A Mate's Sacrifice: (Hot Paranormal Romance) (Ozark Mountain Shifters Book 2) by P. Jameson
Authors: P. Jameson
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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
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
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