Pack Ebon Red (The Seven Mates of Zara Wolf Book 1)

by C. M. Stunich

  “I am your Alpha and you are my mate. Do you accept these terms as they've been given?”

  “Yes, Alpha,” Nic whispered fiercely. 'Of course. Forever and always. I've been yours from birth, Zara, I swear it.'

  “To represent our union, we'll each wear a piece of …” I closed my eyes to try and still the rocking of the room. “silver. Will you accept a ring pierced through your navel?”

  “Yes, Alpha,” Nic growled, clenching his teeth. 'Do you need me to get you out of here?'

  'Finish the ritual. Then we run. I can't collapse in front of them,' I pleaded and Nic pursed his lips so tight they turned white. When I reached down to try and unlace my dress, my fingers were shaking so badly that I couldn't manage it. Even though it was definitely not protocol for Nic to reach out and do it for me, he did it anyway.

  His hands tugged the laces so hard that the whole thing came undone and the dress seemed to just slide off my shoulders of its own accord, pooling in a heap of brocade, leather and fur on the floor at my feet.

  Pack Ebon Red … went completely insane, howling and cheering and somehow, managing to encourage the rest of the room to join them in their revelry.

  'Just look at me, Zara, and we'll get through this. Just keep watching my face.'

  I barely felt the silver pierce my belly button, barely felt the blood run down my tummy and through the patch of red hair above my cunt, down the insides of my thighs.

  Nic held my gaze through his own piercing, his face tightening only slightly at the pain.

  “Zara and Nicoli of Ebon Red.”

  My vision blurred and I fell forward into Nic's arms.

  'We're almost there,' he assured me as he lifted my chin with his fingertips. 'Hold on a little longer, okay?'

  When Nic kissed me, I almost passed out.

  His kiss was so perfect, so full of feeling and romance and need, that I felt like I was safe there in his arms, like I was wrapped up and hidden away from the world, from my obligations, from the Contribution. It'd be so easy to just let go and slip into blackness … I thought, but Nic didn't let me stumble. He kissed me until my toes curled against the stone floor beneath our bare feet, and then he set me upright and took his usual spot—behind and to my left, like he was still a guard. I was okay with that; I felt secure with him there.

  “Ebon Red Daughter,” Nikolina said as both she and Majka rose to their feet and came down the steps to greet me. At that point, I could hardly even see them through the haze and the blood running down my face. “You have been gifted mates; use them and love them well.”

  “Yes, Alpha.”

  “To represent yourself as the leader of this pack, you'll wear a piece of silver that belongs to you and only you. What piece of silver will you accept?”

  Both my mother and grandmother stared at me from aubergine eyes, awaiting my final answer. Once I donned this last bit of jewelry, the Bonding Ritual would be over, the boys would belong to me, and I could finally have a moment to close my eyes and rest.

  “The boots,” I said without a moment's hesitation.

  Once again, the room went silent.

  Silver boots … it had been centuries since an alpha was stupid enough to choose those. It was the kind of two for one deal that did not give the buyer the upper hand. But as the story goes, there was once an alpha female with seven mates. On the day of her Bonding Ritual, she slayed an enemy of the Pack and removed the solid silver armor they'd donned to fight her people. Putting the boots on her feet and the helmet on her head, she managed to walk herself to the Pairing House before she collapsed.

  Since then, the helmet had been banned from use as alpha silver. It was far too much for one person to endure on a regular basis. But the boots had remained an option.

  I chose them now to prove my strength.

  Majka cursed under her breath as Nikolina's eyes went wide and the Jeweler brought a pair of ankle high boots over and set them on the floor at my feet. Before I could question my own judgment, I slipped my feet inside one and then the other.

  The pain was excruciating and I found myself gasping for breath.

  Howling echoed all around me, crashed into my skull and turned my migraine into a hurricane that ripped my thoughts from my skull and shattered them to pieces.

  “Zara of Ebon Red, I am proud to call you my heir,” Nikolina said, taking my face in her hands and pressing a chaste kiss to my bloody mouth. The words were scripted, but in my dazed and hallucinatory state, I told myself that she meant them. I suppose even alpha-daughters want their mothers to love them.

  That kiss signaled the end of the Bonding and the room erupted into chaos.

  “Good girl, my little Zara Wolf,” Majka said and then whispered something in Croatian against my ear that I couldn't even remotely understand. Then she, too, kissed me flat on the mouth and patted my cheek with a wrinkled hand.

  “My apologies, Alpha-Majka,” Nic said respectfully, scooping me up the same way Tidus had just a few minutes prior. Or had it been longer than a few minutes? Gauging time seemed impossible in that moment.

  She scoffed at him and spit near his feet.

  “Rushing off to consummate your bond, are you?” Majka asked and then grabbed Nic by the ear before he could take a single step. 'I think you've already done that though, haven't you?' she growled into both our heads. And then, you know, to make the moment just that much more memorable, she bit him and said something so profane, I didn't want to admit to myself that I'd heard it before. “Now get out of my sight, ill-bred dogs.”

  Majka patted my bloody cheek once more and then scowled at all of my mates except for Anubis. I guess when she'd told me to pick a strong Ebon Red male, she hadn't meant Nic. Or maybe she just hadn't meant for me to sleep with him the night before the Pairing?

  Nic carried me quickly through the crowd, people scooting out of our way to avoid coming into contact with my silver. I was making him bleed all over, but he didn't seem to mind, easing me outside and into the sweet smelling navy dusk, the forest rustling overhead, the full moon creeping up into the sky. Before I knew it, we were running: Nic and me and the six alpha-sons.

  Zara Wolf and her seven mates.

  Montgomery raced ahead of us, up the steps of the deck, and held the door open so Nic could carry my nearly comatose body through the door.

  “Take off all the silver,” Nic was saying as my vision blurred, flickered, went dark.

  The last thing I remember is someone putting their fingers in my mouth and removing the tongue stud.

  Bloody pieces of silver landed in the white basin of the sink, clattering against the porcelain and flecking the bathroom with crimson spots.

  A short time later, I awoke to find my head in Nic's lap, his fingers tangled in my hair.

  The first thing I noticed when I cracked my lids was that the front door of the Pairing House was wide open. Night had laid her star-studded navy shroud across the sky and beams of light from the full moon turned the blades of grass outside a bright silver-white.

  Groaning, I raised myself into a sitting position with Nic's help, noticing as I did that I was not only clean of blood and dressed in some of my own pajamas, but also completely healed. Nothing hurt. Nothing.

  “Full moon light,” Nic explained, but even he didn't sound convinced. Yes, the light of a full moon sped up a werewolf's natural healing powers but … how long had I been out?

  “Less than an hour,” Jax said from a chair across the room, its high wood back carved to look like a rose covered trellis. I hadn't spoken aloud—or via wolfspeak, the official name for Pack telepathy—but he'd figured out my question anyway. I saw his lips curve into an annoyingly arrogant little grin. “You healed fast—faster than any wolf in our generation ever has. It's been decades since a 'were's' recovered from that much silver poisoning in such a short time.”

  I put my feet on the floor and saw Nic cringe.

  “You picked the boots, Zara?” he asked me, closing his eyes and rubbing the brid
ge of his nose with his fingers. The house was pitch-dark, but in the distance, I could see lit torches, smell freshly butchered meat and baked pears, hear the sounds of laughter and howling, yips and shouts. The evening banquet was in full swing. Technically, my mates and I were supposed to make an appearance, but this was one of the most casual parts of the Pairing and nobody would much care if we didn't show up. Sometimes alpha-heirs and their new mates were just … too busy screwing to bother with it.

  I almost smiled.

  “I made the warrior's choice,” I said and he groaned a little. “Just be glad I didn't pick them for your silver.”

  “I would've worn them with pride,” Nic growled, flicking his eyes up to the doorway as Anubis sauntered in with a large turkey drumstick in his hands. Although I could tell that his skin was still painted underneath, he'd traded in the old-fashioned gold belt and flowing pants for a red wifebeater and some jeans. Still barefoot though.

  He gave me a warm smile when he noticed that I was awake.

  “They're starting to call you Silver Wolf now, instead of White Wolf,” he joked, and I really did smile that time, raking my fingers through my wet hair. Somebody had had the foresight to brush it out after bathing me; I wasn't sure it was Nic.

  Creaking on the staircase drew my attention to Montgomery as he came down dressed in his usual trench coat and supernatural arsenal of blades, Che Nocturne following right behind him. As his violet eyes met mine, I had no idea what to do or say, no way to explain my behavior in the Bonding Ritual or even if I owed anyone an explanation.

  Cleaned off, healed up, dressed in pj's … and I was still warm and swollen between the thighs, ready to mate. Shittiest part of dating a werewolf … of dating seven werewolves: they can smell arousal.

  I knew without a doubt that every guy in that room was honed in on my scent.

  It was a little weird.

  Faith was always jokingly referring to me as One-Kiss-No-Date since as of last week, I'd had exactly one kiss (with Silas) and no dates. I didn't go out with guys, hit on guys, have crushes on guys. Except for Nic and Silas, I'd never even really felt the urge.

  Until now.

  And even with my head starting to clear, I still couldn't decide if I'd been spelled or not. I'd have to ask Majka later.

  “Nice to see that you're awake,” Che said in a voice that reminded me of shadowed mountains and forest clearings speckled in starlight. He paused behind the couch and looked down at me, planting his hands on his hips. Unlike the rest of the guys, he hadn't bothered to change and was still wearing the jacket and the ghoulish gray-black makeup around his eyes. “And nice to, you know, meet you in a more casual sort of capacity—one where we're not making out and almost having sex.”

  “You almost had sex?” Nic asked, his ebon eyes flicking to mine in surprise. And hurt. Yeah, he definitely looked a little hurt and I couldn't blame him.

  “Almost,” I admitted as Che came around the back of the sofa and sat in another one of the chairs, this one a dark green velvet piece that was older than Majka's Majka. His purple jacket fluttered around him as he settled in on the edge of the cushion and parked his elbows on his knees.

  His eyes … they were nowhere near human, far too vibrant in color to even play at being natural like mine and Nic's. These weren't Elizabeth Taylor purple eyes—they were the color of amethysts, a shade brighter than the lavender bushes blooming on either side of the Pairing House porch steps. I could smell them from here, as fragrant as if it were late summer instead of a cold lingering winter-spring. In that same breath of outside air, I could smell the bitter kiss of snow.

  It might've been April, but I had a feeling we were going to see one last dusting of white before winter finally released her cruel grip on the weather. Not like it mattered. There were few things in life as magical as racing through the cruel quiet of a snow drenched forest. And anyway, with my people living on the land, plants bloomed and matured and produced food with or without the cooperation of the seasons.

  “I hate all of that stupid shit, all those empty meaningless rituals. They don't make any sense. I hope that when you become alpha, you do away with all of that crap,” Che said, the disdain in his voice making it pretty clear that to him, the Pairing was about as magical and meaningful as a birthday party with cake and balloons. There were things that people just did—like blow out candles and wear pointy hats—but they didn't mean anything.

  I was on the fence about all of it; I wasn't quite sure what to think.

  “I'm sorry,” Nic said, rubbing his palm down his face, “but can we please go back to the sex thing?”

  Che flashed him a smile that I just knew would drive him up the wall.

  “Honestly, I've been dreading the day of my Pairing since I was ten years old. I'm just glad we have chemistry, me and Zara.”

  Nic growled at him and I saw Che's dark brows go up in surprise. He was new, but he'd figure out Nicoli Hallett pretty quick—and probably hear about what happened between us the night before the Pairing Ceremony from one of the other alpha-sons.

  “Whoa there. Down boy.”

  Nic rose to his feet and I followed him up, putting a hand on his chest.

  “Don't, please,” I told him. It wasn't a request. I tapped my fingers against the hard planes of his muscles as he stood there and glared at Che like he was now his new least favorite person in the room. That was saying a lot, considering how he felt about Jax and Silas.

  The other three guys in the room just waited quietly to see how this would play out.

  “I think I was spelled,” I said, loudly enough that it was obvious I was addressing the entire room. As if in response to that thought, my nipples pebbled and I felt my sex clench tight. Holy crap. I was as wound up now as I'd been during the Bonding. “I might still be spelled.”

  “Spelled?” Nic asked, like he was struggling to hold himself back from a freak-out. His dark purple eyes bored into mine, searching for the truth.

  “I seemed to have … an equally strong physical reaction to everyone.”

  “I see,” he said, and he sounded like he wanted to break something. I thought of last night, of having him move above me, our bodies rocking together to the edge of pleasure. I didn't want to lose that connection between us, but I had to be honest with these guys. For the next year, we'd be together basically everyday. They were my investigative team, my soldiers, my partners, like my own miniature pack. “A lust spell from the witches?”

  “Majka?” I guessed, because although I had basically jumped Nic's bones last night, I knew for a fact that that was no spell. I was in love with him. No matter who I chose at the end of the Pairing, I knew nothing would ever change that. “I was not under the influence of magic last night.”

  “Well,” Che said, slapping his palms on his thighs, “if it was a spell, then it hit me, too—like a freight train.”

  “Don't you dare disrespect your alpha female,” Nic snarled, and then we both paused as a buzzing sound came from one of the small tables next to the couch.

  Shit.

  The text messages!

  I practically dove onto the couch on my knees and snatched my phone up, the tiny wolf charm flopping around as I turned on the screen. Just like I'd thought, all the messages were from Faith.

  hey! hope g-ma is not as cranky as usual. how r the tests going?

  Innocuous enough …

  I scrolled down as the guys waited in tense silence around me, like they could sense my sudden anxiety.

  mom called! she's home & wants to have dinner @ the house 2nite. still no Owen tho, I promise!

  I almost puked all over the couch my fear was so overwhelming.

  The guys smelled the shift in my mood and started to get agitated. Montgomery was right there in his trench coat and all his swords, putting his hands on the couch and leaning down to look at me.

  “Alpha?” he asked, emerald eyes flashing. He looked ready for battle.

  “Is it Faith?” Nic asked, moving s
o he could read the screen over my shoulder.

  “Who the hell is Faith?” Che asked, but I ignored them all. There were still two more messages after that.

  at home w/ mom now, but i'm worried. call me if u get this.

  And then there was the last message, sent three minutes ago.

  The words I read there turned my blood to ice.

  zara, i'm scared.

  I stood up suddenly, my heart pounding and my pulse thundering so loud I could hardly hear Silas' footsteps as he came up the porch steps and into the house, the scent of tobacco trailing along behind him. I tried calling Faith's phone, but there was no answer. I even thought about texting her, but there was no way for me to know if she was still in control of her phone and I didn't want to give away my plan to her mom or Owen … or any vampires that happened to be lurking around.

  “Find Tidus and follow me. We need to take the SUV into town. If you prefer to use weapons, bring them. Otherwise, be prepared to shift—and to fight.”

  I didn't waste any time heading for the stairs and moving up to the single bedroom at the top of them. I knew that Lana would've already moved the rest of my Pairing outfits to the closet and I needed my badass tool kit and something better to fight in than soft red flannel pj's.

  I had a bad feeling about what I might find at Faith's house.

  On the way over, I sat in the passenger seat while Nic drove and simultaneously filled in the others about as much as he could—who Faith was, the vials of vamp blood in her mother's bathroom, the map of the warring Ironbound and Crown Aurora Kingdoms, our visit with the witches (minus the bit of Ebon Red flesh I'd swallowed). I knew I had to tell them—tell Montgomery—about that eventually, but now was not the time.

  As soon as we got near Faith's neighborhood, all the windows in the SUV were rolled down and I was sticking my head out like a dog, scenting the air with my eyes closed.

  “Oh, shit, do you smell that?” Che asked, making a choking sound from the back seat.

  I did; we all did.

  Mint and apples and blood.

  “Vampires,” Montgomery confirmed as my heart lurched into my throat. My eyes stung with sudden tears as I dug my newly shifted claws into the leather of my pants. Please be okay, Faith. I don't know what I'd do without you.