“How did you know that?”
“Your voice when you were talking to your dad just after I woke up,” I tell him and softly kiss his chest. “Now, since we’re both finished eating, we have some things to discuss.”
“Yes,” he says and rises from the table with me still in his arms.
“Zaire, I can walk,” I say with a laugh and he growls.
“But I love the feel of you in my arms, and I don’t want to give that up just yet,” he tells me, and I kiss his chest again.
He carries me to the sofa, and sits, settles me on his lap, and nuzzles my neck.
“I want to taste you,” he whispers against my skin and I shudder. “I will wait until after the ceremony tomorrow night, but know, I want the taste of your blood in my mouth and to leave my mark on you for all to see.”
“The ceremony you’re talking about, it’s something specific to your pack, right?”
“It is,” he answers and turns me so he can see my face. “Our pack isn’t like most others. We are shifters, like the pack you come from, but we are more. The originator of our pack, the wolf who settled this area back in the sixteen hundreds, mated with a native woman. When she delivered their first pup, the native spirits of her people blessed him. Since then, we have been protected by those spirits. When mom said the native spirits need the ceremony, she wasn’t kidding. The mating of each alpha is blessed by the spirits, and that blessing is meant to keep peace within the pack.”
“And if they don’t bless our mating?” I ask as I pull back a little.
“They will,” he responds, and I narrow my eyes at him. “You are the wolf fate chose for me, Rebecca. The spirits of my ancestors, and the Fates do not get things wrong.”
“What if my father shows up before the ceremony?” I ask as fear and uncertainty fill my head.
“Then we will face him,” he tells me and pulls me against his chest once again. “I will not let him take you from me, Rebecca. I meant what I said earlier. I will kill him before he can hurt you again.”
“And I will kill him before he hurts you,” I tell him, and frown. “Seems my wolf is choosing my words now, but I know deep inside they’re true. I will kill him, and any member of my old pack, to protect this one.”
“My little she-wolf has found her spirit,” he mutters, and I lean back to look at him.
“She-wolf?”
“It’s something Nate called you when we first found you,” he tells me.
“And you’re going to call me that now?” I ask, and try to fight the grin that wants to form on my mouth.
“Maybe,” he answers then brushes his lips across mine. “Either that or Becky.”
“The only nickname I ever had was Becca. It’s what my mom called me.”
“Hmm,” he says, and I grin.
“If you call me anything, I prefer she-wolf,” I tell him, and he chuckles.
“I prefer mine,” he says and kisses my neck.
I moan as his teeth scrape against the pulse beating there, and I feel him grow hard against my bottom.
“I am yours, and you are mine,” I whisper as I shift in his lap.
“I want to be inside you,” he tells me, and I hear the strain in his voice. “But there are still things we need to talk about.”
“Like what?” I ask and shift again.
“Like how we’re going to run two packs that are halfway across the country from each other,” he answers, and I stop moving to look at him.
“What?” I ask, leaning back a little so I can see his eyes.
“Once we’re mated I will, technically, be alpha of your father’s pack,” he says, and I gasp.
“I haven’t thought about that,” I respond and my brow wrinkles. “I do know I don’t want to go back to West Virginia, though.”
“It’s your home,” he reminds me, and I shake my head.
“Wherever you are is my home,” I say and snuggle against him.
“And you are my home,” he agrees and kisses my forehead.
“Tell me what to expect from the ceremony tomorrow,” I say, and he starts talking.
“The pack will gather under the full moon. We will eat then my dad will call upon the native spirits. We will repeat the words he says then transform into our wolves and go to the sacred spot together. Once we’re there, we will transform back, and do the blood exchange.”
“Wow,” I respond. “I never witnessed a mating in my old pack, but I know it wasn’t like that.”
“Most packs don’t do this,” he tells me, and I nod. “Like I explained a few minutes ago, it’s more for the spirits to bless our mating, and if my parents didn’t feel so strongly about it, we wouldn’t be doing it.”
“It’s pack tradition,” I say and snuggle into his arms. His hand rubs small circles on my back, and I yawn. “Tell me about your life here.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” I tell him and yawn again.
“The pack owns this land, and the land your mother’s pack originated from borders it. When this pack overtook that one, our land increased significantly. Over the years, the pack has used it in many different ways, and my great-grandfather decided it was time the pack started breeding horses.”
My eyes drift close as he talks. I feel so safe and comfortable in his arms, that I give in to the exhaustion of the day, and let sleep overtake me.
Chapter Twelve
Zaire
I wake to the feel of small hands on my stomach, and I groan. Rebecca trails her small hands down to my abdomen, and pauses. I know she knows I’m awake, but I keep my eyes closed as she lets her hand drift further down. When her fingertips brush over my cock, I inhale sharply and snap my eyes open.
“Good morning,” she says brightly and giggles. “You snore.”
“I do not snore,” I rebut and grab her hand as she touches my cock again. “And you’re a little minx.”
“Thought I was a she-wolf,” she responds and licks her lips.
“You’re something,” I tell her then pull her on top of me. My hands trail to the bottom of the shirt she’s wearing, and drift up. I pull it over her head and toss it to the floor.
“I’m yours,” she tells me and leans forward. When her lips brush across mine, my control snaps. I wrap my arms around her and roll her under me.
“Mine,” I say then claim her mouth.
Her plum and molasses scent surrounds me, and my wolf growls softly. He wants to complete the mating ritual now, and it takes all my strength to hold him back.
“Fuck, I want to be inside you,” I nearly growl and shift her. My cock throbs with need as her wet curls brush against it.
“What’s stopping you?” She asks and raises her hips, so my head slips into her folds.
“Not a fucking thing,” I respond and drive deep. When I’m buried to the hilt, I hold still as the feel of her surrounds me. I’d been with a fair number of women since I’d hit puberty, but none of them compare to Rebecca. She is the woman the Fates created for me. She is the only woman I ever want to be with again.
“Zaire,” she breathes out and shifts her hips.
Letting the love I feel for her surround us, I start moving inside her.
“I want to taste you,” she says in a strained voice, and I can feel her wolf trying to edge to the surface.
“Tonight, love,” I respond as I pull out and slide back in. Like last night, I have more control than I thought I have. “Tonight we will be bound together in every possible way.”
“Yes,” she cries out as her hips rise off the bed and met my thrust.
Sliding my hands under her ass, I lift her off the bed a little as I rise to my knees. I pound into her and lose myself in her silken sheath. She is my perfect match in every way.
“Zaire,” she cries out and I feel her tighten around me. I want this to last forever, but I know I can’t hold on much longer.
“Fuck,” I whisper and let her hips drop back to the bed. I place my hands on ei
ther side of her head and look into her smoky eyes as I dig my fingers into the sheets.
She cries out and grips my shaft, and I can’t hold back. I spill inside her as a howl rips from my throat.
My body collapses on the bed beside her and I pull her into my arms. Running my fingers through her silky hair, I inhale our mingled scents, and my cock jumps back to life.
“I want you again already,” I mutter into her hair as she snuggles closer. “With every breath I take, I want you.”
“I never thought I would like sex,” she admits, and I frown into her hair.
“Why?”
“Because I was set to marry Kael, and he repulses me,” she reminds me, and I growl softly. “Just the idea of him touching me makes me nauseous. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if he ever touched me like you have.”
“I’ll kill him if he tries,” I tell her, and she stiffens in my arms at my tone. “Shh, you don’t have to worry about that. We will be mated under the full moon, and no one will ever be able to separate us again.”
“Speaking of mating,” she starts and pulls away, so she can look at me. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“Your clothes that were salvageable are clean. I washed them before carrying you to bed then tossed them in the dryer before I curled next to you and went to sleep.”
“You did my laundry?” She asks and I grin.
“I am a man of many talents,” I tell her then kiss the tip of her nose. “Now, let’s get up and I’ll cook you some breakfast.”
“How about I cook you breakfast?” She asks and I look at her.
“You can cook?” I ask, arching my brow at her.
“I can,” she responds and kisses me softly then scoots out of bed. When she snags the shirt I had on last night off the chair and slips it over her head, she inhales deeply, and I hear her wolf make a purring sound deep in her chest.
“You enjoy my scent as much as I enjoy yours,” I mutter softly, and she smiles.
“Your scent is the best thing I have ever smelled,” she admits then walks from the room, wearing only my t-shirt.
“Fuck,” I mutter and run my hands through my hair. The thought of her cooking while wearing nothing but my shirt makes my dick swell.
Sliding off the bed, I snag my jeans and tug them on, leaving them unbuttoned, before walking out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.
“What are you cooking?” I ask as I walk over and start the coffee maker.
“Pancakes,” she answers and tosses a grin over she shoulder. “My father would have killed our cook had he known she was teaching me to cook, but I insisted. I was on lock-down so often, I used that time to learn skills most would say were useless for an alpha’s wife.”
“You will never be locked-down again,” I tell her as I pull two mugs from the cupboard. “Do you drink coffee?”
“I’ve never tried it,” she answers, and I frown. “Father would never allow me to have anything that would alter my normal body functions. Coffee, soda, tea; anything with caffeine or sugar was off limits in our house.”
“I don’t know what to say to that,” I respond and pour myself a cup of coffee. It was my lifeline first thing in the morning. “Would you like to try coffee?”
“It smells delicious,” she tells me, sniffing the air. “Kael and his father always had coffee, and I loved the smell of it.”
“Would you like to try it?” I ask again. “I have some sugar and milk, but no creamer. I don’t use it, so I don’t keep it.”
“How do you drink your coffee?”
“Two teaspoons of sugar,” I answer and walk to her with my cup in hand. “Would you like to try mine? It’s a little strong.”
“No, I think I’ll stick with milk this morning. Maybe I’ll try it soon.”
“We can pick up a few different kinds of creamer while we’re out later, just in case you want to try coffee at some point.”
“Why would you do that if you don’t drink creamer?” She asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Because you may like it,” I answer and shrug. “And if you don’t, there are people in the pack we can give it to.”
“Okay,” she responds as she flips a perfect pancake from the skillet and adds it to the stack she’s already formed.
“That’s a lot of pancakes,” I point out, and she looks at the stack beside her elbow.
“I’m sorry,” she responds and cringes. “I got carried away. I’m sorry.”
“Rebecca, don’t,” I say softly and step to her side. “I’m not upset with you, and I will never hurt you. We will eat what we want of them, then take the rest to Mari and Adam. They have five little ones who will love them.”
“I never cooked for just two before. It was always a pack sized meal in my house,” she tells me, and I wrap my arms around her.
“It would be if we were in the main house,” I whisper into her hair then inhale deeply. “Please don’t be afraid here. No one will hurt you here.”
“I’m not afraid anyone will hurt me,” she responds, and I pull back to look at her.
“I can smell your fear,” I remind her, and she shakes her head.
“I’m not afraid anyone will hurt me,” she says again. “I’m afraid I’ll mess up.”
“I’m sure you will, and so will I,” I tell her and run my fingers through her hair. “It’s natural to mess up. We aren’t perfect, and things happen, but nothing will happen when you do mess up, Rebecca. I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“I know that,” she snaps, and jerks from my embrace. She turns from me, and a second later, I smell her tears in the air.
“Shit,” I say softly and reach for her. When I turn her around, she covers her face with her hands, and I mentally kick my ass. For what, I don’t know, but I somehow upset her. “Rebecca, look at me please.”
“I’m sorry,” she says again as she uncovers her face and looks at me.
“Baby, please stop,” I say gently and pull her against my chest. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
“I don’t know,” she tells me and sniffs. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You never could,” I whisper into her hair. “You are the other half of me, the part I wasn’t looking to find, but am so very glad I have. This is totally cliché, but it’s also completely accurate. You, Rebecca Grant, complete me. My heart, my life, are whole now.”
“I’ve disappointed everyone in my life,” she says, and my arms tighten around her.
“That’s on them, not you,” I try to reassure her. “They wanted perfection, and for you to be someone you aren’t. All I need is you, baby, exactly as you are.”
“I know you would never hurt me,” she whispers into my chest. “And I’m not upset with you as much as I am myself. I’ll work on my reactions, and try to do better.”
“Rebecca, you have nothing to do better at. You lived through hell for the past decade, and your reactions are justified. Just remember that my sole purpose in life is to make you happy and keep you safe.”
“And the pack,” she adds, and I smile into her hair.
“They’re secondary to you,” I inform her. “Rebecca, you are my life. My everything revolves around you now. I love my pack, my family, but I would walk away from it all for you.”
She pulls away from my chest and shakes her head. “No. I would never allow that.”
“And knowing that makes me love you more,” I tell her then kiss her softly. “Now, let’s eat so we can get everything done this morning. My dad will want to meet with me before the ceremony, and we have to prepare the pack for a change in leadership.”
“You’re stepping up as alpha?”
“It’s past time I stepped up as alpha,” I remind her as she steps from my embrace and grabs two plates from the counter beside the stove. “And with you beside me, I know the pack will be well taken care of.”
“I will do the best I can,” she tells me as she places some pancakes on
the plates and turns to face me.
I take the plates from her hands and carry them to the table before walking back to her. “Just be you, and you’ll do amazing.”
“Yeah, okay,” she responds as I take her hand and lead her to the table.
“Rebecca, you will be an amazing addition to this pack, to this family.”
“I hope so,” she mutters as she sits and grabs her fork.
“Eat, love,” I tell her and grab my own fork. She still looks a little hesitant, but I know she will be amazing in her role are my mate.
“Yeah, okay,” she responds again, and I smile.
“Rebecca, I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she tells me, and my wolf nearly howls.
“Good,” I say and take a huge bite of my breakfast. Once I swallow, I smile at her and lick my lips. “These are amazing.”
“Thank you,” she says shyly then takes a small bite of her own stack of pancakes.
“Why did you wait for me to start eating before you did?” I ask before taking another bite. She’d done that last night, too, and it spikes my curiosity.
“Habit,” she answers and looks at the table. “I was raised in a pack where women were to take a back seat to men. We weren’t fighters, we weren’t allowed to be in charge of anything, and we weren’t allowed to disrespect any male member of the pack. We were to be seen, but not heard, and we were to never voice our opinions. We weren’t allowed to start eating until the male head of the family did, and we were not allowed to leave the table until he was finished. It’s an engrained habit. One I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to break.”
“Oh baby,” I say and reach my hand out to cup her cheek. I want to rip her father apart, but despite my fury with him, I find myself melting when it comes to her. “You will never have to return to that life.”
“I will kill myself before returning there,” she mutters, and I growl before I can stop myself.
“Never say that!” I bellow and leap to my feet as a snarl rips from me before I can stop it. She flinches and scoots back before she can stop her reaction, and I snarl again. I know I need to get my wolf under control, but her words terrified him.
Rebecca and Zaire (Manchester Pack Book 1) Page 7