My bear roared inside my head—mate.
The force of his bellow nearly knocked my knees out from under me. I curled my fingers around the edge of the table, gripping hard enough that a screw popped loose and clattered to the floor.
“What the hell?”
Aero’s voice faded as I stepped away from the line. I didn’t go far, just to the edge of the pass, close enough to see the front of the restaurant without crossing the threshold.
Then I saw her.
She stood just inside the door, brushing wind-tangled blond hair from her flushed cheeks as the host reached for a menu. She looked tired, but her posture was straight in a way that hit me right in the chest. Like she refused to bend beneath whatever strain she was under.
Greenish-hazel eyes scanned the dining room, filled with a cautious curiosity. Her skin was pale, her cheeks pink from the wind. She wasn’t tall, but nobody was compared to my six feet six inches. And her curves made my dick punch against my zipper so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if it left marks along my shaft. I’d never felt anything like it before, and the overwhelming rush of desire was undeniable proof of who she was to me.
After years of wondering if fate had skipped me, I had finally found my mate. Only when she turned to give a polite smile to the hostess, my stomach dropped.
She wasn’t reacting to the scent. Or searching the room for me.
There was no flicker of recognition in her eyes. Nothing.
She had no idea what just happened, which only meant one thing—my mate was human.
“Shit,” I breathed, barely audible over the clatter of the kitchen.
Aero shot me a look from behind the line. “Bex? You okay?”
I wasn’t even close to okay. My bear was already lunging toward her, demanding I go claim what was ours. To drag her into my arms, bury my face in her neck, and breathe her in until the world made sense again.
But my mate probably didn’t know shifters existed, so I forced myself to stay rooted to the spot, my muscles locked tight. I had to go slow.
My bear snarled at the idea, but I shoved him down with everything I had. The woman was utterly unaware her life had just collided with mine, and I couldn’t risk losing her by barreling across the dining room like a feral beast finally let off a chain.
I stayed half-hidden behind the pass-through window while she followed the host to a table near the window. The second she sat, the restless fury in my chest eased just enough that I could breathe again.
The server brought her water, and I watched how she wrapped her hands around the glass as her eyes drifted over the room like she was trying to absorb every detail at once.
When she placed her order, I didn’t even wait for the server to drop the ticket at the pass. I plucked it from Zelda’s hand. “I’m cooking this one.”
Peppa raised an eyebrow from across the kitchen. “Really?”
“And I’m comping it,” I murmured, already reaching for the ingredients.
She smirked at me. “So that’s what’s made you impossible today.”
I didn’t dignify that with a response.
Zelda’s grin was far too knowing. “Bexley? In case you’re curious, her name is Rowan. She’s Eleanor’s granddaughter, the one Gerald’s been trying to find.”
I stilled mid-chop, my brows drawing together. “Cooke?”
Her smile softened. “Yup, I heard she just got to town today.”
I felt a pang of sorrow for my mate. Losing a family member was hard enough. Learning about it months later had to cut deeper.
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“Figured you’d want to know.”
I put everything I had into cooking her meal, making sure every flavor was perfectly balanced. I plated it carefully and wiped the rim of the dish until it gleamed. Then I carried it out myself.
