Chapter 73

BELLE

The rest of the evening was a blur. That was one nice thing about working at the diner; it kept you busy enough that time moved quickly.

There wasn’t a single moment when I didn’t have something to do. I was grateful for it, even if I was exhausted by the end of the day. It kept me distracted from my own thoughts.

It was dark now and well past 10 p.m. I groaned as I looked at the clock. I still had two more hours of my shift left.

I wouldn’t mind being the only waitress on the floor if I were with Tommy-hardly anyone comes in after eight anyway-but Bert was a different story.

He always knew just what to say to make me feel uncomfortable.

His favorite thing to talk to me about was my appearance-how I looked in my uniform, that I would look better if I put on some makeup, that I looked just like one of his ex-girlfriends, and so

on.

Today it had been, “I wish you would smile at me the way you do with the customers. C’mon, give me a smile, beautiful.”

I ignored him and continued working.

I think it pissed him off because the food was coming out considerably slower after that, leaving me to deal with hungry customers who had been waiting over forty-five minutes for their food.

I was beyond exhausted. Sighing, I sat down in one of the booths I knew Bert couldn’t see from the kitchen and pressed my head down onto the cool table.

I had rejoiced when the only two customers in the diner had left, leaving the place completely empty. I needed a break. I had been on autopilot all day. Had I even stopped to eat lunch?

It didn’t matter. My stomach had been roiling all day, most likely due to my mark, so I doubt I would have been able to keep anything down anyway.

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My body ached from being on my feet-in heels nonetheless-for ten straight hours yesterday and then again for running on fourteen today.

Ugh, why did I do this to myself?

Well, actually, I knew why, and it wasn’t only because I needed the money, although that was the main reason for putting myself through this hell.

But, really, I didn’t have much else to do with myself.

If I wasn’t here, I was at my extremely cra ppy apartment, trying to sleep, and my nightmares never allowed me more than a couple of hours of unconsciousness before I always woke up screaming every night without fail.

At least work kept my mind occupied and gave me something productive to do.

I rested my head on my arms, still leaning on the table in front of me. Guilt was eating away at me. I hated that I had yelled at Liam earlier.

He and Laila had left after our argument and hadn’t said another word to me.

I even checked my phone multiple times, the one Liam had given me, expecting to see at least one text from him, but there was nothing.

After everything he and his sister had done for me, I couldn’t believe I had said that to him. Sure, maybe he deserved it, and it had felt good to say it in the moment, but now I felt awful.

Liam and Laila were my friends, and they cared about me and wanted the best for me. And whether or not I wanted to admit it, I didn’t want to lose them.

I liked having friends-even if they didn’t want me at their parties.

I was about to pull out my phone, ready to text Liam and apologize, when something stopped me. Someone was sitting in front of me.

I screamed and jumped so high out of my seat that I was surprised when I didn’t hit the ceiling.

There was an older woman sitting across from me in the booth, smiling the sort of smile expect from your grandma.

you

would

She was wearing a thick blue coat and a bandanna over her head, making her look like the types of rich old women you see in Hollywood movies…

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The kind that drive old top-down convertibles, drink expensive co cktails, and often daydream about killing their husbands.

She was elegant and beautiful-probably one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen with her silver-blonde hair and porcelain skin.

She was absolutely breathtaking. And very out of place in this crappy old diner.

“Oh, my gosh,” I said, placing a hand over my chest to calm my racing heart. “You scared me.”

She smiled sweetly. “Sorry, deary.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry.” I began to get up, returning her smile even though I wasn’t feeling it. “I was just resting. I didn’t know anyone was here.”

I was surprised when her hand shot out and grabbed my arm, stopping me. “Why don’t you sit and have a meal with me? I could use a big cheeseburger and some decent conversation.”

I paused. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I’d never had a customer ask to eat with me before.

“Oh, um, thank you for the offer, but I should really get back to work—”

“Bert!” the woman yelled out, cutting me off. She never let go of my arm, keeping me firmly in place. “Would you be a dear and make us two cheeseburgers and two strawberry milkshakes?”

“You got it!” he called back automatically. He had more enthusiasm in his voice than I had ever heard him use before.

My mouth dropped open slightly in surprise. She knew Bert? “How-?”

“I come here often,” the woman provided, answering my question before I asked it.

That was hard to believe. I had been working here nearly every day for three months and hadn’t seen

her once.

If she were one of the regulars, I would have noticed, especially if she looked like this every day. Her beauty was pretty hard to miss.

“Oh, my darling girl, you look exhausted,” she said, consoling me, her kind eyes searching my weary face. There was something about that gaze that made me feel strangely comforted and at

peace.

Ale “And I

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That’s why I didn’t stop her when she grabbed my hands in hers and squeezed them gently. “And I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’re in.”

My brows tugged together. “I’m sorry?”

“Your bond is starving. Oh, how you must miss him.”

I blinked. Was she talking about…?

She tilted her head to the side as if she knew what I was wondering, revealing her neck. I sucked in air when I saw the two puncture wounds right where her neck and shoulder met. A mark. A werewolf’s mark.

“You’re a-a-” I stuttered, not quite able to get the words out.

“Yes, I know all about werewolves,” the woman said, waving her hand as if it were no big deal. “I am mated to one, just like you.”

My gaze shot over to the kitchen, looking to see if Bert could hear any of our conversation.

I didn’t know if Grayson would care if I told anyone about the werewolf world, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I couldn’t have him tracking me down.

At the thought of him, a sudden burst of pain took over my senses. I gasped and pressed my eyes shut. I braced myself as a big wave of fire began to spread from my mark, about to take over my body…

But then it stopped.

My eyes flew open. Almost all of the pain from my mark had just disappeared, leaving me with a perfectly manageable throbbing sensation. I would have cried out in relief if I weren’t so confused.

I looked at the woman. She didn’t meet my gaze, looking lost in thought. Her grip on my tightened.

hands

“Oh my, you are in a lot of pain,” she whispered, eyes much wider than before. Her body looked tense, rigid. She looked back at me. “I will hold onto it for now.”

“What?” I asked. “You-You-

99

She nodded. “I took your pain, yes. I’m sorry to say that I can’t keep it for long, as much as I would love to give you that reprieve.

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“Unfortunately, your pain is your burden to bear. But I can hold on to it for a few minutes and give you a bit of a break.”

I stared at her. “I don’t understand,” I said.

She pursed her lips, thinking. “Yes, this must seem confusing.” Then she winced slightly. Her eyes were filled with pain when she looked back at me. My pain.

“Your bond is starving,” she muttered. “You need your mate.”

I hesitated. The last thing I wanted to be doing with whatever little time I had not in agony was talking about Grayson. “My mate rejected me to be with someone else. He doesn’t want me. He never did.”

The woman looked me up and down before smiling widely. “I find that extremely hard to believe.”

Bert approached us then, carrying our meals. I was shocked when he didn’t complain about being forced to do my job or having to cook for me.

In fact, he didn’t say anything at all. He just put our food down and walked straight back to the

kitchen. He didn’t even look at us.

“Do you

like cheeseburgers?” the woman asked me when Bert was out of sight.

My eyes fell on the food in front of me. I did love cheeseburgers. And I hadn’t had one in forever. I got an employee discount for food at the diner but didn’t ever use it.

I needed to save as much money as I could so I could keep renting out my apartment.

I nodded.

“Please eat,” the woman said, already picking up some fries. “The meal is on me.”

There was something about her soothing tone that made me want to do as she told me, made me feel like it was okay to sit and take a short break even when I should be working.

I picked up the burger in front of me and took a huge bite, my stomach cheering in gratitude for the food. It was the first time I was actually able to eat in peace in so long.

I finally came up for air after scarfing down half my meal, only to see the woman watching me with amusement. My cheeks brightened.

“Sorry,” I whispered, wiping my face with a napkin. “Hungry.”

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“I’m sure you are.” She gestured to my food, her kind smile never leaving her face. “Please, eat some more.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

Somehow this unnatural situation felt completely normal. She reminded me of my grandma. “How are you doing, my dear?” she asked me a few seconds later.

I swallowed the food in my mouth. She was speaking to me as if she knew me. “I’m, uh… I’m okay.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” she responded. “You can be honest with me. Being away from your mate is hard. Especially when your connection was as strong as yours was.”

“You know who Grayson is?”

She laughed. “Of course I do. Alpha Grayson Stoll is one of the most powerful men alive. Anyone who is a part of the supernatural realm knows who he is.’

“Oh,” I murmured. “So that explains why you know who I am.”

She nodded. “You are Belle Dupree, the mate of Grayson Stoll.”

“Ex-mate,” I corrected softly, dropping my gaze. I needed to change the subject. “Are you a werewolf?”

“Oh, goodness, no. I grew up in a pack, though. And I am mated to a werewolf.” She offered me her hand to shake. “My name is Evangeline Viotto.”