4. Dean

4

DEAN

U sually, I enjoyed working the dinner shift at Mariam's Diner. It was an escape.

Cooking had always been that for me.

Even though I was only making burgers and fries, I still enjoyed knowing I was curbing a person's hunger. However, for the last couple days, cooking hadn't felt as good as it used to.

Tonight was no exception.

My wolf was too amped up, and his tension had bled over into me. The kitchen felt like a prison, and I found myself constantly checking the clock for the time, anxiously counting down to close so I could get out of here.

I blamed Xander and Astrid for the way I felt.

That whole scene with them at the coffee shop had been what set my wolf off. We still hadn't fully recovered. Just thinking about Xander and the way he'd challenged me and my wolf by stepping up to us like that had anger simmering through me again. I'd tried to let it go, to not think of either of them, but for whatever reason, it was easier said than done.

It didn't help that it felt as though I was being followed the last couple of days.

While it was possible I was being paranoid, it was also just as possible that I wasn't. I'd learned long ago that anything in this world was feasible, no matter how crazy it might sound.

I figured cooking would have kept me busy enough to not think about any of it, to forget, but instead being here had amplified things for me in the worst of ways.

The kitchen was too loud. Servers couldn't get their crap together. Customers were hard to please. And the stress of keeping my wolf hidden throughout it all was taxing as hell.

I needed a break—no, I needed a fucking vacation.

My wrist brushed against the hot grill, the sting of pain pulling me from my thoughts.

"Damn it," I seethed, jerking my arm away.

The scent of burning flesh filled my nose.

"You okay, man?" Chris, the dishwasher, asked.

"Yeah," I replied, untying my apron. "Just another battle wound." One that would be healed by tomorrow, thanks to my wolf.

"I got a new one yesterday," he said, holding up his hand.

I barely glanced at the wound on his palm.

"I'm taking a break," I muttered.

"Sure, no problem. Looks like it's clearing out for the night out there anyway." He hooked his thumb toward the server window. "That should be your last burger of the night."

I stepped to the window and peered out into the dining area to see for myself that the place was clearing out. Chris said something else, but I couldn't hear him. All I could focus on was her .

Astrid was here.

She sat at a table in the far corner, finishing her meal while looking at something on her phone. My wolf immediately reacted at the sight of her, but not in the way I expected. Instead of irritation, annoyance, or distrust powering through him, there was only curiosity and intrigue.

What the hell?

"I'll start cleaning up," Chris said before slapping me on the back, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Thanks," I muttered.

Tearing my eyes away from Astrid, I headed for the back door. My sudden need for fresh air was overwhelming.

Stepping outside, I pulled in a deep breath. It didn't curb the thoughts of Astrid that looped through my head.

What was she doing here? Was she stalking me? Spying on me for Xander? Had my paranoia of being followed been her stalking me all along?

My wolf nipped at me, his irritation with my train of thought palpable. He didn't like the way I was thinking about her, and I didn't understand why. Astrid was Xander's sister. She couldn't be trusted, and if my wolf couldn't see that, then we had a problem.

My wolf fought me for control. It was all for show, though. He was acting like a toddler. Blocking him out as best I could, I leaned my head back against the building and exhaled. He tossed an image of Astrid at me that I shook away. Lifting my gaze to the night sky, I focused on the stars. Even though I was a wolf shifter, the sky still called to me. There had always been something so beautiful, otherworldly, and majestic about it.

Astrid trickled into my head again.

All I could think about was her big brown eyes, her dark curls, and the way she'd been fixated on her phone.

Had she been talking to someone? Possibly telling her brother that she hadn't seen me yet?

A frown pulled at my lips. I needed to talk to her. If not, I'd never be able to get her out of my head tonight, which meant I wouldn't be sleeping.

Again.

"Damn it," I grumbled before making my way to the front of the building.

Chris would have to do cleanup on his own tonight. Making sure I talked to Astrid was more important.