Surrendering to Destiny (Allison Franklin) novel Chapter 27

Surrendering to Destiny

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The doors slammed closed behind them and Catherine heard the shattering of glass and the breaking of several large objects. She stared at the closed door until she heard Rebecca calling her from down the hallway. She turned her head to see Rebecca smiling at her warmly and holding her hand out. Catherine, feeling as though she were drifting through a fog laden sea, walked to the luna. Rebecca looped her arm through hers and ushered her down the stairs and into the large kitchen. She deposited Catherine on a stool facing the kitchen island and started rummaging through the cabinets for something.

“I was told you like to cook,” Rebecca mused.

Catherine blinked and tried to reorient herself. “Uh, yes, I’m a chef.”

Rebecca made a sound of approval. “Wonderful, we just lost our head chef Would you be interested in taking the position?”

“Who told you I was a chef?” Catherine asked.

“Mary told me.”

“You’ve spoken to Mary about me?”

Rebecca gave her a smile. “Of course I did. When I found out our Graham found his mate, I wanted to know everything about you. Here, do you

like Earl Grey?” she asked, setting a steaming cup of the tea in front of her. She looked down with a crease in her forehead.

“It’s my favorite.”

“Thought so.”

“What… what is happening?” Catherine couldn’t help but ask. “Why are you being so nice to me? You just found out your mate had a child

with someone else.”

Rebecca gave her a look of pitiful understanding. She sat down on the stool beside her and sipped her own tea. “Lycans live a long time,

Catherine. You and Graham were very fortunate to find each other at such a young age. It’s a truly rare occurrence for our kind. I was nearly a

century old when I found Jensen… and I had a kid of my own.”

Catherine choked on the hot tea. She coughed and hit her chest. “Stuart isn’t my brother?”

Rebecca chuckled. “No, he is my son. It may come as a shock to you that I didn’t wait nearly one hundred years to lose my virginity.”

Catherine’s face sparked fire. “I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay,” Rebecca laughed. She sipped her tea some more,

“So when Jensen said I was his eldest,…”

Rebecca sighed. “Jensen and I have tried to have children together. For w tever reason the fates have been against it.” She reached her hand over to cup Catherine’s. “Now, I understand why. Stuart was never built to ead but as he is Jensen’s adopted son, it was going to be him.”

“I don’t understand,” Catherine whispered, wishing she could massage he temple but not wanting to pull her hand away from Rebecca.

“Right, well, wolves and lycan hierarchy work a bit differently. Where wolves tend to stick with the more natural way; strongest leads. Lycans tend to think in more human terms with their being something like a royal family that leads. In a way it is the same. The thought is strong blood breeds strength. As lycan kind became threatened, this pack decided it would be best to have the heir apparent become the beta. That way they gain as much political, military and societal experience as possile before taking the alpha position. It’s been like this for centuries and it is one reason the Blackmoore pack is the strongest in the country, not the world.”

“But Jensen said he’d offered the position to Graham.”

“Yes, Graham’s father was beta for many years before I met Jensen and when Stuart was still maturing. He saw great promise in Graham, a leadership quality that my Stuart just doesn’t possess. It is a bit of a loophole. If something were to happen to Jensen while Graham was beta, he would take over as alpha and the council would vote on whether to keep him or hand it over to the heir.” Rebecca shrugged. “Jensen knew the council would choose Graham.”

“But Graham never accepted. Why?”

Rebecca gave her a look. “I think that’s better coming from your mate.”

A crash sounded, causing the two women to leap from their stools. Growl echoed down the hallways and something came charging down the stairs. A moment later, Graham’s lycan form stalked through the kitchen. He spotted her and his shoulders relaxed. He walked toward her and

sniffed her neck before burying his nose there. He stepped back and glanded at the door while his body vibrated with energy.

“Go for a run. I’ll wait here for you,” she said, understanding what he needed. He gave a slight nod before charging through the open door and into the woods.

“Are you okay?” Rebecca asked, putting her hand on her shoulder. Catherine realized as she watched her mate take off, she’d begun to cry.

“It’s just… a lot to take in at once.”

Rebecca took her into her arms and ran her hands down her back. “It’s going to be okay.” For whatever reason, Catherine believed her.

“Did Grey leave?” a strongly masculine voice asked.

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