A Mate's Sacrifice: (Hot Paranormal Romance) (Ozark Mountain Shifters Book 2) Page 8

  Vesh was powerful. She’d never seen him on the attack, but she’d bet he was terrifying. Braeh had never wanted to be a damsel in distress. It wasn’t her thing. Truthfully, she’d always found it kind of annoying. But… there was something to be said for a powerful man swooping in and saving the day. For once in her life, the idea made her knees quake.

  She ducked into the bathroom with her spray bottle, and went to work on her hair. When she’d finished, she examined her reflection in the mirror. Not terrible. Could be better. Her eyes looked tired, but she decided to skip the makeup. She’d never worn much anyways. Being in the kitchen made any effort melt, so she’d given up on it long ago.

  Sliding past Vesh where he stood by the dresser, she put her things back in her suitcase and went to stand by the fire. It was small, but enough to warm her hands and take the chill off the room.

  “You smell good, mate.” Vesh’s voice was low. Any time he said something nice to her, he did it carefully. Almost as if he was treading unsafe waters.

  She glanced at him. His hands gripped the edge of the dresser like it was keeping him upright. White knuckles and all.

  “So do you.” She said the first thing that came to her mind, and apparently it was the right thing, because when he pulled his eyes from the floor to look at her, he didn’t scowl. “You ready to go?” she asked.

  He nodded, releasing his hold on the dresser and grabbing his jacket. Braeh slipped hers on, and then he held his hand out to her. She only hesitated a second before threading her fingers with his.

  And it felt right.

  ***

  So right.

  But also, wrong.

  If Vesh could sort out his twisted feelings he’d be doing them both a favor. For now, though, this felt right, and he planned on relishing the moment.

  They walked down the path that led to the main part of camp. Others milled about. Parents walked their young to school. Vesh and Braeh received looks that ranged from curious to hostile. For the most part though, people seemed decent. Some even smiled. Vesh didn’t smile back, but he made an effort to not glare.

  This was his temporary home. He might as well make the best of it.

  The overall feel of the camp was night and day different from Ozark. These wolves were happy. Vesh knew little of how the Ravendale Alpha ran his pack, but it was clear he wasn’t a raving mad dictator like Jax. However, the fact that Cael had kept leadership of the second largest wolf pack in the area was a testament to his ferocity. He wouldn’t have gone uncontested. Which meant he was no lightweight.

  The cafeteria was mostly empty when they arrived. A few people behind the counter were cleaning up the remnants of breakfast while a spattering of customers finished eating.

  Vesh spotted Trager and Kerrigan at a table in the corner of the room, and headed in their direction. Braeh broke away and went straight to the counter for food.

  Kerrigan glared at him the whole way, but at least Trager looked like he was in a better mood.

  He pulled out a chair and straddled it. “What’s the plan?”

  Trager sighed. “Cael should be here soon, and we’ll talk. Everything’s up in the air right now.”

  Vesh checked his phone. Something he’d been doing all morning, but there was nothing. For some reason, he’d actually expected some sort of contact from Avan. Even if it was just a “fuck off”, but no. His messages remained empty.

  His eyes went to Braeh. She was chatting animatedly with the server. Her smile grew to megawatt when he piled the bacon on her tray. A twinge of jealousy hit Vesh. He wanted a smile like that from her.

  Carefully, she wound her way through the maze of tables and chairs, carrying two heaping full trays, until she’d reached them. He thought of helping her, but by the intense look on her face, he figured he might lose a limb if he tried to take one of the trays from her. He remembered that she usually went light on the breakfast and wondered why she’d gotten so much food.

  She set the plates on the table without looking up. “You guys already eat?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Trager wanted to be here early,” Kerrigan groused. Obviously, she wasn’t a morning person.

  “Good.” Braeh still hadn’t looked anywhere other than her food.

  Vesh stared at the trays. Each one held several full plates. It looked like she’d taken one—or more—of everything they had to offer. She bit into a strip of bacon and nodded. “Bacon’s good. Eggs look iffy, but doable. The waffles… now, someone back there knows how to do waffles. I’ll have to thank them later.” Lifting a piece of buttered waffle to his lips she said, “Here Vesh, try this.”

  He opened his mouth and let her slip the food between his lips, before she went back to sampling. The waffle was good. It was missing syrup, but he didn’t mind.

  Braeh took a sip of orange juice. And then another drink. This time, a gulp. Her eyes grew big. “Ohhhh. The OJ is fresh squeezed.” She slid it Vesh’s way. “Try.”

  He did.

  She arranged an assortment of foods on one plate and passed it to him. “Here, these are the best of what they offer,” she said. “And you’ll probably like those eggs. They aren’t like the ones I made you yesterday.”

  Vesh took the plate, but the lump in his throat kept him from saying thank you. He examined it. She’d given him all of the waffles and bacon. The eggs. Strawberries. And then she scooted the orange juice in front of him too. He looked at her plate. She’d kept the sausage, some of the eggs and fruit, and the miserable looking biscuits and gravy.

  She’d given the best to him.

  He stared at her, but she was too busy sampling breakfast to notice.

  It was a little thing that seemed huge. Perhaps little to her, but to him, gigantic. A small kindness with a huge impact. He wanted to ask why. He wanted to get her alone and find incredibly dirty ways to say thank you.

  It would have to wait until tonight. And on that note, he would do whatever he had to, to get back into that bed again. With her body pressed against his, he’d had the best night of sleep in years.

  Vesh stabbed his fork into the pile of eggs. “Your eggs were delicious,” he muttered, in lieu of ‘thank you’.

  Braeh turned her head to look at him, but he stopped whatever she might’ve said.

  “Trager, you gonna tell me how Farrow knew where you lived?” Vesh took a bite, but the eggs were like sawdust compared to the ones he’d had yesterday.

  Trager stiffened. “Same way Ravendale did, I suppose.”

  Vesh raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me you did a shit job of guarding your land? That what you’re saying?”

  The wolf’s jaw clenched. “Sure. Yeah.”

  Vesh finished his eggs and moved on to the waffles. “I don’t buy it.”

  Trager shrugged.

  “You lived there how long? And only in the last three days were found by others? Nah, I don’t buy it.”

  “No one cared before.”

  “Call me a cocky son-of-a-bitch, but I’ve been looking for you for two weeks and came up dry at every turn. I know I’m a hell of a lot better hunter than Farrow. There’s no way he could’ve found you before I did. Unless…”

  Kerrigan shifted in her seat. The woman was an open fucking book. Those two were hiding something.

  “Look, I thought we were working together on this. We want the same thing.”

  “No. We don’t. I want a place to live quietly and happily with my mate, away from all the shit that comes along with having a pack. You want to kill Jax and save your sister, and probably take over as alpha.”

  “Both of our sisters. Have you forgotten about yours?”

  Trager’s face turned hard. “She’s dead to me now.”

  Vesh put his fork down. “Have you ever wondered why she wasn’t there the night you and Kerrigan came to the camp?”

  “It’s pretty obvious isn’t it? She didn’t want to see me.”

  “That’s not what I heard. Farrow wouldn’t let her. He commanded her
to stay home.”

  Braeh snorted. “Commanded? I would’ve told this Furrow dude to go lick his own balls.”

  “Farrow. And he’s probably already done that,” Kerrigan said, raising an eyebrow. “Wolf. Remember?”

  Braeh turned a disturbed gaze to Vesh. “Do you guys do that? Like… when you’re wolfy?”

  “No. God.” He shot Kerrigan an irritated look.

  “Good. Because, I don’t know how I’d feel about kissing if that were the case.”

  At the mention of kissing, his eyes went to her full lips. He still hadn’t experienced them. It was both a relief and a regret. Heavier on the regret.

  “Farrow wouldn’t let her? Why would he do that?” Trager brought him back.

  “That was my understanding.”

  Trager shook his head, staring out the window.

  “Sorry,” Vesh said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “I guess I thought we were in this together. But I know how you don’t play well with others, so I’m not surprised you’re holding back information. Go ahead and try getting through this on your own. Let me know how that works out for you. In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and make sure your family’s safe.” He glanced pointedly at Kerrigan. “All of them, not just your mate.”

  Trager shot him a furious glare. “You worry about your own mate and leave mine out of this.”

  Braeh dropped her fork. “Okay, enough. Your ‘mates’ are right here. No need to talk about us like we’re not. Both of you take a damn chill pill.”

  “Yeah,” Kerrigan said, lamely. “What she said.”

  Vesh looked up and saw Cael approaching with another wolf. “Morning, ladies,” he said, nodding to the women. “I trust your accommodations were comfortable?”

  Kerrigan nodded, but Braeh spoke directly to the alpha. “We appreciate you giving us a place to stay.” Vesh wanted to elbow her. She was being too nice to someone who hadn’t yet proved he was on their side.

  “Yes, well, I don’t expect you to stay here for free.” He gestured to the other wolf. “This is Kash. He has your job assignments. If you have any questions, you can contact Lexar or Haze.” He spun to leave.

  “Wait,” Vesh said. “What are we going to do about… our problem?”

  Cael turned a cool stare on him. “For now? Nothing. That’s all you need to know.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “I don’t kid.”

  Vesh felt the back of his neck heat with fury and he stood, causing his chair to fly backward and several heads to turn. “Bullshit. You said you’d help her.”

  Cael snarled. “Back. Down. Wolf. I’m not in the mood.”

  “The mood?” Vesh scoffed. “I don’t give a fuck about your mood. I want my sister safe.”

  Without warning Cael shoved Vesh hard enough to send him reeling. But he didn’t fall. Cael grabbed him by the arm, twisting it behind his back and pushing him into the wall before pressing a forearm into his neck to restrain him.

  Vesh took a split second to feel embarrassed at how quickly the alpha had disabled him.

  “Maybe,” Cael growled, “you should have thought of that years ago when you gave her to that bastard.”

  Vesh seethed, and struggled to get free. His part in Besh’s situation haunted him more than the wolf could ever know, but maybe if he could get loose, he could punch the truth into the asshole.

  The alpha’s grip became tighter and he pushed harder into the back of Vesh’s neck, using the considerable weight of his body to halt any further struggle. “You’re too emotional,” the wolf hissed. It wasn’t how anyone would ever describe Vesh. He was cold. Sarcastic. But not emotional. “You need to stop thinking like a brother and start thinking like a warrior. You need to be smart. Calculated. You need a plan. A hot head will only get you or her, or both of you killed. Get your head straight. Take a couple days. Let your mate make you stronger. Then we’ll come up with a plan, and take him down. Understand?”

  Vesh drew in heavy breaths. The alpha was right. This wasn’t how Vesh operated. Going off half cocked wasn’t how he’d climbed the ranks to become second. No, he was cunning. But Vesh was afraid Cael was wrong about one thing. Braeh wouldn’t make him stronger. She was in fact, making him weaker.

  Emotional.

  “Answer me,” Cael barked.

  “Yes.”

  His grip eased up. “Good. And if you ever come at me like that again, I will fuck you up. Got it?”

  Vesh nodded as best he could with his face pushed into the wall.

  Suddenly the weight on his back was gone. He turned to face the alpha. Although he looked angry, he also seemed… patient. Vesh had committed a severe offense by usurping his authority in his own camp, yet Cael wasn’t killing him. He wasn’t even going to, in his words, fuck him up. Vesh couldn’t understand an alpha who operated like this. Didn’t know if he could respect one either.

  Time would tell.

  He glanced at Braeh. She stood next to the table, her fists clenched.

  “Now, as I was saying…” Cael straightened his leather jacket and faced the others. As if the exchange with Vesh were nothing more than an annoyance. “Kash will show you to your jobs. Word of advice: treat my wolves with respect, and they’ll respect you in return. If you can’t do at least that, then you’re out. We can take down Ozarka without you.” With that, he spun away, leaving them with Kash, and the wary stares of the breakfast late-comers.

  Chapter Eleven

  Braeh spent the entire day in the gardens. It wasn’t her first choice for a job. In fact, there was so much dirt jammed under her short fingernails, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get it all out. She hoped the patrons of her restaurant wouldn’t mind their food being cooked by mud-stained hands.

  What a garden it was, though. She’d never seen one so large. For the most part, gardens weren’t a thing in Alaska. Produce was better off being grown in a greenhouse. To her, the camp’s garden, with its rows and rows of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs, was really more like the eighth wonder of the world.

  She was working in the eighth wonder of the world. Pretty sweet job, when you think of it like that.

  Braeh sighed and pulled open the doors of the cafeteria.

  As amazing as the garden was, this was where she belonged. In the kitchen, in front of a stove, chopping, stirring, tasting. Creating. Not cooking was akin to missing a limb, and she was really starting to feel the burn of it.

  Vesh was right. The cafeteria wasn’t used much for dinner. There was only one table with any people. Lexar sat talking to a group of men who looked about the same age as she was, but when he noticed her, he stopped. A broad smile spread across his face. She smiled back as she made her way to the counter.

  The server she’d talked to this morning was gone, and in his place was a staunchy-looking middle-aged woman.

  Braeh gave her a friendly smile. “Hey there. How are you tonight?”

  The server scowled at her. “We have fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, and green beans.”

  “Sounds delicious. Can you load up two plates for me?”

  The woman looked her over from head to toe, and back again. “Where are you putting it all?”

  “In my mouth,” Braeh said, without missing a beat. She flashed another smile to soften her sarcastic tone.

  Surprisingly, the server barked a laugh. It looked like her face wasn’t used to the action.

  While she was dishing up the food, Braeh made small talk. “So… who cooks the food around here?”

  “Oh, there’s several of us. We each have our specialties.”

  “It’s a group effort, huh?”

  The woman nodded.

  “Well, whoever makes the waffles… they deserve to lie on a couch while being fanned and fed grapes by hand.”

  The woman gave her a confused look.

  “They were good waffles. That’s all I’m saying.”

  She raised a thick eyebrow. “You think so?”

&n
bsp; “Oh, yes. Absolutely. Back home I run a restaurant and our waffles don’t begin to compare.”

  The lady handed her a tray with both plates. “You run a restaurant, huh?”

  Braeh nodded. “I’m a chef. In Alaska. Name’s Braeh, by the way.”

  The lady blinked twice. “I’m Jude. I make the waffles.”

  Braeh’s eyes went wide. “You do? Oh, wow. So, tell me, what’s your secret? Do you use butter in the batter? Or is it cinnamon? Cream. You put extra cream in the mix, am I right?”

  “It’s a powdered mix. Just add water.”

  No. No way. Braeh shook her head in denial. “Very funny.”

  Jude raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

  “It can’t be just a mix.” A mix could never taste better than homemade.

  “It is.”

  Braeh narrowed her eyes. “You just want to keep the recipe a secret. My mom used to do that with her friends. She claimed her pound cake was from a box, but it was totally from scratch.”

  Jude put her hands on her hips. “Are you calling me a liar?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Jude smiled, a slow, building curve of her thin lips. “It’s a mix.”

  “No, it isn’t.” Braeh’s voice rose.

  “Is everything alright over here?” Lexar stepped up to the counter, staring back and forth between Jude and Braeh.

  “Of course,” Jude said, that wacky smile still on her face.

  “Fine,” Braeh said, ignoring Lexar completely. “Keep your secrets to yourself then.”

  She turned with the tray and headed for the exit.

  “Wait. Where are you going?” Lexar followed close behind.

  “To my cabin.”

  “You’re taking the tray?”

  “Yep.”

  “Jude won’t like that. You should eat here.”

  Braeh smiled. “She won’t? Well, good. Tell her I’m taking the food to my mate and if she doesn’t like it, too bad.”