Page 33 of Bear With Me

Dennis swallowed, then steeled himself. “Bjorn doesn’t want to get involved with his parents.”

Escalus raised a brow. “Well, we’re offering the chance to take over, not work with.”

Bjorn shook his head, looking confused. “Alpha, you know me. I’m an artist. Why would you want me handling any of your business? I’d be no use.”

A purse of the alpha’s lips was the only sign of emotion. “Your father has been…very insistent. I thought perhaps you’d gained some expertise in your time away.”

“No,” Bjorn said, evidently bewildered by the prospect. “Like I said, I draw. I have an accountant who handles my money. I can just about manage to pay my bills online without screwing it up; that’s the best I can say about my business sense.”

Escalus studied him silently for a long moment. “I see.” His formal demeanor dissolved then, and he passed a hand down his face. “Well, shit.”

“Is something…wrong?” Bjorn ventured. “Why can’t you just assign the work to someone else in the den?”

The alpha sighed. “I can, but we’re…not doing well on the business front. I was hoping to bring in some relatively fresh blood who might look at things differently.”

Bjorn blinked. “But Simon said you’d recently been able to afford to remodel the alpha house. He said my tithes were really helping.”

“We were, and they are,” Escalus acknowledged. “But we can’t run entirely on those. What happens if your income drops? We’ve been trying to diversify over the past decade, but every business we start seems to flounder within a year.”

“What have you tried?” asked Dennis, unable to restrain his curiosity.

Escalus cast him a look, but started ticking off on his fingers: “A campground. We had some of our artisans try to start a collective to sell at the farmer’s market. Day trading.” Bjorn and Dennis both winced at that, and the alpha sighed. “That one was Ronald’s idea. We owned a souvenir shop a few towns over for a while. We have a cafe in town now, but it’s been losing money steadily and will probably have to close soon.”

Bjorn looked at Dennis and Dennis could almost read his mind: You know about this stuff. Help him? Dennis didn’t want to help him. Dennis wanted to inform him that he was shit out of luck and pull his mate out of this shitty den with his shitty parents and his needy alpha.

Instead, he swallowed his ire and opened his mouth. “I own a pub that does pretty well back home. I could…take a look at your operation and offer some advice.”

Escalus’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

“I mean,” he hedged, “I’m no business guru. But I handle my own business and have built it up from a one-man operation over time. I don’t know how much help I can actually be, but…” He eyed Bjorn. How honest to be? “If it will make Bjorn’s life easier, and allow us to leave without you fighting us when we’re ready, I’m willing to try.”

Escalus shuffled some pens on his desktop, looking thoughtful. “Your mother is really very insistent that we get you involved, Bjorn. She also wants me to appoint you to…something. Doesn’t seem picky about what.” He picked up one of the pens and tapped it on the desk in a syncopated rhythm. “I think your parents have grown very concerned about their legacy as they got older.”

Dennis was preparing to tell Escalus that he and Bjorn’s parents could fuck right off, but before he could get the words out, Bjorn spoke. “Their legacy, maybe, but not their son specifically.” His voice sounded regretful but resigned. “I’m not interested in coming back, Alpha. I’m sorry you’re struggling, and I hope Dennis can help, but we’re going to be leaving here when Gran is better.”

“Mmm.” Escalus turned to Dennis. “I understand your reservations. Both of you. But Dennis, we would very much appreciate your help with the cafe. Bjorn, you’re not a prisoner. You’re free to go at any time. I do think you should try to settle matters with your parents before you leave, though. Rowena's point-making is getting fucking excessive.”

Dennis could only imagine what kind of points Bjorn’s mother had been making. The woman was a bulldozer.

“I’ll try,” Bjorn said with a sigh. “No promises.”

“Understood.” Escalus was opening his mouth to say something else when there came a knock on the door and Simon popped his head into the office.

“Alpha, you have a conference call with the Council coming up in ten minutes.”

“Shit.” Escalus rubbed his forehead. “It could have been an email. It always could be an email.”

Simon offered him a wry look and a shrug. “As you’re always telling me, it’s part of the job.”

Escalus pushed to his feet and nodded at Simon. “Unfortunately. I’ll be there in five minutes.” Simon nodded and withdrew, and Escalus returned his attention to Dennis and Bjorn. “Dennis, will you be available tomorrow morning? I can have one of my Betas take you to the cafe to poke around.”

Dennis glanced at Bjorn, who nodded. “As long as Bjorn or Ginevra doesn’t need me, I’m free whenever,” he told the other man.

Escalus nodded again. “Ok. Be ready around eight.” He looked at Bjorn. “Thank you for being willing to share your mate. Which, by the way, we need to talk about. But not now, because of this stupid damn call. Maybe tomorrow.”

Bjorn didn’t look too happy about it, but he nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”

Escalus gestured them out of the room, then followed them out. Bjorn made to move toward the front door, but was stopped by the alpha’s hand on his shoulder. “Alpha?” he asked.