Rebecca and Zaire (Manchester Pack Book 1)

by Christina Escue

  “It’s either the truck, or shifting and running,” I tell her with a raised eyebrow.

  “Let’s run,” she responds and shifts before my eyes. I stare at her for a brief second before grinning and letting my wolf out.

  I can’t communicate telepathically with Rebecca yet, but I yip softly as I run beside her. I want to lead her through the forest to the main house, but having her beside me feels right. Having her running beside me is exactly where I need her to be.

  We run side-by-side until we reach the edge of the clearing behind the main house.

  I come to a stop, and turn to look at her. Her silver eyes are shining, and I see a freedom in them that I haven’t seen before. I shift back into my human form, and drop to my knees beside her. I run my fingers through her solid white fur, then bend my head and press it to hers. I am probably getting her fur all over my clothes, but I don’t care. I can’t seem to stop myself from gathering her in my arms and holding her close.

  I feel a vibration, and in an instant my arms are filled with my Rebecca.

  “That was fun,” she says then kisses my neck before tugging from my arms. “You’re covered in my fur.”

  “Don’t care,” I mutter and look at her. “I love you, my Rebecca.”

  “And I love you, my Zaire.”

  “I hate to break up this moment,” Nate says from behind us, and both of us look up at him. “But Rae is waiting in the clearing for you two.”

  “We’ll be right there,” I mutter and kiss Rebecca’s nose before rising to my feet and tugging her to hers.

  “Can’t keep the pack waiting,” she says with a smile.

  She dusts off her dress, then turns and heads toward the clearing beside the main barn.

  “You got it bad, man,” Nate says and chuckles.

  “And I couldn’t be happier,” I tell him and grin.

  “She’s going to be a great addition to this pack,” he tells me.

  “She already is,” I say and nod toward where she’s standing with Maggie and Karol, one of the unmated females in the pack. One I had been hoping she wouldn’t meet this soon.

  “Oh, this should be fun,” Nate says with a grin. He slaps me on the shoulder then walks to his mate.

  “Yeah, fun,” I say and shake my head. Plastering on a smile, I walk over and wrap my arms around Rebecca from behind and pull her to my chest. If any of the women I’d been with over the years were going to cause problems, it would be Karol.

  “Hello, Zaire,” Karol nearly purrs, and Rebecca stiffens in my embrace.

  “Karol,” I acknowledge her as I nuzzle into Rebecca’s hair and kiss her neck.

  “Haven’t seen you around much,” Karol says, and I shrug.

  “Been working with the enforcers,” I tell her as I pull Rebecca closer. “And then I came across this little she-wolf, and my heart was lost.”

  “I see,” she says and glares at Rebecca.

  “I’m assuming she’s one of the five,” Rebecca mutters, and tries to pull from my arms.

  I hold her against me, and glare at Karol, who is grinning.

  “Yes,” I answer honestly. “But that was a very long time ago.”

  “Seven years,” Karol says and turns away from us.

  “I’m sorry,” Rebecca mutters, and drops her gaze to the ground.

  “It was a long time ago, love,” I tell her and turn her in my arms. “I was sixteen.”

  “And I was fifteen,” Karol comments. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t love you.”

  “Oh, stop,” Maggie says and rolls her eyes. “You didn’t love him any more than I did. You just wanted the alpha’s son, and would have done just about anything to get him. You always knew you two weren’t meant to be together, so drop the hurt little bitch act and move on already.”

  “Wait,” Rebecca says and focuses on Maggie. “You’re one of the five?”

  “Five what?” Nate asks.

  “Five females in the pack I’ve slept with,” I tell him, and he chuckles.

  “Unfortunately,” Maggie answers and grins. “In my defense, I was young, and drunk, and in love with someone else.”

  “It still pains me,” I say and grin at Maggie. “She used me to piss my best friend off.”

  “I was nineteen, and hadn’t reached maturity yet. And I didn’t sleep with you to piss Nate off. I slept with you because Wilson and I had just broken up and you were convenient.”

  “Oh, damn,” Nate says and laughs. “Where is Wilson, anyway? Shouldn’t he be here?”

  “He will be,” Matias says from behind us. “He’s running a patrol before everything starts. We don’t want any surprises, so we’re going to have some enforcers running patrols throughout the festivities.”

  “Good idea,” I say and pull Rebecca against my chest again.

  “We will keep her protected,” Matias tells me, and I nod.

  “I need a minute,” Rebecca says and pulls from my arms before I can stop her. She walks toward the barn, and I sigh deeply.

  “Shit,” I say and start after her.

  “Give her a minute,” Nate stops me and looks at Rebecca. “She’s young, barely reached maturity, and is experiencing things she’s never experienced before. And I think finding out you slept with Maggie was a little overwhelming for her.”

  “Fuck,” I say quietly, and run my hands through my hair. “I swear, I keep fucking this up with her.”

  “She’s your mate, man. You’ll always be fucking something up,” Nate tells me, and Maggie smacks him. “What? I fuck up daily, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love me.”

  “He does have a point, Zaire,” Maggie says with a raised eyebrow. “He does piss me off regularly.”

  “Maybe you keep fucking it up because she isn’t your mate,” Karol says, and I snap my head toward her.

  “She’s his mate,” Maggie responds before I can. “Everyone who sees them together can see that. Well, everyone except you. You and Zaire broke up seven years ago, Karol. It’s time you moved on.”

  “Karol, I will always care about you. You’re part of my pack, of my family, and I will do everything in my power to protect you, but you know as well as I do, we were never meant to be together,” I tell her and sigh. “Besides, you’re the one who ended it with me. What’s really going on here?”

  “I just don’t feel like an outsider is the one fate would choose for our alpha,” she snaps, and I frown.

  “Are you forgetting my mom was an outsider?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “Fate and the spirits don’t get these things wrong. Rebecca was sent here to stand beside me as I lead this pack, and I will not allow anyone to make her feel unwelcome.”

  As I’m saying this, my voice rises and those close to me take a step back.

  “The true alpha is emerging,” Matias says softly as he looks at me. “Being mated will change you, Zaire.”

  “All for the better,” I tell him and look back at Rebecca. When I see she isn’t alone, I narrow my eyes and a low growl slips out. When the male standing with her touches her arm, I see red. “Matias, get your son away from my mate.”

  “Shit,” Matias says softly when he follows the direction of my gaze and sees Wilson touching Rebecca’s arm. “Wilson!”

  “Hey, dad,” Wilson looks up and grins. When his eyes land on me, the grin falls from his face, and he takes a step back as I start moving closer to him and Rebecca. “Hello, Zaire.”

  “Wilson,” I greet him as I stop behind Rebecca and pull her against my chest.

  “I was just introducing myself to your mate, and assuring her that all is quiet around the pack lands,” he tells me, and Rebecca hisses softly. She can feel my irritation, but there’s nothing I can do about that.

  “Glad all is calm,” I say as I try to get my wolf under control. After the mating, everyone will know she’s mine, and I hope my wolf will chill the fuck out, but until then, I am hanging on by a thread. “My mate has been worried.”

  I nuzzle into her hair and kiss he
r neck softly before raising my head and looking around.

  “Looks like most everyone is here now,” Wilson comments as he looks around, too. “I’m going to go help the others bring out the food. I’m truly happy for you, man.”

  “Thank you, Wilson,” I respond and kiss Rebecca’s neck again.

  He nods and walks away. Once he’s gone, Rebecca jerks from my loose embrace and rounds on me.

  “What the hell was that about?” She hisses through her clenched teeth.

  “That was my wolf being possessive of his mate,” I answer her honestly and gently grab her arms. “I can apologize until I’m purple, but it won’t change his reactions. This is new to me, too, Rebecca. I can’t seem to control his reactions. Once we’re mated, and both marked, I’m hoping he calms the fuck down. If not, I know it’s going to cause issues, but it’s something we will have to work on together. And, it’s not like I’m the only one overreacting.”

  “What?”

  “Baby, calm down, please,” I urge as I rub my hands up and down her arms. “Karol and I ended seven years ago, and Maggie and I slept together one time. We were both drunk, and that was five years ago. And neither of us had reached maturity yet. She was the last in the pack I slept with. After her, I decided it was a bad idea to be with anyone in the pack.”

  “Who else are they?” She asks and looks around at the females carrying food out to the main table. “I don’t want any more surprises.”

  “Keeli, Megan, and Jessie,” I tell her and point to the three women who are placing dishes on the table. “Keeli and Megan are mated now, you will meet their mates later tonight. Jessie isn’t mated, but she’s completely not interested in me.”

  “You said none of them loved you,” she tells him me and I frown.

  “I said none of them truly loved me,” I correct her and run my hand down her arm to entwine our fingers. “And none of them have. Karol and I were together for nearly a year, but we were still pups at the time. Since reaching maturity, I have not been with a woman in the pack. Not sexually, anyway. Many of the unmated females have invited me over for meals with their families, and I have accepted because it was expected of me.”

  “I’m sorry,” she mutters and drops her gaze to the ground.

  “Rebecca?” I say, not being able to keep the pain and fear from my voice. Tonight was supposed to be the best night of our lives, but everything seems to be unraveling and I don’t know how to stop it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rebecca

  I take a deep breath, and pull myself together the best I can. I knew he’d been with women in the pack, and I shouldn’t be surprised they were all stunningly beautiful.

  “Rebecca?” He says my name, and I hear the pain and fear in his one simple word. I love him more than I thought possible, and hearing the uncertainty in his voice makes me want to cry again.

  “I’m here, Zaire,” I tell him and reach out to touch his cheek.

  “Maybe we should go somewhere, away from everyone else, and talk,” he suggests, and I know he will if I want it, but I shake my head.

  “No,” I say softly and look into his eyes. They’re glassy from fear, and I nearly melt at the intensity of his gaze. I step to him and rise on my tiptoes to brush a soft kiss across his lips before running my hand up into his dark curls. “I know we need to talk, but not now. Right now, I want to forget the jealously, forget the uncertainty, and forget the fact that we hardly know each other. I want to be mated with you, Zaire. I want our souls bound. We can talk until we’re blue in the face, but until we can feel each other’s emotions, and hear each other’s thoughts, there will always be that uncertainty.”

  “I love you, Rebecca,” he says and slips his arms around me. “That’s something I’m completely certain about.”

  “My love for you, and yours for me, is something we can both feel. It’s something everyone around us can feel,” I tell him and tilt my head so I can kiss the dimple in his chin. “Now, let’s go greet everyone. It seems they have everything ready and are just waiting for us.”

  “You, my little one, are far too good for me,” he breaths out then kisses my forehead before stepping back and taking my hand. “Let me introduce you to the pack.”

  “Yeah, okay,” I respond, and take a deep breath as he leads me toward the crowd that has formed around the tables.

  “Hello, everyone, and thank you for coming out tonight. As you all know, we are gathering here to celebrate me finding my mate, and to complete the mating ceremony. Fate, and our ancestors, have sent this beautiful creature to me, and I couldn’t be happier,” Zaire says as he pulls me beside him and then steps back a little so I’m standing before the pack alone. “For those who haven’t met her, I would like to introduce y’all to Rebecca Grant. She comes to us from the Douglas Falls pack, and is my mate.”

  “Welcome,” everyone greets me in unison.

  “Thank you,” I respond and look around at the group surrounding me. My gaze lands on Rae and Lucas as they take a step forward. Their eyes look at me questioningly, and I nod. They smile and walk forward to join Zaire and I in front of the pack.

  “After Zaire reached maturity, we longed for him to find his mate and step into his role within this pack. We were beginning to wonder if he would, seeing as he rarely spent time with anyone outside the enforcers, but he found this little one badly injured in a field,” Lucas says and Zaire steps forward and wraps his arms around me. “When he brought her to the main house, he already knew what she was to him, and was ready to claim her instantly.”

  “I was lost and found in her,” he tells them, and I lean against him.

  “Now, before the ceremony, which will happen at ten, let’s eat and celebrate their mating,” Rae says and takes my hand then looks at Zaire. “You need to go join the males, per tradition, and I will take Rebecca to the females.”

  “Wait, what?” I ask. Being separated from Zaire is not my idea of fun.

  “Traditionally, the mated couple is to be separated from one another from the moment the feast starts until the ceremony takes place,” Rae tells me and my jaw drops. “Zaire didn’t tell you this?”

  “No,” Zaire speaks up and holds me against his chest. “Because it will not be happening.”

  “But, it’s tradition,” Rae responds.

  “No, mom,” Zaire says and Rae’s face drops.

  “I’ll go with her,” I tell him and smile softly at Rae. “If it’s the tradition of this pack, then I will do it. As part of the pack, as the mate of the future alpha, I will follow the pack’s traditions.”

  “I don’t like it,” Zaire says and holds me tighter. “I don’t like being separated from you. Not with so many unknowns possible.”

  “Zaire, we will be fine,” I tell him, trying to calm his wolf. I can feel him rising to the surface, and I don’t want another argument tonight. “You and the enforcers will be close, so we will be protected. I know you are worried, and I am a little scared something will happen, but we cannot let worry and fear control us.”

  “You are wise beyond your years, young one,” Lucas says, and I see pride in his eyes. In that instant I know I will do anything to remain part of this pack, of this family.

  “I still don’t like it,” Zaire says, but he releases me.

  “We will be safe,” I whisper to him after I turn to face him. I rise to my tiptoes and kiss him softly before stepping back and clasping Rae’s hand.

  “If anything happens to her,” he starts then shakes his head. “I love you, Rebecca.”

  “And I love you, Zaire,” I respond then turn with Rae and walk to where the females have gathered.

  “Thank you,” Rae tells me quietly as I glance over my shoulder at Zaire. He’s still standing where I left him, and it takes all my willpower not to go back to him.

  “He looks terrified,” I mutter and Rae smiles.

  “He’s afraid something is going to happen to you,” she says and tugs me gently. “But, if you notice, we have
guards stationed around. No one will get anywhere near here without every one of them knowing.”

  “Who are they?” I ask, nodding to the two closest to where we’re heading.

  “The tallest one is John. He’s Nate’s dad and second in command of the enforcers. He was born into the pack, and has been friends with Lucas since they were pups. The shorter one is Everest. He’s the current pack beta. When Zaire takes over tomorrow, he will step down and Nate will step up as beta.”

  “That usually passes from father to son, like alpha,” I remark, and she smiles sadly at me.

  “And it would have had his son not been killed last year,” she tells me, and I feel a deep sadness wash over her. “He was killed trying to save his pup from a stampede. Both were lost to us, and his mate has struggled over the past year, but she is surviving for their other pup.”

  “I would like to meet her,” I say and Rae smiles at me.

  “And you shall,” she says and leads me away from the table we were about to sit at. When she stops in front of a petite female with dark hair, I am hit by a sadness like none I’ve ever felt. “Santha.”

  “Rae,” the young woman looks up and rises to her feet when her eyes land on me.

  “Santha, I would like to introduce Rebecca. She’s Zaire’s mate, and will be taking over as pack mistress when he steps up as alpha.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Santha,” I say and reach out to touch her arm. “I can feel a deep sadness within you. Rae told me what happened, and I wanted to meet you. I cannot fathom what you’re going through, but I want you to know I, we, will help you in any way we can.”

  “Colton was a wonderful father, an amazing wolf, and a loyal mate,” she says and looks at the table.

  “Yes, but he is not the source of your sadness,” I say and both women look at me. “Tell me your pup’s name.”

  “Emmabelle,” she answers, and tears fill her eyes as she caresses the dark hair of the pup in the carrier wrap secured around her. “I did not know I was carrying this one until after we buried Colton and Emmabelle.”

  “What is his name?” I ask, sensing the child is a boy without having to ask.