Destined Bear (Windridge Den #3)

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Patrick

My favorite part of the day was when I arrived at the diner and no one was there for at least two hours. I’d spent the morning prep time completely alone. Sure, I could hire help to have someone come in and it would go a lot faster, but then I’d have someone underfoot, and that was unacceptable to me.

This was my time.

Even as the den got larger and the demands on the diner grew—after all, it served as a sort of central kitchen—I wasn’t about to deviate from my schedule unless I absolutely had to. The last time Alpha Aydan brought up the idea, I immediately shut it down. I knew, though, he was just biding his time until he could bring it up again. It wasn’t sustainable for me to run the diner on my own and continue to be a Beta.

Like all good things, this morning’s quiet came to an end as my worker arrived. I liked Archer well enough. It wasn’t about that.

“Morning, boss,” Archer greeted.

I grunted in his direction, earning a half-smirk from him. It was our morning routine.

We worked well together because he put up with my grumpiness and didn’t seem to let it bother him. Not many people could say that. I wasn’t an asshole; I just didn’t like to talk or socialize. I was a solitary bear.

The fact that I was a Beta for the den was, honestly, a lapse of judgment on Aydan’s part. That wasn’t to say I was a bad Beta; I just wasn’t sure I was the best choice. Still, my bear lived to meet his Alpha’s standards, so I did a good job. I socialized when I had to—just not every day. And only when I had to.

From the outside, I probably seemed like the wrong person to run the heart of the town, which was exactly what the diner was. And from a people POV, that was accurate. But from a food perspective, I was the right bear for the job. I’d always felt at home in the kitchen, even as a cub.

Archer and I worked together in silence for a while. The routine was familiar. Once we opened, orders started trickling in. We had one waitress, Stacy, and two of us in the kitchen working, which was enough for the breakfast rush. When lunch and dinner came around, we’d have more people working, and eventually, I’d be forced to go home. Alpha was firm about that. He didn’t want any of us overworking and according to him, staying all day was that.

I preferred the mornings by a wide margin.

“I haven’t seen Finn’s order come in.” Archer flipped the burgers he was grilling.

It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t respond.

“You think your shadow gave up on you?” Archer was ribbing me. He knew exactly what he was doing. I wasn’t going to take the bait, but as much as I didn’t want it to, that blow had landed exactly where he intended.

I wasn’t sure there was anything for Finn to give up. We weren’t anything. He was just a customer—one who came here every single day and tried to talk to me nearly every single day, and I avoided him every single day. Sort of.

Outwardly I avoided him. I didn’t talk to him, but I was aware of him. I knew his routine, knew his order, knew that sometimes he wanted the pickle that came with his sandwich and other days he saved it for someone else.

And I knew that he could never be mine. That was the part that stung, the part I wished I could change. But it was what it was.

There was something about him that called to my inner bear. I couldn’t pinpoint it. He was off-limits, though: an omega from a visiting den, once a prospect for Alpha Mate—too good for me, for sure. That was one beehive I was not going to stick my snout into, even if there were days my bear longed for someone like him. I knew I didn’t deserve him. And more than that, I feared that if I made any sort of move, his family would take him back to his den and I would lose what little interaction I had with him.

It wasn’t worth the risk.

Worthless, Patrick. That’s what you are. My father’s voice echoed in my head. Most of the time, I could keep my memories at bay, but times like this, his words worked their way to the forefront.

“No comment to that, boss man?” Archer pressed.

I shot him a glare. “Perhaps you drove him away with your ridiculous flirting.”

I had caught him doing that more than once. I knew it was harmless, but it made Finn blush. If he’d ever shown the slightest discomfort, I would’ve stepped in.

“That omega only has eyes for you. No need for you to be jealous, boss.”

Then why was he being a flirt? My bear was pushing forward, and I had half a mind to let him.

“I wasn’t.” Snapping at him only egged him on, but I couldn’t help it.

“Sure you weren’t. Else you’d have noticed that I flirt with just about everyone that comes through here, man or woman.”

Was that true? I couldn’t say for sure. I guessed I hadn’t paid any attention to any of his interactions with anyone else—just Finn. Did he flirt with everyone? I contemplated that for a moment and decided it didn’t matter. He could have them—all of them except Finn. And that was a dick thing to think, but so be it.

After filling a few more orders, I snuck a glance at the clock. It was well past the time Finn would usually be here. He never arrived later than 8:30. I knew he worked from the diner most days because we had the best Wi-Fi. But where was he? It was going on nine o’clock now, and my bear rose to the surface as I felt my blood pressure climb.

Did I let someone know that Finn wasn’t here? Maybe call Corey to check on him or one of the other omegas—surely one of them had made friends with him by now. Finn was the likable sort. I was just about to pick up my cell phone and call when the back door smacked against the wall as it opened.

There was the stomping of feet, probably dusting off the snow that had gathered. Finn had begun coming in the back way a few weeks ago; it made his walk shorter. He’d never asked permission, and it didn’t bother me. I liked knowing when he was here.

He gave me a quick wave and walked through. His cheeks were red from the cold, tear streaks running down his face. The acrid scent of anxiety filled my nostrils. It came off him in waves. There was the bitterness of melancholy clinging to him also.

Who had hurt him? What had happened to make this omega cry? My bear roared within me.

“It’s cold out there,” Archer said. “That air has a bite to it.”

I knew Finn’s reaction wasn’t from the cold, though. Something else had unsettled that omega, and I planned to find out what.