His Unidentified & Untouchable Mate

Relief, Remorse

Zahraa POV

The goddess paired us for a reason. Don’t you think it’d be stupid to just… throw that away?

Well, yes.

But also, no.

“I don’t know,” I settled with. “You don’t think it’s more trouble than it’s worth?”

“I think it’s worth your weight in gold,” Jacob replied, so quickly one might think he’d had the response readied. “And I think… I think there’s no race in the world that can’t touch men, right?”

“None that we know of,” I corrected. I’d been doing a lot of research on Amazonians lately, but the description of some tall, athletic warrior woman simply didn’t suit me, with my slender figure. The hidden society of women made sense – but the pain didn’t, considering even Amazonian women needed a man to reproduce.

He shrugged and continued, “So whatever you’ve got going on, there must be a cure. There must be some way to undo it. And I think you are worth trying to find that way.”

The heat rose in my face, my heart pounding.

I had friends that loved me dearly, and I knew that I had worth to them, but no one else… and I’d just met him days ago. Already, he thought I was worth fighting for. I dipped my chin, trying to hide how much those words meant to me.

Though that was probably the mate bond talking.

He reached out and caught my hand again. “Come on – let’s talk in my room.”

I nodded, letting him guide me through the hallways. His section of the alpha suite was nice, I had to admit. The walls were cream-colored and laden with pictures – more and more pictures, these depicting times the family convened. The furniture was new; brown leather, the tables made of glass and intricately carved wood. Beautiful artworks were hung on walls and displayed on tables that looked like they’d never seen a speck of dust.

And it was big.

When we’d walked in, the height of the ceiling alone impressed me, but the entranceway opened into a large den with a huge television. I caught a glimpse of a kitchen that must run the length of the pack house. Even now, we wound through a network of hallways so elaborate, I didn’t think I’d be able to find my way out without escort.

And his room… his room must’ve been the size of my apartment.

He had his own little den, much smaller than that out front, but it had another large television and all the game systems. He had a kitchenette, with his own small fridge and hot plate, and a bedroom with – what I could tell at a glance, anyway – looked like the biggest bathroom I’d ever seen in my life.

My heart sank at the glance I got of the bedroom. From the door to the bed, there were flower petals – and dozens of candles must’ve been lit in there. How disappointed he must be that we wouldn’t make it that far.

“This is huge,” I remarked, knowing my eyes were probably the size of saucers as I took in all the detail – and the lack thereof. I noticed this room lacked the pictures, the décor that the living area had. There were touches here and there, but instead of a place lovingly decorated, this looked like…

Like a stage in a home goods store.

He laughed awkwardly. “Yeah. I used to share it with Archer and Samuel. The omegas hated cleaning up after us. I try to keep it a little neater now that it’s just mine.”

I tried to imagine Jacob and two of the other alphas as children, playing in here and making huge messes. My musings were interrupted by a hand on my lower back. Jacob was smiling down at me with a smile that looked tight – was he nervous? Or displeased? “Go ahead and have a seat – I’ll get you something to drink.”

“Sure,” I replied, stepping down into the den area where a large, white sectional sofa awaited. There were game controllers neatly arranged on the coffee table, as well as a phone charger ready to use. “Do you spend a lot of time in here?” I asked, sitting down and immediately tucking my feet under myself so I could turn and watch him work in the kitchen.

He moved through the kitchenette with ease. A bucket with chilled wine and two wine glasses awaited, and he wasted no time opening it and pouring two glasses. He stepped towards me, then froze, smile faltering. “I should’ve asked – is wine okay, or do you want something else? I have water and Gatorade. Maybe some questionable milk, but I honestly can’t remember how long it’s been in there.”

“Wine is good,” I replied, though I’d never tasted it, and frankly, I’d had enough to drink. I was already busily trying to decide how I would prove to myself this had really happened when I woke in the morning.

Jacob handed me my glass, then sat. “So. How are you feeling?”

I laughed, letting the edge of hysteria come through. “I don’t really believe it,” I admitted. “But… I’m happy, I think.”

Jacob huffed a laugh. “You think?”

I held my tongue. I wasn’t sure I was ready to admit that I’d wanted this. So, I sipped my wine and nodded. “How about you – what are you feeling?”

There was a long pause, and for a moment, I wondered if he was feeling like rejection was the way to go. Instead, he sighed. “I have to admit, I’m a bit upset – but only because holding myself back from you is… insanely hard.” He swallowed, “I’ve never wanted anyone so much. Your smell, the way you look, everything is…” his voice was getting huskier as he talked, and he stopped to clear his throat. “Anyway. I know the file probably didn’t tell me everything, and I was wondering… I hope you don’t think it rude but… what else is there?”

Oh boy.