Beta's Mate (Siberian Volkov Pack Romance Series Book 8) by Caryn Moya Block Page A

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