“I’ll go sit with her,” Mom says and walks off before anyone can say anything.
“What did Rebecca’s father have to say when he called?” I ask, knowing dad wasn’t going to offer the information without me asking.
“He wants to meet with me in the morning,” he answers. “At a coffee shop in town so we aren’t on my pack lands.”
“What time?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“Ten,” he answers and grins. “And he didn’t say he wanted to speak with me, exactly, but with the alpha of the Manchester pack.”
“Interesting,” I comment and grin. “I don’t know if he even knows which of us is alpha.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t,” dad tells me. “So, I was thinking we could both go. Me because I was alpha when Rebecca arrived, and you because you’ll be alpha at the time of the meeting.”
“He’ll kill Zaire if he smells me on him,” Rebecca says from behind us, and I turn to face her.
“He may try,” I respond and pull her to my side. “I am not a weak wolf, Rebecca. I will not fall to the likes of him. I will not allow him to get to you again. Also, I’m sorry for using telepathy to speak with my dad. I will try not to do it again when it comes to you, but I will likely fail because he and I communicate this way more often than verbally.”
“I understand that, but if you respect me at all, then I should be involved in the conversations. Especially the ones regarding me,” she says and tries pulling from my arms.
“Don’t pull away,” I tell her and hold her a little tighter. “I do respect you, Rebecca. I also love you, and will do my best to make sure I include you in everything.”
“I love you, too,” she says and kisses my chest before looking at everyone else. “I’m assuming you’re going to meet with my father at some point?”
“Yes, He wants to meet with the Manchester pack alpha at ten in the morning,” I answer her, and she gasps. “Dad and I are both going, with a small team of enforcers. Most of the enforcers will stay here to protect the pack though.”
“Why are both of you going?” She asks and I sigh.
“Because dad was alpha when you arrived here, but by the meeting time, I will be alpha,” I answer. “He doesn’t know which of us is the alpha, so we’re going to let him meet us both.”
“He will smell my scent on you,” she tells me, and I shrug.
“I hope he does,” I say, and she narrows her eyes at me. “Rebecca, you are mine, and I am not afraid for him to know it. If he smells you on me and challenges me, I will accept the challenge, and he will lose.”
“Don’t underestimate him,” she says and presses her face into my chest.
“Don’t underestimate me,” I say softly as a sharp pain hits my chest. She’s afraid for me, and I get that, but it feels like more than that. “I need you to have faith in me.”
“I have faith in you,” she snaps as she raises her face from my chest. Tears are streaming down her face, and the sight and smell of them make me let go of a little of the anger and hurt her words caused a moment ago. “When I was fifteen, there was this boy I liked. He was the son of one of dad’s enforcers and took up a position over the summer working in the garden at the main house. He was sixteen, and super cute, but I knew my destiny, so I never told anyone I liked him. His name was Matthew, he had dark hair and eyes, like most of the people in that pack, and he was the sweetest boy I’d ever met. He came to me one day, and confessed that he took the job at the house because he wanted to get to know me better. He said he’d had a crush on me since the previous summer when his father started training him to be a pack enforcer.”
She pauses and wipes the tears from her cheeks before she continues. “He and I talked for hours every night after everyone else was asleep. We became close, and he confessed he thought I was his fated mate. I told him it could never happen, but he didn’t want to hear it. He wanted to wait until we reached maturity, then we would run away together. I wanted nothing more than to be free, and he was offering me that freedom. The week before my sixteenth, my father caught us talking. Matthew had his hand on my leg, and father lost it. He shifted right there in the library, and killed Matthew before I could blink. When he shifted back, he reminded me that my future was planned out, and he’d never allow anyone to interfere with his plans. I ran away that night, but father found me within an hour. The beating I took was horrific, but not nearly as bad as being locked in the panic room for three weeks. Once I was allowed back out, the stories of Matthew’s death had been created, and everyone believed he’d attacked me, and father killed him for it. His parents and siblings were banished from the pack, and no one, other than Kael, who hadn’t reached maturity was allowed in the main house again.”
“Rebecca,” I say and hold her tightly against me as my rage simmers just below the surface. I want to rip her father limb from limb for the pain, both physical and emotional, he caused her.
“I don’t underestimate you, Zaire,” she whispers. “I just know him, and I know how he is when he’s angry.”
“I’m not afraid of him,” I tell her softly. “I’m not a sixteen-year-old who hasn’t reached maturity, baby. I am an alpha who will protect his pack and his mate. I’m a fighter, my love. I’m not saying I can’t be hurt, or even killed, but it will not be by your father.”
“He will not be alone,” she tells me, and I kiss the top of her head.
“Neither will I,” I remind her. “Dad will be with me, and I’ll have a few enforcers there, too. Your father isn’t stupid, love, and he will not attack me in front of humans. He knows we won’t either, which is why he suggested a busy coffee shop in town.”
“I’m just scared,” she says, and I kiss her head again.
“I know, baby,” I respond and pull her against my chest once more. “Why don’t you go sit with mom and Maggie while we talk to Kael and Jill, then we can go home and get a little sleep before coming back in the morning?”
“Yeah, okay,” she says and pulls from my embrace.
She kisses me softly then walks away. Once she’s gone, I look at my dad and Nate.
“I’m terrified something is going to happen here after we leave to meet with her father.”
“We are only taking a few with us,” dad tells me, and I nod.
“We can talk about that in the morning,” I say and look at the barn. “Let’s go see what he has to say, then we will try to get some sleep. It’s nearly two now, and we have an announcement to make in just over seven hours.”
“Lead the way,” dad says and steps back so I can proceed him into the barn.
We walk the short distance in silence, and once we’re inside, my eyes land on Kael. He’s sitting in a chair with his hands bound, and Jill is sitting in his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck.
“Unbind him,” I tell Matias and he looks at my dad. My wolf snarls, and I narrow my eyes at him. “I gave you an order, and you will obey it. My dad may still be alpha for the next few hours, but you will not disobey an order from me.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Matias mutters as he releases the binds on Kael and takes a step back.
“Stop it,” dad says, and I look at him. “Matias knows you’re taking over in the morning, but for the past twenty-four years, he has taken his orders from me, and it’s a hard habit to break. He will adapt, but you will have to give them all some leeway.”
“I apologize, alpha,” Matias says and looks between me and my dad before he takes a step back and bows his head.
“All is forgiven,” I tell him, and my dad smiles at me.
“Now, Kael, tell my son what you told me earlier,” Dad says, and Kael focuses his mud brown eyes on me.
“The day after Bec left the pack, her father announced that he’d let her go to college a few days early to protect her from the threat of the rogue who had been spotted on pack lands. I didn’t believe him, and neither did most of the pack, but we all knew better than to question him. About three days after she disappeared, he
and my father were locked away in his office, and I decided to do a little investigation. I checked her bedroom first, and noticed that all of her things were still there. If she’d gone to college, she’d have taken more than her backpack full of clothes. I searched around the estate, and found no trace of her. My first fear was he’d killed her, but then I found the small place in the wall in the main garden, and I knew she’d run away. I immediately left the estate and went to Jill. I told her Rebecca was gone, and we started planning our escape. It took until three days ago for me to finally break free of my father, but as soon as I did, Jill and I left.”
“You told Rebecca and I that you followed your fathers here,” I say, and he nods.
“We did, sorta anyway,” he tells us and looks around at everyone. “My father reached out to me two days ago. He and Harmon wanted to meet with me, but I was no longer in the area. He was irate when I told him I wasn’t coming back, and he threatened to track me down and drag me back. While he was ranting, he let it slip that he wasn’t in West Virginia any longer. Then, and this is where being the son of the beta and the one who was set to take over the pack finally played to my advantage, I reached out to the head of the enforcers. He had not been informed I’d left, so he told me everything he knew. I found out where they were, and Jill and I went to the small town they’d tracked Rebecca to. We arrived just as they were leaving yesterday afternoon, and we followed them here. I tracked Rebecca’s scent to a clearing, then to the cabin I found you two at.”
“If you can track her that easily, the others could too,” I say and look at the enforcers with us. “They could be coming here right now.”
“Harmon won’t attack just yet,” Kael says, and I look at him in confusion. “He may be a tyrant, and completely disregard the feelings of the members of his pack, but he follows the laws of the wolves when it comes to other packs. He will appeal to you to return Rebecca, and he will use his claim on her as his only heir, but he will not attack until you refuse to give him what he wants.”
“He has no claim on her any longer,” I nearly roar, and everyone close to me takes a step back. “She is mine!”
“She is officially part of this pack,” my dad says and places his hand on my shoulder. “And she is mated to the alpha. Our pack will fight to the death to protect its mistress.”
“Harmon will not care that she’s mated. He will see it as an obstacle to remove from his path. Since the death of her mother, Bec has been nothing but a pawn for him. She’s one of many pieces in the game of chess he’s been playing for years with the pack. He lost his mind when his mate and pup were killed, and it has never returned to him.”
“He will never get to her,” I snarl and Kael nods as his arms tighten around Jill.
“And he will never get to Jill,” he says, and I gain a little respect for the wolf.
“Then you will fight with the Manchester pack against this threat?”
“Yes,” he answers without hesitation. “As long as you promise to look after Jill if anything happens to me.”
“She is ours to protect,” I vow, and he bows his head.
“Thank you, alpha,” he says, nearly silently.
“Welcome to the pack,” I say then look at the enforcers in the room with us. “Matias, show them to a room in the main house, please. They need to get some rest because tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
“Yes, sir,” he responds and walks to the door.
“Their bags are in the bed of my truck,” I add just before the three of them walk out the door, and Matias nods.
Once they’re gone, dad turns toward me and smiles.
“I’m very proud of you, son,” he says, and I return his smile.
“Thank you, dad,” I respond and exhale loudly. “Now, I think I’m going to gather my beautiful mate and head home. I will see you all in the morning.”
“Goodnight, son,” he tells me, and I nod before walking out the door. I want nothing more than to shower and hold my beautiful she-wolf for the next few hours.
Chapter Nineteen
Rebecca
I practically glow with pride as I watch Zaire take the alpha oath for our pack. He’s standing between Lucas and Rae as the pack council surrounds us.
Last night, after we got back to the cabin, he lured me into the shower, and we made love against the wall as steam surrounded us, then he carried me to bed, and we lost ourselves in each other for the next couple of hours. We hadn’t gotten much sleep, but every single second of it was worth the lost sleep.
“Rebecca,” Zaire’s soft voice pulls me from my memories, and I smile shyly at him.
“Oh,” I say as I look around and see everyone has wandered off.
“What has that look on your face?” He asks and pulls me into his arms.
“I was remembering last night and this morning,” I admit and touch his mark on my neck. We bit each other again this morning, so the marks were fresh, and I feel myself slipping into a haze again.
“That’s why your arousal spiked,” he whispers and kisses my neck. “If I didn’t have to get to this meeting in just a little while, I would take you back to the cabin and have my way with you again.”
“Why don’t we do that, and let your dad take a few enforcers to meet with my father?”
“You know I can’t do that,” he says and sighs. “I don’t want you to worry about me.”
“I can’t help it,” I say and press against him.
“Baby, will you promise me something?”
“What?” I ask as I pull away a little.
“Will you promise to stay with Maggie while we’re gone? She’s within days of delivering, and Nate is antsy about leaving her,” he says, and I look at him. “I know you want to go, but I cannot take you into the unknown, and there’s no way we can check it out first.”
“I’ll stay with Maggie,” I tell him and kiss his cheek. “Don’t worry about me. Focus on what’s going on around you.”
“Baby, I’m going to be fine,” he tells me, but I can’t shake this fear that something is going to happen.
“Just please watch each other’s backs,” I tell him and step back. “Please come back to me.”
“I will always come back to you,” he tells me and dips his head to press his lips to mine. “You, Rebecca Grant, are mine.”
“I know we’re mated, but once this is all over, I want us to get married, too. I want your last name,” I tell him, and he smiles.
“I love you, baby,” he says and kisses me deeply before I can say anything.
When he breaks the kiss, I’m nearly panting. “I love you, too.”
“When I get back, we will talk more about that,” he tells me, then kisses the tip of my nose. “I have to go, but I promise you, I will come back to you.”
“I’m so scared,” I confess. He cups my face in his hands and looks into my eyes. His amber ones are fill of love, and I exhale softly. “I keep getting this feeling that something is going to happen.”
“Baby,” he says softly and brushes his lips across mine. “I know you’re worried, and I will try to keep in touch with you through our link. I want you to know I’m okay, and I need to know you’re okay.”
“Yeah, okay,” I say and pull back a little.
“Promise me that if anything happens, you will get into one of the saferooms with the pups and Maggie,” he says, and I shake my head.
“I can’t promise that,” I tell him, and a growl sounds in his chest. “Zaire, I was pushed into corners, and hidden from everything for the past ten years. I will not be hidden away again.”
“Damnit, Rebecca, there’s no way I can focus on what I need to do if I’m worried about you.”
“Then don’t,” I say and jerk from his embrace. “Don’t worry about me, Zaire. Just fucking don’t.”
“Rebecca, I would hate to have you locked into a saferoom while I’m gone,” he threatens, and I snarl at him.
“I swear to you, if you do, I will never forgive you. I
f you treat me like my father did, no matter how much I love you, I will be gone by the time you come back,” I snap out then turn to leave. When his large hand encircles my upper arm, I growl at him.
“I’m sorry,” he says, almost silently. “I’m terrified something is going to happen while I’m gone, while we’re apart.”
“Okay,” I say and look pointedly at his hand.
“Rebecca, please,” he says and the fear in his voice pulls me from the anger surrounding me. “I love you, and as much as I’d like to do nothing more than lock you away to keep you safe, I would never do that.”
“Zaire,” I say softly and look at his hand on my arm again. “I understand you’re scared, but I swear, if you ever threaten to lock me away again…”
“I will never,” he says and his voice catches. “I love you, and the thought of losing you nearly drops me to my knees.”
“Zaire, you’re going to be in more danger than I am,” I tell him, and he releases my arm to run both hands through his hair.
“Just stay safe, please,” he says, and I smile at him softly.
“You too,” I breath out. “I love you, endlessly. Come back to me.”
“I love you, too,” he responds and kisses my forehead before walking away.
I watch as he transforms into his wolf, and runs to the edge of the clearing to Lucas, who is nearly as dark as Zaire, Nate, and Matias. There are more with them, but I don’t know who anyone else is when they’re in their wolf form.
“He’s going to be okay,” Rae says from beside me, and I nod. I can’t form words right now.
“They will all be alright,” Maggie says from my other side. I look over and see her rubbing her belly.
“Everything okay in there?” I ask. As mate to the alpha, and the new pack mistress, keeping the ones left here safe is my responsibility.
“Just a little rowdy today,” she tells me, and I nod. “Worried about his dad, if I had to guess.”
“We’re all worried about them,” Rae says and looks at the place they disappeared. “But we have things to do around here.”
Rebecca and Zaire (Manchester Pack Book 1) Page 12