Page 48 of Bite for Sore Eyes

Torren emerged carrying a wooden bowl of the vegetables Lana had taught him to prepare properly, his expression still slightly bewildered by the cooking lesson. "I can't believe I've been cutting vegetables wrong my entire life," he muttered, setting the bowl down with exaggerated care.

"Not wrong," Lana corrected with a laugh. "Just... enthusiastically rustic."

The easy banter between them, the way she teased Torren without making him feel insecure, reminded Rath of why she fit so perfectly into their dynamic. She challenged them both while building them up, pushed them to be better without diminishing what they already were.

As they settled around the table, the twin suns casting shadows across the sprawling gardens beyond the terrace, Rath found himself studying Lana's face. The color had returned to her cheeks after her terrifying episode, and the spark in her brown eyes suggested she'd made some kind of decision during her conversation with her father.

Please let it be the decision I'm hoping for, his bear whispered.

"This is incredible," Lana said after her first bite of steak, her eyes widening with genuine surprise. "I can't believe you two thought you couldn't cook."

"We couldn't," Torren replied dryly. "You performed some kind of kitchen magic that transformed our disaster into actual food."

Rath took a bite of his own steak, savoring not just the perfectly seasoned meat but the simple pleasure of eating something they'd created together. How many meals had he and Torren shared on this terrace over the years, discussing territory business or security concerns or political tensions? But this felt different—lighter somehow, despite everything weighing on them.

This is what I've been missing, he realized. Not just a mate, but someone who makes ordinary moments extraordinary.

"I have to admit," Rath said, cutting another piece of steak, "I didn't think we'd ever have another moment like this after what happened today."

The words came out more raw than he'd intended, revealing the fear that still churned beneath his Alpha composure. First the rogue bears attacking her when she was already vulnerable from an episode, then holding her failing body in ice water—the memory of those moments would haunt him for weeks.

Lana reached across the table, covering his hand with her smaller one. The simple touch sent warmth shooting up his arm, and the mate bond hummed with recognition and comfort.

"But we did have this moment," she said softly. "We're here, we're together, and I'm alive. That's what matters."

Torren nodded, though Rath caught the lingering worry in his best friend's blue eyes. They'd both been shaken by how close they'd come to losing her, by their complete helplessness against an enemy they couldn't fight with strength or strategy or sheer determination.

The afternoon breeze stirred the purple leaves of the distant forest, carrying the familiar scents of home—pine and earth and the faint salt tang from the pink ocean beyond the mountains. Rath breathed deeply, letting the peaceful atmosphere settle his restless bear. Then Lana straightened in her chair, her expression shifting to something more serious, and his attention sharpened instantly.

"Actually," she said, glancing between them, "there's something I need to tell you both."

Rath's fork paused halfway to his mouth, his bear immediately alert. The way she'd phrased it, the subtle tension in her posture—this was about more than just casual conversation.

Is this about the mate bond completion? he wondered, his pulse quickening despite his efforts to remain calm.

"I think I know why those rogue bears tried to attack me."

The fork slipped from Rath's fingers, clattering against his plate as his entire body went rigid. "What?"

Torren leaned forward, his own meal forgotten. "Lana, what are you talking about?"

She took a steadying breath, her analytical mind clearly organizing her thoughts before speaking—a habit Rath was beginning to recognize and appreciate.

"I didn't want to tell you or Torren until Jace and I could find more proof," she began, "but I discovered that those system failures over the past two months weren't random. Someone deliberately caused them."

His bear roared to immediate attention, every protective instinct flaring as the implications crashed over him. If someone was sabotaging their security systems, if they'd sent those bears after Lana because she'd discovered the truth…

"What?" Torren demanded, echoing Rath's shock.

"So you think someone is sabotaging our systems?" Rath asked. "But why? And who?"

Lana shook her head, frustration flickering across her features. "That's the thing—I didn't want to alarm you until I could find out those answers. But then I started having my episode, and then those bears came and tried to attack me as I was having my episode, and then... well, you know the rest."

Rath's hands clenched into fists on the table, his bear pacing restlessly as the pieces clicked into place. "So clearly, someone must have realized you figured out the failures weren't random and sent those rogue bears after you."

"Yes," Lana said quietly. "That's what I'm afraid of. But I don't know who would do that."

Torren's expression had gone dark, his usual calm demeanor replaced by the cold calculation Rath recognized from their most serious strategic discussions.