Chapter 5
“What else can I tell you about me?” pondered Zane.
“You said you weren’t the youngest originally. What did you mean by that?” asked David.
Zane felt the pain of his loss again with the reminder of what happened, and his sadness was reflected in his face. Opening his mouth to speak, then shutting it, he wasn’t sure how to explain what happened.
Seeing his mate’s face turn grim, David regretted his question. “Hey, that’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” he said, softly.
“No, that’s all right. You should know everything before you make a decision to claim me. Briefly, my parents and six younger siblings were massacred by my uncle and he wants to kill me and my brothers, too.”
David felt a deep cutting pain against his chest as if he’d been slashed. He pictured Zane being killed by a crazy-ass uncle, and his wolf howled in sorrow. Shocked at the pain, David could only utter, “Fucking douchebag!”
“That, he is.”
Seeking more information about the danger his mate faced, David asked, “Is that why you’re in Scotland? Because you’re hiding from him?”
“What? No! I arrived yesterday for a vacation. Colton and Ian came because Ian was born in Scotland, but he left when he was very young. Logan and Kieran came over from Ireland where Kieran’s from because Kieran wanted to join Theo and Norman.”
“Who are Theo and Norman?”
“Oh shit, I forgot to tell you about them. Theodore and Norman along with Kieran were rescued by my brother Cody and his mate Dylon from a prison in Tajikistan where this asshole, Arald, was running a slave auction. Anyway, after they were rescued, Cody brought them back with him…which was a good thing because it turned out Kieran was fated to be Logan’s mate.
Oh, and by the way, Theo and Norm are Ghost Bear Shifters. ”
“Are they members of your pack?”
“Yeah. Originally Cody was their guardian, but they objected to that since they are adults so now, he’s more of a big brother.”
“Any other shifters belonging to your pack?”
“Shit, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about Fionn who’s a dragon. Logan and Kieran rescued him from his father who was trying to kill him to get his hoard, but as far as I know, that’s not a problem anymore. He’s only seventeen…in dragon years…so Cody and Dylon agreed to be his guardians.”
“It seems like your pack does a lot of rescues.”
“Uh-huh, at least lately, that is. Anyway, this is my first vacation since my family was killed. Jackson filed a complaint against my uncle with the High Council and I’m doing research to help prove what happened.
My uncle and his pack are forbidden from hurting any of us while our complaint is pending so Jackson agreed to let me go to Scotland.
Holy Shit Balls! Isn’t it lucky I came? Otherwise I don’t know how we’d have ever met. ”
David grasped Zane’s hand and felt the energy that bound them as one.
He wasn’t sure what it meant, but after hearing about all the rescues Zane’s brothers had pulled off, he figured out why the Fates gave him to Zane and the Blackwood Pack.
Finally, after all these months, he could see a glimmer of hope that he’d be able to carry out his mission against the High Priestess.
That aside—even though his life depended on its success—the most important question was whether he wanted Zane as his mate; that decision would be binding for the rest of his life—a very long, long life—and the more he thought about Zane, the more he was convinced he wanted to proceed, but with caution.
So, David took the next small step and asked, “Do you mind if we go upstairs so I can meet your brothers?”
“Ah, sure, but I should warn you, they can be a little much.”
Grinning, David said, “No worries, mate, I have you to protect me.”
“I will, David,” Zane said seriously, “I’ll protect you with my life.”
His mate’s declaration took David’s breath away.
No one had ever felt that way about him before, even though his mother had always told him how special he was.
But the way he was treated while growing up in that god-forsaken place had removed all vestiges of his self-worth.
Now, for whatever reason, Zane was acting as if David was the most important person in his life.
His mother’s voice echoed in his mind. Sweetie, believe me, when you meet your Fated Mate, he will love you just the way you are.
Now, hush, let’s dry your tears and then I’ll go get some gelato for you.
Thinking back to that long-ago conversation, he remembered telling his mother she was wrong, that nobody would love him.
But could it be? Was my mother right? Would my mate love and protect me?
David kept his eyes on Zane’s face, waiting, wondering if his mate was pretending to feel that way, or if it was how he truly felt.
For the first time in his life, he wished he could read minds instead of disappearing.
Fuck, it would make mating so much easier especially since the Fates make claiming a forever thing.
If I could read Zane’s mind and know that he really means what he’s saying.
He was suspicious of anyone who promised they’d protect him—it was one of those hard lessons he learned growing up.
Looking back, the only one who’d come through was Morgan.
But Morgan trusts the Blackwood Pack! So, should I, also?
Thinking about it, David concluded he would move slowly, taking tiny steps, keeping his wits about him just in case the Blackwood Pack couldn’t be trusted.
“Well,” asked Zane, jolting David out of his meditations, “are you ready to meet the pack?”
“Ready,” David replied. “I’ll stick close to you, okay?”
“Absolutely,” Zane said, rising and pulling his mate up with him. “Do you want to tell your boss where you’re going?”
David smiled at his mate’s thoughtfulness. “No, that’s okay, I’ll probably see him there, anyway.”
“Great! C’mon, I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.” Zane held onto David’s hand and placed his other on the small of his mate’s back, keeping David near him as they left the break room.
~/~/~/~/~
Knocking softly on the door, the young priestess waited until she was invited in.
She was used to waiting and used the time to recite her entreaties to the four gods, hoping soon her prayers would be answered and she would advance to the next level on her way to finding holiness.
She’d just started on her fifth prayer when she finally received permission to enter.
Head bowed, her robes draped around her, the priestess checked to make sure nothing on her person was out of order or the punishment would be swift and harsh, as she had learned before.
Relieved that all was right, she quietly turned the doorknob and pushed open the heavy wooden door.
After she entered the High Priestess’s sitting room, she shut the door behind her slowly and quietly—something she could do perfectly as her latest evaluation stated—then waited to be called forth to deliver the message she bore.
This time she only had time to complete three of her appeals to the four gods before she was summoned.
Gliding soundlessly over the floor—another task mastered—she stopped in front of the High Priestess, then knelt with a bowed head, and waited for permission to speak.
So engrossed was she in her supplications, she nearly missed the High Priestess’s order to speak. Gathering her thoughts, the priestess began, “I am sorry for the interruption High Priestess, but I was told this message could not wait.”
“What message carries so much importance that I should be disturbed during my afternoon reflections?”
“The message is about David Rossi, High Priestess. It appears he has found his Fated Mate.”
Fear, then anger surged through the body of Brenda, the High Priestess, as the meaning of the message sank in.
How dare he? Does he really think I will tolerate this?
She stood quickly, pushing aside the kneeling priestess in her rush to get to her desk.
Picking up her phone, she glanced back at the girl trying to right herself and resume her position.
“Leave me! Now!” Brenda ordered, impatient as she watched the girl rise and scurry from the room.
Then she savagely tapped numbers on the screen, waiting for him to pick up.
“Hello, Brenda, nice to hear from…”
“Cut the crap! We have a problem!”
~/~/~/~/~
Pushing open the private dining room door, Zane heard the raucous voices of his brothers, their mates and his friends. Smiling at the sound, he looked at his mate, tightening his grip on David’s hand. “I know it sounds like a zoo in here, but trust me, it’ll quiet down once they start to eat.”
Giggling at the picture in his mind of monkeys in a zoo, David said, “They won’t look at me as something to eat, will they?”
Growling, Zane said, “They better not! I’m the only one who gets to eat you!”
The sexual picture conjured up from those words had David’s cock standing up and taking notice; the feelings they evoked left David reeling.
Sex with his mate wasn’t on his mind when Zane had rushed towards him—he only wanted to escape.
But that changed when Zane planted the blowjob image in his mind and his wolf was wholly on board, busily grooming himself to meet his mate.
Silence fell as Zane and David entered the room, all eyes were now focused on the two of them as Zane said, “Hi everyone, I’d like to introduce my mate, David, to you.”
Kieran rose and came over, first hugging Zane, then turning to David and giving him one, too, before saying, “Congratulations, guys. Now we have another reason to celebrate although I’m always telling my mate that we don’t need one to have a party but finding a Fated Mate certainly is the perfect reason to have a party if someone really needed one.
I love your tattoos! They are so unusual compared to mine, but they enhance all your features so well.
Did you design it yourself? My mate Logan is the greatest interior designer ever and I wonder if he could design something for me that would make me stand out! ”
“Ki, trust me, you already stand out,” giggled Theo, with Norman smiling in agreement. Then Theo said, “Hi, David, I’m Theo and he’s Norman. Ki’s right, your tats are fantastic. I wonder how I would look with some.”
Now it was Norman’s turn. “Hi David, I’m Norman, mate of Theo. Welcome to the Blackwood Pack.”
Logan walked over, pulled his mate back against his chest, and held Kieran tight. “Hi David, Kieran is my mate.”
Zane felt the tension building in his mate at the onslaught of names and faces and said, “Hey guys, I thought it would be nice if David and I could join you for dinner and that way he could get to know you all a bit more.”
“Perfecto!” exclaimed Kieran. “C’mon everyone back to the table and let’s make room for Zane and David. Macushla, bring another chair over, Theo and Norm, slide your chairs over to make room for David and I’ll get another place setting as soon as Anna comes back. Chop! Chop!”
As everyone scurried around, Zane leaned over and whispered in David’s ear, “Don’t mind Ki, he likes to organize people and things.”
Giggling, David looked on, impressed that everyone was doing exactly what they’d been told to do. “He does have the touch, doesn’t he? How come you don’t call him Shaman?”
Startled, Zane glanced at his mate. “How did you know he was a Shaman?” he whispered.
“I can see his power, just as I see yours.”
“My power?”
“Okay, guys, everything is ready. Come sit down and figure out what you want so we can add it to the order,” Kieran said, sitting down next to the newly added chair.
Escorting his mate to the table, Zane pulled out a chair for David, then sat next to his mate. Picking up the menus, Zane asked, “So, what did everyone order?”
~/~/~/~/~
Before joining Oracle, who was saying good-bye to Daniel, Maximus made a detour to their suite; the call to Mystia about Zane’s mate couldn’t wait.
After all these years, to finally find the one they’d been searching for, seemingly handed to them on a silver platter, was unbelievable.
He wondered if his wife knew who Zane’s mate was, or—because it was believed to be merely a myth—if the Fates had withheld that from her.
Thank goodness Slate was over there along with Logan and a bunch of enforcers, because his wife and Zane would need all the protection he could give them.
Reaching his desk, he searched through his files until he found the one he wanted.
Pulling it out and setting it on his desk, Maximus sat down and dialed Mystia, hoping she’d pick up quickly.
“Hi Maximus, how’s Oracle and Daniel?” Mystia asked.
“Fine, fine. Mystia, I found him! Can you believe it?”
“How? Where? Oh, my goodness, really? Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure. I believe he’s Zane’s Fated Mate and Oracle is on her way to Scotland to tell Zane about his gift.”
“Is he an Italian Wolf?”
“Yes!”
“Can he disappear?”
“Yes, Logan told Jackson he saw David disappear.”
“What about the facial markings?”
“Jackson doesn’t know but he is going to find out. If David does have them, that’ll be the final proof we need.”
“As soon as you find out, please let me know. Oh, Maximus, if David is the one, what a joyous day this is!”
“Yes, that it is. I have to make sure Zane and Oracle are protected.”
“Has Oracle said anything about David?”
“No, but that may be because the Fates haven’t given her permission to speak about him.”
“I’d agree with that assessment.”
“I have to go. Oracle will be leaving shortly but as soon as I have more information, I’ll call you.”
“Good. Give Daniel a kiss for me and once we have the final proof, I’ll come over so we can make plans.”
“That’ll be fine. Bye.”
Maximus ended the call and slipped the phone in his pocket. Thinking about the ramifications of this discovery, he hoped everything would work out for Zane. Hearing Oracle asking for him through their mind link, he left to find his wife.
~/~/~/~/~
After sending a text to his brother asking for a picture of David, Jackson looked up at Steel. “Did your father seem a little off just now?”
“Off? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know exactly but I get the feeling he knows something about Zane’s mate, but is keeping it to himself.”
“Really?” Steel asked, thinking over what his father said. “No, he seemed the same as always.”
“Hmmm, maybe, but he seemed too eager when he asked about the tattoos.”
“I just racked it up to his photographic memory.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”