Unwanted Mate (5 page)

Jackie turned Zane so that the bed was behind
him and she reached for his jeans. She unbuttoned his jeans and
slowly unzipped it. Grasping both his jeans and boxers, she slid
them down his legs. She moved so she was kneeling and looked up at
him. “Jackie?” She licked her lips, held his cock and slipped it
into her mouth. Her head slid away then returned, swallowing him
almost to the back of her throat. Zane could hardly believe his
eyes. His mate was on her knees, worshiping his cock, sucking him
deep into her mouth. Jackie’s mouth was hot and wet around him. She
sucked him tightly and released him to lick the slit at the top of
his cock. She made eager little noises as her tongue discovered the
ridge that circled his crown. His fingers weaved through her hair
and he fought hard not to push her head or hold her still so he
could pump his hips, filling her mouth completely.

Cold air hit his cock as she removed her hot
mouth from the length of him. She grasped him firmly in her hand
and she moved around him, licking the slit then down to his sac and
back up again. She traced his entire cock with her tongue before
slipping it back into the hot cavern of her mouth and Zane groaned.
“Jackie, please,” he begged. One hand fondled his sac, rubbing and
squeezing gently as she rolled them between her fingers. The other
hand fisted his cock and pumped back and forth toward her mouth.
She sucked harder on him as her tongue caressed him. The sight of
her head bobbing on his cock was Zane’s undoing. His mate, on her
knees, loving him with her sexy mouth, it was too much. “Ahhh,
Fuck!” Zane released into her mouth and she lovingly swallowed
every drop. Zane’s knees finally collapsed and he fell onto the
bed, slipping out of her mouth.

He sat on the bed, astonished at Jackie’s
ministrations. She looked up at Zane with a strangely satisfied
smile on her face and he caressed her cheek. Finally he found his
voice, “Strip for me, Jackie. I want to taste you.”

“What about your side? Are you sure you can
do that?”

“I will not leave my mate unsatisfied.” She
shook her head, “It’s ok, Zane. I can wait until you are better.
You can owe me one,” she said with a wink. Zane lowered his head
and kissed her gently. He pressed his forehead against hers.

“I never had anything of my own, Jackie,”
Zane said softly. “No family of my own. After my parents abandoned
me, I was sent from one pack home to another. No one wanted to keep
me for very long.” He pulled back and met her eyes. “When your pack
came to get me, not
one
of my pack members tried to help me,
even though we outnumbered your pack. My own pack... I’m nobody
there.”

Zane held her face with both hands and
continued, “I’m tired of it, Jackie. I want something of my
own…You. I want
you
. I want to be somebody. I want to be
your mate
.” He stared deep into her eyes, “I’ll do whatever
it takes, Jackie.
Anything
. Do you think you could ever
forgive me?”

Jackie was still kneeling in front of Zane,
her face in his hands. She held his wrists, rubbed her thumbs
against the back of his hands, surprised at his admission. Her
heart ached for him, for the boy who had no one, for the man who
tried so hard to fit in. She thought about Lanie’s advice. Sean was
dead. She wasn’t. “I think that Lanie was right. We can’t change
the past, we can only focus on the future. I…I would like for you
to be a part of my future,” Jackie admitted.

His happiness was evident, shining brightly
in his eyes. Her stomach grumbled and they both laughed. Wanting to
feed his mate, he stood, pulled up his jeans and buttoned them.
Zane told her to wait in their bed since he would bring breakfast
to her. Zane vowed he would spoil his mate, would make sure she
never
had a reason to regret giving him a chance. She
rearranged herself on the bed and watched him as he assembled their
breakfast. Jackie had finished the French toast, so he plated it,
found some fresh fruit in the fridge and added it to the bed tray
he found. He poured out two cups of hot coffee and carefully
carried it to their bed. His side ached but the pain was minimal
compared to the joy he found in caring for his mate.

Zane and Jackie enjoyed breakfast on their
bed. They ate quietly, gazing at each other, enjoying their little
retreat. Both of them now understood why their Alpha initially
refused to share this space with them. It was also clear why the
Alpha Bitch wanted to share it with them. After breakfast was
finished, Jackie removed the tray and cleaned up the mess in the
kitchen. Knowing he needed to rest, she brought him some more
ibuprofen and another ice pack. Wanting him to be comfortable, she
helped him take off his jeans. She left him on the bed and
showered. When she returned he was still awake on the bed, watching
her intently.

“Lie next to me, naked. I’ll behave, Jackie.”
She grinned and undressed. She didn’t want him to behave, but knew
he needed a few more hours for his hands to heal. For now, Jackie
would have to be satisfied with just touching him. Jackie wanted to
face him, throw her arm over his chest, but she remembered his
fractured rib. Not wanting to hurt him, she lay on the bed, facing
away from him. He turned and positioned himself so that he was
spooning her. It didn’t take long for her to feel his erection
pressing into her bottom. She sighed and he slipped an arm around
her, squeezed her breast gently. “I thought you were going to
behave.”

“I
am
behaving. If I wasn’t, I’d
already be inside of you.”

“Zaaane…,” Jackie’s breath caught and she
became aroused at the thought of him buried deep inside of her. He
nuzzled her neck, nipped a little spot as his hand toyed with her
nipple. Leisurely he pumped his hips, the movement causing his
erection to grow harder, longer, and slip along the crease of her
ass, down between her legs. Jackie’s breath came in soft pants and
she gyrated her hips, gently stroking his cock with her ass. Zane
slid his hand down to her thigh, pushed it up so her knee was bent.
Just before he slid into her, the satellite phone rang. FUCK he
thought as he rolled onto his back, laying his arm across his eyes.
Jackie reached for it, checking the caller ID. Seeing it was from
the Alpha, she answered.

“Hello?”

“Jackie, are you all right?”

“Uh, yes. I’m fine, Alpha. Why do you ask?”
Jackie frowned.

“Damian is here and he is very upset. He said
he paid you a visit last night at our cabin and it scented of sex.
He said that Zane forced you and refused to let you leave with
him.”

“WHAT?” Jackie sat up straight, shocked that
Damian would go to their Alpha with such blatant lies.

“We…um…I…” Jackie blushed, not wanting to
discuss her sex life with the Alpha.

“Jackie?” Jackie breathed a sigh of relief.
It was Lanie, the Alpha’s mate. “Lanie, it’s not true! I can’t
believe he would lie like that! Damian and his friends refused to
leave and they attacked Zane,
knowing
he was my mate. They
fractured one of his ribs. You should have seen Zane, Lanie, even
with a broken rib, he fought better than any wolf I’ve ever seen!
He kicked their asses, Lanie!” Lanie laughed and Jackie grinned
while Zane beamed with pride. His mate was proud of him, of his
fighting skills? Though it was cliché, he was a much better lover
than a fighter. Lanie asked about their honeymoon and Jackie
replied, “Zane and I are…we’re working things out.”

“That’s excellent! I’m sorry we interrupted,
but Lucien wanted to make sure you were unharmed.”

“Thank you for checking up on us…and
Lanie?”

“Yes, Jackie?”

“Thanks for letting us stay here. It was
exactly
what we needed.”

“No need to thank me, Jackie. We’re
pack
.” Lanie hung up, turned to Lucien and explained how
Damian had interrupted Jackie and Zane’s honeymoon. Lucien was
livid at Damian’s attack on Zane, especially after Jackie had
clarified that he was her mate. He pulled Damian and his two
friends outside and reminded them how sacred the relationship was
between mates. When Lucien was done, Damian and his two friends
were bloody and sore with a few broken ribs of their own.

Not wanting him to feel pain needlessly,
Jackie refused to let Zane satisfy her until his rib was healed.
Over the next few days, Zane felt increasingly guilty when his mate
took care of his needs but refused to let him satisfy her. He
repeatedly told her that the pain he endured would be worth it, but
she smiled slyly and told him he was racking up quite an I.O.U. He
grinned and counted down the days until his rib was healed. Then he
would tie his mate to their bed and take care of his I.O.U’s.

Chapter 7

Zane started a fire and stood, watching his
mate sleep. For the first time in his life, he felt content, happy.
He tensed when he heard a familiar howl. He covered his naked mate
and went outside. He moved through the woods and came to a small
clearing.

Jackie woke up with a start. She looked
around, searching for Zane. She didn’t hear anyone outside, so she
got dressed and went outside. She scented him. His anger. She was
downwind from him and followed the scent to a clearing. She paused
when she heard loud voices arguing.

“I refuse to kill Lucien. I will not betray
my Alpha or my pack.” Or my mate, he added silently.

“Your…Ha, ha, ha!” The man laughed. “
I
am your Alpha. Refusing my direct order is a death sentence.” He
nodded and two soldiers attacked Zane.

Zane fought them, punching, knowing he would
probably die, but wanting to cause them as much damage as possible.
They held him as the Alpha punched him in the stomach and ribs,
breaking another one. Blood poured out of his mouth. Jackie saw
him, heard the crunch of bone, felt his pain, and her anger grew.
Before she knew it, her wolf was on the back of the Alpha, biting
into his shoulder. He threw her against a tree and she was knocked
out cold.

Zane howled when he saw his mate connect with
a tree. Heard the sickening thud as her head connected with the
tree trunk. His rage exploded and through a red haze, he saw
himself efficiently slashing and killing the two soldiers. The
Alpha ran away, his fear leaving a distinct stench. Zane ran to his
mate, picked her up carefully and moved quickly back to the
cabin.

He placed Jackie gently on the bed and
searched for the satellite phone. He called Lucien and explained
Murdock’s attack and Jackie’s injury. Within the hour, Lucien, two
of his soldiers and Dr. Mallory arrived at the cabin. While Dr.
Mallory examined Jackie, Lucien and his soldiers stood outside,
listening as Zane recounted the fight.

“I would never betray you, Alpha.” Zane
grimaced and held his side.

“I know you wouldn’t. You fought bravely.
Murdock is a coward. Three against one is dishonorable, but
injuring a female who tried to protect its mate? Unforgivable. We
will bide our time and get our revenge. I cannot do anything that
might start a war while my mate is pregnant.”

“Of course, the Alpha Bitch must be protected
at all times,” Zane agreed. Lucien burst out laughing.

“You better not
ever
let my mate hear
you call her that, or she will have your balls!” Zane looked
confused.

“It is a term of respect for us, but in the
human world, it’s a very insulting phrase.” Zane paled. He would
never disrespect his Alpha Bi…Alpha’s mate.

Dr. Mallory arranged for Jackie to be taken
to the hospital. Jackie needed head X-rays. Zane didn’t allow her
to examine him, but she was sure he had a broken rib or two. Zane
sat down in the back of the ambulance and gently held his mate’s
hand, swearing vengeance.

Chapter 8

Lanie shook her head as she looked at Zane on
his hospital bed. Lucien had arranged for Zane’s bed to be as close
to Jackie’s as possible. He had two broken ribs, several small cuts
on his face, a split lip, and bruises all over his body. Yet he
reached over and held Jackie’s hand tenderly. Jackie was still
unconscious.

When Lanie entered the room, Zane looked up
and forced a smile when he saw her. She went directly to him and
hugged him gently, mindful of his broken ribs.

“Everyone’s talking about how brave you were
to stand up to Murdock.”

“My mate is the brave one, attacking an
Alpha.”

“She was protecting her mate. Did you think
she would do nothing?”

“In our pack, females do not fight, not even
to defend themselves. To fight a male…you don’t want to know…” Zane
said sadly.

Lanie could only imagine. The Lost Souls pack
were becoming notorious for their ill treatment of women. Aside
from rape, most of the men didn’t seem to fare much better. It
seemed that only Murdock, the Alpha, and a select few enjoyed the
power and werewolf life in their pack. Most of the pack must be
miserable. She wondered why his pack allowed him to mistreat them.
Why didn’t they just band together and kill him?

Zane explained that as an Alpha, Murdock was
a strong werewolf. Aside from his strength, he was a sadistic
bastard and cheated when he fought. No one was brave enough to
fight him.

Dr. Mallory insisted that Jackie would be
fine. There was no brain damage. She was unsure why Jackie was
still unconscious. She had some ugly bruising on the back of her
head, but surprisingly, no lacerations.

Lanie suggested to Zane that he talk to
Jackie. Perhaps his words would bring her around. Maybe she just
needed to know her mate was fine and with her. Lanie always felt
comforted when Lucien was around. Possibly Jackie would feel the
same way.

Just before she left, Zane moved off his bed
to sit on Jackie’s bed. He caressed her face tenderly and spoke to
her gently. Lanie left, a sad smile on her face. Zane’s love for
Jackie was evident. Lanie sincerely hoped it would be returned.