Page 23 of Stout Bear

The folk band’s music swelled behind him, blending with the cheerful noise of the crowd. Max quickened his pace, determined to fix whatever problem had arisen and return toLaney as quickly as possible. The night was young, and he didn’t want to miss a moment more than necessary.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

Max followeda group of twenty festivalgoers through the brewing area. The behind-the-scenes tours had proven even more popular than expected, with people eager to see where their favorite Fate Mountain beers were created.

“This is where the magic happens,” Marisol explained, gesturing to the gleaming stainless-steel fermentation tanks. “Our Grizzly Stout spends exactly fourteen days in these tanks before we move it to finishing.”

The visitors nodded appreciatively, snapping photos and pointing to different parts of the equipment. Max felt a surge of pride. Despite the water crisis and all the setbacks, they had pulled off a successful opening night. And more importantly, Laney was here.

Chris gave a small, urgent wave. His expression wasn’t panicked but definitely concerned. “So, what’s up with the system?” Max asked in a low voice.

“It’s giving off strange readings,” Chris said, showing Max the fluctuating numbers on the screen. “The microbial levelsare spiking in ways they shouldn’t be, especially right after maintenance.”

Max frowned, studying the display. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s what I thought. I wouldn’t have bothered you during the festival, but if these readings are accurate, it could affect tomorrow’s batches.”

Max felt a flicker of irritation. He’d thought the water issues were behind them after installing the expensive filtration system. The last thing he needed was another contamination crisis during the biggest event of the year.

“Let me reset the system,” Max said. “It could just be a calibration error.”

The BioClean control panel was mounted on the wall near the water intake pipes. Max entered the override code and initiated a system reset. Numbers and indicators flashed across the screen as the diagnostics ran. Moments later, the reset completed with a soft beep. The numbers stabilized, returning to acceptable ranges. Whatever had caused the spike appeared to be resolved.

“Keep an eye on this,” Max told Chris. “If it happens again, call me immediately, no matter what time it is.”

“Will do, boss.”

Max ran a hand through his hair, suppressing his worry. He glanced at his watch. He’d been gone from Laney longer than he’d intended. The thought of her waiting with his parents made him quicken his pace as he headed out of the packed brewery.

Music and laughter greeted him as he stepped outside. The night had fully descended, and the festival lights created a warm,magical glow throughout the town square. Max scanned the beer garden where he’d left Laney and his parents, but their table was empty.

A small wave of anxiety rolled through him. Had Laney grown tired of waiting? Had his parents overwhelmed her with questions and family stories? He wove through the crowd, checking nearby tables and food stalls without success.

“Looking for someone?” Gwen appeared at his side.

“Mom, Dad, and Laney. Have you seen them?”

“Mom and Dad went to say hello to the Grants. Not sure about Laney.”

Max thanked her and continued searching. He spotted Liv near the craft booths, busy talking to a local artist about their festival signage. Noah was in the beer garden, probably tallying the impressive sales. But no sign of Laney.

As he rounded the corner by the market stalls, Max finally saw her. She stood beneath a string of twinkling lights, admiring handmade jewelry at one of the vendor booths. Relief washed over him, quickly followed by something sharper.

A tall, good-looking man leaned in close to Laney, pointing at something in the display case. He wore an expensive-looking jacket and had the confident posture of someone used to getting what he wanted. Laney smiled politely as the man said something that Max couldn’t hear from this distance.

Max felt his bear stir inside him, a low growl building in his chest. The animal recognized what the man couldn’t possibly know. Laney was his mate.His. Mate.The territorial instinct roared through him with unexpected force.

Before he realized what he was doing, Max was striding toward them. The stranger had moved even closer to Laney, touching her elbow lightly to direct her attention to another piece of jewelry. Her smile had tightened, looking more forced now.

“Don’t think I’ve seen you around. You here alone?” the man was saying as Max approached.

“I’m just... meeting some friends. Thanks, but I’m all set,” Laney replied, her voice tense.

Max stepped forward, smoothly sliding an arm around Laney’s waist. He felt her slight jump of surprise, then the way she immediately relaxed against him.

“Sorry I took so long,” Max said, keeping his tone casual while his arm communicated something distinctly possessive. He turned to the stranger with a polite but firm nod. “Everything okay here?”

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