“Why are you here?” Rebecca asks as several of our pack enforcers step from the trees.
“Stand down,” I tell them before they reach Kael. “We will hear him out.”
“What’s going on?” John asks as he steps from the trees, and joins Rebecca and I. “No one else is around.”
“John, this is Kael, Rebecca’s ex fiancé from her old pack,” I answer him, and he snaps his head toward Rebecca. “It’s a long story, one I don’t want to get into tonight, but I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything,” he says, and I smile. I may not be alpha yet, but they all respect me as much as they do my dad.
“He says he’s mated now, and his mate is waiting at a hotel in town. Find out which one, and go get her please.”
“She won’t go with someone she doesn’t know,” Kael tells us. “She’d never go with a stranger, especially a male.”
“I’ll go with them,” Rebecca speaks up and I growl.
“Like hell you will,” I snap and turn toward her. “You have no idea if he’s lying or not, and I will not let you walk into a situation like that.”
“From one controlling alpha to another,” Kael mutters and shakes his head.
“I am not controlling her. I am protecting her,” I snarl at him without looking away from Rebecca. “John, gather a team and go check the place out. If it’s safe, then Rebecca and I will go get Jill.”
“Want us to stay there?” Wilson asks from the other side of them.
“Yes,” I answer and look over my shoulder at Kael. “Take him to the barn before you go. I’m heading to the main house.”
“Yes, sir,” Wilson responds as he steps from the trees and binds Kael’s wrists.
“Watch him,” Rebecca says and looks at Kael through narrowed eyes. “He’s one of my father’s enforcers and son of the beta.”
“We’ll make sure he can’t communicate with them,” John says and grins.
“What hotel is she at?” Rebecca asks just before Wilson leads Kael through the trees.
He rattles off the name of the hotel, and Rebecca nods.
“Take care of her,” Kael says, and Rebecca nods again before Wilson pulls him from our view.
“I don’t think he’s lying,” Rebecca tells me as the enforcers follow Wilson and I lead her back to the cabin.
“I don’t know what I think,” I tell her as we walk inside. Instead of shutting the door, I grab my keys off the table and tug her back out. “But if he’s communicating with anyone, he told them where we’re going. So, we won’t be going there. You and I are heading to the hotel to see if his story checks out.”
“What about the others?” I ask.
“I was talking to my father telepathically as I was talking to Kael verbally. He knows what’s going on, and he will inform the others.
“You, my love, amaze me,” she says, and I smile as I lift her into my truck.
“And you, my she-wolf, should never underestimate your alpha,” I tell her and kiss her nose. “Now, let’s go see if he can be trusted.”
Chapter Seventeen
Rebecca
“This is not at all where I would expect Kael to be staying,” I say as Zaire pulls his truck into a small motel at the edge of town. It has a rustic feel to it, and Kael was a high-maintenance wolf.
“Maybe he was never who you thought he was,” Zaire mutters and I snap my head toward him. “If he is telling the truth, he was playing a part just as you were, so maybe he never revealed his true self to you.”
“I’ve known Kael my entire life, and even as a pup he was high-maintenance,” I tell him.
“People change,” he tells me and shrugs.
“Yeah,” I say and reach to open my door.
“Wait. Let me out first. I will make sure it’s clear before you join me. And before you object, if your father is here, he will catch your scent, even mingled with mine, and be on us before I can get to you.”
“I wasn’t going to object,” I tell him and look into his eyes. They have the chocolate hue of his wolf, and I know he’s on the edge of bursting out. “Just relax a little. I don’t want my father smelling you and coming out either.”
“I can take care of myself,” he mutters.
“Against a pack of enforcers?” I ask, arching an eyebrow at him. “Because if my father is here, that’s what he’ll have with him.”
“I know,” he tells me as he reaches for me. His arms wrap around me, and he kisses his mark on me before he inhales deeply. “I will be careful, my she-wolf.”
“You better,” I tell him and kiss my mark on him. “Because I need you, my sexy alpha.”
“I love you, Rebecca.”
“And I love you, Zaire,” I respond and kiss him again before sliding from his hold. “Now, go so we can get back to the pack. We have a meeting in a few hours, and I would love a little sleep before then.”
“I’ll be right back,” he tells me and kisses my nose before sliding from the truck and shutting the door behind him.
He walks around the truck, inhaling deeply every few steps, and makes his way to my door. When he opens it, he takes my hand and gently pulls me down. When my feet touch the ground, he buries his nose in my hair for a second and inhales deeply.
“Everything okay?” I ask, pulling back so I can see his eyes. They’re their normal amber color, and I sigh. His wolf is calm.
“More than,” he responds. “She’s in room thirty-one.”
“Are some of the enforcers here?” I ask. I can smell wolf in the air, but I’m not familiar with this pack’s scents yet.
“Wilson and a small team are just behind the motel,” he tells me and smiles. “I figured they’d beat us here, but I wanted to make sure before you got out of the truck.”
I smile up at him and kiss his cheek before pushing him slightly away and stepping around him. “Jill, if she’s here, will know me instantly. I may not have been allowed to attend school with the others in the pack, and I may have been on lock-down more often than not, but father made sure every member of the pack knew me so they could keep watch over me. Jill’s dad was killed during the attack that killed my mom, and her mother passed last year, just after she reached maturity.”
“So, she’s a little older than you,” he stated.
“Yes, she’s twenty-two,” I answer and inhale deeply. Not catching any scents she recognizes, my wolf relaxes a little more. “Let’s go see if Kael is telling the truth.”
“He carries the mark of a mate,” Wilson says from just behind the truck and I start slightly.
“Don’t sneak up on us like that,” I scold with a grin. I’m sure Zaire knew he was there, but I didn’t.
“Sorry,” he says with a grin. “We need to work on getting your senses attuned.”
“She and I will be working on a lot of things later today,” Zaire tells him as he takes my hand and leads me toward the room Jill is supposed to be inside.
“Let me knock,” I tell the two males as we stop in front of the door. “You two will likely terrify her.”
“Why? Isn’t she a wolf, too?” Wilson asks, and I nod.
“Yes, but the pack we come from is very different than the one here. Females aren’t regarded in the same way, and most are left alone unless they’re needed for something. Since Jill isn’t from one of the strongest bloodlines, she was basically left alone, even after both her parents were gone.”
“That’s horrible,” Wilson says and Zaire nods as I knock on the door.
“Yes,” I respond and hold up a hand. There’s shuffling on the other side of the door, but I can’t tell if someone is walking toward the door or away from it. “Jill, it’s Rebecca. Kael sent us after you.”
“Liar,” Jill says, and I frown.
“I’m not lying, Jill,” I tell her.
“I smell at least three wolves out there, and none of the scents belong to Rebecca Kelly,” she calls back and I sigh. Of course my scent is different. Zaire and I are mated now, so h
is blood has mingled with mine, just as Jill’s has changed Kael’s scent.
Sighing, I think back over life in my pack, and find a memory that will let her know it’s truly me.
“Jill, do you remember the day after we buried your dad? It was six days after the attack at the lake,” I say as tears fill my eyes. “I was on lock-down in the main house for most of that time, but you and your family were staying there until everything was sorted. You and I were in the library, and I was showing you some of my favorite books. No one else was around except Kael, who was standing in the hall while his father and mine had a meeting with the pack enforcers. You spotted something on top of one of the bookshelves, and wanted to know what it was, so we climbed to the top. It was a small, hand carved wolf that looked just like your dad. I told you to take it with you, remember?”
“Yes,” Jill says, and we can all hear the tears in her voice.
“What I didn’t realize until a few days later was that little wolf also looked like my grandfather. My father carved it for my mom after grandfather passed. He put it up there so no one would bother it,” I tell her and hear her suck in a breath. “That was the first time my father beat me, but it was also the day I learned you and I are cousins. Your dad and my mom were brother and sister.”
“That isn’t possible,” Jill gasps as she opens the door.
“It is,” I tell her and smile when my gaze lands on her. “My father never acknowledged it, but I found proof of it.”
“What kind of proof?” Jill asks, and I can tell I have her attention.
“This,” I answer and hold up the Grant family crest I always wear. “Your dad had one of these, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” she gasps and reaches up to clasp the identical necklace hanging from her neck. “Mom gave it to me just before she passed.”
“Mine left this one for me in her will, but father never gave it to me. I found it when I was locked in the panic room when I was fifteen. I figured out the combination to the safe, and this was inside,” I tell her. “This isn’t the only thing I found though. After you and your family went to your rooms, father beat me so bad he rebroke my arm. I was being looked at in my father’s office by the pack physician when I saw a small book laying on his desk. I kept my attention away from it until he was finished, but once I was alone, I picked it up and started reading it. I didn’t read much of it, but what I read was enough for me to know it was a book from the Norrison pack, my mom’s ancestors. Your dad’s name was written just above my mother’s. Your dad, my mom, and one other member of the Douglas Falls pack were siblings.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell us?” Jill asks and I shake my head.
“I can’t answer that because I don’t know the answer,” I tell her. “Do you want to get your things together so we can take you to Kael?”
“No,” she answers and takes a step back.
“Are you afraid of your mate?” Zaire asks, when her fear hits our noses.
“No,” she answers immediately.
“Then what?” I ask, looking around the small room.
“I’m afraid of what will happen if they find us there,” she answers and shudders.
“You will be protected,” Zaire tells her, and I hear the alpha in his voice.
“Jill, Zaire is the alpha of the Manchester pack. He will make sure you are kept safe,” I tell her as I look around again. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“I am,” she starts then looks at the two males with me.
“They won’t hurt you,” I tell her and look pointedly at Wilson. “Wilson is the son of the leader of the pack enforcers, and Zaire is my mate. Zaire would never harm a female.”
“None of the members of my pack would harm a female,” Zaire assures her and looks at Wilson too.
“I will go back to the forest with the others,” he says and looks at Jill again before smiling and disappearing into the trees behind them.
“Will you come with us?” I ask once he’s gone.
“Yes,” she answers and steps back into the room. When she grabs two small suitcases and steps back to the door, Zaire takes them from her and smiles.
“I’ll get these,” he says and walks to his truck.
“You really will be safe with us,” I tell her. “And the pack lands are beautiful.”
“Your father will kill Kael if he discovers what he’s done,” she whispers, and I nod my understanding.
“He may kill me, as well,” I remind her, and she frowns slightly. “I ran away from home, from the plan he had for me, and have mated with someone he doesn’t know. He will likely tear my head from my shoulders for going against his wishes.”
“I know you were meant to marry Kael and produce a male heir,” Jill says, and I nod. “Since reaching maturity, maybe even before, I knew what Kael was to me. We fought it for a long time, but in the end, fate won.”
“It did for me, too,” I tell her and brush my fingertips across the mark on my neck.
“Fate has a way of making things right,” Zaire says from beside me. “Let’s head to the main house and see what Kael has to say. If everything checks out, you two will stay at the main house tonight.”
“Why can’t we return here?” Jill asks.
“Because my father will be sending a team in to find me,” I tell her. “And if he finds you and Kael here, he will have you executed. If you’re dead, and he happens to get his hands on me, Kael and I will be forced to comply with his wishes.”
“He will never get to you,” Zaire says, and Jill snaps her head up at him.
“He is old, and he is powerful,” she says and Zaire shrugs.
“Be that as it may, I am Rebecca’s mate, and as such, I will kill him before he harms her ever again,” Zaire tells her, and she shudders from the force of his words. “Once this is over, if everything Kael said is true, you and he are welcome to stay here and join our pack.”
“Kael will decide that,” she whispers and looks at the ground.
“You will decide it together,” I tell her and take her hand. “Now, let’s head to the main pack house so you can meet Lucas and Rae. You’ll be staying with them tonight.”
Jill looks at me for a second before she nods and lets me lead her to Zaire’s truck.
Once we’re inside, me in the middle seat snuggled against Zaire’s side, Jill starts talking again.
“If Zaire is alpha, why are you two not in the main house?”
“Zaire officially takes over as alpha in a few hours, but even after the leadership change, he and I will be staying in the small cabin built a few miles from the main house,” I tell her, and she gasps softly. “Things are different here. Females have a voice. Our thoughts, feelings, and opinions matter, and we are allowed to make decisions.”
“We cherish our females, not control them,” Zaire tells her. “We protect them, but we also let them stand and fight beside us if they choose.”
“That’s unusual,” she says and looks out the window.
“It’s pretty common, actually,” Zaire tells her as he watches the road in front of us. “Most packs operate this way in this day and age.”
“Guess father was stuck in the old days,” I say as I spot wolves running in the trees. “Are those ours?”
“Yes,” Zaire answers and smiles. “The one who is nearly as dark as me is Wilson, and the gray one you keep seeing is John. Nate’s wolf is also gray, but significantly darker than John.”
“Nate’s home with Maggie, though, right?” I ask, thinking about the woman I spent part of the afternoon with.
“He is, and he plans on staying there unless something happens,” he answers then glances at Jill, before shaking his head slightly. He doesn’t want me talking about them until we know if Jill and Kael can be trusted.
I trust Jill, I tell him through our connection. I’m not sure about Kael though. He has always been his father’s son, and this could be one big lie to get me back.
We will know soon enough, he responds then gently
squeezes my leg.
Tonight was supposed to be about he and I, but it seems the universe is determined to make us wait for each other. That’s fine, we have a lifetime together.
When Zaire pulls into the drive of the main house, I hear Jill gasp in surprise. The house is nothing like the one in our old pack, and that’s one of the things I love most about it.
“Everything will be okay,” I tell her softly, and she nods. She may not believe me, but I know in my heart, in my soul, that everything will be just fine.
Chapter Eighteen
Zaire
“What’s going on?” I ask as I step from the truck and pull Rebecca out behind me.
“We received another call from Rebecca’s father,” Dad answers, and Rebecca tenses beside me as Jill takes a step back. “And the boy, the one Rebecca was engaged to, I don’t think he’s lying.”
“He isn’t,” Rebecca says and grabs Jill’s hand. She tugs her forward, and places her in front of my parents. “Lucas, this is Jill. She was a member of my father’s pack, and I am appealing to you for asylum for her and Kael. They are mated, and cannot return to my father’s pack. He will kill them both for going against his wishes.”
“Let me speak with them,” Dad says, and I take a step forward.
“You and I will speak with them together,” I say and release my hold on Rebecca’s hand.
“Let me walk her to Kael,” Rebecca says, and I nod. Jill will feel more comfortable if she’s with her mate while we talk to them.
“He’s in the main barn,” Dad tells her, and I frown at him.
She cannot go in there alone, I say through the link and he chuckles a little.
“Matias, and some of the other enforcers are in there. She will be protected,” he answers out loud.
“I would appreciate it if when you talk about me, you do it verbally,” Rebecca snaps at me, then tugs Jill toward the barn.
“She’s a feisty one,” Wilson comments as he watches them walk away. “You’re going to have your hands full with her.”
“And enjoy every damn minute of it,” Nate says from behind me. “Maggie sent me out. Apparently I was hovering again.”
Rebecca and Zaire (Manchester Pack Book 1) Page 11