A Curse of Fate (Shifter City Fated Mates #1)

Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

T he Golden Fin’s uniform consisted of a white button-down and black slacks, so standard fare for a restaurant. Once I was dressed, my hair pulled back in a high bun, Hunter drove me to work in his Bentley.

I spent the first part of the tense ride debating if I should ask him about the bandage on his hand—how serious does an injury have to be to take this many hours to heal? It was still none of my business though, and his expression didn’t exactly invite questions, so I shut up.

Hunter appeared unbothered by the silence, his expression calm, while I was a fidgeting mess. “Sit still,” he finally ordered, pulling to a stop at a red light. “You’re going to wear a hole in my seat.”

Clenching my hands into fists at my side, I forced myself to focus on the landmarks of the city around us. “Are we close to the restaurant?”

He turned to me, and the waft of mocha grew stronger, which had me desperately breathing through my mouth to counter his scent. Which did fuck all . If anything, now I could almost taste him as well.

“The restaurant is just around the next corner, but we’re going to stop at a cafe first and grab you breakfast. I didn’t have time to organize anything before we left.”

My surprise that he’d even thought of my need for food had me slow to answer. “I’m all good on that front. I often skip breakfast so I can easily work through the lunch rush and eat after.”

Hunter responded with a deep, ominous rumble, and proceeded to completely ignore me as he swung his car into a parking spot out the front of Greengrocer Cafe. He was out of the car fast, and before I could decide if I was following or not, he opened my door and held his hand out for me to take.

It wasn’t his right hand with the bandage, which I noticed because I had a new obsession. At this point, it was a competition over who was the better stalker.

Hunter was a patient hunter , as he waited for me to make the choice to take his offered hand or not. When my stomach rumbled, I decided that it was unbecoming for an omega to play dominance games, and I dropped my palm against his.

Heat enveloped me as zips of energy passed between us. Not so strong that I wanted to yank out of his hold, but enough that my wolf wiggled and whined in my chest.

Hunter’s dark eyes turned positively feral, and I heard his wolf in his voice when he said, “We’ll run soon.”

I managed not to gasp as he used his substantial strength to haul me from the car, and when I was steady on my feet, I met his gaze. “You can hear my wolf’s unease?”

He leaned down until our faces were close enough for me to see the pigments of gold in his stormy eyes. “I’m your alpha, little omega. Your wolf belongs to me, and I feel her.”

I wanted to argue that my wolf— and me —belonged to no one, but there was no moisture in my mouth. When I parted my lips to try, a strangled huff was all that emerged.

Hunter kept a firm hold on my hand as he led me toward the café, and it was only when we stepped inside the inviting space with its red brick walls and array of potted plants that I managed to remove myself from his grasp.

His hand immediately pressed to the center of my back, warm and strong, nudging me toward the counter where the scent of toasted sandwiches and coffee had my body betraying me once again by rumbling.

A pretty wolf with golden hair and deep brown eyes hurried right over to us. “Alpha Hunter,” she squeaked, her eyes wide and frantic. “We didn’t know you’d be in this morning.”

It was impossible not to roll my eyes as she all but simpered at his feet, and on top of that Hunter was all charm when he responded. “Just a social visit, Kitty. We’re here for two breakfast sandwiches and two take away mochas.”

Asshole . “Not my favorite coffee,” I muttered, and I swore he smiled in response.

Kitty input his order but didn’t take any money from him. Which I found odd, but whatever. Reeves Pack probably had a tab here or something.

I started to wander along the cabinets, checking out their offerings which included breakfast foods and sweets. “Don’t leave the café,” Hunter called after me. “I’m just going out back into the kitchen.”

Wrinkling my nose, I wondered if he was joking but… nope. He was already lifting the bench and striding behind the counter. Was this alpha that much of a control freak that he had to supervise his sandwich being made?

Kitty appeared unfazed as he entered through a swinging door, and I decided to just file that in with all the other weird shit happening around me.

“How do you know Alpha Hunter?” Kitty’s tone wasn’t quite as friendly without Hunter’s presence.

Forcing a smile to my lips, I shrugged. “He kidnapped me off the streets, but his house is nice so I’m going to stay for a while. Let’s call it a rapid case of Stockholm Syndrome.”

Confusion creased her expression. “But aren’t you the omega who was living out in the human world as a rogue?” She examined me from my hair to toes, clearly finding me wanting. “Why in the world would you try to stay away from a pack like Reeves? They’re top freaking tier.”

“Why in the world would you ask me how I knew them if you were already well aware who I was?”

I fucking hated games. In the shifter world, they were more about winning and less about having fun, and I wasn’t here for it.

She snorted like I was the stupid one, but we didn’t have time for more conversation as Hunter’s scent and dominance washed over us upon his return.

Kitty launched into action, cleaning the counter in front of her like she was about to eat straight off it. “I hope everything was to your liking back there?” she cooed, and I briefly considered how she’d look without her pretty hair. A small spark and whoosh. “We know Reeves Pack is generally hands off, but we’ve been following your protocols.”

Ugh. Of course . I kicked myself for not figuring out sooner that this café was a Reeves Industries owned business. Hurricane Hunter deliberately kept that from me, probably in a bid to point out how little I’d bothered to find out about them.

“Everything looks great,” Hunter assured her. “You’re doing an excellent job as manager, Kitty. We’ll discuss bonuses at the next quarterly meeting.”

Her smile was as bright as the freakin’ sun, and I was fairly certain that if Hunter whipped his dick out, she’d be on her knees in a heartbeat to please the boss.

My wolf surged to the forefront, growls ripping through my chest, and I barely managed to keep them contained. I couldn’t do this. Not here… or anywhere.

No matter how badly I wanted to shift and claim this alpha so these eager bitches knew who he belonged to, I never could.

Turning away, I breathed deeply until my wolf was under control, and by the time our food was ready and we left the café, I’d returned to mostly not giving a shit.

At the car, Hunter opened my door for me and waited until I had secured my seatbelt before he handed me one of the sandwiches and a coffee. I dropped my travel mug into the cup holder and unwrapped the delicious smelling food.

“Oh fuck,” I groaned as I took a bite. Bacon, sausage, egg and relish was a favorite combo of mine. Teamed with the crispy bun and spicy BBQ sauce, and I was in heaven. “This is the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had.”

Hunter’s gaze locked on my mouth. “We’re famous for them.” His words were a low rumble, and I forced myself not to make any further happy eating sounds. They were awfully close to happy other sounds.

“Is there anything you don’t do well?” I asked, taking another bite and licking the crumbs off my lips.

“Nope.”

I snorted out laughter in my usual elegant way, thankful at least that my mouth hadn’t been full. “Well, modesty is possibly one option.”

To my surprise, he chuckled. “Just stating the truth.”

Damn, I’d really liked that sound, and found myself wanting to hear it again.

As we got moving, I noticed his sandwich sitting unopened in the center consol. “Would you like me to unwrap that for you?”

Hunter nodded. “Sure. That’d be great.”

Feeling satisfied with what I’d already eaten, I placed the rest of my sandwich in my lap and grabbed Hunter’s. I unwrapped one side, folding the paper under the base so it didn’t drip all over his fancy suit. When I held it out to him, he parted his lips, flashing a white smile that had heat unfurling through my chest and dripping into my center.

He was dangerously sexy this alpha, even when he performed the simplest of tasks.

“Let me just get through this traffic,” he said, glancing back out the windshield and then back to me.

In an attempt to lessen the dangers of his eyes being off the road for too long, I lifted the sandwich to his mouth. Hunter’s scent grew stronger, and as our eyes locked over the sandwich hovering between us, energy zapped along my skin until I was in danger of wearing another hole in his seat .

I wasn’t sure if he would take my offering, but he parted his lips wider, and when those strong, predatory teeth bit into the bread, all the blood in my body moved south.

Oh, fuck me.

He chewed slowly, his gaze still on me, and yet somehow he didn’t crash the car into a pole like I would. In a mindless, automatic movement, I lifted the sandwich toward him again, and I swear to fuck the gold in his eyes turned molten. Burning into me . “Little omega,” he rasped. “You’re the anomaly I never saw coming and had no way to prepare for.”

An anomaly didn’t sound positive, especially for a control freak like Hunter, who must despise anything that threw out his normal routine.

So why didn’t he look unhappy about it?

He finished his breakfast in a few big bites, and I ignored the way my hands shook as I folded the wax paper neatly. I wasn’t sure I could finish my own sandwich with the new turmoil inside me, but Hunter glared at my lap until I started to eat once more.

It tasted like cardboard, but I finished every bite, sipping the coffee in between.

It was the best mocha I’d ever tasted, but nothing compared to Hunter’s scent encasing me in the car.

Hunter pulled into a parking lot of a huge blue, weatherboard building with Golden Fin signage across the top. There was a fishing hook through one end of their logo, and an anchor through the other. The main doors were closed, with only a few other cars in the lot.

“The restaurant opens for lunch and dinner,” Hunter said as he shut the car off. “We’re positioned right on the wharf, so it’s a great spot for family events, dates, and corporate functions.”

I’d caught sight of water when he entered the parking lot and had thought it was a great location for a seafood restaurant.

When we hopped out, I took our trash because the Bentley did not deserve to be treated like a wastebasket. Hunter removed it from me, and I was reminded of Kellan refusing to let me carry my own luggage. Neither alpha appeared to think I could carry my own shit, and it was irritating because I’d never relied on anyone to help me before.

The way they treated me threw my entire balance off, and I didn’t trust it.

They were trying too hard, overcompensating, and sooner or later their true nature would show.

“Employee entrance,” Hunter said, gesturing for me to enter first. “This isn’t the fanciest restaurant in Golden Claw because we want to work for every budget and reason for dining out.”

“That’s my favorite style to waitress at,” I admitted. “Some of the diners were too rough, and I’m not trained well enough for anything super fancy.”

“What diners?” he bit out, grinding to a halt.

“Too many to remember.”

Hunter huffed but let it go, guiding me into a small locker room. “They should have one with your name already.” He glanced along the dark blue metal doors until he found Emeline misspelled and scrawled on a sticker. “You can store your coat and phone in there.”

The phone hadn’t left my pocket all morning, but I’d at least remembered to charge it.

After my items were stored, Hunter and I ended up in the kitchen, which was a hive of activity. Half a dozen staff ran around in full prep mode, and when they noticed the alpha in their midst, everything grew quiet.

A shifter raced over and bowed his head. “Alpha Hunter, we weren’t expecting you for another hour.”

He was a beta, a few inches taller than me, with a generically handsome face topped by thick wavy brown hair pulled into a top knot. “Bradley,” Hunter greeted him coolly. “I’m here with your newest employee.”

Bradley eyed me for a brief second, a welcoming smile on his lips. “You must be Emmeline. We’re happy to have you on the team. I’m the floor manager today, so you’ll be shadowing me while I give you the rundown.”

Hunter’s rumble drew his attention with a snap. “Just remember your place, beta,” he warned. “No one touches Emme.”

Bradley backed up a few steps, hands in front of him. “Of course not. That goes without saying.”

Hunter’s dominance held him for a few seconds more than was necessary, but his point was well made. “One of us will be back to pick you up at the end of your shift,” the alpha told me as he headed for the exit. “Don’t leave this building on your own.”

I bristled at the command, but again chose my battles wisely. “You’ve got it, sir.”

Hunter’s lips twitched at my slightly mocking title, but he didn’t break a smile. “Be good, little omega.” He turned to leave, pausing just before the door. “Oh, and Bradley…”

The beta snapped to attention, leaning toward his boss. “Her name is spelled with two m’s. Don’t fucking forget it again.”

He was gone before the manager could respond, though I couldn’t miss the tightening of Bradley’s features. Once Hunter’s mammoth energy had faded from the building, the beta relaxed. Relaxed and leveled a cold smile on me.

“Prepare yourself, Emmeline with two fucking m’s. I run a tight ship around here, and I won’t have you screwing it up because you’re the boss’ newest pet.”

Oh, great. It was dick measuring time. Thank you, Hunter Reeves .

Lucky for him, I was sans dick, and felt zero desire to establish myself in the hierarchy. “I won’t screw it up,” I promised him. “I’ve worked in restaurants before. Just show me what you need from me. I can handle the rest.”

His scoff told me everything he thought about that statement. He spun on one shiny shoe as he called over his shoulder, “Keep up. I’m not waiting for you.”

You need the cash. You need the cash.

Maybe if I repeated it enough, I’d be able to drown out the asshole in charge.

I’d only just started, and I could already tell it was going to be a long shift.