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“It’s so lovely to see you out so early in the morning and in front of Hazel’s coffee shop. Could you be here for a certain mate and hoping to win her over with coffee?”

Sighing again, I rub a hand down my face. “Can you help me? I was going to ask Hazel, but I’m afraid that she is going to purposefully sabotage me.”

“Get her a cappuccino with a sprinkle of cinnamon. She likes it warm, not hot. So on the walk over to the bookstore, take the lid off to help cool it down.” She winks at me before heading down the sidewalk.

Shaking my head, I open the door to Flick the Bean.How does she always know when and where to be? I haven’t told anyone that I am trying to win over Aspen, so how did she know?

As soon as the bell chimes above my head, Hazel looks up with her welcome dying in her throat before she even says it. “Why are you here, Warrick?”

Shrugging, I say, “Can’t a man have a nice cup of coffee in the morning?”

She pops her hip, placing a fisted hand on it. “Not a man who has never drank a cup of coffee in the entire lifetime I have known him. What are you really up to?”

“Listen, I know you don’t like me, and I know I’ve never given you a reason to like me. But I also know that I’ve fucked up when it comes to Aspen. I can’t take any of it back and I can’t take away the pain I caused her. All I can do is try to be the mate she deserves.” It feels good to release all these thoughts that have been tormenting me, even if it’s to someone who can’t stand me. But of all of Aspen’s friends, Hazel is the most understanding.

“You think a coffee is going to change her feelings toward you?” Her eyes soften with understanding.

“I know it won’t make her leap into my arms and declare to the world we are mates. It’s just … look, I was up all night tossing and turning. I saw her with Chase last night. I’ve never been on the receiving end of feeling that kind of pain. Despite all the times she saw me with other women and felt hurt, she has never done the same to me. To make it worse, I know she did it on purpose. She sensed me outside and chose to walk arm in arm with him all the way back to the pack land.”

Her face softens even more than it already had. “You didn’t like it, did you?”

I sigh. “No, I didn’t like it. But I deserve it. Anyway, can I get a cappuccino with cinnamon on top, please?”

Her mouth drops open before she closes it and shakes her head. “Gail?”

I nod my head, because how else would I have her order? It doesn’t take her long to fill my order, and she shows me the cinnamon heart she created on the top of her coffee.

A concerned look crosses her face before she says, “I’m a little worried about this. I’m sure you mean well, but you really broke her heart when you cheated on her. If you are serious about this, then I better never hear about another woman anywhere near you. You don’t want to know what Willow wanted to do to you that night, and every time you rubbed a girl in Aspen’s face.”

I nod my head as I grab her coffee and turn to head out the door. “Don’t worry, Hazel. I won’t be with anyone else. I only want my mate.”

She nods her head as she goes back to whatever she is doing on her phone.

Carefully, I walk down to the bookstore, ensuring I follow Gail’s instruction of leaving the lid off the coffee to help cool it down. Before I make it to her shop, I pop the lid back on the coffee to keep from spilling it. Right as I elbow the door open, Aspen is already glaring at me. My eyebrows shoot up.How is she already mad at me? I literally just got here.

“Why are you here, Warrick?” If she was a teapot, she would have steam coming out of her ears.

“Seems to be the going question of the day. I thought I would bring you a coffee and hang out with you while you work.”

Shock flits across her face. “You can’t just hang out here, Warrick. This is a business and not a hangout spot.”

I look at the cozy, overstuffed chairs sitting in front of her massive picture window, then back to her.

“Those are for paying customers, not asshole mates,” she says, clearly reading my thoughts.

“Fair enough, will you at least take the coffee I got for you?” I ask, while holding it out in front of me. It feels more like I’m trying to coax a wild animal to trust me than my mate. I know I deserve her hesitation, but does she have to act like I’m going to poison her? Maybe I have more work to do than I’ve considered, if she won’t even take a coffee from me.

“If I take it, will you leave?”

I nod my head, and she walks over and practically snatches it from my hands. Thank the goddess that I secured the lid, otherwise, she would have spilled coffee all over herself.

“There, I took your coffee. Now go!” She takes a couple of steps back from me, ensuring there is enough distance between us.

Holding both my hands up in surrender, I turn and walk back out the door I had only managed a handful of steps inside of.

I walk down the sidewalk back toward the pack land before I come to a stop. A deep, soul aching sigh leaves me as I turn my face toward the sky. The snow is slowly coming down, and each flake drops on my face and melts. Alright, that plan didn’t work, not that I really expected one coffee to work. I’ll just have to keep showing up each day until she lets me in. I won’t let anything or anyone get in the way of what I want most—which is, her. Hopefully, she will see how serious I am and that I’m willing to make the changes needed to be her mate.

An hour later, as I’m looking over the notes from the scouts, I feel an ache in my legs from sitting too long at my desk. Stretching out my legs, Wraith, my wolf, whines.