His Unidentified & Untouchable Mate

A Song and A Dance

Zahraa POV

Alanis had asked the surrounding crowd about how long the wait was, and they’d informed us it was about an hour and a half. So, when I was on stage in only twenty, I was feeling grossly underprepared. Jacob had stayed with his friends, dropping by only to promise me that the song was one everyone knew.

Our names were called, and there was a loud cheer – I knew it was all for him. I saw how he reveled in the attention as he climbed on stage, opening his arms wide and blowing them all a kiss. He turned that smile on me, and my heart fluttered despite myself. I blushed and looked away, picking up the microphone.

Making sure it was far away from my face, I whispered, “Now will you tell me what song it is?”

“No need,” he replied, pointing to the screen with the lyrics.

A Whole New World – from the Disney movie Aladdin.

I covered my mouth to hide the smile and laughter that was bubbling up. I’d loved that movie – watched it at least a hundred times with Ingrid.

He started singing, his voice just a little low to hit the notes correctly. His voice wavered, and it was far from perfect, but it made me smile. When it came time, my voice wasn’t much better – but when we harmonized it sounded…

Well, to everyone else, it probably sounded like a dying walrus.

To me, it sounded perfect. It was old, familiar – but at the same time, new and exciting. The swell of emotion in my chest didn’t die down when the music ended. While the crowd clapped, my eyes moved to meet his. This time, his attention was fully on me.

“Could I steal you from your friends for a while?” he asked, breathless.

I felt like if I spoke, I might vomit a hundred words that he wouldn’t want to hear. Instead, I simply nodded.

He took my hand in his and led me off the stage. I expected my friends to burst free, find me and kick up a fuss… but they didn’t. I didn’t dare look over to the corner of the tent, where I’d left them. If they hadn’t come to me, they were probably too busy having fun.

Which meant this might go unnoticed.

Was it really a betrayal to my friend, to hang out with a man she hated, if that man was the birthday boy and had asked only for a bit of my time?

Yeah, I thought dryly, just keep telling yourself that.

In truth, spending time with Jacob was like playing with fire. At that first party, I’d gotten away with it under the thin guise of an unfortunate pairing. The meeting couldn’t be helped. Here, now, this…

How was I supposed to tell her I wanted this?

I won’t, I decided as Jacob led us through dancing crowds, until he found a quieter spot. Unfortunately, a few other couples had already found his quiet garden hiding spot. They were lost in each other, tongues searching mouths, straddling each other, doing whatever it took to get the most connection.

“Uh,” Jacob wavered when he saw them. “I swear I didn’t bring you here for that.”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” I quipped with a smirk, “After our meeting today, I’m sure you’re well aware of the consequences.”

“I am,” he muttered. Was that disappointment in his tone? “Speaking of that meeting… I don’t really feel the need to make you wait until Monday. You’ve been approved to stay on as a ward.”

Relief washed over me, mixed with something else that I stamped down before it could take root.

“This way.”

The gardens were beautiful, with lush and aromatic bushes, flowering hedges, statues of historical figures important in werewolf history, and fountains. They were lighted with string lights that hung high above the hedges, casting a soft golden glow on the earth below. We followed a path marked with pebbles. While it was very cute, they kept working their way into my shoes somehow.

I stumbled, leaning into him, and he caught me with ease, eyes glancing to my feet. “Path giving you trouble?” he asked, a husky laugh in his tone.

I offered a bashful smile as I recovered my balance. “Just a little.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “It’s just a little bit further… here.” Without warning, he squatted low, grabbed my thighs and hoisted me up. I squealed, grasping his shoulders as he carried me the few remaining steps until I was off the path. He lowered me, sitting me down on the high ledge of a basin for the most elaborate and beautiful fountains I’d seen.

He seemed unbothered by a gesture that had made my heart race like a hummingbird. “I’m surprised there aren’t that many people here. This was always one of my favorite spots. My mom’s too.”

My traitorous heart hummed at that knowledge. “No wonder,” I said, undoing the strap on my shoe and taking it loose, shaking out the rogue pebbles that remained. “It’s beautiful.”

He stared hard at me for a long moment, and I squirmed under his intense scrutiny. “Do you get along with Alpha Rowan?” he asked suddenly.

And if there were ever a question I hadn’t expected, that was it. I looked up at him, brow pinched. “Yes? I suppose so. He’s a great alpha.”

Jacob leaned on the fountain beside me, not bothering to make the hop he’d have to in order to sit. “Our best, in my opinion.” There was another long, awkward pause, then: “Do you see him often?”

I snorted a laugh, and he looked at me as if he’d been struck. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t think you’d literally carried me off into the night just to ask me about Alpha Rowan.”

“I didn’t,” he said, too quickly. “I just wonder is all.”

Strapping my sandals back on my feet, I leaned forward so I could smile at him. “I see him often enough. As a ward, part of my duties include helping the omegas, helping set up pack functions, etc. He’s very busy, but I see him at all the functions.”

Jacob looked as though that wasn’t the answer he was expecting. That only lasted a moment though, before he turned, opening his arms wide, like an invitation. “Would you honor me, Miss Zahraa, with a dance?”

Again, my face blazed. Feeling like I had a frog in my throat, I nodded, slipping down, trusting him to catch me.

He did.

And as he placed his hand on my hip, looking down at me with those big, brown eyes, I finished my thought.

I’d never have to tell Ingrid about my traitorous feelings. Because in just a few short hours, Jacob would forget all about me.