Chapter 4 - Mate?

Wyatt

Dean looks at me with furrowed brows as I lead him to an empty booth and pick up a menu.

‘I thought we were just going to have a beer?’ He mindlinks, confused.

‘We are, but I’m hungry.’ I say, trying to sound casual, as I look at my menu.

‘Okay, spill. You’re being weird.' He says, but copies what I do.

‘Axel just sniffed out our mate...’ I tell him, and Dean’s eyes widen before I finish my sentence.

‘Don’t fucking react! We're being fucking watched.' I glance towards the kitchen window.

Dean nods, clears his throat, and goes back to looking at the menu.

'I think one of them is a shifter. My guess is the cook, but he’s not a wolf. I don’t know about the waitress. I'm not getting a clear whiff from her. Also, two females have been here recently. From what I can tell, one is a gamma, but I am not getting anything from the other, only that she’s my mate. How about you?’

Dean nods, nose slightly twitching. ‘Now that you mention it, I can smell the females, but nothing from those two. Is your mate’s scent your favorite scent?’ He asks, and I nod.

‘Raspberry cheesecake. The cook must have smelled us first and sprayed himself, trying to hide his scent. My guess, based on his size, is that he’s possibly a bear or a panther. I can’t say for sure, as it’s been a long time since I was near another type of shifter.’ I say, keeping a subtle eye on the cook.

Dean leans back and stretches out his arms, cracking his neck and casually looking around simultaneously before turning back to me. "Nice place here." He says out loud while linking.

‘I can’t smell or see cheesecake, so congrats Alpha.’ He flashes me a quick grin before picking the menu back up.

‘I think bear. I had a run-in with one once, and from the looks of him, he seems like one. Even in human form, those guys are big.’ He says, not taking his eyes off the menu.

The waitress comes over, sporting a fake plastered smile, which is to be expected at this hour. She’s hot despite the dark circles under her tired eyes and fake smile. I don’t often fuck humans because I like it rough, and humans are fragile but for her?

I could try being gentle.

“Hello, what would you like to order?” She says politely, pen and pad in hand, trying to mask the panic in her voice.

I look at her name tag, and it says ‘Cora.’

Huh, nice name.

I take her in properly, and I resist the urge to lick and bite my lip as I definitely wouldn’t mind tapping that ass. Even Axel agrees by mentally licking his snout, which is surprising as he never gave two fucks about who I took to bed.

She has a nice body, especially the ass, and though she’s a little on the skinny side, she’s got curves in all the right places and long, nice-sized round breasts, curly red-brownish hair tied up in a ponytail. Judging from the different strains peeking out, I’m guessing it’s not her natural hue and her eyes...

Fuuuck me! Bright greenish blue eyes.

Again, fuck me…

But I can’t. I need to find my mate, and I know she’s been here recently. I wonder if she’s with the gamma female? Fuck, I hope not.

I need to find her so I can protect her. Once I mark her, no one can take her away from me. She would be protected, loved, respected, and cherished by me. I know my pack will also protect and respect her as their leader.

I see the waitress’s nose twitch like she’s trying to smell something.

I frowned. I didn’t think we stink, even though we had just been in the forest, but what’s more intriguing is that I’m still not getting her scent even though she's so close.

“Can we get two deluxe burgers and some beers, please?” Dean orders.

‘Are you alright? You’re kinda staring.’ He mindlinks at the same time.

I shake my head, looking away from her. ‘Yeah, sorry. It’s fucking messing with me that I can't catch her scent even up close, but I can smell the cook and those females. This shit never happens to me, I usually catch everything. Did you catch her scent?’

He subtly shakes his head. ‘Do you think we should ask if they have seen anyone? Judging from the scents, it’s obvious they passed through here.’

“Coming right up.” She smiled and walked to the kitchen window.

I hone in on my hearing, but the damn clanking of pots and hissing of the grill is getting in the way. I extend the link so Dean can listen in as well.

“I need to call T for the girl. She’s not safe here. Those two must have sniffed her out by now.” The waitress says.

Hey, now, this is interesting. I look over to Dean, and he nods, indicating that he's listening intently.

“I agree, given they are an Alpha and Beta. Didn’t she say something about her Alpha not being a good man?” The cook asks as he continues to fry.

The damn thing hisses again, and I miss what the waitress said.

“No, she didn’t say anything more to me other than she was tired and dirty in more ways than one. Cora, I saw the scars. That girl was tortured.”

Clank!

“Fuck!” I hissed quietly, tapping my ear and shaking my head, Dean doing the same.

“The girl is traumatized. She needs help, so I will call Angie to come in early. You need to get out of here. You’re also in danger.” The cook says.

I tilt my head in curiosity, looking at Dean.

‘Huh? Why is the waitress in danger? She’s human, right?’ Dean asks before I have a chance to.

‘I thought so until he said that. Now I don’t know, but one thing is for sure.’ I give Dean a pointed look.

‘Don’t keep me in suspense, what?’

‘The waitress knows about shifters.’ I lean back in my seat, crossing my arms, subtly glancing at the kitchen.

The waitress leaves the kitchen and heads to a back hall near the counter.

‘Go while the cook is not looking, pretend that...’

‘Yeah, I got it, and I’ll keep the link open.’ Dean says with a slightly annoyed huff, walking towards where the waitress disappeared, while I keep my eye on the cook.

‘Tess, I need you to come to the diner and get a girl I found. She’s malnourished, abused, and scared.’ The waitress whispers.

‘Okay, that’s horrible, but I'm sure you and Robbie can keep her safe for a few hours. I can’t leave Eli alone.’ The woman, Tess, answers in a normal tone. I’m guessing they’re on the phone.

Who the hell is Eli? Why do I get the feeling that this waitress is not what she appears to be?

‘I can’t say much, but we might be in danger. Robbie has called for Angie to come in early, but I can’t leave yet without raising suspicion. Is Amber with you?’

‘I'm on my way. Yes, I’ll send her to watch Eli.’ The woman says in a rushed tone.

‘Thank you. Hurry.’ The waitress whispers and ends the call quickly.

“Ah! You scared me. Is there something I can help you with?” She says, I guess she’s seen Dean.

“I apologize. I was just looking for the bathroom.” Dean answers politely.

“Oh, of course, it’s right through there.” She answers, trying to mask her shaky voice.

She comes round the front, going behind the counter.

‘Want me to stay here and keep watch?’ Dean asks.

‘I don’t know. I’m wondering if asking outright is a good idea or not. What do you think?’

I grimace when I hear trickling. ‘Oh, for fuck's sake! Dude, fucking gross!’ I say, disgusted.

‘Since I'm here, I might as well.' He says, unbothered.

'Back to your question, I think eating and keeping our ears and eyes open is best. They are on high alert since they know what we are. The woman, in particular, is terrified. She was visibly shaking on the phone.’

The moment Dean says that, Axel lets out a small whine. Fucking weird, but whatever.

‘And if what we heard from their conversation is true, I don’t think that Gamma would come with us willingly since she probably feels safer with them. That Alpha and pack need to be obliterated for what they did.’ Dean answers with a slight growl as he zips up.

‘You’re right.’ I say, a slight growl escaping me, but I quickly stifle it when I hear a small yelp from behind the counter. A subtle warning growl comes from the kitchen. I turn to look, and the cook glares from the kitchen window, his eyes flickering between him and his beast.

‘You may have a point about them being on high alert. The cook is growling and showing his teeth. I guess the pretense with him is over.’ I tell Dean, turning my gaze away from the cook.

“Order up.” The cook yells, still glaring.

The waitress quickly puts the plates and beer mugs on her tray and brings them to our table just as Dean reappears from the bathroom.

“I hope you washed your hands.” I say dryly with a slight chuckle.

“What do you think I am, an animal?” He retorts as he sits down.

“Thank you; this looks so good.” He smiles at her and excitedly rubs his hands together.

I don’t like how they smile at each other, and a low, possessive growl escapes me before I can stop it.

“Sorry, he just got some news that he’s still unhappy with, not you, right?” Dean says, kicking me under the table.

“Right. I apologize, and it does look good. Thank you.” I say with a smile.

She gives us a polite nod with a strained smile before walking away. Fast.

She goes back into the kitchen, but I can’t hear anything. I guess she's just sitting there, waiting for time to pass.

Meanwhile, Dean is digging into his food like he hasn’t eaten in years, and I tilt my head, raising an amused brow.

“What? I’m hungry, especially looking after your grumpy ass all night.”

I roll my eyes and take a bite as well.

About 15 minutes later, two women step into the diner, both wolves, but they don’t have that god-awful smell that rogues have.

Lone wolves.

They must be the women the other two were waiting for. You can tell one is older than the other; I'm guessing that the one they called Tess is older, as she looks to be in her mid-to-late 30s, while the other, Angie, looks to be in her late teens, maybe early 20s.

They go around the counter with the cook following from the kitchen.

‘Smell that?’ I ask him, keeping my eyes downcast, eating the last of my food.

‘Yup.’ Dean answers, wiping his hands with a napkin.

‘How do you wanna do this?’ I ask, taking a sip from my beer, my eyes glancing at the door that the women went through.

The younger one and the cook are the only ones who come back.

“That was good.” Dean says loudly, moving out of the booth.

“Got any smokes?” He asks, turning his back to the others and winking at me.

I nod my head and hand him my smokes, having caught on to what his game is.

‘Make sure to keep out of sight.’ I warn him.

He nods, rolling his eyes. ‘Yeah, I know, and link on. You owe me big for this. You know how much I hate these things.’ He says, heading to the door.

‘You’re a shifter, they won’t kill you.’ I dryly say, smirking at his retreating figure.

‘Yeah, I know, but they smell horrible! I don’t know how you do it.’ He sighs.

I ignore him and leave the booth, heading to the counter. To my surprise, it’s the cook who’s at the counter.

“I know you know what I am, bear.” I say, pulling out my wallet from my back pocket. I hold my palm up before he can get a word in.

“I just wanted to let you know I am not like other wolves, and neither is my friend, which you seem to be wary of. We did smell a gamma female as well as the other she-wolves. I just wanted to let you know that we won’t tell anyone what we saw tonight.” I tell him calmly but firmly as I hand over a few bills.

“Doesn’t mean we trust you, but thank you.” He answers, a little relieved, taking the money.

“Quick question for you: I sniffed out my mate in this place. Is there anyone else who works here?”

The moment I ask that, I hear a crash.

We both turn to see the girl, visibly shaking, as she bends down to pick up the broken glass, avoiding eye contact with me.

“I don’t mean you.” I assure her calmly.

“It doesn’t matter. She won’t accept you.” The girl answers, albeit scared shitless, as she stands up, putting the glass pieces onto the tray.

“Why do you say that?” I ask her, confused.

Why wouldn’t my mate want me?

The cook scoffs, but I ignore him and move closer to the waitress. Upon closer inspection, I notice that this girl, Angela, is a Beta.

Wait a minute—now I remember! This girl has been missing for two years and is from Alpha Damon’s pack. That girl had blonde hair, whereas this one had dark hair.

Before I get a chance to ask more, I hear a howl of a hunt, and not long after, I hear Dean’s howl, and then I hear a scream.

I race out the door and see two women huddled together while two wolves—one of them Dean and the other a female—are fighting against three wolves.

Holy fuck, that’s my mate! Oh, fuck no!

I’m about to shift when I notice the cook coming up next to me. He's also about to shift, but I stop him.

“No! If you join, it will cause more problems.” I snarl.

“I can fight!” He snarls back at me, and this time, I growl, getting up in his face. My aura swirls with my anger, making the she-wolf behind him cower and whimper.

“That’s my fucking mate and Beta! I will handle this. You get the women the fuck out of here.” I tell him with a deep growl, Axel at the forefront, pissed and possessive as all fuck.

The cook nods and goes to the women while I shift into my wolf and join the fight.

‘You will die for attacking my mate.’ Axel roars, heading straight to the fight.