Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
RYLAN
Asearing, bone deep heat radiated up from every inch of Shep’s skin pressed against mine. I knew I was staring at him like an idiot, but I couldn’t stop.
Words fled, leaving my mind a hive of static until all I could hear was the thunder of my heart rumbling in my ears.
“It’s okay, Rylan,” Shep said softly. “You’re safe now.”
At his words, sound came rushing back into my ears. I pulled my hand from his, cradling it against my chest where familiar panic was building. I didn’t think he was lying. I probably was safe with him, but was I free?
My bangs slid into my eyes again, and a surge of anger cut through my panic. I pushed them off my face hard enough that I scratched my forehead, a sharp sting making me wince.
I hated the way he’d made them cut my hair.
Frustrated tears filled my eyes.
“Hey, Rylan, easy,” Shep was saying, holding his hands out to me like he wanted to reach for me. Wanted to touch me.
But he didn’t.
That more than any words he’d said or jolt I’d felt when I shook his hand brought me back to myself. I took a deep breath and stood up tall. The top of my head barely reached his chin.
“Thank you for your help, but I need to get going.” I was proud of how strong my voice came out. Because I had no idea where I was going or how I was going to find the help I needed—that they still needed.
“Okay,” Shep said, dropping his hands. “Do you have a car out here?” He glanced around like he could somehow spot a car I didn’t have and brought a hand up to the back of his thick neck.
Then the strangest thing happened. He looked down at himself—shirtless, muscled torso, bare feet, and wearing nothing but gym shorts—and blushed.
He cleared his throat. “Um, sorry. I was in the fight cage when I…”
Caught your scent, went unsaid, but from the almost shy look in his eyes, I knew that had been what he almost said.
“What did you plan to do when you found me?”
“Help you,” he said without hesitation. “I could smell your distress even over the crowd.” He took a deep breath and rested his hands on his hips, dropping his dark gaze to the ground before he looked back at me.
“I understand you have no reason to trust me, but you are safe with me, Rylan. I promise you that.”
The crazy thing was…I believed him.
His gaze went soft the longer I held it.
“Now, is your car here?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a car.”
He nodded like he’d expected as much and took the smallest step forward. “Will you come inside? I’ll get you something to eat and we can clean up that scratch you just gave yourself.”
Lifting my hand to my forehead, I flinched when my fingers hit the tender spot. When I pulled back, the tips had a small smear of blood on them.
My hands started to tremble. Should I give this man my trust? Even for a little while?
Part of me wanted to run, but the terrified and hungry parts were winning. I was just so tired and maybe it was the omega bits of me, but in that moment I wanted nothing more than to collapse against my mate and let him take care of me.
What I did was give him a small nod. “That’d be okay.”
Shep let out a big breath, like he’d been holding it his whole life. “This way.”
***
SHEP
The walk back to the bar felt surreal. I had a mate, and he was here, repeated like the sweetest mantra in my head.
I wanted to close the few inches of distance between us as we approached the back entrance, but I held myself in check.
Rylan was here, but he was ready to run.
I refused to give him even the smallest reason to think he couldn’t trust me.
“This is the employee entrance.” I reached out and punched in the code on the keypad connected to the doorknob. “There’s a big crowd in the main part of the bar tonight for the fights. I didn’t think you’d want to walk through it.”
He swallowed, looking from me to the door and back. “I appreciate that.”
Once the door unlocked, I turned the knob and pulled it open, stepping back far enough to give him plenty of space.
He looked inside and, after a moment, stepped over the threshold and into the back hallway.
This hall was the passage to all the areas of the bar—the main room, the stockroom, the kitchen, employee bathroom, and my office.
“If you head straight, that last door on the right leads to the kitchen. There’s a little break nook in the back with a table. We’ll get you settled there and I’ll have Dave make you something. We’ve got mostly bar food…chicken wings, burgers, pretzels, that kind of thing. Anything sound good?”
He lifted a hand to his flat midsection and even over the muffled din of the bar beyond the farthest door, I could hear his stomach rumble. How long had it been since he’d eaten?
“Um,” he finally said, as we approached the kitchen door. “Maybe something not too greasy?”
I gave him a soft smile. “You got it.” I pushed open the kitchen door and was immediately hit with a wave of heat and the delicious smells from the orders Dave and Julio were filling.
I led Rylan to the left, and the semi closed off nook we used as a break room.
There wasn’t much there—a square table with four chairs, a mini fridge, and Thorn’s Nespresso machine because apparently regular drip coffee wasn’t good enough for him.
Pulling out one of the chairs, I motioned for him to take a seat, then went to the mini fridge.
I grabbed a bottle of water and a can of soda and set them on the table in front of him.
“I’ll go talk to Dave and he’ll bring something over.
Then I’m going to change clothes, and I’ll be right back with the first aid kit. Okay?”
Rylan’s blue eyes were still wide, but his scent, which was so potent to me even in a space competing with all the kitchen smells, had calmed even more. “Okay.”
I gave him a nod and turned to walk away, but his voice stopped me.
“Shep,” he said, meeting my gaze when I turned back to him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Rylan.” I headed into the kitchen proper before I did something stupid like pull him into my arms and ruin the tiny bit of ground we’d managed to cover.
“Boss,” Dave groaned as soon as he saw me. “What have I told you about having your boobs out in my kitchen?”
“I know, I know,” I apologized as I went to where he stood on the line. “Listen, my mate is back at the table. Can you fix him something not greasy to eat, please? I’ve gotta grab a shirt and the first aid kit.”
“Your what?”
“My mate.”
Dave’s eyes widened a moment before his smile did. He was a beta, almost as tall as I was, and had been running this kitchen for over ten years. He didn’t take shit from anyone, but he was a total romantic at heart. “This is wonderful news!”
“Easy,” I said, dropping my voice to a whisper. “I think he’s in some kind of trouble and skittish as all hell.”
Dave immediately narrowed his eyes. “Is he well? You said you needed the first aid kit.”
“He is. Just a minor scratch on his forehead, but some asshole alphas were giving him a hard time in the parking lot.”
Dave growled. He was a werebear, like most of us here. “You took care of them?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” He took me by the shoulders and turned me toward the door. “Go get dressed. I’ll feed your mate.”
With a chuckle, I did as I was told.