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“You know, they say depression and stress makes illness worse,” Kat agreed. Serenity and I shared a look as the two chatted. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one thinking that they were a bit more… flirty, than normal.
“Tea or coffee today?” Kat asked as she hip-bumped Serenity out of the way.
“It’s a coffee kind of day. Iced, I think,” he said. I was just about to offer it up when Bear walked in the door. He visibly winced when he saw me but didn’t back away, instead, he joined the queue.
“No, he isn’t,” Serenity ground out. “Not today, Satan.”
“It’s fine,” I muttered. “Just let me stay back here.”
“Done,” Serenity promised as she put me behind her and took the register back over now that Kat had ushered Grant aside and was making his iced coffee.
We got through the line fairly quickly and then it was Bear's turn. He didn’t offer any extra commentary, simply ordering his latte and paying in silence. Serenity was short and blunt, but kept the anger to a minimum, which I appreciated.
I made his latte and tried not to notice the way his eyes stayed locked on me. He was keeping his word and not pushing me, but I had a feeling I’d grow tired of that quickly. Ripping the Band-Aid off and facing the issue was sometimes the right way to handle it.
Bear was gone the moment I handed over the latte and I blinked after his retreating form.
“What are you going to do about that one?” Kat asked gently as she stood next to me.
“I’m not even sure. He is giving us space but the guys and I haven’t talked about it again. I think we’re giving Collin the lead. When he’s ready, then we’ll talk again,” I admitted. “He rejected me and is now saying he didn’t mean it, but he was a potential chosen mate. Collin and he are fated. That changes the game.”
“I can’t believe Collin is going to give it a shot,” Serenity said. “Mates are overrated sometimes. Just because fate decides something doesn’t mean we have to agree.”
Her words were laced in shadows and when I glanced back, she and Kat exchanged a look. There was a story behind that one and I was curious to know what it was.
“He offered to reject him. But I don’t want that hanging over me. I told him to think it over,” I explained.
Serenity rolled her eyes. “He didn’t have to actually listen to you.”
“It’s Collin,” Kat supplied. “He’s the softy. He just hides it behind all those muscles.”
“What if they’re great together? I can’t stand in the way of that,” I said. Sure, the petty side of me was ready to yeet Bear back to the city. But something was holding me back. My pack was complicated as it was and adding in this new dynamic wasn’t helping that aspect. There was a possibility it could break the newfound peace we had.
But there was also a possibility he added something that we didn’t know we were missing.
“Too bad you already had a heat. Imagine him being thrown into the mix during that, I bet it’d be a mess,” Serenity said, making both Kat and I choke on our laughter.
“Jesus, Serenity,” Kat gasped, “you can’t say shit like that.”
“I’m blunt,” she shrugged, as if that explained it. “And I’m not wrong.”
“What if Bear goes into heat?” Kat added.
“That’s not something I considered,” I admitted. “I’m fairly sure that only Collin could help him then.”
“Doesn’t that bother you?” Serenity challenged. I considered it for a moment, wondering if I would be jealous.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s impossible to tell now. At this moment, I don’t even know if Collin would help him. And no matter what, they’ll have their own relationship within the pack, so I’d be a hypocrite if I let it get me jealous when all my guys share me.”
“You’re too sweet for your own good,” Kat said with a shake of her head. “I’d shank an omega.”
“I mean, if it was a stranger, same,” I laughed. “But it’s Bear, so it makes it different. I’m finding it hard to stay mad knowing he left that pack and brought us evidence of their plans.”
“I’ll stay skeptical for the both of us,” Serenity said, shaking her head. “Oh, speak of the devil.”
For a split second, I thought Bear had returned, changed his mind on giving us time. But instead, Collin walked through the door.
Excitement radiated from my alpha mate and he reached over the counter, pulling me over without knocking anything over.
