Page 5 of Stout Bear

The mate.com algorithm must have made a mistake. A bear shifter, especially one who looked like that, would never choosesomeone like her. Laney picked up the phone again, staring at the match notification. Her thumb hovered over the message button. What would she even say to him? “Hi, I’m not actually what I claimed to be, but want to meet anyway?”

Instead, she navigated to the settings and deleted the app without replying. The phone’s screen returned to the home menu, leaving her with a hollow ache in the pit of her stomach.

Better to avoid certain disappointment than risk another rejection. Better to focus on her new job, on building a career where her half-shifter status wouldn’t matter as much as her scientific expertise.

Laney went into her small bedroom and collapsed on the bed. She stared at the ceiling, her mind racing with thoughts of what might have been if she were different, whole. The lamp from the living room cast long shadows through the doorway. Outside, darkness had fallen. She still had so much work to do to make this apartment a home.

She pulled a pillow close to her body for comfort as she turned over on her side. Stout Bear’s image lingered in her thoughts, calling to a part of her she had long suppressed. Laney closed her eyes, trying to quiet her inner fox, which continued to whine for the bear shifter she knew would eventually reject her.

Tomorrow would bring another day at the institute, another chance to prove her worth through her work. That was where she belonged, in the lab where results mattered more than her looks or her inability to shift.

She couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if she had been brave enough to reach out. But bravery had never been her strong suit. Safety meant staying hidden, like a fox in its den.And so, she would remain alone. It was the only way to protect herself from the pain of being a half-shifter freak.

Chapter

Five

Max satat his cluttered desk, typing vendor emails on a laptop while glancing at spreadsheets of festival logistics. A half empty mug of cold coffee sat beside him. His event planner mother had managed the Fate Mountain Beer Festival flawlessly for years, and now Max needed to prove the Bocks had chosen the right successor.

He flipped between screens, confirming vendor details in one window while checking supply chain updates on his phone. “We need at least two more food trucks... maybe a dessert vendor,” Max muttered.

The festival budget left little room for error. Every addition required cuts elsewhere, a balancing act that grew more complex as the event date approached. His siblings contributed their expertise, but final decisions fell to Max. He felt the pressure mounting, conscious that every misstep would reflect on the brewery and the family.

A sudden chime on his phone pulled Max’s attention away from the cost analysis spreadsheet. The mate.com icon flashed on his phone screen, an automatic notification he hadn’t expected.Excitement spiked through him as he read the pop-up banner: “Congratulations! We’ve found your fated mate.”

Max’s pulse spiked as he tapped the notification. He found the profile with the username “Hydro Girl.” But there was no photo, just a default avatar silhouette. He quickly scrolled through the description, reading about an environmental scientist who enjoyed hiking and discovering new places.

His inner grizzly stirred with unexpected intensity, whining and roaring with frustration. The bear recognized something. Max had learned to trust his bear’s instincts over the years, finding them unnervingly accurate in judging character and situations.

Without overthinking, he typed a brief, friendly introduction: “Hello from Fate Mountain. So, we’re fated mates. That’s wild, don’t you think? What’s it like being an environmental scientist? Max.”

He hit send before he could second-guess himself. Max stared at the screen for a moment before forcing his attention back to the festival logistics. The beer festival planning couldn’t wait, even though his inner bear was going crazy with excitement.

He returned to vendor emails, confirming participation from local artisans who would showcase their crafts. As he worked, he found himself glancing at his phone, hoping to see a response notification. His bear continued to pace within, unusually agitated by the lack of contact. He couldn’t ignore the pull of a perfect match, even as he tried to focus on work responsibilities.

The clock on the wall showed it was past midnight. The bar would close soon, the closing staff already beginning cleanup procedures in the taproom. Max grabbed his phone, checking the message thread again to confirm it had sent properly. Theapp showed his message had been delivered but not yet read. Disappointment settled in his stomach as he set the phone down and resumed work on the entertainment schedule.

The festival required live music throughout the event. Local bands had priority, supporting the community that supported the brewery. On a final check of mate.com before preparing to leave for the night, Max realized something had changed. When he tried to view “Hydro Girl’s” profile again, he found it no longer existed. An error message appeared instead: “This user is no longer available.”

The phone’s screen dimmed on the empty user page. He could hear staff saying final goodbyes to patrons in the taproom, chairs scraping against floors as tables were cleared for the night.

Disappointment knotted in his stomach with a sick certainty that he had just lost his mate forever. Max set the phone aside, slumped back in his chair, and closed his eyes. His head spun and nausea rose in his throat. His bear growled with frustration and loss, refusing to accept the abrupt ending. He tried to console himself. If she truly was the one, fate would have to find another way to bring them together.

Chapter

Six

The Bright Instituteconducted regular monthly water analyses for several local businesses. Laney carefully placed a slide from the Fate Mountain Brewery under the microscope.

The microscope’s illuminator revealed odd, shifting particulates edged with an unnatural sheen. Something about these samples felt wrong, triggering the same instincts that had led her to discover problems in her previous position.

Laney flipped through past lab results, comparing them to the new data. She set them side by side on her workstation, analyzing the patterns. The older readings showed typical parameters while the new readings had odd chemical levels.

Memories resurged of being labeled “overreactive” in her old job. The senior environmental officer had patted her head like a child, saying, “Not everyone has your... unique perspective, Laney.”

She felt a pang of urgency. The faint signs in her samples might escalate if no one intervened. But she knew she needed more information to confirm the contamination wasn’t just a fluke.Ivy Bright entered the lab, and Laney let out a relieved sigh. The senior scientist’s presence offered an opportunity to share her concerns and seek guidance.

“I’m worried about these anomalies in the water from the brewery’s samples,” Laney said, her voice tight with concern as she showed Ivy the microscope slide. “The data doesn’t look good.”

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