Beta's Mate (Siberian Volkov Pack Romance Series Book 8) (4 page)

He never pushed her, always giving her the choice. She hated it! Why couldn’t he demand his rights as her mate? Then she could hate him, and have good reason to. But no, he was always nice, always doing the right thing, always giving her reasons to admire him. He even cooked for her.

Tears streamed down her face. She hadn’t cried since the day she was turned into a lycan and Esme’s brother was killed. Now her heart ached, and huge sobs quaked her body. She ran into the master bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind her. Curling up on the bed, she cried out her pain, her loneliness, her confusion. She didn’t know who she was anymore. She didn’t want to be the bitter woman who sniped at the man who tried to make her happy. She didn’t want to feel so terribly alone. She might as well have died from the cancer if this was all there was to life. Her sobs shook her as she cried and cried.

Warm arms surrounded her and held her to his steady beating heart. Brenda cried harder. She had struck out at him and still he offered comfort. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, unable to look at him. She didn’t deserve his kindness. Lovingly, he caressed her hair and back. He didn’t speak, just held her. He was too good.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” In her heart, she begged him to understand.

§

The next morning, the sun bouncing off the snow nearly blinded Brenda, as her eyes fluttered open. Her head and eyes hurt, and she felt like she had been dragged through a wringer. Glancing around the room, she frowned in confusion. The clock on the nightstand said eight-thirty. Where was Granger? Hadn’t he held her through the night?

She distinctly remembered falling asleep in his arms. But there was no sign of anyone else ever being in the room with her. She climbed out of the bed and went to the door. It was still locked from the inside. That couldn’t be right. Did Granger come to her in a dream? Esme mentioned Jared doing something similar.

She opened the door and hurried into the kitchen. All evidence of the dinner the night before was gone. The kitchen sparkled as if it hadn’t ever been used. She hurried to the front room. The fireplace was laid with fresh wood. “Granger?” she called. There was no answer.

§

The sound of a vehicle turning into the drive made Brenda run to the window. She sighed when she saw Jared’s Jeep. Granger’s truck had disappeared as magically as he had. Brenda hurried to the door, maybe Jared could tell her where Granger had gone.

Now that he was missing, all she could think about was how dejected he looked when he left the table last night. She needed him to know how sorry she was, how wrong. She opened the door.

Jared smiled at her. “Hey, Brenda. I’m here to take you to the resort. You still want the job with the ski patrol, right?”

“Yeah…” God, what was wrong with her? Panic seemed to be sneaking into her heart. Where was Granger?

“You’re not ready. Didn’t you find the patrol uniform in your duffle?” Jared asked, looking her up and down.

“
Uhm, yeah, I found it.”

“Well, go get dressed. You’re going to be late. We’ll need a few extra minutes with the snow being so deep. I’m not sure the resort has plowed their part of the road yet. Luckily, our guys were working at six this morning or I might not have been able to get here.”

“Jared, where is Granger? I thought
he
was taking me to the resort this morning.” Please let Jared tell her. She was being pathetic and she didn’t even care.

“He was called away on Beta council business.”

“Beta council?” What was that?

“Brenda, I don’t have time to explain. You need to get ready.”

Brenda looked down at her outfit and grimaced. She hadn’t changed her clothes since last night. “Okay, give me a few minutes.” Brenda rushed up the stairs. She hated to be late to anything, and being late on the first day of a new job was the worst. Even as she fumbled into the bright orange snow suit her mind went to Granger. Where was he?

§

Brenda followed Jared into the Ski Patrol office. A man with silver strands in his dark hair sat behind a desk. From his scent Brenda knew immediately he was a lycan.

“This is
Remi Michaud. He runs the ski patrol for the resort. Pack members fill all the positions. We seem to have a nose for search and rescue,” Jared said, with a wink. “Remi, let me introduce Brenda Ross, Granger’s mate.”

Brenda couldn’t help but smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Monsieur Michaud,” Brenda said.

“Remi, please. Welcome, Granger’s mate. Granger told me you were coming today.”

Brenda winced. “Brenda will be fine.”

“Granger is a lucky man to have found you in Scotland,” Remi said, smiling. “More of the young males are thinking of taking trips abroad to find their mates. My own son, Luc, wishes to go, but he’s still too young to mate at only eighteen. He’s working as a waiter in the resort restaurant this season. If you decide to eat there, ask for Luc, he’ll take good care of you.”

“Thank you, I’ll do that.”

Jared’s cell phone buzzed and he reached into the pocket of his parka. “If everything is okay here, I’m going to head out and take this call. Phone me if you need a ride at the end of your shift, Brenda. Or perhaps one of the ski patrol members can give you a lift.”

“Don’t worry about her, Jared. We’ll make sure she gets home all right,”
Remi reassured him.

Brenda waited for Jared to leave before she turned to
Remi. “What would you like me to do first?”

§

Brenda waved at Remi and his son, Luc, as their Jeep headed down the driveway. They had given her a ride home after her shift. She liked everyone she had met at the resort, and today had been a good day. She winced at her sore thigh muscles. She hadn’t been skiing for a while and she was out of shape. She hobbled into the cottage, chuckling to herself about the name of her house. Why anyone would call this place a cottage she wouldn’t know. Everyone she met today asked her if she lived at “The Cottage,” and all seemed glad when she said she was.

One of the pictures in the lower sitting room caught her eye. She recognized the scene sketched in pen and ink. It was of a little cut about halfway up the mountain. Only expert skiers were authorized on that run. She moved closer, drawn by the strong lines. Whoever drew the
landscape had real talent. She couldn’t quite make out the signature. It was two letters, the last one being a T. Her stomach growled, and Brenda realized she smelled food cooking.

“Hello? Is someone here?” she called out.

When no one answered, she headed upstairs to the kitchen. Sitting on the counter was a crockpot from which the delicious smells emanated. She pulled off the lid to find a hearty stew inside. On the table a place had been laid along with a basket of bread. Sitting next to the crockpot was a bowl and ladle.

“Hello?” Brenda called. “Granger are you here?”

Again the house was silent. Shrugging her shoulders, she filled the bowl with the thick beef broth and vegetables. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until she smelled the food.

Taking the bowl to the table she noticed a small card next to the place se
tting
. Hope you had a good first day
was typed on the paper. She lifted the card to her nose and using her enhanced lycan senses sniffed at the edges. Just as she thought, the scent of woodlands filled her nostrils. Granger made the note.

He must have gotten back from wherever the Beta council sent him. She was surprised he wasn’t here himself pushing his claim. Not that she would have given in if he did, which was probably why he wasn’t here. She buttered one of the pieces of bread and then dipped it in the stew before taking a big bite. She had to hand it to him, he knew her too well.

She missed seeing him today. Every time she turned around, she thought
he
would be there. He never was. She had trekked from one side of the resort to the other and never saw a sign of Granger. She should have felt relieved, instead she was kind of angry.

The whole pack made such a big deal over this heartmate bonding thing going on between them. So where was Granger? Her harsh words from last night rang in her mind. He wouldn’t walk away would he? Her stomach clenched at the thought and suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore.

She got up and packaged the stew for lunch the following day, then she washed dishes and headed into the bedroom to shower. Sighing, she pulled out her pajamas.

Another pen and ink drawing hanging over the bed drew her attention. This view was of the valley below the mountain. The picture was lovely. As she took her clothes into the bathroom and turned on the hot water, she wondered if one of the pack members was the artist.

“I don’t like this, Granger. There is no indication that the men who forced the Jeep off the road are connected to those crazy doctors. Who else would do such a thing?” Jared asked.

Granger sat sprawled in front of Jared’s desk in the large wingback chair that was his favorite. He had barely made it back in time to fix Brenda dinner.

“I don’t know, and I don’t like it either,” Granger said. “I asked around at the council and there was nothing to suggest another pack is unhappy with you taking over from your father. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. That little pack up north in Chisasibi was ready to fight the La Sarre pack for land until they heard you were taking your father’s place as Alpha of the Quebec province. I guess they knew you would rule as your father did, that the Chisasibi pack has hereditary claim to the land. The Beta council would have backed you if the argument continued, so there was no point.”

Lycans had been in North America as long as the native peoples. Then when other lycan packs came over with the Europeans, it was decided that a ruling body needed to mitigate pack territory clashes before blood feuds eradicated their race. The Alphas were too volatile, so the Betas were chosen for the job. Each province had an Alpha that acted like a governor, who was voted into office by the local Alphas in the province. In Quebec, that Alpha was Jared, as his father was before him.

“So, if there are no concerns at the province level, and it’s not related to the Doctors for a Better Humanity, who is behind it?” Jared slammed his pen on the table. Rising from his chair, he began to pace.

“What about the developer that was here yesterday? I heard him yelling as he left.”

“Samuel Ouelette?” Jared asked. “He was angry when he found out the ski resort didn’t own the land it was built on, the pack did. Still, it seems like a lot of trouble. Parker would never sell his rights to the resort and we won’t sell the land. Ouelette would do better to look somewhere else.”

“Let me do some checking. We need to know what kind of man we’re dealing with.” Granger ran his hand through his hair. It looked like another trip into Quebec tomorrow. If he wanted Brenda to have a nice dinner tomorrow night, he’d have to start the chicken in wine sauce early and hope it didn’t curdle in the crock pot.

As if he felt Granger’s distraction, Jared asked, “How’s it going with Brenda?”

“Not good. She told me she doesn’t want to be friends. She puts up walls faster than I can tear through them, so I’m not going to do it any longer.”

“What do you mean? You’re not giving up. She’s your mate.” Jared stopped pacing to stare at Granger.

“When have I ever given up? I’ve decided to let her miss me for a while and at the same time I am going to kill her with kindness. Every time she turns around, I will arrange something nice for her. I just won’t be there to gloat or take credit.”

“Well, at least you have a plan. I don’t know if you’ll succeed or fail miserably, but you have a plan.” Jared rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. “Until we know who was behind the attack on our women, I don’t want any of them going out alone.”

“I told
Remi to keep an eye on Brenda.” Granger nodded in agreement.

“I informed our security people. No more trips to Quebec unless a male guard goes with them.” Jared sat in his desk chair.

“I’m sure Esme is going to love that,” Granger pointed out.

“I know. What else can I do?”

§

Brenda woke up feeling lousy. Another storm had come through, and when she turned on the radio, the news said another meter of snow had fallen overnight. She hadn’t slept well, thinking about Granger, and her head hurt this morning. It seemed even lycans needed a good night sleep to feel good. She groaned and forced herself out of bed.

At least she woke up in a beautiful room. The sun kissed the wooden beams on the ceiling making them glow, and when Brenda walked into the bathroom the water for the sink came on making soothing sounds as it dribbled down the rocks to the basin below. She washed her face and decided to have a good breakfast to make up for the lack of sleep. Dressing quickly, she then headed downstairs to enjoy the process of cooking.

She had finished eating breakfast when a knock on the door made her walk downstairs. She opened the entrance and one of the young male lycans stood on the porch, a tall paper wrapped bundle in his hands.

“I have a delivery for you, Miss Ross. I hope I didn’t come at a bad time. Here you go.”

Before Brenda could thank him, he ran down the drive. She brought the long, narrow bundle into the house. Excitement zinged through her as she unwrapped the package. Only one thing could be inside, skis. Sure enough, a brand new pair of
Heidiskis and Leki poles were inside.

Brenda ran her fingers over the shiny surface of the white ash, admiring the wolves running over the blades. She should probably send them back. She knew how much they cost, but it would be so much fun to use them. She sniffed at the paper, and there it was, Granger’s woodsy scent. Why did he have to be so nice, buying her a gift she really liked? There wasn’t even a note with the package that she could tear up. Returning the skis would be hard. She’d always dreamed of being able to afford nice equipment like this. Brenda bit her bottom lip and placed the skis next to the door. She’d decide what to do after she finished washing the dishes.

The resort officially opened in three days. With the new powder from last night, she might be able to get some skiing in today after checking out the runs for Remi. What would it be like to fly down the mountain on her new skis?

A short time later, another knock on the door heralded the arrival of
Remi and her ride to the resort. She glanced at the skis sitting next to the door as she hurried to answer the summons. Brenda had decided she couldn’t keep them. Granger must think he could buy her love to send such a gift. She would tell him exactly what she thought about his attempt when she saw him. In fact she looked forward to it.

She swung open the door to see Luc’s smiling face. A handsome young man, he had dark hair like his father. It was Luc’s eyes that called attention, with their emerald green color, and long black eyelashes any woman would covet.
Remi waved from the Jeep sitting in the drive.

“Hey, Brenda. Did you like the new skis? Isn’t it great the Ski Patrol is getting new equipment this year? Dad was saying how they needed to update their supplies. Where are they? I’ll get them strapped to the Jeep.” Luc smiled and stood waiting.

Brenda pointed to the skis and poles sitting next to the door. New equipment for the Ski Patrol… not a personal gift from Granger. Her skin flushed and she shook her head. She had almost made a fool of herself, again. Of course the skis were for the job, and not because she was Granger’s mate. Why did she automatically think the worst? She needed to get her head on straight. Grabbing her parka and lunch, Brenda rushed after Luc.

The ride to the Ski Patrol office didn’t take long. Brenda followed
Remi to the door as Luc hurried to his job in the restaurant. He used his key and reached over to flip on the light switch. “Uh oh, looks like the power is out. I’ll get the generator going out back. Can you call the hotel and see what the problem is?” Remi asked.

“Sure.” Brenda dashed to the phone and pressed the number for the switchboard operator. In a few minutes she had the information written down for
Remi’s return. He walked in the door, knocking the snow from his boots.

“What’d you find out?”
Remi asked.

“It looks like the storm dropped some trees over the power lines. They’ve called for a utility crew.”

“Well, at least it didn’t happen on opening day. You might change your mind about working for the resort after you experience that madness.” Remi winked at her.

“I think I can handle it,
Remi.”

§

“This tree wasn’t knocked down by the storm. It was cut.” Granger pointed out to the utility crew.

“We’ll have to report this to the
Sûreté du Québec
. Looks like vandalism,” the crew supervisor said.

Granger nodded. “Do what you have to do. The resort opens in two days.”

“We’ll get on it as soon as we can,
Monsieur Thibault
.”

Granger trudged through the snow to his truck on the newly plowed road. They’d had a few cases of vandalism before, but this felt wrong. Granger headed for the Alpha’s lodge to make his report. First, the storm, and now with working on the power outage, he wasn’t going to get into Quebec City today.

He pulled through the gate and stopped at the guard shack, at least the power outage was limited to the resort side of the mountain. “Yvon, I want security to be increased. The downed tree was no accident. Tell, Mathis to contact me for more details.”

Mathis Levesque was the current head of security for both sides of the mountain. A large man, even for a lycan, he was extremely strong and a wonderful asset to the pack. He was also member of the Sable Guard, a peace keeping force controlled by the Beta’s Council.

“Sure thing, Granger. I think he’s at the resort now. I’ll hunt him down.”

“Thanks,
Yvon. I’m going to see the Alpha. Have him give the lodge a call.”

Granger drove through the gate and turned toward the Alpha’s lodge. Parking in front, he went in to find Jared. As he walked the hall toward Jared’s office, the smoke alarms sent a high pitched whine through his head. Raised voices from the kitchen caused him to rush to the back of the house. He stepped into the room to find black smoke pouring out of the oven.

“I’m so sorry, Esme,” Susan wailed as she applied ice to Esme’s hand. “I’ve never really tried cooking before.”

Granger hurried to the stove and turned it off then opened the window. “What is going on here?” he asked, as the fire alarms stopped screeching.

“I ruined breakfast,” Susan said. She looked first at Esme and then Granger and started sobbing before she ran from the room.

“Esme, are you all right?” Granger asked.

“I think so. I burnt my hand opening the stove. There were actual flames shooting from inside.”

“Do you need to shift? Let me see?” Granger took Esme’s hand and lifted the ice from her skin. It was red, but there were no blisters.

“Esme!”

They looked at each other and smiled. “That would be, Jared,” Granger said. He put the ice back on her hand and stepped back. Jared ran into the room and grabbed Esme close.

“It’s only a little burn, Jared,” Esme protested.

“You’ll need to shift. I’ll talk to you in a moment, Granger.” Jared swept Esme up in his arms and carried her out of the room.

Granger heard Esme’s objections all the way up the stairs. A door slammed and Granger smiled. He might as well come back later. Jared would be busy with his mate for at least an hour. He made it halfway down the hall, when sniffles coming from the library gave him pause.

The musty scent of sadness filled the air, along with the sweet smell of blueberries. He turned to the room and found Susan perched in one of the reading chairs, her arms wrapped around her knees, her shoulders shaking with her sobs.

“Susan, it wasn’t that bad. Stop crying and tell me what’s really bothering you.” Granger sat in the chair across from hers. He reached forward and patted her head.

“I’m horrible at everything. I can’t do anything right,” Susan said, between sobs. “I screwed up so much in the Army, they were going to discharge me, and then I got cancer so they medically discharged me first. Why am I such a loser?”

“Susan, you’re not a loser. Anyone who can survive cancer and being changed into a lycan isn’t a loser. You just haven’t found your gift. We all have things we’re good at and things we aren’t.”

She lifted her head and wiped at her face. “What do you think I’m good at?”

“Well…”

“See, even you don’t know,” Susan accused.

“That’s because we haven’t spent enough time together. What do you like to do?”

“You mean besides drinking and partying and hanging out with my friends?”

“Okay, that tells me you like people. What did you like to do as a child?”

“Well, I liked to play outside with my dogs. I used to run all over my grandma’s farm. She raised me after my parents died.”

“Do you still like dogs?”

“Yeah. They’re sometimes easier to understand than people, and they don’t get mad if I say the wrong thing.”

“Get some warmer clothes on. Let’s go down to the dog sledding shack and see how you do.”

“You mean like a job?” Susan said with a sniffle.

“Let’s see how you like it first. You may find it’s not really what you want to do. You can try as many things as you like until you find what you’re good at.”

“Okay, but Granger? Can we eat something first? I’m starving and I ruined the casserole your mother left for breakfast. I can’t believe she’s gone for a week.”

“Yeah, with Dad managing the maple syrup company and being head Beta for the pack, this is the only time he can take a vacation. He and Mom went to Niagra Falls. Don’t worry, you won’t starve while they’re gone. Go get dressed. I’ll whip something up for everyone and then we can visit the sled dogs.”