Unwanted Mate (4 page)

“Just one kiss, Zane. Just…one.” Jackie hoped
she had enough control to stop at one. She leaned closer and just
as her lips were about to brush his, they heard a loud knock on the
door. Startled, they jumped apart and stared at the door. Zane
swore and rose, walked over to the door. He opened it and a fist
connected with his face. Zane fell backwards, ass hitting the floor
and Jackie jumped up, rushed to his side. Zane wiped his mouth with
the back of his hand and stood. His lip was cut and bleeding.

“Let’s go, Jackie,” Damian commanded. Damian
and his two friends walked into the cabin. All three of them were
at least a foot taller and each about a hundred pounds heavier than
Zane, all pure muscle. “What the hell are you doing here, Damian?”
Jackie asked, annoyed at the intrusion, irate at his blitz attack
on Zane.

“We had a date, remember?” He sniffed around,
caught the lingering scent of sex and his eyes glowed with anger.
“How can you fuck this
boy
after you’ve been with a man like
me?” He sneered at Zane. Zane stiffened, trying to control his
resentment and jealousy as he watched Jackie’s lover.

“Zane isn’t a boy. He’s a man and he’s
my
mate
!” Damian and his two friends gaped at her then laughed. “A
man? Look at this
runt
. My brother just hit puberty and he’s
bigger than
your mate.
” They all laughed at his small
stature. Zane was used to being mocked for his small size. ‘Runt’
had been the
nicest
thing his pack mates had called him.
Jackie wasn’t used to such cruelty. She clenched her fists, angry
that her pack mates could be so vicious.

“Get out of here!” she demanded. Damian and
his friends stopped laughing. “You can’t be serious? You’re coming
with me, Jackie. I was planning on fucking you tonight and I still
intend to.” He stepped forward as Jackie protested, “Didn’t you
hear me? He’s MY MATE. That means you and me are done.” She
couldn’t believe Damian’s arrogance. What had she seen in him
anyway?

“That
little
man can’t possibly
satisfy you, Jackie.”

“How does he
measure
up, Jackie?”
Richie asked and the others snorted as they laughed. Zane had
enough of their childish taunts. He knew he could satisfy his mate,
had done so twice already. Would have done it again if they hadn’t
been interrupted. “My mate asked you to leave. We won’t ask
again.”

“Oh, really? What do you intend to do,
Little One
?” Damian gave him a challenging look.

“I’ll call Lucien and he’ll deal with you,”
Jackie turned, intending to pick up the satellite phone. Zane
grasped her arm and she turned to face him. “Don’t bother the
Alpha, Jackie. It’s late and I’m sure they’re already in bed.
Besides, his mate needs her rest,” Zane said quietly. Jackie was
touched at Zane’s thoughtfulness about Lanie, who only recently
became his Alpha Bitch.

Zane released Jackie then turned to Damian
and his friends. “Leave on your own or I will make you,” Zane said
in a dangerously quiet voice. Jackie was surprised at the
determination she heard in his voice.

“You?” they laughed at Zane, disbelieving he
could do anything to any of them. Wanting to return the favor, Zane
moved swiftly and sucker punched Damian, hitting him squarely in
the throat. He staggered backwards, almost out of the cabin. Zane
quickly turned to one of the men and threw a punch. Josh dodged the
punch as Richie tackled Zane from behind. Soon all three of them
were on the floor rolling around, grunting and punching each other.
Damian recovered, stomped over to the pile of bodies and kicked
Zane in the ribs. Jackie heard the distinct crack as his rib broke.
She heard Zane, “Ooof,” as he sucked in air.

Zane rolled onto his back, grasping his rib.
They took advantage of his momentary distraction and began
pummeling him. Jackie was stunned at the melee in front of her.
Damian moved his leg back to kick Zane again. Zane grabbed his leg
before it connected and pulled, sending Damian onto his back. His
head hit the floor with a loud THUD and he swore loudly. Zane moved
quickly on top of him and began punching him in the face, broke his
nose, split his lip and gave him two black eyes. Richie and Josh
were momentarily stunned by Zane’s swift attack on Damian. They
recovered and each grabbed an arm, pulling Zane off of Damian.
Damian moaned in pain.

Richie and Josh maneuvered Zane so that
Richie was holding both of his arms behind his back as Josh punched
him in the stomach. Zane brought his foot up, connecting with
Josh’s crotch. As Josh doubled over, Zane kicked him in the face
and he was knocked out cold. Zane threw his head back, connecting
with Richie’s nose. Stunned at the impact, Richie released him and
Zane turned around, punched him in the stomach several times. He
punched Richie in the mouth, splitting his lip. Zane spun and
kicked the back of Richie’s knee, dropping Richie onto his
back.

Zane breathed heavily trying to regain his
breath and Jackie stood frozen, mouth hung open, surveying the
scene in front of her. Her mate not only survived an attack by
three very large males, he kicked their asses! Zane was certainly
full of surprises. After seeing him in action, she could believe
that Sean underestimated Zane. Zane had defended himself against
her much larger, much stronger brother and
won
.

Zane grabbed Josh’s calves and hauled him out
of the cabin, dumping his still unconscious body onto the ground
outside. He returned to the cabin and Richie scooted backwards,
palms out, “I’b leabing, I’b leabing!” Zane narrowed his eyes and
growled and Richie slowly got up and ran out the door. Damian
stood, glared at Zane, then followed Richie out of the cabin. Zane
walked to the doorway, watched as the two men picked up the third
and carried him to their car. Once they settled him in the back
seat, they drove off. Zane closed the door softly, locked it and
turned around, nearly bumping into Jackie.

Jackie reached up and stroked his cheek. “I’m
sorry they were such assholes, Zane. Our pack isn’t usually like
that. It’s my fault for not telling him about you.”

“You told him here and
still
he
refused to accept it.” Zane paused then asked, “do you regret that
he’s no longer your lover?” Zane watched her carefully, held his
breath as he waited for her answer.

“No. I honestly don’t know what I saw in him
in the first place. He was such an arrogant son of a bitch! I…we…”
She didn’t know what to say to Zane.

“We are mates, Zane. We have some issues to
work out, but I would never seek another lover. My wolf would never
let me, and I…I wouldn’t want to.” She stroked his cheek with her
thumb.

“What about you, Zane? Was there someone
else?” Zane shook his head. “Our pack has few females and they have
all been given to strong males who support the Alpha. Besides, who
would want me? I am a runt. It’s why my parents abandoned me.
Females want big, strapping males who can protect them.”

“You were abandoned?” Jackie was astonished
that any parent would abandon its child, especially since so few
wolves reproduced.

Zane said nothing and she saw the hurt in his
eyes. She realized he expected her to abandon him as well, simply
because he was smaller than typical male wolves. She felt even
guiltier for pushing him away after they had been intimate. How
could she have hurt her mate so deeply?

“Zane…you were amazing. I’ve never seen
anyone fight like that. You were outnumbered and yet, you kicked
their asses!” She grinned and hugged him. He grunted and she
remembered his cracked rib. “I’m sorry! I forgot. Come, let me
see...” Jackie held his hand and pulled him to their bed. He sat
down and watched her pick up a medical kit and set it on the bed
next to him. She unbuttoned his shirt and carefully removed it. She
bit her lip as she surveyed the damage to her mate. His belly was
black and blue in several spots. His side had a massive bruise
where Damian had kicked him. Tenderly she touched his rib and he
winced.

“I think you have a fractured rib.” Zane
nodded, it wasn’t his first fractured rib, nor would it be his
last. “I just need some ibuprofen and an ice pack. I’ve had worse.”
Jackie blinked, “Seriously?”

“It was only
three
of your pack mates.
Once, a dozen of my pack mates decided to show me how weak I was.”
His voice was bitter as he remembered the beating he had taken. He
had lain on the ground in pain with multiple broken ribs, two black
eyes and a broken arm for two days before Delia had managed to
sneak out in the middle of the night, bringing him stolen
painkillers and tending to his wounds. He had been seventeen. As he
lay there, praying for death to take him, he had wondered why his
pack mates hated him so much. He had wondered if anyone could ever
accept him, or if he would forever be their punching bag. Delia had
been punished for helping him and he vowed that he would never put
her in that position again. He worked on his strengths instead of
focusing on his weaknesses. He was smaller and faster than his pack
mates and used that to his advantage. He learned how to defend
himself and before long, they left him alone.

The bitterness in his voice and the way he
clenched his fists made Jackie ache for him. She stroked his cheek
gently and kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry Zane,” she said softly.
She got up and searched the freezer. Finding an ice pack, she
brought it over to him and he held it against his rib. He stiffened
suddenly at the cold sensation against his warm skin. He took a
deep breath and steeled himself against the pain in his side. She
brought him some ibuprofen and a cold drink.

While he took his medicine, Jackie opened the
medical kit and removed some antiseptic and a few cotton swabs. She
poured the antiseptic on the tip of one swab and swiped it across
the cut on his lip. Once all of the blood was gone, she saw the
tiny cut, already beginning to heal. By morning it should be a
small scar. She looked at his hands, bloody and slightly swollen.
She pulled him into the bathroom and washed his hands gently under
warm water. The skin on some of his knuckles had scraped off and
she applied antiseptic to those areas. She led him back to their
bed and once again he sat down. She took out some bandages and
wrapped each damaged finger. His fingers would be tender in the
morning but fully healed by the next evening.

Jackie knelt down, removed his shoes and
socks and he lay on the bed on his side. She went back to the
fireplace, threw the twigs into the fire and cleaned up their
S’more mess. She went into the kitchen and put the items away.
Jackie took a quick shower then returned to their bed. She lay
beside Zane, caressing his face, occasionally running her fingers
through his sandy blond hair. He couldn’t resist her soothing touch
and soon he was fast asleep. Jackie fell asleep a short while
later.

Chapter 6

Jackie woke up and found the bed empty. She
heard the shower running and was tempted to join him. When she
remembered their ‘no sex’ agreement she sighed, dressed in a
t-shirt, pulled on a pair of jeans then went into the kitchen to
make breakfast. She set up the coffeemaker and decided she would
make French toast for breakfast. She gathered the ingredients and
began assembling the batter.

Zane walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a
towel. The moment he opened the bathroom door, the tantalizing
scent of his mate hit his nose. He inhaled deeply, enjoying her
scent. Silently, he watched her cooking as he dressed. He pulled on
a pair of boxers then a pair of jeans. Wanting, needing, desperate
to see her reaction to his half naked body, Zane decided against a
shirt. He returned the towel to the bathroom and joined her in the
kitchen.

Knowing it was foolish, he walked up behind
her, slipped his hands around Jackie’s waist and kissed her gently
on the shoulder. He pressed against her, holding his body tight
against hers. “Good Morning, mate,” Zane said softly and Jackie
relaxed against him. She grinned, “Are you happy to see me or happy
to have breakfast?”

Unable to resist, he replied, “I’d be happy
to have
you
for breakfast.” She sucked in a breath and held
onto the stove as her knees became wobbly. “Zane…” she whispered,
her voice tight with a sudden need. Her belly tingled as her womb
contracted in anticipation. Zane kissed his way across her
shoulder, stopping to nibble on her neck. “Ohhhh….” She bit her lip
and couldn’t stop from grinding her ass against his crotch. She
felt heady when she felt his erection pressing into her. Jackie
dropped the spatula and reached back to caress Zane through his
jeans.

Zane bit her neck gently, leaving a mark. He
enjoyed the feel of her fingers as she stroked him through the
thick fabric of his jeans. He fought his instincts to unbutton her
jeans and push them down so he could slip his fingers inside of
her. Knowing he wouldn’t stop with just his fingers, he allowed his
hand to wander down the front of her jeans, stroking her between
her legs. The roughness of the jeans pressed into her clit and
Jackie gripped him a little tighter. She gasped as his fingers
caressed her roughly.

He rubbed his cheek against hers then
whispered in her ear, “We’d better stop, Jackie. Or I might fuck
you right here.” Jackie nodded in agreement. Was she agreeing that
he should stop or that he should fuck her? She wasn’t sure anymore.
All she knew was that her nerve endings were on fire and she didn’t
want to stop touching Zane. She wanted him naked and over her. Or
naked and under her. She didn’t care which as long as he was inside
of her. She released him, reached over and shut off the gas stove.
She moved the pan over and turned around to face Zane.

Zane felt Jackie’s soft lips press against
his and his mind went blank. The pain in his side vanished as her
tongue brushed against his and her hands slid up his arms, locking
behind his neck. His hand slid up to the back of her head and his
fingers threaded through her hair, massaging her scalp. He felt her
soft hand caress his cheek and she pulled away, breathing heavily.
Jackie licked her lips and stepped back, taking his hands in hers,
she pulled him to their bed. It would take at least two weeks for
his rib to heal, so vigorous sex was not possible. That didn’t mean
she couldn’t enjoy her mate, or that he couldn’t enjoy her.