Destined Bear (Windridge Den #3)

15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Finn

I needed out of the house. My sickness had run its course, and I was almost back to normal. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. I could barely manage a walk around the block without getting winded, and when I shifted to my bear form, we mostly just lounged around, but every day, I felt a little stronger. And being sedentary wasn’t going to help me get my endurance back.

And best of all, I was eating more… and keeping it down. There was no way I could increase my energy without having fuel.

For the first time today, I could even feel the little cub in my belly moving around, which was the most exciting thing of all. It was almost as if I didn’t believe they were in there until that moment, like I was afraid to, because once I did, everything could and would go wrong.

As I examined myself in the mirror, rolling my sweatpants down to let my little bump peek over the top, I couldn’t help but admire it. I was holding a life in there, and I would never take that for granted. After all, things could have gone much worse if I hadn’t gotten better.

The sound of the door opening and closing jolted me from my thoughts. I skipped to the front room, but as a wave of dizziness hit me, I had to sit down. I was officially not as better as I thought.

Patrick was by my side instantly.

“Finn, are you okay? Do you need me to call Rissa?” He already had his phone in hand, ready to dial.

“I’m fine.” I could still feel my heart racing. Maybe I wasn’t fine. “I just moved too fast. I was excited to see you.”

He settled down next to me on the couch, concern etched on his face. “You’ve got to be more careful.”

“I know. I was just excited. How are you? How was your day? What’s life like out in the world?” I smiled at him, hoping to see a hint of his usual warmth in return.

Instead, he frowned a little. “Things are fine. Do you need anything?” He stood up, fluffing the pillows and then guiding me to lie back down.

“Actually,” I said, feeling a rush of hope, “I was hoping we could go for a walk, maybe go out to dinner? I’d love to see everyone.”

I knew it wasn’t the best time to ask. He’s just seen me being unable to walk across the room without needing to sit down. But I had to try.

Patrick winced. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You’re still recovering.”

“Patrick, I’m fine.” Ish. I was fine-ish

“You just nearly fainted.”

“Because I moved too fast walking from the bedroom to here. I was excited to see you.” Which said out loud made it sound even worse.

“Well, that sounds like risky behavior. Finn, we can’t just—”

“Risky behavior?” I rolled my eyes. “You’re being too cautious.”

“Maybe you’re not being cautious enough,” he shot back, his frustration barely hidden.

That nearly sent me into a growl. “Patrick, you can’t treat me like I’m made of glass. I know it was scary. It still is. But all I’m asking for is a walk around the block or a drive. Think about it, if we went for a drive I wouldn’t even have to move. I could sit in the car!”

He shook his head. “If you want to socialize and visit, let’s call someone to see if they can come over here. In fact, where is Miss Martha? I thought she was staying with you.”

“I was fine, so I sent her home.”

His face twisted in surprise. “Sent her home? She needs to be watching you!”

This conversation was going nowhere. Between cabin fever, just getting over being sick, my hormones racing, and my mate being overprotective and filled with worry, nothing good could come of us continuing on like this.

I stood up, and Patrick was instantly at my side, ready to hold my hand. But I pulled away from his touch—a first for me—and I noticed the hurt in his eyes. In that moment, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

“I know that you’re scared, Patrick, but you need to let me live. I’m not going to do anything to put our baby in harm’s way.”

I headed to the kitchen, determined to prepare something for myself. We had enough leftovers to last us until the end of time, and at that moment, I was incredibly grateful for it. I might not have all my strength back, but hunger hit me like a ton of bricks.

“I can make you something,” he offered. “Just let me know what you want, and I’ll prepare a plate.”

I glared at my mate. “I can handle it.”

He watched me with laser focus while I heated up some of the casserole that Miss Martha had brought over. Then, of course, I got a huge slice of her apple pie and topped it with some ice cream. Today was an ice cream kind of day.

Patrick followed me into the living room as I carried the food. Normally, I wouldn’t eat in there, but I wanted to be comfortable. My poor mate looked miserable, and I hated seeing him like that. But even so, I couldn’t pull myself out of my current spiral.

“Your brother texted me,” Patrick said, his voice tinged with concern. “He said that he is coming to visit.”

“Great,” I replied, my tone flat. That was exactly what I needed—another alpha hovering over me.

I loved my brother, I really did. But I wanted him here to spend time with me, not because he was freaking out the way my mate was. One overprotective alpha was one more than I needed. I definitely didn’t need two.

After finishing my food, I reluctantly let my mate take the dishes to the kitchen. I wasn’t going to overdo it. Besides, I was tired now that I had eaten, and my annoyance had definitely burned some calories.

“Maybe this weekend, we can go for a drive to your old diner again,” I suggested, trying to feel a little more hopeful.

Patrick winced, his hands wringing in front of him. “I was thinking just around here. I don’t want to get too far from Rissa, right?”

“Of course.” I flipped on the television, letting the sound wash over us as background noise.

They say never to go to bed angry, but I didn’t think anything was going to resolve this issue tonight. I was too worked up, and try as he did, my mate wasn’t going to go against his concern over me. We were at a stalemate. Maybe I could ask Rissa to tell him it was okay. That could work… maybe.

I sighed, feeling the weight of frustration hanging in the air like a thick fog.

“I need to shower and go to bed.”

Patrick looked at me as if he wanted to stop me, but he didn’t say a word.

“If you wanted to help me so I don’t fall, I would be okay with that.” It wasn’t exactly admitting I was wrong, but also… “They say the number one place people fall is in the bathroom.”

“Of course I’ll help you. That’s what I do. I’m your mate.” He stood up and held out his two hands for me, and I took them. “Let’s get you cleaned up so you’re comfortable for bed.”

We didn’t speak much, Patrick helping me in the ways I asked, but nothing more. I wanted to apologize to him, to tell him that everything was going to be okay. But I couldn’t bring myself to. Instead, I let him help me wash the day away, dry me off, and into pajamas.

My head barely hit the pillow before I fell sound asleep. Tomorrow would be a better day. I just knew it. Because the alternative? I wasn’t ready to consider that.