Chapter Three

Delta stepped out of the diner first, his mind still reeling from his unusual behavior with Kalen. He was not a flirtatious person, and he certainly didn't bat his eyelashes encouragingly at anyone.

Had he really suggested Kalen might have to carry him? Really? Ugh. Just shoot me now.

It was a moment he wanted to erase from existence, and yet it served as clear proof that he had officially lost his mind.

Going on breaks with strangers was not something he normally did.

He felt a strong vibe with Kalen, but that didn't mean he had to act on it.

But there was something about Kalen that drew him in, a mysterious connection that Delta couldn't quite explain or deny.

"I believe the point of taking a walk with someone is to actually walk next to them."

Kalen's voice broke through Delta's thoughts. It was deep and commanding yet gentle, as if he could lead a group of soldiers without ever raising his voice.

"Sorry."

He slowed, though Kalen's legs were long enough he could have easily caught up to Delta. But the guy was strolling down the street at a leisurely pace.

That's the whole point of a walk. To take your time.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind,"

Kalen said when he was finally at Delta's side. "I'm a pretty good listener. Try me."

Delta should not be this comfortable around someone he'd just met, to the point he'd almost confessed his entire life. Still, it would be nice to have someone to talk to. Lord knew his uncle wasn't anyone Delta could confide in.

"I just lost my mom six months ago,"

he said, remembering to keep his pace slow. "I guess I'm just struggling to find my way in a world that suddenly feels so uncertain and unfamiliar."

Delta never would have thought his mother's death would cause him to unravel so easily.

"I've been there, and sorry to hear about your mom,"

Kalen said. "Lost my wife quite a few years back, and it still hurts when I think about her."

It seemed they shared the same kind of loss. Someone they'd loved dearly. Why did Delta have an urge to hug the guy?

"So it doesn't get easier with time? And I'm sorry to hear about your wife."

They passed a few shops, a sweet scent wafting from the door of The Sugar Well. Delta glanced inside as they walked by, smiling when he saw some kids standing at the counter, looking as if they were pleading with their mom.

Why were kids at a candy store this early in the morning?

"The pain lessens, but the ache will always be there,"

Kalen replied.

Delta found himself drawn to Kalen's warm smile and kind eyes. He couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something very different about him.

"Did you ever find yourself making decisions that seemed like good, or at least decent ones, until they weren't?"

Like, getting caught up in something shady because his uncle had pretty much twisted Delta's arm.

Painfully.

Kalen stopped at the door of Sweet Spot bakery. The scents were warm and inviting, with hints of cinnamon and sugar lingering around the entrance.

Running his fingers over his long beard, which Delta was dying to touch, Kalen said, "I think, when it comes to grief, we all make those kinds of decisions. It's just part of life, hon."

He pulled the door open and waited for Delta to walk in.

Delta felt a rush of electricity run through his body as Kalen's fingers brushed against his back, guiding him into the bakery.

He'd been working so hard to get breakfast orders to the tables he hadn't had a chance to eat anything, and now he was starving. The sweet, delicious scent of freshly baked bread filled the air, drawing Delta in with its enticing aroma. The soft hint of coffee mixed with the warm, buttery notes of croissants and muffins made his stomach rumble.

"Hey, Kalen and Delta."

Kayla, the woman behind the counter smiled at them. "How's your morning going so far?"

"Good, and yours?"

Delta was too busy staring at all the pastries in the glass display case to pay attention to her answer. His mouth watered when he spotted a humungous banana nut muffin. Delta could almost taste the moist center and the sweet bursts of bananas and nuts in each bite.

"Doing great, darling,"

Kalen replied. "How's Sanjay?"

The owner had cut back on his own hours, allowing Kayla to run the shop most days. From what Delta had heard, Sanjay had started dating the owner of Fearless Fox almost a year ago and the two were deeply in love.

Too bad Delta couldn't find that kind of romance. It had been just him and his hand in a committed relationship for months now.

A lot of guys, and even some women, flirted with him, but with the way his life had been going, Delta didn't want to put anyone through the bullshit he himself had to deal with.

"Doing great. What can I get you guys?"

Delta straightened to tell her he wanted the muffin he was eyeballing, only to notice Kalen stood right behind him, walling off his back in muscles and the dizzying smell of leather. His muscles tensed, and he couldn't help but feel small in comparison to the guy's larger frame.

"Two coffees and whatever Delta is salivating over,"

Kalen replied with a soft chuckle that enveloped Delta like a velvet caress over his body, causing a hard rise to strain against his pants.

I'm salivating over you.

Now was the worst time to get an erection. The fabric of his pants was too thin, unapologetically showing off Delta's arousal.

What in the world was wrong with him? The sound of a man's soft laugh should not make him this freaking hard.

Thank god he was facing the display case. "That banana nut muffin."

He pointed to the one he wanted.

Kayla bent to grab the muffin, and when she stood, she was wearing a fine blush and averting her gaze.

Delta closed his eyes, wishing he could turn invisible. Kayla had spotted his boner through the glass display case. "Do you have a bathroom?"

He'd never needed one whenever he'd visited the shop, so he had no idea if one was available. But he was now desperate to get his problem under control before Kalen saw his issue.

Her back was to him as she made their coffee, simply waving her hand at the doors to her left. "Just go through the kitchen and head straight back."

Delta didn't bother saying anything to Kalen. He just took off through the doors and made a beeline toward the bathroom. When he walked into the small room, he shut the door and took a deep breath.

* * * *

As his cell phone vibrated in his pocket, Kalen glanced at the kitchen door. It had been five minutes since Delta went to the bathroom, and Kalen wasn't sure if he should check on him or not.

"Yes?"

"What's taking so long?"

Damon grumbled. "Elvine is being a pain in the ass, claiming she's starving to dead."

Kalen chuckled. "Did you tell her it's starving to death ?"

Damon loved correcting her whenever she messed up an idiom, much to her annoyance. The others had stopped doing it after Jax told them it hurt her feelings due to her lack of education in the Unseelie realm.

Kalen thought it was ridiculous she hadn't received a proper education because of her lower-class status, which only made him despise the Unseelie aristocrats.

What a bunch of arrogant assholes.

However, Damon was the exception. As frustrated as he acted when he corrected her, Kalen knew his son got a kick out of it.

Since both of them had become pregnant, they'd become best buddies. They also bickered constantly, driving everyone else in the house crazy.

Kalen cared deeply for Elvine, and considered her a daughter figure, because he'd secretly always wanted a daughter. Now that she had mated Jax, she was officially part of their family.

"Tell her to check the cupboard above the fridge,"

Kalen instructed, turning his attention back to the kitchen entrance and wondering if maybe Delta had snuck out through the bakery's back door.

The human seemed nervous at the diner and during their walk, and he'd shot to the bathroom a little too quickly.

But not before Kalen caught a glimpse of his mate's erection through his pants.

"You hid some cookies up there, didn't you?"

Damon chuckled.

"Don't you dare touch them. Those peanut butter cookies are reserved just for her,"

Kalen warned with a growl.

"And where did you stash my gummy bears?"

He could almost see his son's raised eyebrow.

"If I told you, they wouldn't be hidden anymore, would they?"

Kalen grinned, ecstatic that both Elvine and Damon were giving him grandchildren.

A realization hit him as he disconnected the call. Delta looked like he was in his mid-twenties, but since he was Kalen's mate, that made the human a grandfather too.

Oh, this was going to go over so fucking well. Not only did Kalen have to tell Delta that he was a wolf shifter and they were mates, but he had to also explain that he was also a grandfather?

He would be lucky if Delta didn't run away. Who wanted to become a grandfather in their twenties? Kalen himself was over three hundred years old and couldn't wait to hear the pitter-patter of little feet running around the house.

But Delta wouldn't feel the same way.

Then Kalen noticed Kayla was looking at the kitchen door as well. He didn't blame her. Not too long ago she'd been duct-taped in there when a madman had tried to kidnap two mates from the bakery. The poor woman had to have been traumatized by the ordeal.

Honestly, he was surprised she still worked here after what had happened to her.

"I'm going to go check on him."

Kalen smiled at her.

Kayla nodded then turned and eyed the front door, probably wondering if she should wait outside in case more drama was about to jump off.

Not on Kalen's watch. He'd been downright livid when he'd stopped by the bakery after Paris and Alister had thwarted their abductions. Kayla had been jumpy, any kind of noise causing her to gasp and freeze up.

It had been only two months since she'd begun to calm down at work.

Kalen would have tried talking to her, to set her nerves at ease, but he knew nothing he said would alleviate her anxiety until Delta returned unscathed.

Heading through the doors, Kalen made a right and walked toward the bathroom, only to slow when he heard Delta whispering.

"You're the one who dragged me into this in the first place, Leo,"

Delta gritted out. "I never wanted any part of it, but you literally twisted my arm until I agreed."

With a frown, Kalen stepped closer. Whatever his mate was talking about, it didn't sound good. Who was Leo, and what had he dragged Delta into? Had this Leo harmed Kalen's mate? If so, Kalen would gut him.

"I-I don't care."

His mate sounded scared. "I'm not going back there. Not a chance in hell, especially since you used me,"

Delta said adamantly, a quiver in his voice. "Look, Leo, I'm still at work. I have to go." Delta groaned. "I am so screwed. What am I going to do?"

The last two sentences spoken must have been after Delta hung up.

Kalen eased back to the kitchen entrance and then tapped some things on the workstation to alert his mate he was back there. "Hey, Delta?"

he called out.

It was the first time Kalen had said his mate's name out loud, and he had to hold back a soft growl from forming.

"Coming,"

Delta replied, and a moment later, he stepped out of the bathroom with a strained smile on his gorgeous face. "Are you ready to continue our walk? Roman told me I had a three-hour break. I don't know how you managed it, but thanks."

His words came out quickly and in a high-pitched tone, making Kalen wonder if his mate was about to burst into hysterical laughter at any second.

"Everything okay, Delta?"

Kalen's fingers itched to pull the human to his chest, to wall him off in the safety of his arms, but they'd just met not even an hour ago. He wasn't sure if Delta would welcome the comfort or reject it.

"I…"

Delta sank his teeth into his bottom lip as his gaze darted around. "Remember when we talked about making not-so-great decisions?"

Kalen nodded.

"Well, I—"

He smiled. "Well, I need that muffin and some fresh air."

He breezed past Kalen.

"Delta."

His mate stopped dead.

The last thing Kalen wanted to do was use his commanding tone with Delta, but if his mate was in some sort of trouble, he wanted the guy to know he was there for him. Kalen would be his safe space, and he had the power to bring down pain on anyone hurting or harassing the human.

Although Delta didn't turn around, his shoulders grew rigid. "My uncle uses that same tone with me, Kalen. If you're just another alpha-male jerk, I think it's best we part ways right now."

Kalen had just gained a little more insight into his mate's life. "Does he hurt you when he uses that tone, muffin?"

Kalen asked softly, anger simmering in his gut.

A slight chuckle escaped Delta. "Did you call me that because I ordered a muffin?"

Delta still hadn't turned around.

"I thought it sounded better than calling you banana nut,"

Kalen admitted but wasn't sidetracked from his question.

Taking a deep breath, Delta walked back into the main part of the bakery. Kalen cursed. He'd just made a grave error with his mate. Normally, his commanding, yet quiet tone was enough to yield results.

He would have to use a different approach with Delta because his uncle had caused him to be frightened of it.

Kalen would really love to have an up-close-and-personal talk with the uncle. There was nothing worse than a bully. Delta seemed delicate to Kalen, unsure of himself, and somewhat lost. What the human didn't need was someone intimidating him.

With a silent curse, he exited the kitchen. Delta stood at the counter, smiling and talking to Kayla, but Kalen noticed how his mate stiffened when he entered.

"Thanks for the muffin and coffee,"

Delta said with a sweet smile Kalen wanted aimed at him. "They both smell delicious."

Kayla handed Kalen his coffee. When he pulled his wallet out, she shooed it away. "Delta already paid."

Kalen wasn't one to judge, but if his mate was working at the diner, he probably didn't have disposable income. At one point in his life, Kalen had been down on his luck. That was before he'd met his wife and had children. He'd had to hustle to make ends meet, and he knew how it felt when every dollar counted.

"Thanks."

He smiled at Delta. "Ready to resume our walk?"

"Ready to eat this muffin ."

His smile was teasing, and damn, was Kalen blushing? When was the last time he'd blushed? With a huge grin, he held the door open for Delta.

"Thanks, Kayla," he said.

"Bye, guys. Enjoy the rest of your day."

She grinned, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Same to you."

Delta waved to her before he walked out.

Kalen was honestly trying to get a read on his mate. One minute he was flirting, and the next, he had a somber look on his face. Kalen was usually able to read people pretty easily, but he was grappling when it came to Delta.

They headed toward the park, which wasn't busy this time of morning. Not even the ice cream hut was open. They took a seat on one of the picnic tables, sitting on the table portion, resting their feet on the bench.

Once again, Kalen was amazed at their size difference. Then again, at six-five… Not true. There were plenty of men in Midnight Falls as tall or taller than Kalen. Like his son-in-law. Casimir had him beat by two inches, and the fae was a lot more muscular than Kalen.

But Casimir was a warrior, with a thousand years of training, and his muscles were hard and honed.

Still, when Kalen had moved behind Delta in the bakery, he'd noticed his mate was nearly a foot shorter than him.

"Okay, muffin."

Kalen took a sip of his coffee. "I see I have to remind you that I'm a pretty good listener."

He smiled down at Delta. "It's up to you, but do you want to tell me what you were about to say in the bakery kitchen?"

When his mate glanced away, Kalen added, "Or we could talk about something else."

After taking a bite of his muffin and swallowing, Delta took a sip of his coffee. Kalen was dying to kiss his mate's swan-like neck, to leave a love bite just under his ear.

"You said you were married. Did you have any children?"

"Three boys."

Kalen nodded, knowing he had to navigate the subject carefully. Shifters lived to be a thousand years old, so they aged slowly. A few men and women he'd dated over the decades told him he looked somewhere in his late thirties, maybe early forties. That was not old enough to have three grown sons who appeared to be in their late twenties.

Unless Delta assumed Kalen had started having kids when he was twelve.

"Three?"

His mate grinned, but there was tension in his green-gray eyes. "How old are they?"

Well, shit. Kalen was going to have to steer their conversation in another direction. He didn't want to lie to Delta, but he also couldn't tell him the truth. Not yet. Maybe when they'd gotten to know each other better.

"Stop looking so worried."

Kalen tapped his leg against Delta's as he smiled. "I'm not looking for a stepparent."

His mate chuckled nervously. "I'm an only child. I know jack about raising kids. Your children would be in the worst hands if you counted on me to take care of them."

Now Kalen had painted himself into a corner and wasn't sure how to steer himself out of it. Delta didn't want to be a parent, but he wouldn't have to be, considering all of Kalen's sons were grown.

"They're older, adults."

Delta glanced at him briefly before averting his gaze. "You had kids at a young age,"

he commented, taking another bite of his muffin. "No judgment. My mom had me when she was nineteen."

He shrugged indifferently. "We managed just fine, until..."

Kalen placed a comforting hand on Delta's shoulder, wishing he could do more to ease his mate's pain. Delta looked like he could use a hug. "Why don't you tell me about her?"

Delta's eyes shimmered, his smile radiant. "Best mom a guy could ask for."