Her Destiny
Fiona Davenport
Copyright © 2021 by Fiona Davenport
Cover designed by Elle Christensen
Edited by Editing4Indies
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Contents
Her Destiny
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Epilogue
About the Author
Her Destiny
Peppa Leander was rising star in the Chicago restaurant scene, but she was tired of kitchen politics. And working with too many humans. The offer to become the head chef for a new restaurant in Timber Ridge came at the perfect time.
Cason Kemp assumed he’d remain mateless for the rest of his life. Feeling at odds with his wolf, he was giving serious thought to joining a smaller pack who lived a more primitive lifestyle out in the wilderness. But all that changed when he caught Peppa’s scent and realized she was his mate.
Prologue
Peppa
“Great job tonight, guys.”
At the sound of the unfamiliar masculine voice, my head whipped up. When I spotted the executive chef of the restaurant where I worked, my eyes widened in surprise. I’d known Armand was on-site tonight, but I hadn’t expected him to come into the kitchen and congratulate the team. In the two years since I’d been at Castagna, he’d only spoken with anyone other than William, the head chef, a handful of times. I’d never been offended by it since Armand was at the top of the kitchen hierarchy and hadn’t been around since I’d been promoted. His role at Castagna was primarily managerial, the same as it was at the four other restaurants owned by the hospitality company we all worked for. He didn’t spend much time in the kitchen anymore, which was where I was for at least ten hours a day.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Armand, as shocked by his compliment as I was. Not that we didn’t deserve to be recognized for our hard work. As one of the only restaurants in the United States to earn two Michelin stars, Castagna was expected to provide nearly perfect food, service, presentation, and décor. The dining area was impeccable and the waitstaff well-trained, but the perfectly crafted plates sent out from our kitchen earned us those stars.
“I apologize for the interruption. I know you’re all looking forward to finishing up your duties so you can get home, but I wanted to share with you the wonderful news we just heard.” Armand clapped William on the back. “As you all know, the newest Michelin guide will be released soon.” My heart raced as he paused, and his lips curved up in a rare smile. “And when it does, the entire world will learn that Castagna has earned its third star.”
After a moment of stunned silence, the kitchen staff erupted in cheers. Only fourteen restaurants had three Michelin stars in last year’s guide, so this was a significant accomplishment for all of us. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I was second in charge of the day-to-day running of a kitchen that had just earned its third star. My promotion to sous chef had already been a major accomplishment, but this would take my resume to a whole new level. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the moment didn’t last long.
William looked over his shoulder as Martin Branch walked into the kitchen. He had been the sous chef at Castagna before Armand asked him to move to Balthazar, the new restaurant he was opening, and he hadn’t been thrilled I replaced him. Although he’d had no issue with my work on the sauté station in the year and a half I’d been the saucier, he wasn’t happy about being replaced by a female chef. Judging by the smug expression on his face, I wasn’t going to like the reason for his visit.
When Martin reached William’s side, our head chef grinned and stuck out his hand. “It’s great to have you back.”
I clenched my jaw to stop myself from asking what he meant about Martin being back, but I didn’t need to give voice to it because the answer came after Armand greeted him too. Turning back to face the kitchen staff, he announced, “It’s been too long since William has taken a true vacation because he’s insisted he couldn’t get away from the kitchen for more than a day or two at a time. But with the awarding of Castagna’s third star, he’s finally decided that it’s time to take a two-week trip.”
My eyes squeezed shut as I began to understand why Martin was here. William confirmed my suspicion, each word feeling as though it was a stab in my chest. “Lucky for me, things are going smoothly at Balthazar, and Martin was willing to pitch in for me here while I’m gone so we won’t be down a chef.”
“Stepping in as the head chef at Castagna while you’re on vacation is an honor.” As soon as I forced my eyes back open, Martin flashed me a superior grin.
Most of my coworkers flashed me sympathetic smiles during another moment of stunned silence. Our pastry chef, Larken, and I started our jobs at Castagna only a month apart and became good friends during our time here. I wasn’t surprised when she was the one who gave voice to some of what I was thinking, “The menu has changed over several times since Martin has worked at Castagna, and we have a new pantry chef and legumier who have never worked with him before. ”
Martin crossed his arms over his chest, scowling at her. “Are you trying to imply that I’m not up to the task of running Castagna’s kitchen for a couple of weeks while William is away?”
“I’m not saying anything of the sort.” Larken jerked her thumb over her shoulder, pointing in my direction. “I just don’t understand the need to bring in a sous chef from another restaurant to step in as the head chef when we have our own sous chef who just helped us earn a third Michelin star.”
William’s brows drew together, and a wrinkle popped up in his forehead. “You cannot seriously think she’s qualified to run my kitchen.”
Several shocked gasps echoed around us as I glared at William. When I’d been hired as the saucier here, I was aware that he had a huge ego. But working under him in the kitchen of a Michelin starred restaurant had been too big of an opportunity to pass up. Plus, I was used to dealing with vain men—some of whose heads were literally too big to pass through the doorway when they were in their lion form. Growing up with three older brothers taught me what I needed to know when dealing with guys who thought they knew better than I did. The number one rule was to never back down. Refusing to show any sign of weakness, I stepped forward and muttered, “Damn straight I am. While you’re busy creating menus and supervising staff, I’m the one who’s ensured your kitchen runs like a well-oiled machine. Odds are more than good that the last Michelin star we earned was on a night when I was running the pass since I’m there four out of five nights when I’m working.”
He sniffed and looked down his nose at me. “I hope that’s not a complaint since being involved in the day-to-day operations of my kitchen is a part of your job.”
“And so is filling in for you when you’re not here.” I threw my hands up in the air. “Like when you take a vacation.”
“You’ve only been my sous chef for six months. While I’m willing to concede that you’ve done a satisfactory job when you’ve been on the pass, you’re not ready to take over for me for two weeks.”
Satisfactory job?
I felt as though my head was about to explode, making it that much more challenging to hold back my lioness. Too many humans were in the kitchen for me to allow her to las
h out with her claws to make the jerk pay for trying to convince me that I wasn’t good enough to replace him while he was gone. Not to mention he wouldn’t survive an attack from me since he was human.
Several members of the kitchen staff moved to stand behind me. Having them take my back took some of the sting out of my boss insulting my skills. “I disagree. I think I’ve more than proven that I’m capable of running this kitchen.”
Armand’s gaze was considering as he registered how much of the team was on my side. Stepping between William and me, he held his palms up in a gesture that I assumed was meant to appease me, judging by the smile he aimed my way. Unfortunately, he missed the smug smirks on the other two chefs’ faces that completely negated his olive branch. “I’ve heard great things about the work you’ve been doing at Castagna, Peppa.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I lifted my chin the tiniest bit as I murmured, “I somehow doubt that, considering the only chef you speak with here apparently doesn’t think much of my abilities to run a kitchen even though he’s the one who promoted me to be his second in charge.”
“I understand your frustration with the situation, but I’m asking you to set this issue aside for now. Tonight is for celebrating an accomplishment very few restaurants around the world achieve.” His shoulders relaxed when I forced myself to give him a jerky nod in agreement. “When William returns in two weeks, the three of us can sit down and talk about your role here and what we can do to ensure that you’re ready to step up the next time he takes a trip. And Martin will run the kitchen this time since he came all the way out here as a favor to me.”
Working under Martin for the next two weeks wasn’t going to be fun, but I knew things would be even worse when William got back. He wasn’t going to appreciate me calling him out in front of Armand. I had a feeling that our third Michelin star came at just the right time because I was going to need to update my resume soon.
1
Cason
I heaved the ax over my shoulder and split the hunk of wood with one powerful chop. The rustic log cabin I’d been staying in for the past month or so had a wood-burning stove for heat. There wasn’t much to do out in the wilderness, so chopping wood had quickly become one of my favorite pastimes. Not that I needed as much as I’d expected since the cast iron stove put off a fuck of a lot more heat than I’d thought it would. I’d only ever used a fireplace before and had thought I’d freeze my ass off since I was up here in the dead of winter, but the inside of my cabin was almost too warm sometimes.
That didn’t stop me from stacking wood along the side of the cabin until it almost reached the roof, though. Neither did the fact that I’d never get through even a fraction of the wood I’d split since I was leaving next week. I got so much satisfaction from chopping it that I was planning to look into what it would take to have a wood-burning stove installed at my place in Timber Ridge when I got back to civilization.
After sticking the blade of my ax in the chopping block, I wiped my brow with my forearm and heaved a deep sigh. Even though it was below freezing outside, I’d worked up a hell of a sweat. It felt damn good, and the only reason I’d stopped was because I heard footsteps coming close. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Keane, the grizzly who was alpha of the small pack I’d been staying with. Giving him a chin lift, I said, “Hey.”
“If you want to keep going, feel free to drop some logs off at my place.” He jerked his thumb toward my stack of wood. “Since you’ve already run out of room.”
I grinned and chuckled softly. “That’s very generous of you.”
Keane shrugged his broad shoulders and grinned. “What can I say? I’m good like that.”
“Yeah, because you’re known for being such a nice guy.” Grizzly shifters didn’t have a reputation for being soft and cuddly. More like being antisocial dickheads who had short tempers. But all joking aside, Keane had done me a solid when he’d offered me a place to stay when I needed to get away from home for a while. As thrilled as I was that my brother had found his fated mate, it wasn’t easy being surrounded by happy couples. Not when I felt deep down in my soul that I’d spend the rest of my days alone. The males in my family hadn’t had much luck finding their fated mates over the years. There were only a few rare exceptions—none of which had happened twice in the same generation. Damon mating Trinity meant I wasn’t going to be the lucky one for ours.
My wolf felt the lack of a mate, too. He’d been difficult to control over the past couple of months, and it had only gotten worse the further along my sister-in-law had gotten in her pregnancy. As her belly grew with the babies that would always hold a special piece of my heart, I struggled with the knowledge that I’d never have pups of my own. I’d needed space to come to terms with my future, and that hadn’t been possible in Timber Ridge. When one of my former packmates, Booker, had come back to visit his parents, he’d seen how much I was struggling and suggested that I come to stay with his pack for a little while. I’d leaped at the chance to get away from it all so I could try to get my head on straight and left for the wilderness with him a few days later.
“You want to throw on a jacket and take a walk with me?”
The question pulled me out of my thoughts. Heading into the woods with a grizzly usually wasn’t a smart call, but I didn’t need to worry about Keane mauling me and leaving my body to be scavenged by wild animals. Or at least I hoped not since I said, “Sure.”
He grabbed the last few logs that I’d chopped and carried them with us after I grabbed my jacket. As we walked past his cabin, he tossed them near the small pile haphazardly stacked near the front door. When I chuckled, he tilted his head slightly to the side. “Like I said, if you want to stock me up before you head back to Timber Ridge for the restaurant opening, I’ll take as many logs as you want to give me.”
“Feel free to grab as many as you want.” The offer wasn’t really necessary since the cabin I’d been staying in belonged to his pack. “It’s not as though I’m going to need them when I’m back home.”
Keane grunted and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
My brows drew together as I asked, “Me leaving?”
“Yeah,” he confirmed with a nod. “Are you sure you want to go?”
I considered my answer, thinking about how content my wolf had been in the time that I’d been here. “A big part of me doesn’t want to leave, but I’m not sure if staying in the wilderness is the right call for me. Besides, the bottom line is that what I want doesn’t really matter since I told Damon I’d come back for the opening of Trinity’s restaurant.”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep your promise to your brother.” Keane paused to look at the scratch marks my wolf had left on the trunk of one of the trees lining the path we were taking into the woods. “But nothing is stopping you from using this trip back to Timber Ridge as an opportunity to pack up your stuff and bring it back here.”
I would never have guessed he’d wanted to talk to me about moving here permanently. “Are you offering me a place in your pack?”
“Yup.” He gestured toward the clawed bark. “And I think you should seriously consider joining us since your wolf already feels as though this is his territory.”
Fur brushed the inside of my skin, but my wolf wasn’t pushing for control. He was just signaling his excitement over the possibility of returning to the wilderness. “I have to admit, I’m surprised by the offer. From what Booker told me, it’s unusual for you to accept new members into your pack.”
“It’s not as though I have a ton of shifters coming up here.” He circled his hand in the air. “Our lifestyle is more primitive than a lot of people can handle, no matter how happy our animals are to have a fuck ton of land to roam.”
“Primitive?” I snorted and shook my head. “I’m not living in a tent up here or anything. My cabin might only be one room plus the bathroom, but it’s damn comfortable. I wouldn’t call what I’ve bee
n doing roughing it.”
“See? You fit in with our little group better than I expected.” He flashed me a rare grin.
I shook my head and chuckled. “I never thought my wolf would get along so well with bears.”
“Maybe he’s comfortable because with you here, the wolves outnumber us bears,” he suggested.
Keane’s group had six members, all of them single males. Two bears, two wolves, a cougar, and a fucking dragon. I’d only met four of them, though. The cougar had been gone the entire time I’d been here, and I’d been told that the dragon hadn’t left the cave he’d been holed up in for the past couple of months. I’d mostly hung out with Booker, but Leyton and Rome had been fairly welcoming to me for guys who preferred to live off the grid. Leyton was Keane’s younger brother and beta to his small pack, and Rome was a wolf who’d spent a decade on his own before joining Keane’s group. I was pretty sure that hanging out with Rome was a big part of what had helped settle my wolf.
Knowing he’d found a home here after roaming as a lone wolf for so long gave me hope for my brother. I’d been struggling with so much anger after Aaron had been rejected by the human female who was his fated mate. It killed something inside me that my brother no longer felt at home in our pack. That being around his family hurt him. But maybe someday the time would come when he no longer wanted to be alone. When he didn’t feel the need to run from the blow that had been dealt to his soul by the woman who should have been the one to protect his heart for the rest of their very long lives together. Even if we were never part of the same pack again, I wanted that so fucking badly for him.
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