Unwanted Mate (2 page)

“What would I do without you? You’re right.
They
are
pack and
do
need help. But I swear, if he
touches any of your things—”

“You left them there?! Lucien!” She was
mortified. Before he claimed her as his mate, Lucien had bought
very sexy lingerie for her. But nothing she felt comfortable
wearing. Or that she thought would fit her. Why hadn’t she just
burned them?

“I’m sorry, Love. I was hoping we’d go back
after the baby was born.…”

“As if!” She said, arms crossed over her
breasts, trying hard not to smile as she thought back to the first
time they went to their cabin.

“Are you going to make me chase you again,
Lanie?” he asked softly.

“Perhaps.…” This time she didn’t try to hide
her smile. She knew he could smell her arousal and would probably
carry her off to bed shortly or take her on the dining room table,
as he sometimes did. She really hoped he did the former, since they
had guests and the table was full of dishes.

“Zane, you are Jackie’s mate. Since you don’t
have any blood ties to your previous pack, you are now considered
part of our pack. You have a…unique situation. When wolves
recognize their mates, it is usually a joyous occasion. I’m sorry
circumstances have ruined this for both of you. Jackie, Zane acted
in self defense. Even Sean’s friends support his claim of self
defense. They told me Sean was rejected by a female and he was
pissed. I guess he decided Zane was an easy target, because he just
walked up to him and began hitting him. Zane is completely
blameless. Sean started it and Zane ended it. I’m sorry, but you
need to know the truth.”

Jackie was stunned. Her
brother
attacked Zane? Some of what her Alpha said made sense. Sean was
much bigger than Zane. He would have thought Zane an easy target.
She loved her brother but acknowledged his faults. He’d acted like
an ass and had it handed to him. By her
mate
.

“As Alpha, I am ordering you to spend a week
with each other and figure this out. Whatever your decision, I will
abide by it. You will spend this week in our cabin. It is where
Lanie finally agreed to become my mate and where we spent our
honeymoon.”

Zane and Jackie stared at him, surprised at
his offer. Spend a whole week with their mate? Alone? Neither could
think of a valid reason to object.

“Finally! All settled.
Now
can we go
to bed, Lanie?” Lucien asked impatiently. Lanie laughed and waved
her hand at the table.

“What about the dishes?”

“I’ll clean up,” they both offered.

“Perfect. Zane, show Jackie her room, it’s
next to yours. Night!” Lucien picked up his mate and carried her to
their bedroom.

Zane cleaned up the kitchen while Jackie took
care of the dining room table. It was impossible for her to miss
the moans and groans coming from the bedroom. The Alpha couple were
loud! No wonder they lived so far away from everyone else. Jackie
wondered if sex between mates really
was
better than sex
with anyone else. She bit her lip and carried the last set of
dishes into the kitchen.

Zane finished loading the dishwasher and
escorted Jackie to her room. She closed the door without a backward
glance. He went into his room and closed the door. He removed his
shirt and tossed it on the bed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to
sleep with his mate next door, so he went outside onto the balcony.
A few minutes later, he heard the glass door slide open and Jackie
walked out, wearing a thin nightgown. She stopped when she saw him
standing there, shirtless in the moonlight. Though he was lean, he
had a sturdy chest, well defined abs and muscular arms.

The sight of him and the scent of his cologne
caused a sudden sharp twinge deep in her belly. Though it was
sharp, it wasn’t painful. It took her breath away momentarily. She
felt herself getting wet. Each knew the other was aroused.
He
could see the way her hardened nipples jutted outward,
she
noted the way the front of his jeans suddenly filled
out. Seeing the effect they had on their mate aroused them even
further. His eyes changed as his wolf surfaced. In response to his
wolf rising, hers surfaced as well. Their wolves would
not
be denied their mate.

Zane and Jackie walked towards each other and
met in an embrace, kissing instantly, passionately. Zane’s arm
curved around her waist, the other held her head as they kissed.
Jackie held his face, slid her hand through his hair, pulling him
closer. He walked them backward until her back pressed against the
wall. He began kissing and sucking on her neck while one hand moved
slowly down her body, caressing her breasts, her belly. His fingers
sought and found the spot between her legs and began rubbing her
clit in slow circles. She groaned and pulled his hair. He pushed
her panties aside and slipped a finger inside of her, finding her
wet and tight. She arched her body into his, enjoying the way his
finger felt inside of her. She rocked her hips against his hand,
trying to push him deeper inside.

Zane reluctantly pulled his finger out of her
and quickly pulled down her panties. He helped her step out of them
and threw them to the side. He unzipped his jeans, and his cock
sprung upward. He looked at her with uncertainty. Her eyes were
glued to his thick cock. She licked her lips and his wolf brimmed
with pleasure. He moved towards Jackie, lifted her, entering her
quickly. Jackie barely had time to adjust to him when suddenly, he
pulled out and pushed back in again, harder this time. She held
onto him tightly as he thrust into her harder, faster,
deeper
. She ground her hips against his, rubbing her clit
against him. He groaned and called her name, sending her over the
edge. Multiple orgasms made her body convulse and she screamed his
name. Her tight muscles squeezed him as he emptied his seed into
her.

Both panted as they tried to catch their
breaths. If he hadn’t been holding her up, she was sure she would
have fallen to the ground. Her legs felt rubbery, like Jell-O. Zane
pulled out of her and Jackie was grateful he still held onto her as
she lowered her legs to the ground. He zipped up his jeans, picked
her up and carried her to her bed. He sat on the bed and they
stared at each other.

Zane felt ashamed that the first time with
his mate, he had fucked her roughly against the wall. Jackie
deserved a gentle lover. Their first time together should have been
romantic, not this frenzied coupling as if he was an untried
teenager. Had he ruined
that
too? Wanting to apologize, Zane
began, “Jackie—”

“Don’t. We both know it’s because of the mate
thing….” She turned away from him. Zane sighed and not knowing what
else to do, left.

Chapter 4

The next morning, Lanie ordered Lucien to
take Zane shopping. He would need clothes for his upcoming
“honeymoon.” Jackie had been sent home to pack her clothes. Lanie
decided to make them a picnic lunch. Earlier that morning, Lucien
had sent a couple to remove her lingerie and stock their cabin with
supplies.

On their way to the cabin, Lucien told them
how he met his mate.

“Why did you run away from Lucien? Were you
scared of him?” Zane was curious about how the human had reacted to
the dangerous Alpha.

“Not scared of him. Scared of how he made me
feel
.” Both Zane and Jackie seemed confused.

“Humans are not like wolves. From what I
gather, when you see your mate, you just…
know
. As if some
part of you recognizes your soul mate. Humans aren’t like that.
Well, maybe some of us are. When I first met Lucien, warning bells
went off in my head. Literally. I know it sounds crazy, but they
did. That had never happened to me before and I was confused. I
misunderstood and thought it meant he was dangerous. That I should
stay away from him. But later, I realized that it was to make me
sit up and take notice. That he was my soul mate.”

“I might have been a little stubborn about
it, but Lucien didn’t give up on us. He convinced me to give him,
us a chance. And I’ve never been happier.”

“A
little
stubborn?”

Lanie laughed and they teased each other good
naturedly. It was obvious the Alpha pair were deeply in love.
Jackie felt a little pang of jealousy. Ok, to be perfectly honest,
it was a large pang of jealousy. She wanted that kind of love and
devotion. How could she even consider making a life with her
brother’s killer? Jackie felt guilty that she wanted Zane, knowing
what he had done. She was angry with him, because he would use her
to stay alive and satisfy his sexual urges.
Of course
he
would be glad to be mated to her, as it saved him from being
executed. Because she was his mate, sex would be an added bonus for
him. She knew the mating instinct was too strong to ignore and she
would have to give in. She hated him for it. Despised herself for
enjoying sex with her mate. Blamed him for ruining the happiness
having a mate should bring.

During their picnic lunch, Lucien told them
about their “Love Nest.” He gave them the rated G version, knowing
his mate would maim him otherwise.

“You mean he actually kidnapped you?”
Jackie’s mouth hung open in disbelief. Lanie laughed at her
expression.

“I think that’s the same expression I had on
my face when I realized what he was doing. Actually, he tricked me
into coming here and then kidnapped me and took me to our cabin.
Once we were there, he convinced me to give him a chance. I
chose
to stay with him and give him a chance to prove to me
that we belonged together.”

“How did he do that?” Zane desperately wanted
to know how the Alpha convinced his mate to stay with him. Lanie
looked at him for a minute then smiled gently.

“You’re a wolf. I’m sure you can figure out a
way to make your mate stay with you,” she said softly. Lanie looked
at each of them and continued, “both of you have a choice to make.
Only
you
can decide whether to keep the other as a mate. If
you don’t, you will be subjecting
both
of you to a lifetime
of pain and loneliness. You seem like decent people.
Uh...wolves…whatever. The point is,
you
control your future.
I think you owe it to yourselves to work things out and try to be
happy. The past can’t be changed, only the future.”

Lanie hugged both of them before she left.
She reminded them about the satellite phone and urged them to call
if they needed anything. Their home and cell numbers were
programmed into the phone, so they could be reached at any
time.

“If we don’t answer right away… leave a damn
message.” They understood. The Alpha was dying to get his mate
alone.

After the Alpha pair left, Zane studied his
mate. Jackie was angry. She was also hurt. He could smell her pain,
hidden deep beneath her rage. He knew he was the cause of both. He
wanted to hold her, comfort her and ease her pain. But he feared
she would reject him again. His parents had abandoned him because
he was a runt, much smaller than his male pack mates. No one in the
pack wanted him either, so he had been shuffled from one couple to
another until he was old enough to live on his own. He wanted
acceptance in his pack so he trained hard and was their best
tracker. It was an honored position. But his pack still didn’t seem
to accept him. He didn’t think anyone would. And he was right. Even
his
mate
didn’t want him. Pain coursed through him and he
turned and left.

The pungent smell hit her nose and Jackie
knew her mate was in pain. She turned to him and saw his back as he
walked out the door. He stood by the porch steps and hung his head.
“Zane?”

“I can’t do it Jackie. I can’t let them hurt
you and use you like that. I know you wish to be rid of me, and I
would ask the Alpha to kill me to make you happy. But who would
protect you then?” He turned and she saw the anguish on his
face.

“What…What are you talking about? Who would
hurt me?”

“I know what happens to females who lose
their mates. They are given to the soldiers.”

“Given?”

“They are passed from solider to soldier.
They are used and abused.” Jackie was sickened to find out how
women were treated in his pack. He looked so despondent, she needed
to soothe him. Jackie walked over and touched his face.

“That’s fucked up! That shit doesn’t happen
in our pack. Females who lose their mates are treated like any
other pack mate. In fact, those with small children are cared for
by all. Two years ago, my friend lost her mate in the fight between
Lost Souls and our pack. Our Alpha comes by at least once a week to
check on the kids. He asks about their grades and sometimes brings
them treats. He even takes them out to a movie or the park. A
couple of times he even took them on a run!

“A run with the
Alpha
?” Zane was
incredulous. Murdock, the Lost Souls Alpha, seemed to thrive on
pain, humiliation and fear. Lucien sounded nothing like him.

Suddenly they were both aware of each other.
The rough stubble on his cheek, the way her thumb caressed his
cheek. Her sweet scent enticed him and his eyes changed from brown
to gold. His wolf was rising, calling to her wolf. She knew her
eyes had changed as well, transforming into the silvery blue of her
wolf. He growled. She growled back.

He picked her up and carried her inside,
kicking the door shut. He dropped her on the king sized bed that
dominated the room. “Get undressed, NOW!” he demanded as he ripped
open his shirt, buttons flying everywhere.

She lay on the bed and watched him pull off
his shirt. Though he was smaller than most males she knew, right
now he was as dominant as any alpha. His eyes glowed in the
darkened room. Her wolf responded to his demands and she kicked off
her shoes, pulled off her shirt and threw it to the side. She
unbuttoned her jeans and he leaned over, grabbed her panties and
jeans then pulled them down and off. He grabbed her legs and pulled
her to the edge of the bed. He spread her legs wide and knelt down,
pressing his face into her dark brown patch of curls. She moaned
when he licked her. Grabbed his head and begged him not to stop.
The air left her lungs when he plunged his tongue deep inside of
her. It was the most erotic thing she had ever felt. He pushed his
tongue as deep as it could go and then withdrew it. Jackie lifted
one leg and placed it over his shoulder, resting it on his back.
Zane used his tongue as he would his cock and she pushed his head
down further, desperate to get him even deeper inside of her. Zane
licked and sucked her clit, pressed his finger inside her, over and
over again until he couldn’t take any more. He stood up and
unzipped his jeans. He pushed them down and held his cock. He
rubbed it on her slowly, up and down, then suddenly pressed inside
of her.