Destined Bear (Windridge Den #3)

16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Patrick

Before all of this, I’d never dreaded going to work before. It had been my solace, my home. Most days, it was easy to get up, go in, and enjoy my routine—especially the two hours of solitude I got in the morning. But since being mated, and especially since my mate took ill, I found myself reluctant to leave my home. Now, the reluctance had turned into something much stronger.

I’d hit snooze on my alarm more times than I could count.

Archer had started coming in earlier to help with prep, since I was always running late. It made me feel like I was slacking—not just as a mate, but as a Beta and as the person who managed the diner.

Worthless, Pat. You’re worthless, always screwing things up.

I’d had a good run of success, but apparently having a mate meant my life would start falling apart. I needed to drop some of my responsibilities and fast. It wasn’t fair to the others to hold onto it in some weird territorial bullshit.

I needed to talk to Aydan, to step down as Beta. Maybe someone else could take over managing the diner, and then I could devote myself entirely to Finn. Wait? What was I thinking? Something had to give, not everything.

Archer nudged me. “Hey, man, why don’t you take a break, have some breakfast.”

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“Well, actually, it’s not a suggestion. Alpha Aydan is here waiting for you. He’s in Finn’s booth.”

Oh. Maybe stepping down wouldn’t be so hard after all. If Aydan was here, maybe he’d come to relieve me of my duties. The thought made my stomach twist. I didn’t want to step down as a Beta. I liked the job. And I really didn’t want to lose the diner either.

But I couldn’t keep letting everyone down.

As I walked out to the dining area, I passed by the counter, which was now covered with vases of flowers, a plate of cookies, and a packaged dinner for that evening. Since Finn had fallen ill, den members had shown up in droves to show their support. Our house was practically buried in flowers, and we had more freezer meals than we knew what to do with. There was something humorous about the fact that the den’s cook had a freezer full of food made by not them.

Finn, of course, appreciated all of it, and now that he was feeling better, he’d started writing thank-you notes. He really was amazing, which was why everyone wanted to help him.

I slid into the booth with Aydan, and he immediately pushed his plate of fries toward me. “Eat something.”

“I’m fine,” I said, brushing off his offer. “Archer mentioned you wanted to talk?”

“Yeah. How are you doing?”

“Good,” I replied. “Finn’s doing really well, finally. It’s wild how long it took for his strength to come back. It’s been three weeks since he first got sick, and he’s only just started walking on his own again.” Thankfully, a den member stayed with him whenever I was at the diner, and I checked on him whenever I could. Finn tried to say it wasn’t necessary, and maybe it wasn’t for him, but it for sure was for me. My bear wasn’t okay with letting him be home alone while I was here. He still blamed us for our mate getting sick in the first place.

“Listen, I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to talk about a few things,” I said. “It’s probably best if we find someone else to run the diner and have a Beta replace me.”

Aydan blinked, taken aback. “What?”

Wasn’t that why he was here? As Alpha, he had to see I was dropping every single ball I had.

“That’s... I mean, I don’t know what you want to tell everyone else, but I’d be happy to say I stepped down. I assumed that’s what you were here to talk about. That you were going to fire me.”

Aydan took a long sip of his coffee, then leaned back, crossing his arms as he studied me. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. I let my mate down. I let you down. I let everyone who relies on the diner down. I can’t do everything. I’m choosing my mate.”

“Of course you choose him. And I’m glad to hear that, it’s what mates are supposed to do.”

Aydan leaned forward, expression softening. “But you’re not letting anyone down, Patrick. The diner is doing just fine. Archer and Stacy have things well in hand. Stacy even recruited her mom to waitress in the mornings so she can help Archer with prep if you’re not around. And just the other day, Max stopped by and filled out an application for morning chef. If you looked around, you’d see that people want to help.”

I shook my head, refusing to let his words sink in. “I didn’t see that Finn was sick until it was too late. And even now, I’m not with him all the time.”

“Does he want you there with him all the time?”

Ouch.

“Well, no,” I admitted. My mate practically shoved me out the door each morning so that I could go to work. “But I could be there more.”

“Then hire more help. Adjust your schedule. Patrick, you’re more capable than you’re letting yourself believe.”

“I can’t do it—”

Aydan let out a low growl of frustration. “You think you know better than I do? You think I’d let you continue if you weren’t doing a good job? You think I’d knowingly let a member of my den do a lousy job at something?”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Then listen to me.” His voice was firm. He wasn’t my friend right now. He was my Alpha. “Right now, you’re not trusting yourself because you’re scared of losing Finn. I get it—finding your mate the way you did, having him get sick so suddenly... that’s terrifying. But until you rebuild that trust in yourself, I need you to put your trust in me, in the den, in your co-workers, and most of all, in your mate. We all believe in you. We believe that you can do this, be the Beta, be a mate, and manage the diner. So, can you trust us?”

I took a deep breath, letting Aydan’s words settle. I hadn’t looked at it that way, not even close. But now that he laid it out there like that, maybe he was right. Maybe I just needed to let go of my doubt and lean on the people who’d stood by me all this time.Closing my eyes, I took a shaky breath, voicing the fear that had been gnawing at me. The one that lingered in the back of my mind like all of the other hateful words my father used to spew at me. “What if I fail?”

Aydan’s eyes softened as he shook his head. “What if you don’t?”

I nodded, feeling the weight of his trust. “Okay. I’ll review the application you mentioned, and I’ll talk with Archer and Stacy about changing my schedule. Maybe I can cut back on my hours a bit.”

Not that I was currently working full-time, but there was a guilt that came with leaving early. If the schedule was set up that way, it would be different. I wouldn’t be leaving them—it would be time to go.

“That sounds like a brilliant plan,” Aydan said. “And as far as your Beta responsibilities go, things have been running smoothly. Managing the diner is part of how you contribute as Beta. So give yourself some grace, Patrick.” He placed a hand on my shoulder, grounding me. “And also... talk with your mate.”

I smiled, feeling a little lighter. “Yeah. I will.”

And for the first time in a long time, my father’s words didn’t come back and taunt me.