Page 54 of The Reluctant Alpha

I bit back my laugh but resolved to do as I was told.

The main house was quiet—unusual for mid-morning. Emery and Phoenix must have taken Tia somewhere. I was grateful for that small mercy as I settled Danny at the counter and began gathering ingredients.

"You cook?" Danny asked, eyebrows raised as I pulled out a mixing bowl.

"Bears eat a lot," I replied with a shrug. "Most of us learn young." And unfortunately, in the latter years of my father's regime, we ate what we could forage.

Danny watched me work, his expression thoughtful. I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind, processing everything that had happened, and I knew all the worries were resurfacing. The silence between us wasn't uncomfortable, exactly, but it was weighted with all the things we needed to discuss.

"You know," he said finally as I poured the first pancake onto the griddle, "I always figured if I ever got married, there'd be a proposal first. Maybe a ring. Definitely not a bite that biochemically enslaves me to someone." He tried to tease, but it didn’t really work.

I winced at his choice of words. "It's not enslavement."

His eyes twinkled, and I got he was teasing. "What would you call it then? According to Em, I physically can't be away from you now."

I flipped the pancake before answering, trying not to rumble with approval. "It's a bond. A connection. It goes both ways, Danny. I'm just as tied to you as you are to me."

I placed the first pancake on a plate and started another.

"What are you most afraid of?" I asked quietly.

Danny blinked, caught off guard by the direct question. "I...what?"

"In all of this. What scares you the most?"

He looked down at his hands, fidgeting with a napkin. "I’m not good at… Em is great with the wolves," he finally admitted. "And you know I don’t have a working brain-to-mouth filter. What if the bears hate me?”

“Impossible,” I decreed, but my heart ached at the vulnerability in his voice. I finished cooking in silence, arranging a plate with pancakes, bacon, and eggs before setting it in front of Danny.

"You know what I'm afraid of?" I asked, leaning against the counter across from him.

Danny looked up, fork poised over his breakfast. "Being tied to a neurotic human who faints at the mention of baby bears?" he snarked.

I smiled despite myself. "No. I'm afraid of not being worthy of you. Of failing you." I met his eyes directly. "I'm afraid that one day you'll wake up and realize this wasn't what you deserve, and you'll resent me for it."

Danny's expression softened. "Bayer..."

"The bond doesn't take away your choices, Danny. It changes the parameters, yes. But you're still you. Stubborn, sarcastic, fiercely protective of your students." I reached across the counter to touch his hand. "Being an omega doesn't erase who you are any more than being a bear erases who I am."

He looked down at our joined hands. "But what about living here? My job? Mom?"

"We'll figure it out," I promised. "Together. Maybe I can get a place closer to town for part of the week. Maybe there are teaching positions nearer. We have options."

"And the...baby thing?" Danny's voice had dropped to almost a whisper.

"That's entirely up to you," I said firmly, not pointing out it may be too late and trying not to be giddy at the thought. "There are suppressants, birth control methods. If you don't want children, we don't have to have them." I frowned to myself, pretty sure condoms hadn't worked with Phoenix and Emery. And then there was the elephant in the room Danny had obviously decided to ignore: what if it was too late?

"And if I do? Someday, I mean. Not right now, obviously." His cheeks flushed.

My heart swelled with unexpected emotion. "Then we'll figure that out too. When the time is right."

Danny nodded, seeming somewhat reassured, and turned his attention to his food. He took a bite of pancake and his eyes widened. "Oh wow, these are amazing. How are you not, like, three thousand pounds if you can cook like this?"

I laughed, relieved by the change in subject. "Bears burn a lot of calories. Especially when we shift." I'd made enough for both of us but mine sat untouched.

As Danny ate, some color returned to his cheeks, and I felt the tension between us ease slightly. We weren't done talking—far from it—but this felt like a start. I noticed him eyeing my plate, and then he abruptly put his fork down. "This has to stop."

I had no clue what he meant, so I just waited. He sighed. "My fault." He nodded as if making a decision, then jumped off the stool and picked up my full plate, heading to the couch. He eyed me until I took the hint and followed him. "Sit."