Beta's Mate (Siberian Volkov Pack Romance Series Book 8) (11 page)

“I could have lost you too, Granger. But, I actually enjoyed our bomb hunt this morning. You, being with me, made it fun. I guess I’m kind of an adrenalin junky. Now stop picking on Mathis and help him up. I need to check the trails before we can open.”

Granger reached out a hand to Mathis. Mathis took it pulling himself up. “You might want to shift, Granger. You’re looking a little blue. I’m sorry about asking Brenda to help. I would deck someone who put my mate in danger. I hope you’ll accept my apology.”

“Apology accepted. I can’t seem to keep her out of trouble. I may have to chain myself to her side.”

Brenda laughed. “And you think that’s going to stop me?”

“No, but I’d feel better if I’m with you when trouble happens.” Granger called the change. Brenda blinked and found a large gray wolf by her side.

“You know, Brenda is right about you two making a great team. You’d be a big asset to the Beta’s council. The Sable Guard is always looking for new recruits,” Mathis said.

“Sable Guard, what’s that?” Brenda asked.

“It’s a peacekeeping force that belongs to the Beta’s council.”

“That sounds interesting…”

“Brenda…”
was heard in their minds, followed by Granger’s suffering sigh.

Brenda smiled up at Mathis. “We’ll think about it.”

Later that afternoon Brenda entered the Ski Patrol shack after a full day of work. She catalogued in her head, the bomb threat, the kid with the broken leg, the woman with the sprained wrist, the intermediate skier who thought he would try the black diamond run and panicked. It had been a good day. She was glad to put her skis away and go home. If she was lucky, she and Granger would have a quiet evening, and she could finally relax. She might even convince him to give her a back massage that might lead to something more intimate.

A storm was forecasted for tonight, so she might get to sleep in a little before checking out the ski runs in the morning. She locked her equipment and picked up her backpack with its emergency supplies inside before going out front to see
Remi.

“Hey, there you are,”
Remi said from his chair at the radio console. “I wondered when you would arrive. You should have come in earlier. There’s no reason to work like a dog, or wolf in this case.” Remi winked and handed her a cup of coffee.

“I have to admit, I’m tired. People were crazy out there today.”

“I warned you. Once the tourists hit the slopes, work around here triples. Wait until next month when the college kids are on Christmas vacation. You think it’s bad now, add a bunch of twenty year olds trying to outdo each other.”

“Heaven help us. Do you bring in help for the Christmas season?”

“Oh, sure,” Remi said. “A few of the young wolves help out while they’re home on holiday. Our young adults are more disciplined than their human counterparts. They have to be, to go to college, and keep their wolf contained. I’m not sure how much actual benefit we get. Parker likes to give the kids a job during their break. So, we’ll have a few extra hands.” Remi looked out the window and frowned. “Looks like the wind is picking up. We should be getting a good snowfall tonight. Guess we better get going.”

Luc ran through the door. The wind caught the wood and slammed it against the building. “Dad, there’s a little girl missing from the resort. Mr. Martin should be calling you any minute.”

The phone rang and Brenda jumped. Remi picked it up, but with lycan hearing it was easy to hear the conversation taking place. Luc had been wrong, it wasn’t Parker Martin on the phone, but Mathis.

“The little girl was playing in the snow with friends. She disappeared from the area. Her mother went looking for her and is also missing. The woman’s husband finally thought to inform us after the wind started to pick up. Security has searched the building inside and out, with no sign. The little girl is five years old and wearing a light pink snow suit. Her name is Mary. Her mother’s name is Sarah, last seen wearing jeans and a sweater. I need the ski patrol to give us a hand.”

“Of course. We’ll be right down. I’ll radio the few remaining men on duty and we’ll meet you outside the resort,” Remi quickly replied.

He turned and looked at Brenda. “You can go home if you like. I’ll call Granger to come get you.”

“No way, I’m not leaving. Give me a radio, I’m going to help find that little girl.”

“The weather is turning. Some of us will have to shift into our wolf coat to search. Granger wouldn’t like you putting yourself into danger again so soon.”

“Well, Granger will have to get over it. This is my job and I’m doing it,” Brenda said.

“I thought that’s what you’d say,” Granger said, coming in the door, followed by Jared and a few more pack members. “Mathis called Jared before he called
Remi. The weather is getting bad. You’ll need to shift to keep warm. Here give me the radio and backpack. I’ll carry them. I even brought you the ski patrol wolf vest. That way you’ll be visible in the snow.”

Brenda looked Granger up and down. Even in his snow suit, heavy parka, and boots, the man looked good enough to eat. Her body flushed at the thought. She should make
him
shift, but for once she was too tired to argue. She took the vest and slipped into the back to take off her clothes and transform.

§

Granger watched Brenda head to the back of the building to shift. The fact she hadn’t argued told him how tired she really was. He would have to keep an eye on her. Of course, she would insist on searching for the little girl. He glanced out the window at the blowing snow, if they didn’t find the child and her mother quickly, they might not make it.

Brenda came out of the back room wearing her wolf vest, and rubbed against him. He sank his hand into the thick fur of her coat. She bumped his hand and then licked his palm in a surprising show of affection.

“I told Mathis we would meet him at the resort. I don’t understand how the child got away without someone noticing,” Remi said.

“It does seem strange,” Jared said. “Let’s find her.”

“Stay close to me, Brenda. We’ll need to pair up to search.” Granger headed for the door. Brenda fell in beside him and Granger rested his hand on her back.

The wind whipped the door away from
Remi and he fought to stop it from banging against the building. Everyone hurried out and Jared helped Remi shove the door closed. The group took the path to the resort, hurrying as they fought the wind and snow blowing in their faces. Granger put on his goggles and followed Jared.

As they approached the resort, Brenda saw Mathis surrounded by his security people. He waved the group forward. This wasn’t the first time they searched for a wayward tourist, but it was the first time a child needed to be found. Granger walked up to the group with Brenda beside him.

“All right, you each have a section of land to search. The little girl was playing on the west side of the resort when she disappeared. We assume her mother is searching for her as well. So keep your eyes peeled.”

Granger nodded and headed toward the west side. Brenda ran ahead to the children’s play area. She sniffed around trying to pick up any scents that might be left. She shot off into the trees lining the edge of the property. She circled the area until she woofed low in her throat. Granger hurried up to her and noticed the small footprints already filling with snow, and the broken tree branch low to the ground showing someone had passed by.

“Let’s see where the trail leads,”
Granger sent telepathically to Brenda.

She headed into the trees, winding to and fro as she tried to pick up the little girl’s scent. They followed the trail only a few yards when an adult trail intersected with the child’s. The boot tracks were small suggesting a female. Granger frowned. Why had the mother not returned to the resort with the child? Pulling out his radio, Granger reported their location and the tracks.

Brenda whined. Granger jogged over to see where the woman picked up the child and continued away from the resort. Granger looked around, trying to figure out where the mother might’ve been going? This trail led up the mountain onto the pack’s property and to the ledge that Brenda liked to climb. Did the mother confuse the direction of the resort?

They followed the boot marks and the woman’s stride seemed to lengthen as if she started to hurry. Then the tracks lengthened into a run.

“Wait a minute, Brenda,”
Granger sent
. “Are you picking up anyone’s scent? This woman is afraid, she’s running from something?”

“Let me sniff around,”
Brenda circled the area, each pass a wider distance. Granger followed, not letting Brenda out of his sight. She whined excitedly when she found a trail perpendicular to the woman’s. Granger knelt beside Brenda. This trail was deeper and the footprints harder to discern, the blowing snow didn’t help. Granger thought that someone had traveled the route several times. Whoever followed the woman and her child had planned his route carefully.

Brenda sniffed the trail before returning to Granger’s side
. “I’m not able to get a clear scent. I’m not sure if it’s the snow or if more than one person went this way.”

“That’s okay, let’s get back to the woman’s trail. Someone must have followed her and scared her into running,”
Granger replied telepathically.

Brenda headed back to the first trail and Granger had to hurry not to lose her in her enthusiasm.
“Brenda slow down. I can’t keep up with you.”

Brenda ran back and rubbed against him.
“Hurry, I feel like we need to hurry. Something is wrong.”

“I’m hurrying. It’s important we don’t lose sight of each other.”
Granger pushed through the snow. He felt the cold starting to work on him, making it harder to lift each foot as he walked.

The woman’s trail headed uphill. Granger feared what they would find when they got to the ledge. He often came up here to wait for Brenda’s arrival when she ran in the morning. Brenda extended the distance between them. Granger didn’t call her back, he could still make out her bright orange vest, though barely. He lengthened his stride.

Brenda disappeared from view and Granger knew the ledge was only a few feet ahead. He turned the corner and froze. Terror gripped his heart so hard he couldn’t breathe. Under his mate’s front paws, a piece of the ledge began to crumble. “Brenda, get away from the edge, right NOW!”

§

Brenda leaned over the edge and could just make out a little ball of light pink on the ground below. Luckily, the snow and wind seemed to be slowing making visibility better. Granger spoke sharply at her.

Brenda raised her head and looked over her shoulder. He had never spoken like that to her before. Something in his tone wanted her to obey immediately, to submit. Her wolf spirit whined and the word
Alpha
floated in her head. Brenda wiggled away from the edge until she could get up and turn around.

“I think the child might be at the bottom of the cliff. I didn’t see the mother anywhere,”
Brenda sent telepathically, along with a picture of what she saw when she leaned over the precipice.

Granger took off his backpack and pulled out a rope. He wrapped the thick nylon line around the largest tree, knotting one side before throwing the rope over the ledge. Brenda noticed he didn’t look at her.
“I’ll go down and see.”
He backed to the rim and repelled down the cliff.
“Call the pack, we’ll need help.”

Brenda leaned her head back and howled as Granger went out of sight. She howled a second time before she heard a chuckle in her head.
“Sweetheart, I love hearing you howl, but you can reach Jared telepathically.”

“Oh, right. I forgot.”
Brenda reached out with her mind picturing the pack Alpha.
“Jared, I think we found something. You need to come to the ledge on the upper trail.”

“I heard your call. I’m already making my way to you. Did you find the mother and child?”

“I think we found the little girl. Granger is checking on her condition,”
Brenda sent.

“She’s alive! We’re going to need help to get her out of here,”
Granger sent connecting to their telepathic link.

“Already on the way,”
Jared sent.

The wind shifted slightly as the snow finally stopped, and a sudden sickening sweet smell tickled Brenda’s nose. She turned toward the trail’s edge on the mountain side. Brenda forced herself forward as everything inside her wanted her to stay away. She nosed the tree limbs aside and saw a boot in the snow.

Brenda moved through the branches and found the body of a young woman. Brenda whined. She didn’t want to see this. Already the vibrations of violence made her stomach clench. Making her way to the woman’s head, Brenda smelled the puddle of blood that spread across the white snow. She backed away, knowing there was nothing she could do except find the woman’s killer. A part of her wanted to run away and pretend that things like this didn’t happen, but she knew better.

Brenda came out of the trees to see Jared and Mathis helping Granger bring the child up. Except for a few scratches and exhaustion, the child seemed fine.

“The mother is behind the trees. It looks like someone hit her and crushed her skull,”
Brenda sent to Jared. Inside she shuddered. Why would someone want to kill the woman?

“I’ll contact the police when we get back to the resort,”
Jared answered.

Once Granger was safely away from the edge, he leaned down to let Brenda touch the girl. Brenda sent healing energy into the child. Warmth flowed from her wolf body into the child’s. The little girl’s eyes grew wide and she smiled reaching for Brenda. “Pretty, pretty puppy, good puppy.”

Brenda smiled and licked the child’s face. Jared came over and took the little girl from Granger. “Let’s get her inside.”

“Wait.”
Brenda shifted her eyes to the snow to focus on her bond with the little girl’s thoughts. Images of a man yelling and hitting her mother. Scenes of the same man throwing a vase of flowers, smashing into her mom. Remembrances of him dragging her crying mother into a room and slamming the door shut. Feelings of terror rolled with each picture.

Brenda swallowed hard.
“I think the husband is the killer. I don’t think he’s her real father. You need to read his mind,”
Brenda sent to Jared telepathically.