I need to calm the fuck down so I can go talk to her again. I need to know exactly what is going on, and determine if her being here will endanger my pack, my family. There are several young pups running around, and it’s my responsibility to keep them safe.
Snarling at the thought of her leaving, my wolf decides it’s time his voice is heard.
Our mate, he calls into my head.
I know, I answer and sigh. She is young though.
Not too young, he responds, and I sigh again. We must talk to her.
Yeah, I respond, and he grins then rises to his feet and starts running toward what is ours.
Once my wolf has set his mind on something, it’s very difficult to dissuade him, and when it comes to Rebecca, I find myself not even trying.
Running through pack lands, I catch the scent of the wolf Nate and I had been tracking when I first caught Rebecca’s scent, and a snarl rips from me. Before I can think about the consequences, I change direction and head toward the scent.
I alert Nate and Matias as I start tracking the beast who hurt Rebecca.
Matias responds quickly, and I know the pack enforcers will be on my tail within minutes, but I truly hope I find the bastard before they arrive. He’s trespassing on pack lands, and the enforcers will want him caught and brought in for questioning, but my wolf and I have different ideas. He harmed our mate, and questioning the fucker isn’t what we want to do.
Snarling as the scent gets stronger, I pause and inhale deeply, then grin. He’s just up ahead, and he’s well within pack borders.
I round the corner, and my eyes land on a massive wolf. His fur is dark, nearly as dark as mine, with streaks of white running through it, and I know this is the wolf who attacked Rebecca. I release a snarl before I can stop myself and the beast turns his head and looks at me.
His eyes trigger a memory, but I don’t take the time to process it as another snarl rips from my throat.
His snarl answers mine, and he turns to face me fully. When my eyes land on his full face, my wolf recoils slightly. I know who this wolf is, and I remember what he did to my family.
When he shifts, I see a man I never wanted to see again standing before me. A man my father vowed to kill if he ever returned to pack lands.
My wolf snarls again as I shift and face the uncle I haven’t seen in fifteen years.
“Zaire, you’ve grown,” he says and my wolf growls in my chest. This man who was supposed to protect the pack betrayed us, and my wolf wants to rip him apart for the pain he caused.
“Why are you here?” I ask, letting the menace I feel slide into my words
“I have come to reclaim what is mine,” he answers and my mind flashes to my mother.
“She never has been, and never will be, yours,” I growl out as I fight my wolf for control. He wants nothing more than to shift and rip the man standing before him to pieces.
“Your mother isn’t who I’ve returned for,” he responds, and I see something in his eyes that nearly stops my heart.
“Then who?” I ask, fearing the answer but knowing I need to hear it.
“I’ve returned for you, my son,” he tells me and fury shoots through me like a red-hot iron sliding through my body.
“No fucking way,” I snap out. “There is no fucking way I’m your son.”
“Isn’t there?” He asks and I see the slight shift in his eyes before he grins. He and my dad are half-brothers, and after what he did to the pack fifteen years ago, I really wouldn’t put anything past him.
“No!” I respond, using the alpha strength I had yet to tap into. As the true alpha of the pack, my tone makes his wolf recoil slightly and I grin. “My father would never recoil from me like that.”
“My brother is not your father,” he responds calmly, and I shake my head.
“Lies,” I nearly roar, and I can tell my reaction is exactly what he’s wanting. “But even if what you say is true, Lucas is my dad. You betrayed our family, and earlier today you attacked a wolf on pack lands.”
“A wolf who was not a part of this pack,” he counters, and I narrow my eyes.
“And that’s the second thing you’ve said that is a lie. She is part of this pack because she is my mate,” I tell him, and I know my words are fact. She may be young, and she may have demons chasing her, but she is my mate, and as such she will be protected from everything that comes her way.
“She does not bare your mark,” he tells me, and I shrug.
“Doesn’t mean she isn’t mine to protect,” I remind him. “Not all mated wolves have completed the mating ritual, as you well know.”
“You mother was meant to be mine!” He bellows, and I hear fury enter his voice.
“My mother is meant to be her own,” I respond. Keeping my wolf calm is becoming a challenge.
“My bother saw to it that she would never be her own.”
“My father saw to it that she was protected from the likes of you!”
“You were just a kid, how the hell do you know what happened?”
“I may have been young, but I am not stupid. I have eyes and ears, and am capable of seeing and hearing. You nearly destroyed her, all of us, and now you’ve come back to finish the job, and fuck with my head in the process.”
“No, son,” he says, and I snarl.
“I am not your fucking son,” I tell him as cold fury fills my veins. “Now, leave or die. Your choice.”
“You are not strong enough to kill me,” he says with a snicker and my wolf snarls.
“Wanna test that theory,” I ask then shift back into my big, dark wolf.
He moves to shift, but before he can the enforcers immerge from the trees behind him and take him down. Matias has him secured before I can move, and a howl rips from my throat.
“He’s the one who hurt Rebecca,” Nate tells the group surrounding us and Matias nods.
“Then we will let Zaire hand down his punishment,” my father says as he steps from the woods. “Hello, Asher.”
“Hello, little brother,” he responds and tries to pull from Matias’ hold as I shift back.
“You lost the right to call me brother when you betrayed this pack and killed my son!” My dad snaps, his fury surrounds us all, but I can hear the pain in his voice, too.
“Rebecca?” I ask, breaking through my dad’s red haze. I know she isn’t anywhere near here because I can’t smell her.
“She is with Maggie,” Nate tells me, and I visibly relax.
“When you contacted Matias, I was with him and decided to come. When Rebecca described the wolf who attacked her, I thought he sounded familiar, and I wanted to see if I was right,” dad tells me, never taking his eyes off Asher. “I thought you were smarter than to return to this land.”
“I came for Zaire,” Asher answers and everyone snaps their heads toward me.
“I want nothing to do with you,” I tell him and look at the enforcers around us. “Bring him to the barn. We will question him there.”
Once they nod, I shift back into my wolf and take off running. I need to process what Asher told me, and I need to see Rebecca before I deal with him.
Consequences be damned, I can’t stay away from her.
Chapter Five
Rebecca
“How old are you?” Maggie asks as I sit with her. She is very large from the pup growing inside her, and I can tell she’s very happy about it.
“Eighteen,” I answer as I watch out the window. A group of wolves took off into the woods a little while ago, and I am worried my father has come for me.
“They will be back shortly,” she tells me, and I turn to look at her. There is concern in her sparkling blue eyes, and I want to comfort her.
“How long have you and Nate been mated?” I ask as I walk from the window and sit on the arm of the chair she’s sitting in.
“Three years,” she answers and places her hand on her belly. “I was twenty-one before I reached maturity, but I had known Nate my entire life. I didn’t like him m
uch before then, but on the day my wolf got stronger, she was adamant on us being around Nate as much as possible. He’s four years older than us, and is best friends with the alpha’s son, and I never thought I stood a chance with him, but I let her guide me. Less than a month later, we were mated. Apparently he’d been fighting his wolf for a while because I was still young.”
“My father wanted me to marry the son of his beta.” I’m not sure why I’m telling her this, but my wolf seems to trust her, so I’ll go with it for now. “I hit maturity the day before I turned eighteen, which was sooner than anyone in the pack thought possible, but it didn’t seem to surprise my father. The day of my eighteenth, Kael proposed to me, and I accepted because I knew anything other than that would land me a beating like none I’d ever had. I can’t stand him though. He repulses me, and I want nothing more than to rip his throat out when he’s near me. He doesn’t like me any more than I like him, but he will do as our fathers wish. He bows to the power of the alpha, and I know he wants that power someday. Marrying me is the only way he will ever attain it, though.”
“You’re an only child?” She asks when I pause, and I nod. “That is unusual for an alpha.”
“My mother was killed just after my eighth birthday,” I tell her, and sympathy comes into her eyes. “She was with child when she was killed. My father had always been protective of me, but her being killed made him so much worse. From that point until I left ten days ago, I was never without at least two enforcers at all times if I was outside the estate, and I was absolutely forbidden off pack lands. Once, when I was fifteen, I tried leaving. My father found me within minutes, and I was locked in the panic room in the house for three weeks.”
“Oh shit,” she breaths, and I nod. “How did you get away from him this time?”
“Father put me on lock-down again because there was a rogue spotted on pack lands. I was supposed to leave for college, it was the only stipulation I had to marrying Kael, and father caved. One year at university, then back home to be the wife of the new alpha. That was the deal. When he put me on lock-down, I knew he’d never follow through with it, and my wolf had had enough. She is who formed our escape plan, and I let her take over and lead because I was just as tired of it as she was.”
“It sounds like she is very strong,” Maggie mutters, and I nod again.
“Stronger than I am,” I tell her and my wolf grumbles in my ear. “I hate to admit it, but without her, I would be caving to my father’s wishes.”
You are not weak, my wolf tells me and I frown at her.
I am weaker than you, I counter, and she snarls again.
“It sounds to me like both you and your wolf had had enough,” Maggie says, and I look at her for a second then rise from the chair arm and walk to the window again.
“Zaire is back,” I tell her when I see a dark, nearly black, wolf immerge from the tree-line beside a large barn. I have no idea how I know it’s him, but I do.
“The others will be right behind him, then,” she says and pushes herself out of the chair. “Come, we will go see what’s going on.”
“I think I’ll stay here,” I tell her, but she shakes her head.
“I will not let you hide,” she says and my wolf chuckles. She’s in agreement with Maggie.
“If one of them was harmed, it’s entirely my fault,” I mutter, and Maggie shakes her head.
“Had one of them been harmed, Zaire would not have come out alone,” she assures me, and I nod. “The pack is his family, Rebecca. He has never, and would never, leave an injured family member behind.”
“Yeah, okay,” I mutter and turn from the window just as a knock sounds on the door. I inhale deeply and know it’s Zaire. His dark chocolate and sandalwood scent hits me like a fucking hammer and I nearly drop to my knees.
“Hello, Zaire,” Maggie greets him brightly as she opens the door.
“Maggie,” he greets her with a soft smile before he looks up and latches his eyes on me. “Rebecca.”
My name coming from his sexy mouth causes a shiver to travel up my back. I wonder what my name would sound like if he whispered it in ecstasy.
My wolf nearly purrs at the thought, and I’m aroused for the first time in my life.
Shaking myself, I look out the window again and gasp.
“Asher,” I breath out when I see the man being held between Nate and Matias.
“How do you know my uncle?” Zaire asks. I hear fury in his tone, and I shiver for a different reason.
“I won’t hurt you,” he tells me and takes a step toward me. “Will you answer my question, please?”
“He worked for my father for the past decade,” I answer and look out the window again. “Did you say he’s your uncle?”
“Yes,” Zaire answers then moves to stand beside me. “He’s my dad’s half-brother.”
“If he’s here that means my has father found me,” I whisper as I watch the enforcers lead Asher into a large barn.
My fear spikes, and Zaire lays his large hand on my back. His touch is light, and comforting, and ignites a fire within me I never knew I possessed.
“You are safe here,” Zaire whispers and I turn to look at him.
“How can you say that? My father is very strong, and very powerful.”
“You are safe here,” he repeats and tugs me against his side. “I will never let him harm you again.”
“Zaire,” I say in response to the look on his eyes.
“I’m going to kiss you, Rebecca,” he warns me then presses his lips to mine.
I’ve never been kissed before, not by anyone other than my mom, and this is nothing like the loving brushes of her lips against my cheek.
Zaire's kiss sparks a reaction in me like I’ve never had. When he pulls away, I feel a little dizzy.
“You taste as good as you smell,” he whispers then presses his lips to my forehead before releasing me and taking my hand. “Come. We will question Asher together.”
“What if he’s sent a message to my father?”
“I don’t think your father sent him,” Zaire responds as he gently tugs me toward the door. “And, seeing as you didn’t recognize him in his wolf form, he probably didn’t know the wolf he attacked was you.”
“But he will when he sees me,” I respond, but don’t struggle as he pulls me into the fading light. I just met Zaire, but I feel safer with him than I have with anyone except our pack’s physician since my mom was killed.
“I will kill him if he tries anything,” Zaire says, and I come to a halt.
“But, he’s your uncle, and you just met me,” I say, and he turns to face me. The sunset is behind him, and the light shining makes his dark hair shine, and I want to reach out and run my fingers through it.
“He betrayed my family, our pack, fifteen years ago. He may be my blood, but he is no longer my family,” he says coldly, and I inhale sharply.
“The stories are true then,” I say, almost silently, and Zaire narrows his eyes at me.
“What stories?” He asks and I shake my head.
“I should probably tell your father, too,” I say, and he nods. When he gives my hand a gentle tug, I fall into step beside him again.
He leads me to the barn I’d seen the enforcers taking Asher into, and pauses at the door.
“Remember, he cannot hurt you,” he tells me, and I nod. He leans down and brushes a soft kiss on my forehead before rising to his full height, which is at least a foot taller than my five-foot frame.
“Yeah,” I say as he opens the door and squeezes my hand.
He keeps my hand in his as we walk into the barn and face the man who tried to kill me.
“Son,” Lucas greets Zaire then looks at me.
“She knows Asher,” Zaire answers a question I did not hear. “And please speak verbally. Rebecca deserves to know what’s going on.”
“Okay,” Lucas responds, and looks between Zaire and I before turning to look at Asher. “And how does one so young know my brother?”
<
br /> “He joined my father’s pack just after my mother was killed,” I answer, and Lucas snaps his head back toward me.
“Asher works for your father?” He asks and I nod. His tones tells me there’s a lot more he wants to ask. “What pack are you from?”
Not wanting to answer that, I pull my hand from Zaire’s and dash from the barn before any of them can stop me. Shifting as I go, I make my way into the woods. There’s no way I can tell them what pack I came from, because they would instantly know who my father is, and there’s no way I can stay here without telling them.
Running deeper into the woods, I remember my backpack is back at the alpha’s house, and I growl. All my money is in that pack, but there’s no way I can go back for it.
I keep running until I reach the spot I was attacked earlier, and I stop. I know I should keep running, but I need a minute to think, a minute to process everything.
Lying on the ground, I shift back to my human form and let the tears spill down my cheeks as I realize I have no clothes, no money, and nowhere to go now.
Chapter Six
Zaire
“Fuck. I told you to let me question her!” I snarl and look at my dad for a second before I shift and dart out of the barn. I follow Rebecca’s scent into the woods, and let the invisible rope pull me toward her. I cannot let my dad’s questions pull her away from me.
From us, my wolf says in my head and growls softly.
Yes, from us, I correct myself. Stopping for a second, I inhale deeply, and the scent of sweet red plums and molasses surrounds me. When I look around and realize where I am, I growl softly and sprint toward the clearing I’d discovered Rebecca in this morning.
Skidding to a halt at the edge of the clearing, I see Rebecca lying on the ground in human form, and my heart skips a beat.
Dashing to her side, I smell her tears before I see them, and my heart breaks a little. I sit beside her in wolf form and bend my head until my snout is level with her face. Sliding my tongue out, I softly lick the tears from her cheek, and she opens her eyes.
“Zaire,” she breaths, and I lick her cheek again before I shift into my human form.
Rebecca and Zaire (Manchester Pack Book 1) Page 3