Her Impossible Mate

20- Be Better

...Zander...

The disappointment was written all over Raine's face, despite her efforts to hide it. I kicked myself for my absence this week, as well as leaving her to enter alone at the fundraiser.

The truth is, this has been the week from hell workload wise. I have never been one for delegation, much like my father. This has resulted in almost every aspect of the pack and the business falling onto me. Leading from the front has meant all my people turn to me to check everything. In some ways, I've set myself up to fail in that aspect. Since taking my father's place, I have always been overloaded and stressed. Before, I never needed the time for anything else. But now, I want all that time for Raine. Yet, I cannot seem to achieve that, abandoning her again. It's left me feeling even more frustrated and agitated than before. It might be time to look at an appropriate work/life balance. Though I worry that's not possible with my responsibilities.

I hoped I could show her my affection with gifts- the necklace is just the start. But what makes Raine so perfect is that she's not here for my money or my position; she's here for me. Her eyes lit up with the sparkle of diamonds, appreciating their beauty. But I could still see the glimmer of disappointment dulling them. The best gift for Raine is my time, and I'm majorly f*cking it up.

The best gift for me is Raine's presence too. Her taste, her touch and those little moans and squeaks as I take her over the edge. My stress eases with just the thought of her coming undone on my tongue. I appreciate the playful side she brings out in me, even in this environment where I present as cold and firm. When I'm with her, it's like we're in our own little world. I love it. I love her. Too soon to express that, of course, but I know that I am falling completely head over heels for Raine Moore. I just need to do a better job of showing that.

If we could skip out on this fundraiser, I would do it in a heartbeat. I'd sweep Raine off to the cabin to enjoy another weekend of domestic bliss, free of the chaos of the city. Alas, my presence is not only expected, it is necessary. I will spend the evening on my best behaviour in order to bleed the wealthy and influential guests dry of their excess money. Lena and I funnel a lot of money into our charities already. But events like this mean we can scoop up large donations to help even more people.

I didn't want Raine to endure the insufferable evening, but Lena insisted she be invited. I feel worse knowing that she will be stuck in a room full of the most arrogant and ill-mannered people in the city. Selfishly, this means that she will be around to give me some release. Her presence offers instant calm.

I have ensured her safe arrival with one of my drivers and instructed Luca to be there for her throughout the evening should I be busy.

My inability to see her before the event is due to a meeting. Luca and I sit in the conference room at Crescent Corp, waiting for my men to share the information they have uncovered. There are several behind the scenes things I have them looking into currently.

"Well?" I sit tense at the top of the table. Enzo and his team have been looking into Raine and her pack with the information I provided them with.

"I don't have much to offer you, Boss." His tone is even, but he shifts slightly under my sharp stare. My knuckles c***k under the pressure of frustration. The only reason I am here is to find answers about where Raine came from and potentially why she is blended with an impossible mate. Luca shoots me a glare to say 'relax'. Funnily enough, it doesn't help.

"I'm sorry, boss. Your girl said her pack were off-grid. She wasn't wrong. We haven't found any settlements on the outskirts of the city, and there is no record of an Alpha Jared. Not pure, blended or bitten." He shrugs so casually, which annoys me further. This is important.

"So what now?" Luca asks as I'm too busy keeping a lid on my anger.

"We looked into the girl. Raine." The rumble that rolls from my chest is unintentional. Something primal is sparked when people talk about Raine so flippantly. She's far too special for her name to be branded about carelessly.

Enzo clears his throat and eyes me carefully. I jerk my head up once to signal him to continue.

"I can't find anything on a Raine Moore. She didn't exist even in our world before four years ago. Her documents were falsified to work in the city, but there's also no birth information with any pack or human hospital. Blend-bloods often hide on one side or another. That's if she's a Blend considering she's your mate -" My hand slams down on the table to cut him off.

"Do not refer to her as my mate. No one can know that information. Raine is blend-blooded, she told me that. If people know that she's a Blend and has a mate, there would be an uproar. It would put a target on her back." I'm fighting hard not to allow my irritation to overwhelm me. Enzo shifts awkwardly in front of me. It's obvious he wants to say something. I sigh and roll my eyes, relaxing back into the chair.

"Have you considered she's not who she says she is?" I stand from my chair rapidly, a snarl ripping from my mouth. Enzo's eyes bulge at my sudden movement. His insinuation that Raine is lying to me enrages me.

"Be careful what you say about my girl." I growl at him. Luca's arm reaches out across my chest to hold me back, though we both know if I wanted to move on Enzo, he couldn't stop me.

"Ok. Let's take this down a notch, huh?" Luca uses his typical light-hearted tone to try and defuse the situation. "Besides, there is no way Sunny would lie to us. She's a sweetheart." He pats my back reassuringly, but I shoot him a glare. Nicknames? For my Raine? He beams back at me, obviously missing my annoyance at him.

I take some calming breaths, closing my eyes to think back to memories of Raine. Tilting my head, I c***k some of the stress out of my neck.

"What about the Blackwoods?" Another task I had for Enzo was to look into the Blackwood facility. Some of the requests made for tech have been questionable. There has always been something shady about Arthur Blackwoods business. While he does great work researching and creating medicine for humans, there have long been rumours that he is up to something for wolf enhancement. He has always had a chip on his shoulder for being blend-blooded. The rumours circulated talk about wolf experiments and ways to enhance abilities. It all sounds a bit Dr Frankenstien, but I wouldn't put anything past him.

"Right, uhm..." Enzo grounds himself after my aggressive response. "The Blackwoods deliveries have progressively increased over the last few weeks. Most shipments are a variety of chemicals and other medical supplies, but there have been several large crates delivered with machinery and lab equipment." I frown at the information.

"Any reasons why?" I fold my arms and run my hand over my chin in thought.

"No. My guys on the inside don't have that information. Whatever they are doing, they are keeping it hush hush even within their own people." I sigh heavily. This information is concerning. Large deliveries. Secret experiments. Nothing good can come of that, I'm sure.

Looking at my watch, I groan, realising I need to wrap this up. I was picking up Lena and Ma, and neither appreciated tardiness.

"Thanks, Enzo. Keep looking into it." He nods and turns to leave. I run my hand through my hair, agitated by this whole meeting.

Before Enzo makes it out the door her stops and turns back sheepishly.

"If you need, I have a guy that does blood tests. He will be able to tell if Raine is blended or pure. Y'know, just in case." My jaw tenses. Knowing I can't respond calmly, I just gesture my head to the door to tell him to go. He chews at his lip before hurrying from the room.

Sighing again, I turn my attention to Luca and glare at him. He raises his eyebrows expectantly.

"Sunny?" I query. The thought of the pair exchanging sweet nicknames pisses me off beyond belief. It doesn't help that Luca has seen her each day while I have buried myself in responsibility.

"Yeah. Cute, right?" I want to punch that stupid grin off his stupid face. He frowns at my lack of response. "It's like when really big guys are called tiny. She's Raine, like rain. So she's Sunny. It's ironic, Zan." Is this what mansplaining feels like? The irony hadn't missed me. It was the fact that he had given my girl an endearing nickname that f*cked me off.

"She's not your to give pet names too." My voice is low and threatening. It feels strange directing this anger at Luca. While he's annoying, he's family and has never done anything to piss me off.

"Woah, big guy! Are you jealous?" He laughs in his typical goofy way. I growl, even more annoyed he doesn't recognise the severity of the situation. His face falls at the continuation of my hostility.

"Hey, Zan, it's just a laugh. I'm sorry, I was just trying to make her feel welcome. Like one of us." His little puppy dog eyes stare pack at me. F*ck sake. I sigh in defeat. He's right, he was just trying to help.

"It should be me." I sigh out and put my elbows on the desk and head in my hands. "I should be the one giving her pet names and picking her up for work."

Luca pats my back firmly, then squeezes my shoulder reassuringly.

"Then make it you." I twist my head to frown at him. "You have all of us to lean on. Not everything has to fall to you. Make time for her." He shrugs as he finishes as if it were that simple. Realistically, it probably is that simple, but I struggle to let go of the control.

I slump back into my chair and huff.

"Seriously, Zan. You should see the twinkle in her eyes fade every morning when she sees it's me instead of you." His words sting. The thought of disappointing her this much pains me.

"Is that supposed to help?" I grumble at him.

"If it gets your head out of your ass, then yes." I huff again, but he's right. I need to get my head out of my ass. But after this ridiculously tedious event tonight.

My phone buzzes. The message from Lena is reminding me to get a move on and be on time. She knows me too well. Luca's phone vibrates too, presumably with a similar message. We roll our eyes at each other.

I head home to quickly shower and change. Male privilege means I don't have much to do to be ready, even for an event of this calibre. I stand in front of the mirror, looking over the suffocating tux Lena forced me to wear. The black jacket is perfectly tailored, with silk lapels and paired with slim black trousers, a black shirt and a black tie. The all black is my spin on the formal look, but if I really had my way, there would be no tie, an open shirt and probably no tight jacket either.

I grumble to myself as I loosen the tie a little. I've kept my hair a little loose, so I don't feel like a complete imposter. I smile to myself, adding the finishing touch. A deep red pocket square that Lena assured me matched Raine's dress perfectly.

I narrow my eyes and look at it. I've let Raine down so much. Our weekend away filled her with hope for what our relationship could be, then I let myself get absorbed into the burden of my duty. I want what we had there, I felt at home with her.

She deserves better than what I have offered her.

I pull out my phone to call the driver that waits downstairs and instruct him to go without me. I grab my key and head to my personal car.

Raine is expecting the car to pick her up soon, but really it should be me picking her up. I should be there to accompany her, beaming with pride that someone so beautiful is at my side.

I pull up outside her apartment. As I step out, my phone rings in my pocket. I sigh heavily, seeing Lena's name on the caller ID. I answer and gingerly put the phone to my ear.

"Where the hell are you?!" I was right to be careful as her shrill voice rings in my ear.

"I had something important to do. The car is on its way."

"Important?! What's more important than tonight? We've worked so hard-"

"Lena." I cut off her impending rant. "I'm coming. I just had to pick up Raine myself, ok?" There is silence on the other end of the phone, then hushed back and forth between her and Ma. After another few moments of silence, Lena responds.

"Right. Well, I suppose that's sweet." She clears her throat. "I'm sorry." I smile to myself, knowing damn well Lena hates apologising.

Just as Lena descends on me with instructions for appropriate behaviour tonight, I hear the door of Raine's apartment building open. I glance up, then away again, thinking it's too early for Raine to be ready. But the swish of a red dress immediately pulls my attention back to the doorway in a double-take.

"I have to go." I manage to choke out before hanging up the phone on Lena.

My mouth drops, and my stomach flips at the sight of Raine. Her raven hair is curled and pinned up elegantly away from her neck. The red silk fabric glides over her curves perfectly, her hips swishing in divine motions as she struts confidently in my direction. My eyes skim upward, past the delicious curve of her chest and land on the dazzling sparkle of the necklace I gifted her. My heart tightens, as do my pants, at her perfection. And she's mine.

Her stride falters at the sight of me before her face breaks into a delighted grin. She picks up her pace almost at a run as she crashes into my arms. I hold her up and spin us as she giggles in my ear and wraps her arms around my neck to hold me close.

"You're here!" She squeals as I stop spinning to place her down. I smile down and sweep a stray curl behind her ear, admiring her beauty up close.

"You look ravishing." She giggles at my husky statement. I so wish we could run back inside and spend the night in each other's arms. But she looks so amazing I'm desperate to show her off.

She blushes as she gazes up at me through her extended lashes. I lean down to place a tender kiss on her nose, and she crinkles it with a smile at the touch.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around for you." I run my finger over her silky smooth cheek. "I'm going to be better."

"It's ok. I know you're busy with business and the pack." She shrugs gently, her tone calm. But I see the hint of sadness in her eyes. I won't let this be her life. She deserves the world, and I want to be the one to give it to her.

"F*ck the company. F*ck the pack." She raises her brows into a shocked frown, and her mouth drops open. "You are the most important thing to me now. And I will spend every day protecting you, caring for you, loving you." A sweet smile tugs at her lips but not before I lunge down and claim them. She hums into me as I pull her close, my hands pressing into her exposed back. As my hand travel down, I realise how low the back of the dress goes and growl into her mouth.

She giggles loose from me and steps back, doing a little twirl to show the whole dress. F*ck me.

My phone rings again, and I groan in annoyance. Knowing it's Lena, I ignore it.

"Shall we?" I extend my hand for Raine, and she takes it. I guide her around the passenger side and help her slip in.

As we drive, I place my hand on her thigh and rub my thumb is across the soft silk of her dress. Even such a small touch makes me feel so calm. Doing this with her makes me feel at peace. I know that she is everything I need to feel happy in life. And I will make sure she knows it.