His Unidentified & Untouchable Mate

"Mine."

Zahraa POV

I didn’t know what had happened. One minute, Jacob was on the stage. The next, he’d stiffened, sniffing the air. Then, his eyes landed on me. His growl was captured by the audio equipment, radiating to everyone in the crowd – and they parted for him.

Rowan was just as confused as I was when Jacob jumped from the stage and bounded through a crowd that parted with his every step. He grasped both my shoulders and pulled me out of Jacob’s way too – but the crowd pushed away from us as Jacob came to a stop in front of us. He snarled, grasping my arms, and yanking me free, pulling me against his chest.

My face flushed, my heart pounding. What?

His voice sounded animalistic and furious when he snapped, “Mine,” at Rowan.

“Well, well, folks,” Alex said through the mic. “Looks like Jacob has found his mate.”

“Zahraa?” Rowan asked, his voice a little higher. He looked a little pale, the shock on his face seemed exaggerated. “It’s Zahraa?”

Jacob held Rowan’s stare for a long while, until his hands fell, until his hand was in mine, and he was pulling me away from Rowan. “Jacob,” I breathed, stumbling after him. “Please – wait. Slow down.”

Surprisingly, he obeyed, slowing down. When he looked back at me, his eyes had darkened, his expression turned steely. He pushed me against the outer wall of the pack house, near the punch table. He loomed over me, his figure eclipsing mine, his eyes intently focused as he radiated his heat through me. It felt exquisite, and I’d love nothing more than to let him pour all he had into me, to kiss me, touch me, do what he would with me. But I had to keep a rational head.

We’d moved away from the crowds a little, but looking past Jacob, there were still plenty of prying eyes. “Jacob,” I pleaded, “They’re watching. Let’s not -”

His lips crashed into mine, cutting off my plea, my warning.

And pain blossomed within both of us.

The feeling of touching a man was indescribable. It was like coming undone – being peeled, layer by layer, until nothing remained but dust. I howled in pain, and he growled in response, flinching away, hands receding immediately. As I held my gloved hand over my mouth, batting the involuntary tears from my eyes, Jacob looked at me as though he was finally actually seeing me. As if he’d just awakened, a look of slow-dawning horror spread over his features.

“Goddess, Zahraa, I’m so sorry – does it – does it hurt still?” he asked, grasping my arms, but hesitating before he touched me again.

I shook my head, rubbing my eyes. “No. Sorry… I tried to warn-”

“I didn’t listen,” he said, too quickly. “I should be apologizing – I don’t know what came over me, I was just…” he trailed off, looking strange as he said the word, “…jealous.” He cast a look over the turned heads we’d attracted and looped an arm around my back. “Come on – let’s get out of here.”

I didn’t know where he was leading me. I’d had another drink or so since parting from him, and I was feeling very distanced from everything – but the stares had been uncomfortable, and the kiss had hurt. My head was still pounding, and I wanted to lay down. More than anything, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that it was me.

His mate.

He’d said – gods, my heart fluttered, my core dampening – he’d said ‘mine.’

He led me into the central pack house, to a spiraling staircase that went up several levels. On the third, I’d stopped to take my shoes off, and he apologized and held them for me while we worked up another three.

“The alpha suite,” he replied. “Dad’s is a bit bigger than most, considering how big a high alpha’s family can be, so his is two levels. Mom and dad live above, and I live here with my sisters.” He cast me a glance that ended up turning into a stare. “They won’t… they won’t bother us in here.”

Something about the way he said it made my heart sink.

I’d daydreamed about having a goddess-given mate – about unconditional love and companionship. I’d been jealous when I saw how wolves with mates interacted, about how the omegas we sometimes worked alongside talked about their mates.

I hadn’t realized I’d stopped walking when his hand tugged on mine, and he turned around, equally surprised. “You can do it here, if you like,” I breathed. “I appreciate the privacy, but I’d rather just get it over with.”

Jacob’s eyebrows raised. “You don’t want to make yourself comfortable or anything?”

I shook my head. It didn’t matter how comfortable I was – the sting of rejection was supposed to be next to none. I was used to blossoming pain anyway. I wasn’t even sure I’d feel that sting so much, considering I wasn’t a wolf, but I braced for it nonetheless. “No. Go ahead – I’m ready.”

“Uh, okay,” Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. “Zahraa Snow… I know we’ve talked a lot about you because of your file…”

“I don’t need a speech, Jacob,” I snapped, growing impatient. “Just spit it out.”

Jacob flinched. “I just… wanted to know if there’s anything else I should know about you. I mean, I know the no-touching thing pretty damn well now, but… is there anything else.”

My brows drew together. “What else do you need to know to form a proper rejection?”

Jacob’s eyes went wide. “Rejection?”

I mirrored his unsure expression. “That’s… what this is, isn’t it? You’re going to reject me?”

“No?” Jacob turned the word into a question, “I didn’t think so, at least. I figured… I know a bit about your situation, but I should learn all I can before I act.” His eyes looked surprisingly serious when he added, “The goddess paired us for a reason. Don’t you think it’d be stupid to just… throw that away?”