Rebecca and Zaire (Manchester Pack Book 1)

by Christina Escue

  “Yes,” I respond and look around at the pups playing in the yard. “Let’s get Maggie inside and off her feet, then round up all the little ones. I want them inside just in case.”

  “That’s a good plan,” Rae says and smiles at me. “I’ll get Maggie inside, then help you move the pups to the saferoom in the main house. It’s the largest, and has a lot of indoor games they can play to distract them from what’s going on.”

  “Thank you,” I say and smile. “Come on, Maggie. We’ll get you inside the main house so you can rest.”

  “You’re going to make a wonderful pack mistress,” Maggie whispers as I help her up the steps and onto the large porch of the house. “Rae has always been kind and supportive of all of us, and I know you will be too.”

  “I was groomed from birth to become pack mistress,” I tell her, and she smiles.

  “Yes, but of an entirely different pack,” she reminds me, and I frown.

  “Yes, that’s true,” I say and think about what she said. “But that does not mean I’m not prepared for whatever happens.”

  “I know,” she responds. “It just means that things are a little different here. You were raised to behave a certain way, but within this pack, we are all raised to protect those we care about.”

  “I will protect this pack with my life,” I tell her as I look around the yard at the pups.

  “Of that, I have no doubt,” Rae says from beside us. “You are a strong female, and strong mistress for this pack, and the perfect mate for my son.”

  “I feel as though not all the members of the pack agree with you,” I say and look at some of the females watching the pups, then turn my gaze on Maggie. “I will prove to everyone that I am dedicated to this pack. Zaire is my mate, and this pack is my family.”

  “Rebecca, I’m sorry,” Maggie says and looks at the floor as we enter the house.

  “No,” I say and shake my head. “You said what you were feeling, and I respect that. Now, get settled and I’ll round up the pups.”

  While Rae leads Maggie to one of the large sofas, I walk back outside and whistle loudly. The pups freeze, and their mothers look at me.

  “Hello everyone. While the alpha is away, we’re asking for everyone to move inside the main house so we can be easily protected. We ask all of those with pups to move into the saferoom here, and stay there until the alpha returns.”

  “Why? What’s going on?” One of the males asks as he looks at the small pup he’s standing with.

  “Our alpha is meeting with the father of our new mistress,” Rae answers as she steps from the house. “While he and some of the enforcers are gone, we feel it is best for everyone to remain inside and safe. We are not expecting an attack, but the ones on our lands are volatile, and unpredictable. Rebecca does not want to take any chances with the little ones in the pack.”

  “My father is unstable,” I tell them all, and a few of them narrow their eyes at me. “I know him and know he will do whatever is necessary to get what he wants, and what he wants is me.”

  “You cannot go with him,” Santha says, and I smile softly at the widow. “He will kill you and our pack will be destroyed.”

  “I have no intention of going with him,” I assure her.

  “Now, please come inside everyone. We have plenty of space for all, and we have plenty of provisions for everyone,” Rae says, and the mothers start ushering their pups to the front porch. “Into the safe room with the pups, please. We have games and snacks set up for them already.”

  “Thank you, mistress,” a female close to my age says and I smile at her. “You make our alpha happy, we can all see that, and you will be a wonderful addition to this pack.”

  “Thank you,” I say and take her hand. “What is your name?”

  “Tanisha, mistress,” she answers, and I smile again.

  “It is nice to meet you, Tanisha,” I tell her and step back. “Please, go inside so you will be protected.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she says and steps around me.

  “She is nineteen, and the daughter of John and his mate, and Nate’s baby sister,” Rae tells me softly. “She will be a strong pack member once she’s reached maturity.”

  “Thank you,” I say and smile at my mate’s mother. “I will learn everyone soon, I promise.”

  “We have close to eighty members of the pack,” she tells me. “No one expects you to learn everyone’s names in a couple of days.”

  “I will remember their names once I know them,” I tell her, and she frowns a little.

  “Just another thing we need to discuss,” she mutters as the last of the pups and their mothers enter the house.

  I don’t comment as I look around the yard and frown a little. I have only been here a couple of days, but the yard has never been this quiet.

  “Mistress,” John greets me as he steps from the tree line and into the yard.

  “Hello, John,” I return and smile at him. He’s a tall man with thick red hair, startling blue eyes, and a lean build. He looks nothing like Nate or Tanisha, and it makes me wonder what their mother looks like.

  “You should be inside with the others,” he tells me, and I shake my head.

  “No. I will not hide and let others fight my battles,” I tell him.

  “Mistress, you are the one in the most danger,” he says, and I shake my head.

  “Not true,” I rebut. “Zaire and everyone who stands in my father’s way are the ones in the most danger. If father kills me, he will be removing his only chance to have a blood heir to the pack. He’s volatile, not stupid.”

  Before John can say anything else, three of the enforcers burst through the trees in wolf form, and stopped in front of him.

  Just as the almost black one starts to shift, a howl sounds through the trees and I freeze.

  “We have company,” Wilson says once he’s in human form.

  “My father has found me,” I whisper as fear grips me.

  “Rebecca, get inside,” Kael yells as he steps onto the porch. “Get inside and stay there.”

  “No,” I tell him and look at the males surrounding me. “I will not be hidden away from this.”

  “Zaire will kill us all if something happens to you,” Wilson tells me, and I shake my head.

  “My father will not hurt me,” I tell them. “I’m going to talk to him, see if I can make him see reason.”

  “Then we will go with you,” Wilson tells me. “I sent out a message to the other enforcers to have them move closer to the house. We will all protect you with our lives.”

  Zaire, we have company here, I say through our link. When I’m met with silence, fear grips me, but I shake myself and watch as my father and Lawton step through the trees.

  “Hello, daughter,” he greets me with a huge smile on his face.

  “Father,” I respond and narrow my eyes at him. “You are not welcome here.”

  “Then come home, where you belong,” he responds and Wilson growls from beside me.

  “Easy, Wilson,” I tell him and gently touch his arm. “This is my home now, Father. I have found my mate here, and will not be returning to West Virginia.”

  “You will return home!” He nearly bellows as his rage surrounds us all. An infuriated alpha is not something to mess with, but I don’t back down from him.

  “This is my home,” I tell him, standing up to him for the first time in ten years. “I am not a child any longer, and I will never be a pawn in your sick games again.”

  “You and Kael will return to our pack, and you will be married!” He roars and Kael steps to my side.

  “No,” he says and looks at his own father. “I have found my mate in another, and I will not bow to your wishes again.”

  “Son,” Lawton says, and I see something in his eyes I have never seen before.

  “I am not afraid of you, Father,” Kael tells him and Lawton snarls.

  “Enough!” I yell and all of them look at me. “Father, you and Lawton need to leave our pack lan
ds at once.”

  “Your pack lands?” Father asks, looking at the wolves surrounding me.

  “Yes, Harmon,” Kael says and takes a step closer to me. “Both Rebecca and I are now part of this pack and neither of us will be returning to the Douglas Falls pack.”

  His words cause Lawton to snarl and my father’s face to turn crimson with rage.

  “Then you are a traitor to your pack, and must die,” Lawton tells him and shifts. His large, rust colored wolf roars and all the males in the yard, aside from Wilson and John, shift to face the threat in front of them.

  “Are you prepared to die for my daughter?” Father asks them both.

  “We are prepared to kill for our mistress,” Wilson answers and shifts before stepping in front of me.

  “Mistress?” Father asks, his eyes wide with uncertainty.

  “Yes, Father,” I answer. “I am mated to the alpha of the Manchester pack, and I will not be leaving here.”

  “Then you will all die,” he tells me and shifts. His large, tawny and brown wolf snarls at Wilson and I cringe a little. I cannot let them die for me, and I know what I must do.

  I love you, Zaire, I say through our bond, then I shift and leap from the porch.

  I catch my father by surprise as I leap on his back and use him as a springboard. Launching myself into the air, I take off into the woods, and head to the only place I can think to go. I hear someone chasing me, and know it’s Wilson and John. They managed to get past my father, too, and for that I am thankful. As much as I don’t want anyone else harmed, I don’t want to do this alone either.

  Chapter Twenty

  Zaire

  No one is here, I say to the others with me as fear grips me and I shift back onto two legs. “What the fuck is going on here?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Nate says as we walk to the coffee shop we’re supposed to be meeting Harmon and his beta in. “The humans aren’t even here.”

  “Something isn’t right,” dad says, and I nod as I look around at the deserted street.

  “It’s a set-up,” I say and try to reach out to Rebecca through our bond.

  Rebecca, something isn’t right. Please let me know you’re okay.

  When she doesn’t respond, fear grips me. “Dad, try contacting mom through your bond.”

  “Nothing,” he says after a moment.

  “Here either,” Nate says and rubs the back of his neck. “Maggie always answers me.”

  “We should head back,” Matias says, and I look at him. “I’ve never been mated, but the mate bond is something that can’t easily be interfered with. If none of you can connect with your mate, then something has happened. We need to get back to the pack as soon as possible.”

  “Yes,” I respond and shift instantly. We turn to head into the woods just as half a dozen wolves come out from behind the coffee shop.

  Fuck, it’s a trap, I say and Matias growls deeply. Matias, you and dad try to get behind them. Nate and I will stand and face them head on.

  Okay, Matias answers then he and my dad take off running into the woods.

  You ready to do this? I ask Nate and he whimpers a little before nodding and snarling at the wolves approaching us.

  We must be quick, son. Our mates may be in trouble, dad tells me, and I growl. If anyone, and I mean anyone, harms my Rebecca, I will rip them apart.

  As the wolves get closer, Nate and I stand our ground. There’s no way they’re going to take us down. Not when we’re trying to get back to our mates.

  I snarl again as one of the wolves shifts.

  “We are not here to harm you,” he says, looking at the five wolves with him. “We live in the next town over, and have come to tell you we had visitors recently.”

  I tilt my head to the side then shift so I can talk to him.

  “Who are you?” I ask, suspicious of the male standing before me.

  “My name is Avery,” he answers and looks at the five wolves with him. “My brother and I broke away from our father’s pack with our mates nearly a year ago. We have been living in the area since, and are a peaceful bunch.”

  Matias, stand down for the moment, I order silently. “How many of you are there?”

  “Just the six you see here,” he answers, and I narrow my eyes. “My brother, our mates, and my mate’s brother and his mate left to find peace.”

  “What pack are you from?” I hear my dad ask from behind them, and Avery looks over his shoulder as the large, gray and black wolf shifts. For a moment, I believe I am seeing double, as I look at the two males standing before me.

  “We are from the Warrington Pack, in Oklahoma,” the second male answers. “My name is Adam.”

  “Who are the visitors you mentioned?” I ask, not taking my eyes off the four wolves who have not shifted into their human form.

  “An alpha and his beta, along with a team of enforcers,” Avery answers. “They passed through yesterday. I stumbled across the alpha while I was hunting. He said he was looking for your pack lands, and I told him I had never been there. He was pissed, but left us be.”

  “Did he tell you why he was looking for us?” Dad asks, and I grin at him. He always thinks of the right questions to ask.

  “Just said you have something of his, and if we come across you, to let him know,” Avery answers. “I wouldn’t, though, because I recognized the alpha in question. He was friends with our father when we were pups, and was a vicious male.”

  “How did you know we would be here?” I ask, still not trusting them.

  “We didn’t,” Adam answers. “My brother and I thought it best to come introduce ourselves, and let you know they were looking for you. This is the shortest route to your lands.”

  “So, you do know where our lands are,” I mutter and Adam grins.

  “We do, but there was no way in hell we were telling that evil bastard,” he says, and I grin at him. Nate whimpers beside me, and I look down at him.

  Maggie, he says in my head and I snap my focus on the trees behind me. Something is wrong.

  “Thank for the heads up, but we have to go. Our pack, our mates, are in danger,” I say and start to shift.

  “We will come with you,” Adam says, and I pause. “We may have been seeking peace when we came here, but we are fighters.”

  “Don’t make me regret this,” I tell them and look at my dad, who nods approvingly. “I promise you, we will rip you all apart if you betray our trust.”

  “We hope to find peace in this land, peace from the upheaval our pack has been in for decades. We will not betray you,” Avery tells us, and I nod.

  Him and Adam shift, then I follow suit and take off into the woods. My only thought is getting back to Rebecca and making sure she’s okay.

  Do you trust them, alpha? Matias asks and I pause before answering.

  I don’t know, I finally tell him. But I would rather have them running with us than sneaking up behind us. At least this way, we can keep an eye on them.

  Very well thought out, son, my dad says with pride in his voice.

  We run the rest of the way in silence. When we are a mile from the clearing the main house sits in, I pick up on Rebecca’s scent, and change course.

  Keep going to the house. Rebecca is out here somewhere, and I must find her.

  Be safe, son, dad says and takes the lead.

  Matias stays at my side as I lower my snout to the ground and inhale deeply.

  Wilson and John are with her, Matias says, and I nod before focusing on her scent once more.

  This way, I mutter then take off toward the clearing our cabin sits in. I have no idea what she’s doing, but there is another scent mingled with hers, and it isn’t one of my wolves.

  Matias is running on my right flank when we leap over a fallen log and see Wilson lying on his side unconscious, but alive.

  Fuck, I say, but keep running. Stay with your son, Matias. I am going to find my mate.

  Be careful, alpha, he says.

 
; I don’t answer as I lock onto Rebecca’s scent and fly through the forest I know so well.

  I slow as I reach the edge of the clearing our cabin sits in, and I frown as I hear voices.

  “Rebecca, you must come back home. You’re tearing the pack apart by being gone,” I hear a male say, and I assume it’s her father. My fear is confirmed when she answers.

  “I will not return to West Virginia, Father. This is my home now, this is my pack now.”

  “I will kill you before I let you tear our pack apart,” he snarls.

  “I will kill you if you lay one finger on her,” I hear John respond and I smile a little.

  “I will knock you down like I did the mutt back in the woods,” Harmon tells him.

  “You will find that I am not as easily taken down as Wilson,” John replies and I step from the trees.

  “And you will find I am even harder to take down,” I say before darting past him and stopping beside Rebecca. She’s standing just behind John, and snarls at me as I step in front of her.

  “Ahh, you must be her mate,” he says, and I catch a note of something sinister in his voice. “You’re the one I’ve been waiting for.”

  “You will not harm him,” Rebecca says as she steps around me.

  “Aww, isn’t that sweet? My daughter is challenging me,” he nearly sings, and I growl softly.

  “Rebecca,” I say between my teeth.

  “You will not stand in my way, Zaire,” she tells me, and I can hear the determination in her voice. “I am the one he tortured, the one he locked away, the one he used as a pawn in his fucked-up game of chess, and I am the one who will end it.”

  “Such language, Rebecca,” Harmon says nearly silently and tsks. “It looks like I’ll have to teach you come manners.”

  “You have taught me enough over the years,” she counters with a growl.

  “Rebecca, baby,” I say, shoving my fear for her safety aside. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yes, I do,” she responds, not taking her eyes off her father. “He belittled me, beat me, and used me for a decade. I will not let him use me again, and I will not let you fight my battles for me.”