may or may not fancy.
Valentine got out of the car and came around to open Shiloh’s door for him. Then he waved toward the entrance, bowing deeply. “He’s waiting for you on the rooftop.”
Shiloh wasn’t sure how he managed to keep his composure, forcing himself to walk steadily into the building instead of run. There wasn’t anyone working the front deskwhich was a little weird, and he didn’t encounter anyone on his way to the elevator either.
He’d never stayed at this specific location before, but the Kiss Thief was a hotel chain that had branches on Synastry as well. It was pretty popular, and it was odd to find it empty.
Had Sarang booked the entire place?
That seemed…extra, but he’d wait and ask the alpha when he saw him.
The rooftop was decked out in string lights, twinkling against the dark night sky to compete with the stars. There was a single table in the center that was covered in a bloodred table cloth, and a bed set out on a square foundation. A ton of blankets were piled there, as well as at least a dozen various sized pillows.
A nest.
Shiloh’s heart actually skipped a damn beat.
There was only one reason his alpha would be presenting him with a nest.
He really was going to give him the claiming bite.
With a grin, Shiloh made his way to the table, curling the tip of his finger against the white icing of the single slice of cake there. Aside from the treat, there was also a bottle of champagne chilling, and he reached for it and popped the cork, too eager to wait for the alpha to arrive to start on the festivities.
He’d just taken his first sip when a sound caught his attention, and he turned, one hundred percent expecting to find the underboss.
His fingers tightened slightly on the flute of the glass he held when his eyes landed on Diogenes instead.
Dio, who’d been hiding in the corner, tucked around a wall completely out of sight, revealed himself fully, stepping out beneath the string lights. He was dressed in a silk shirt similar to the one Shiloh wore, the flowy material left open all the way to his middle to show off his toned upper body.
Not that Shiloh felt anything seeing all those muscles on display.
He may as well be staring at a cardboard cutout.
“What are you doing here?” Shiloh tipped his head and tried not to let on how disturbed he suddenly was.
Because there was literally no good reason he could think of for Diogenes to be here. Sarang certainly wouldn’t have invited him, considering how jealous of the other alpha he’d always been, and with Kian and the others still on Synastry, Dio couldn’t have returned with them.
“I couldn’t reach you,” Dio said, slowly making his way closer. “You completely fell off the grid. I was worried.”
“I’m fine. Why didn’t you contact Bishop?” The beta knew better than to overstep, and wouldn’t have told Dio anything about his situation with Sarang without clear instruction to do so.
“Can’t I come check on you?”
“Let’s skip the bullshit, shall we.” Shiloh didn’t have time for this. Obviously Dio had learned where Shiloh was and why, since he’d sent Valentine to trick him into coming out. “What are you doing, Diogenes?”
