There was a lot more food in the kitchen than I'd thought there would be considering Bee didn't know when we'd stop by again. According to the reports I'd received from pack members tasked with keeping an eye on her she didn't have anyone else staying with her. Had no one over often and hardly ever dated around within the past year.
It was possible she'd been expecting us, but I somehow doubted that. My fiery spitball loved her brothers enough but she had been let down a lot over the years.
I knew it and so did they.
I remembered one time she'd insisted on cooking dinner for us all to eat together before we had to leave on business again. She had been angry enough at something Ansel said to mix something into the food and next thing we knew, we'd all been fighting over the bathrooms. Except for her.
My angel from hell had quite the vindictive side.
''Has Bee come down to eat at all? I haven't seen a single glimpse of her since we got back in town,'' Ansel said, slamming the fridge door with a frown on his face.
''She does know we're back in town right?" Kal asked around his mouth-full of sandwich. ''I texted her this morning but she never responded.''
I glanced to the doorway of the kitchen, where I'd seen a glimpse of red hair, a black leather jacket, and jean shorts made to kill a man pass only a few hours earlier. She was surprisingly quiet in those black boots. ''She came in earlier and then left again.''
We were all three quiet for a long moment.
Both of my best friends glanced at me almost nervously.
Everyone knew Bee was no-touch subject most of the time. Even my parents, who loved Bee and her brothers, hadn't brought her up. Their pitying glances had said enough.
While we'd been in town for about two days now, she hadn't come home until today. She had been staying somewhere else clearly. But the latest report had informed me she had no boyfriend and she usually was at home when not at work.
We should've seen her more than this if that was truly accurate though.
''How you wanna go about this?" Ansel broke the ice first.
''Go about what?"
He shot me a deadpan look that told me I should know exactly what he meant.
It was unnerving how much he was like his sister sometimes. Ansel had a darker shade of red hair than Bee did but they both had the same sky blue eyes and freckles bridging the nose and cheeks. While Bee's hair was much longer and tangly, Ansel wore his to his shoulders and in a man-bun. Kal was the only one in their family to get darker hair and brown eyes from their mom's side, along with a pair of glasses he couldn't go without. Both of them were notorious with the ladies for reasons I would never understand as their best friend. But as the Alpha of the pack I could see some she-wolves trying their chances to be the mates of my chosen Beta and Gamma.
Crud, did the she-wolves try to sink their claws into them any chance they saw.
''I think Ansel means 'go about letting her know shit's changed this time around','' Kal commented dryly as he opened a cabinet to hunt for more food and bringing my mind back to the topic of conversation.
''It's not that simple,'' I grumbled, making my way to the fridge that was now up for grabs.
''You broke up with her to protect her, you left same as we did to try to make it possible for her to be in our world Stryker,'' Ansel said as if to remind me what of what I'm pretty sure was printed on my fucking heart.
''That doesn't mean I didn't hurt her and that doesn't mean there's a place for me in her life anymore.'' I didn't want to think it, but it was true. And at the bottom line I knew that it was too late.
She was my mate, my once-in-forever, my soul mate that a Wolf couldn't live without.
But she was our Bumble Bee.
The girl that ran after us with scraped knees and that I had fallen in love with, before reality hit like a truck that I had to fix somethings in our world to make a way for us. To make a way for us to be together.
I was back now. I had found a way for my human mate to be with me in the shifter world, and now I had to get her back if she'd let me. Because she always came first, even if I was half the world away.
''It's been years, and when she finds out about everything... she's gonna hate all of us for keeping it from her for so long. That her and I are mates, that we're fucking wolves, that the whole town is full of Werewolves-- should I go on?" I bit at my friends bitterly.
I'd lose her more than I already had after all these years. I'd lose Bee for good when she found out all the lies we'd told her— that I'd told her.
''She's usually not pissed at us when we come back, she's always... so happy to see us back that she let's it all go,'' Kal sighed as he glanced around the kitchen we stood in, as if looking for his little sister to suddenly appear. ''We don't deserve it, but I think she'd come to understand if we just told her the honest, real reason we're always leaving.''
''You wanna start by shifting into a wolf and scaring the shit out of her?" Ansel asked dryly. ''Bet that would go over real well.''
I rolled my eyes as they snickered at the thought of scaring their sister.
We all knew the fireball was harder to scare than that, but man could she scream when you did get her good... I fought the smile that surfaced as I thought of a particular time when we'd been dating and I'd managed to scare her. She'd screamed louder than a banshee and punched my shoulder for good measure afterwards too.
Hell, she was 23 now... I wondered if her reaction would be at least close to what it used to be.
We had called her our Bumble Bee for a reason after all.
A itch in the back of my mind let me know that someone in the pack was trying to mind-link me, something only full-shifting members of the pack were able to do. The feeling was more like someone knocking on the wall to my mind that I had to open for them to come in.
Conversations could be held through mind-linking or even just messages, be it images or words, and it could go to only the Alpha, Beta, or to the entire pack. This one was meant just for me.
'Alpha, there's a situation with Ansel and Kal's sister,' Marcus, one of the newer wolves in our pack that was assigned to watch Bee, sent to me.
'What is it?' I sent to him along with a loud snarl.
I wasn't in the mood to hear someone complain about my girl, she had a fiery streak in her and quite the impressive record for vandalism and rule-breaking. Despite that fact, she held jobs down and worked hard and made her way. I knew it was because she was too fucking stubborn to accept help from anyone or take any of the money her brothers and I sent her frequently.
I still remembered Ansel and Kal's faces when we'd stopped back by again the last time, we'd heard the reports of the unsafe old house Bee was refusing to leave and still living in. We'd sent her money to buy a new place and afford movers (but we had planned to call in pack members to help with any moving). My parents had been trying to convince her to stay with them for the longest time.
We'd come back to a remodeled and fixed up house, put back together by Bee's dedication, blood, and sweat. She'd put the house back together all by herself, refusing help from anyone else. Her own money, her own time, and all her own work.
Her brothers still felt like pieces of shit over it.
So did I.
And it was true— we were pieces of shit that Bee deserved better than. We were dangerous to her and she didn't know it, we'd disappointed her for years so that instead she could be safe.
And then I'd chosen to keep even that from her.
The only thing was that Bee never gave up on anything— be it the house or her brothers or me and her. She was constant and never failing, and I could only hope to make it up to her one day.
'Marcus!' I snapped through the mind-link, 'Answer the damn question!'
'Sorry Alpha,' he responded, 'She seems to be in distress at her job in the diner we followed her to, and I'm not entirely sure she won't slash her boss' tires as soon as she can...'
I closed my eyes and inhaled sharply, 'What'd the prick do?'
'Honestly, Alpha? I think this is something you need to see for yourself.'
He sounded very uncomfortable whatever the situation was, but I didn't screw around and waste time asking more.
Ansel and Kal took one look at my face and put down their food.
'Bee?' Kal mouthed to me.
Ansel scowled, already knowing the answer without asking apparently.
''If we take a vehicle we can bring her back home if we need instead of running wolf,'' Ansel grunted, and no one argued.
The whole drive they were making snarky comments of what Bee could've done to get in trouble at her job, that they'd hated her working at since the beginning, but that was besides the point.
Bee getting pissed off wasn't new, her getting in situations she refused to tell us about, or have us help at all with wasn't new either. A wolf I had watching her, asking us to come get involved, that— that was new.
************
''This isn't the diner I thought she was working at,'' Kal frowned up at Steve's Diner as we parked the car.
The sign was worn and weathered but lit up with neon red letters still, at least the building and sign looked to be in better condition than the parking lot. White bricks that looked more tan, and large glass windows let us see in to almost every single table and their green leather booths, a bar with round stools kids could spin on for hours, and only two waitresses. They wore light yellow and white dresses to their knees, and white aprons tied around their waists. One was a blonde that looked like she ate a lemon, and then the other had strangly red hair tied up in a ponytail and a black choker around her neck.
I knew that red hair and long white neck anywhere.
''Apparently it is,'' Ansel glanced around, his lips tight as he took it in too. ''How long has she been working in this town and away from home?"
I ran a hand down my face roughly, ''We'll have to ask her to find out.''
''Something's changed with Bee this time, I don't think she's gonna tell us even if we ask bro,'' Ansel glared at the building as he said it. As if the words were a poison he didn't want to say either.
I let out a breath, ''Yeah, you might be right.''
The moment we entered the building, the blonde waitress sent us a glance that was more like a glower and said, ''Welcome in, I'll seat you in just a moment.''
Bee never even turned around to look at us, but I realized pretty quickly just how busy she was to not notice us there at all watching her.
She juggled trays on each hand with stacks of dishes that went up to the top of her head, as she spoke with a customer seated in a booth. A gentleman probably in his late thirties with a sly smile on his face that then turned into a scowl.
As she turned on her heels and left whatever conversation he was trying to strike up with her, she strutted across the diner and all the way to the back to deposit her trays I guessed.
What struck me was the way she held her head high despite the man's rude grumbling about her that was not quiet, and how graceful she looked as she walked quickly without stumbling or dropping anything at all. The other waitress had half the load Bee did and almost dropped everything three different times.
As the customer got up to pay she greeted him at the single register with a large smile and within seconds he had paid and left with a apology on his lips and promise to be a more respectful customer next time.
Her brothers gawked on either side of me, and I was sure I was the same. What the hell had she said for the rude man to apologize to her genuinely?
How long had she been a waitress to deal with this shit so well? When Ansel asked the same question as me out loud, I knew I wasn't imagining anything.
''Are you done staring at Bee and ready to be seated?"
We'd known the blonde was there thanks to our heightened senses, but it still surprised me when she spoke up.
''Er, we actually are Bee's family. We heard there was a...issue so we came to check on her,'' Ansel told her politely, ''Where's your boss?"
She stared at us blankly for a moment, her eyes shooting between all three of us before hardening. ''Listen honey, Bee can handle her self, you ain't never showed up here before to help her in the seven years she's been working here as ''family'', so you best be gettin' on your way fellas.''
I glared at her, ''Where's your boss, I'm not asking again.''
No one could stand against a Alpha stare easily, especially a human. She deflated and avoided my eyes, but she still muttered insults our way.
''Bee was arguing with him a big before you arrived, she stopped to help with a surge of orders and customers, but she'll have gone back to the fight again now. Don't give up easy, that one.'' I could hear the pride and admiration in her voice at the last part.
She liked Bee a lot then. And if she knew she'd worked here for seven years that meant she'd most likely been the one working by her side during that time.
''What was it over?" Ansel asked her.
Blondie eyed him suspiciously, ''None of your business I reckon', if Bee didn' already tell ya I ain't tellin' ya shit.''
''Georgia, is it?" Ansel purred, stepping in close with a smile and twinkle as he gestured to her name tag, ''We've been out of town a lot over the years and Bee deserves better. I know this, but we're trying here darling. And everyone can use a little help every now and then, right?"
Any of the females in our pack would've been a blushing, stumbling mess but not blondie.
She scoffed at him, and said, ''Fine, I'll show ya where they're at. But I get to watch when she beats tha shit outta ya fools.''
It was a hard bargain for Ansel to say no to. Though he did look a little surprised at her not falling for ''the charm''.
Kal burst out laughing so hard I thought he'd break a fucking rib.
I just shook my head.
Georgia lead the way for us to walk to the back where we could see Bee standing in the kitchen and arguing with an older, shorter bald man with puckered lips and big bags under his eyes.
She made us stand just on the corner where we 'couldn't disturb Bee' but could see how she was doin', in Georgia's words.
Bee was on fire, raging and pissed off so her face and neck turned red like her hair as she spoke to her boss.
''I don't work my ass off here so that a pervert customer can do whatever he flippin' wants! If he don't come back, we're better off not having someone make our other customers— repeat, good paying customers— uncomfortable, Jack.'' She seethed. ''You've lost how many waitresses over this issue? You really want me to get pissed off and walk out that door? Who else will be willing to work a 12 hour shift by themselves or do a double-shift back to back?''
'Jack' sighed and ran a hand over his non-existent hair, ''Bee, I get it okay? But you can't pour soup on someone's head just cause they—''
''Like hell I can't!!" she scoffed, crossing her arms.
''Bee, I've known you for years and I've seen you at your most desperate. I'm not against you in this situation. But the owner will make me fire you if there's too many incidents like this, and this is the third one!'' He rubbed his eyes and turned in a small circle. ''I get it, okay? I'm glad you stood up for yourself like you always do, but could you maybe wait til your off the clock to harass customers so that it can't be held against you? Could you just— just do that?''
The man sounded like he was freaking pleading.
I couldn't see her face, but I could see the way her shoulders deflated just a little to show she was listening.
''Bee, I mean it. Regardless if you're sleeping out in your car this time, if you have to walk to work and back home again cause of your truck issues, or you're starving to save every penny and dime you can get for whatever it was— if they make me fire you, my hands are tied.''
She stared him down for a second, ''I got it. But I can't let some shit slide Jack, you know that. And his hand was—''
''I know, but I also know that's hardly the worst thing you've dealt with over the years. He grabbed your ass? Go fuck up his car on your break like you threatened to do to me earlier, don't pour soup on his head in front of everyone and where the boss can see it on the cameras. Just for the love of God, if you fuck up someone's car in the parking lot— at least wear a damn mask!"
With that, Jack moved around her to go check on the guests and stopped short when he saw us.''Guests aren't allowed in the kitchen! Get!" he barked.
I normally would've had a problem with how he spoke to us, and with him. But I was still reeling from everything he and Bee had just said.
And the whole time, Bee stood there with her back to us, not knowing we were there and had heard everything.
She looked like she was lost in thought as she stared at the coffee maker on the counter in the small kitchen big enough for two cooks only.
I turned and left the diner without another word.
She'd dealt with worse he'd said.
And she'd never once told us. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to shift into my wolf out of anger as I slammed the door to the diner open and stepped out.
If something had happened to her, would we have even known? All the wolves and pack members I'd had watching her, even my parents, and not one of them had known about this shit. I walked up to my car and looked from it to Bee's beat up truck parked towards the back of the diner. She wouldn't let us pay for anything or help with anything.
She didn't go to neighbors or my parents who she loved and respected, for help.
She didn't go to anyone ever, no matter what she needed.
I slammed my fist through my car window, realizing it actually made me feel a bit better. But not much.
Bee loved and knew so many people in our hometown, my parents had helped raise her and her brothers after her parents had died, but she kept them all at a distance. None of them able to get close enough to find out more about what was going on with her.
''Why?'' I asked out loud, ignoring my car's alarm blaring and my bleeding hand that was already starting to heal.
******
Is it just me or do pancakes sound really, really good right now??