Page 9 of Destined Bear

Technically, it wasn’t even my business why Finn wasn’t here, so I wasn’t about to tell them he’d taken some time off work. Was he ill? Tired? Just wanting a vacation? Did he have a side project he was working on? None of those were things I’d get answers to.

When the lunch rush ended and I’d finished cleaning up, I tossed my apron into the hamper and left. I didn’t even tell Archer and Stacy I was going. They’d figure it out soon enough.

I didn’t even bother going into my house. I just walked around to the back, tossed my clothes onto the deck, and shifted to my bear form. I needed to run. Our territory was set up so that we were surrounded by woods. Most of our homes backed up against the tree line so that anyone could shift from their back deck and take off—and that was exactly what I did.

My bear roared, his cry more agony that fierce. He was feeling this harder than I was. My job was to comfort him, to let him know that everything would be fine. Except I couldn’t. I was just as scared as he was.

I needed to burn off some energy, so what would usually be a lazy stroll through the woods and into the stream became a full-on run. A few animals scurried past. On a normal day, I might take that as a challenge. Not today.

The sound of the stream called to me, and instead of checking for fish at the bank, I jumped right in, the water splashing in theair. It was cold, winter here, but I didn’t feel it. The pain in not knowing if Finn was okay overshadowed ever other sensation.

Still, I let the cold water wash over me hoping it would do something—anything. Of course, none of it alleviated the irritation simmering just below the surface of my skin, like an itch I couldn’t scratch, all because I hadn’t laid eyes on Finn today. How ridiculous, how pathetic, that I was so needy.

You’re worthless, Pat. Don’t ever forget that.

I let myself curl up near the stream, batting at the water and teasing the trout that swam there. I wasn’t hungry. There were safe from my bear today.

Did Finn like to fish in his bear form? Who didn’t? Would he be impressed if I brought him some fish? Should I catch them all and deliver them to his doorstep?

No. Why would I even think of doing that? Why was I even thinking of him like this? Finn deserved an alpha who could bring him all the fish in the world, sure, but there were so many more things he needed that I wasn’t capable of.

You’re worthless, Pat. Don’t ever forget that.

Finally, once I’d exhausted myself and knew I had to get back in case I had Beta responsibilities to handle, I forced myself up and made the short walk back to my house. The woods were quiet and peaceful. My head? Not so much.

It would’ve been a perfect day to take a walk with one’s mate. Of course, that thought made me think of Finn. I thought of him so much that I swore I scented him in the air.

When I looked up at my deck as I came out of the woods, I saw why.

There, sitting on my back deck, was Finn, knees hugged against his chest. The bitter taste of sadness lingered in the air around him as it had the day before. I lumbered forward. His gaze lifted and met mine, and he bit at his lower lip.

“I need to talk to you,” he said.

Chapter 7

Finn

I had no idea what I was doing. My car was completely packed with all of my belongings, each item organized into neat little boxes or bags. My knickknacks were carefully wrapped and labeled, fitting in the car more easily than I’d expected, but somehow, I managed. It took far less time than I initially thought it would, and now that it was done, I questioned if I should’ve slowed down. This move was suddenly barreling at me at full speed.

That morning, Aydan and Jayce had dropped off boxes for me. Packing was quick, and once I realized it would be done early, I’d planned to be on the road by noon. At the time, it felt like the best idea. Don’t linger. Kind of like when you pulled a band-aid off.

Only, just like with a band-aid, I was hesitant at the last second. It was going to hurt. Fuck that. It already hurt. I was prolonging the inevitable.

I’d already moved out of the cabin. I’d been calling home for the past several months, and a new tenant was moving in the very next day. Now that I had officially left and put the keys on the counter, there were probably a few den members there cleaning up. I no longer had a place in the den.

Did I ever? Not really.

All I needed to do was drive home. If I left now, I’d make it before dark. Yet, when I should have driven my car to the highway, I found myself parking in Patrick’s driveway. I wasn’t ready to leave. Not yet. Not without a good-bye or a fuck you or a hug or I didn’t even know what. But I needed to see him.

He hadn’t answered the door, so my bear led me to the backyard. Patrick’s clothes from that day, based on the scent of them, sat on the deck—he must be out for a run. I knew I should have left, but I didn’t. Instead, I sat down. Waiting. denying my bear’s push to go and find the man.

What was I? What was I going to do when he finally showed up? I had no answers, only questions and more and more of them by the second.

The reality was that I was sitting around waiting for one last rejection. For some reason, I needed that to move on.

The person with the answers arrived not too long after I sat down.

Patrick’s gorgeous bear stepped out of the woods and into his backyard. I sucked in a breath when I saw him, his thick, stunning fur gleaming in the afternoon sun. I wanted to pet him so I could feel his fur through my fingertips, though he didn’t seem like the type of bear who’d welcome such a thing.