Page 5 of Destined Bear

“You came in… sad. I scented it on you.”

It hit me then just how much hope I’d been harboring—that maybe, somehow, Patrick couldn’t tell I was his mate. That there was something wrong, some reason he hadn’t yet claimed me. But if he could scent my emotions, then he had to know I was his.

“Not really.” I was afraid to meet his eyes, afraid he would see my bear looking back at him. “Just… had a conversation with my brother.”

“You should go to the Alpha if there’s something he can help with.”

I laughed, a sound tinged with bitterness. “I don’t think I’ll be doing that, but thank you, Patrick. Truly, I’m fine. I promise.”

I needed him to just walk away, to stop caring out of some sense of duty because he was a Beta. I didn’t want his concern as a pack Beta. Fuck that. I wasn’t some random den member or guest. I was his fated. And now there was no mistaking that he knew it and simply did not care.

What I needed was for him to care as myalpha. But that wasn’t why he was here. This was his responsibility, nothing more.

He set a warm cinnamon roll in front of me. “These are fresh from the oven.” Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

Chapter 4

Patrick

I kept an eye on Finn throughout the day. Something was really wrong, and I wanted to fix it for him. He didn’t want that. He didn’t even want me knowing things weren’t perfect in his life, pretending that it was no big deal, as his bear sat close to the surface.

He had eaten the cinnamon roll I’d given him, which I took as a good sign. And then he went back to work, only looking up when den members came over to him. He’d chit-chat with them for afew minutes, but mostly he stayed focused on his laptop. That wasn’t unusual, but the tension in his shoulders as he did it was.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t focused on work. Every breath I took reminded me that he was there and suffering. His scent didn’t tell the same lies that his lips did. He was in distress, and my bear longed to find the source and destroy it.

My knife had slipped more than once while I prepped for the dinner rush, and thankfully, shifter healing meant that I hadn’t bled all over and caused a biohazard. It was bad enough I had to redo half my work.

Fucking worthless, Pat. Always making a mess of things.

Archer handed me a plate with a burger and fries. “Here.”

I looked down at it. “I already ate lunch.”

“That’s not for you. That’s Finn’s order.”

He already had food, why was he eating again? Was the cinnamon roll not enough to tide him over? Did I mess up his first meal?

“Oh.” I didn’t even question why he was handing it to me. I couldn’t hide my behavior. That ship had sailed.

I didn’t bother removing my apron or worrying about what I looked like as I exited the kitchen and went to Finn’s table. Hesaw me every day in all states of disarray. And this wasn’t me trying to catch his eye. I was doing my job, nothing more.

I set the plate down in front of him.

“Thank you.” He looked up, startled to see that it was me standing there.

He was interesting like that. Some days it was as if he was tracking my every move, and other times, like now, he was lost in his work. Only maybe today it wasn’t his work—that conversation hit him hard. If he lived here, I’d have already found him and given him the what-for. But he wasn’t and feeding him was the best I could do.

“Did Stacy have to go home? Is everything all right?”

“No, she’s still here.” Knowing her, it was probably her idea to have Archer pass me the plate. I loved her, but she was a nosy butt. “Is everything all right with you?”

“I’m fine,” he said, squirming a bit. He wasn’t fine.

Against my better judgment, I slid into the booth. I felt the eyes of many of our den members looking at me. This was not behavior they were used to seeing from their Beta.

Archer ducked his head when I looked through the opening to the kitchen. No doubt he would do his best to spy on me and Finn. I wasn’t sure I cared.

“If something has occurred to upset you, you can talk to me or Corey or Jayce or whoever you’re most comfortable speaking with. We’re here to help.” I was lost as to what to offer him, and I sounded more like Corey than I did myself, but if it worked to make his day better, I was fine with that.