“How can you know my dad is a grey wolf?” Jacquelyn asked.

  “My father told me,” he answered.

  “Your father?” Jen asked, enthralled in the conversation. “What’s he got to do with this?”

  Everyone in the room turned to look at her. She just lifted her shoulders and said, “My bad. That was Jacque’s line, wasn’t it?”

  Sally shook her head and hit Jen in the shoulder. Jen scowled at her.

  “My turn,” Jacque piped in. “So, who is your father?”

  “I’m getting to that. You two jumped the bullet,” Fane told them.

  The three girls giggled, Sorin coughed, trying to disguise his laughter.

  “Jumped the gun, handsome, not bullet,” Jen corrected with a grin.

  “Oh, well, as you would say, my bad,” he told Jen.

  “Let me continue. As I said, I am a Grey and my pack is in Romania. Every pack has an Alpha, just like our animal cousins. The Alpha is sort of like the king. He rules the pack. He keeps order so that dominant wolves don’t tear each other apart and so that everyone, especially the non-dominant wolves, also called submissives, are protected.” Fane was trying to make everything as clear as he could so Jacquelyn would understand where she fell in all this and what her new life would look like.

  “My father is the Alpha of the Romanian Canis lupus. I am next in line to be Alpha, and so our pack calls me the Prince of the Romanian Canis lupus. I am a dominant, which means it is in my nature to want to protect those weaker than me. It is also my nature to be aggressive and very territorial. An Alpha must be a dominant or he cannot maintain order in the pack. Are you with me so far?” Fane asked her.

  “You’re a Romanian werewolf prince, your dad is the werewolf king, you are bossy, possessive, and territorial by nature which if you were just a wolf would mean you’d pee on what you want to mark as yours.”

  Jen was nearly rolling on the floor at Jacquelyn’s description.

  “And why exactly did you bring your royal butt to Texas?” Jacquelyn finished with a question.

  Fane was smiling, thankful her sense of humor was still intact, which he took to mean she was handling this news rather well.

  “Here is where we get to the unbonded part. Every male Canis lupus has one mate, only one. Sometimes they are drawn to a certain area where their mate lives. I think it’s nature’s way of helping us wolves because, you see, it can take years and even centuries to find your mate.” Fane let that sink in a minute knowing the inevitable was coming, but Jen beat Jacquelyn to the punch … again.

  “Hold on, put on the brakes, throw it in park, and set the emergency brake while you’re at it. Did you just say centuries?” Jen asked dubiously.

  This time nobody even paid attention to the fact that it wasn’t Jacquelyn who asked. They were all too busy looking at Fane, waiting for an answer. Sorin, however, was just sitting in the ugly, peach chair looking bored. He could just throw his two cents in at any moment. Instead, Sorin just sat there.

  “Yes, I said centuries. Canis lupus live much, much longer lives than humans,” Fane answered.

  Jacquelyn asked, “How much longer, ’cause you know I’m only good for like seventy-five years, maybe eighty. If I sit longer than that on the shelf I expire,” Jacquelyn said.

  “Once we complete the Blood Rites, your life is tied to mine, and you will live as long as I do, just as I will live as long as you do. You see, Jacquelyn, once mates are bonded, one cannot live without the other. It is the way of our species that when one mate dies the other follows,” Fane told her.

  “Oh, my gosh!” Sally exclaimed. “That is so freaking romantic—or depressing. It’s all in how you look at it. Do you have any cousins?” she asked him hopefully.

  “I’m sorry, Sally, but you must have Canis lupus blood somewhere in your lineage to bond with a Canis lupus.”

  “I can check, you know, like do some research, ’cause there is no telling what’s in my blood. I could go back generations—” Sally began but was interrupted when Jen covered Sally’s mouth with her hand.

  “Don’t mind her. She is missing that part in her brain that tells her to shut up,” Jen said.

  “You’re one to talk,” Jacquelyn said smiling.

  “Okay, keep going, I need to get this all out tonight so I can have tomorrow to freak out,” Jacquelyn told Fane.

  “I came to Texas because my wolf somehow knew you were here and that his mate, our mate, was in danger. Before you ask, I will try to explain this quickly. My wolf and I are one, but at the same time, we are separate. When I am not in wolf form, he is still there. I can call on him for his help and use his attributes. Just as when I am in wolf form, he uses my human attributes. I can still think and reason like a man. That is why we don’t call it changing because that implies once we are in our wolf forms, we no longer retain any human attributes, and when we are in our human form, there is no wolf there at all, which is not the case. We always coexist together. Does that make sense?” Fane asked.

  “Yeah, I get that, not that it’s easy to believe, but I understand the logistics of it,” Jacquelyn answered.

  Fane let go of her hand and brushed her hair away from her face. She looks so tired. He was so grateful she had not thrown him out or told him he was crazy, even though what he was telling her sounded insane. But, he told himself, there is still more, so she might just throw me out yet.

  “I realize what you’re saying is that I’m your mate. You’ve mentioned this bond thingy, and blood… What did you say?” Jacquelyn asked.

  “Blood Rites. Even though we are mates, we have to perform a ceremony to bond us to each other,” Fane began.

  “Oh, Sally, get some popcorn now. It’s fixing to get rich,” Jen interrupted.

  Jacquelyn rolled her eyes, and Fane just ignored the comment. He didn’t want to be distracted. His Luna needed to know what was coming and that it had to happen very, very soon.

  “Okay, back up. When you say ‘perform a ceremony,’ are you talking behind-closed-doors type stuff?” Jacquelyn asked him through her thoughts, sounding embarrassed and nervous at the same time.

  “If you are asking me if we must consummate our relationship to complete the bond, the answer is no, Luna,” Fane answered her.

  He saw her take a deep breath and let it out in obvious relief.

  “Put up the popcorn Sally. Things are staying stale,” Jacquelyn announced.

  “Can’t you ever just drizzle on my parade, or do you always insist on a full monsoon?” Jen asked her with obvious irritation.

  “Is the idea really that bad to you, Luna?” Fane asked, honestly wondering.

  “We are so, so, so NOT having this conversation right now. I may be your mate or whatever, but I have only known you three stinking days. What kind of girl do you think I am?” Jacquelyn thought back to him.

  “Well, in truth, love, it does please me to know that is something you do not take lightly,” Fane told her. Then he asked, “You haven’t taken it lightly, so to speak, with anyone else, have you?”

  Jacquelyn closed her eyes and shook her head. She took a deep breath, and Fane could tell she was trying to reign in her fiery little temper.

  “If you absolutely must know, there has not been anyone I wanted to take lightly … ever. So, since you are being so stinking nosy, what about you? Is there a double standard in the Canis lupus world? Is it okay for a guy to take any and every one lightly without repercussions of a bad reputation?” Jacque threw back at him.

  “Thank you. To answer your question, it is very uncommon for a male Canis lupus to take anyone but his mate lightly.” Fane grinned at the connotations they were using to keep from having to actually say making love.

  Jacquelyn caught that thought. “Nope, it’s called not taking it lightly. Deal with it.”

  Fane laughed out loud at her embarrassment, which caused everyone in the room to look at him. He couldn’t help himself. She was such a joy to his heart. He didn’t care if she never called it what it was so long as she would be his.

  “Are you two ready to share the conversation with the rest of us now, or would you like to take this in another room?” Jen asked sarcastically.

  “Nope, no need to leave, we are just all one big happy family … sharing, talking, and getting all the gory details of life as a werewolf. Just another typical Wednesday night,” Jacquelyn rambled on nervously.

  “Are you ready for me to continue, my Luna?” Fane asked her.

  “Bring it on,” Jacquelyn told him.

  “The Blood Rites ceremony is performed by the Alpha of the pack you are joining through your mate, so it will be performed by my father. In some ways, it is much like a human wedding. There are usually only a few witnesses—family and close friends. We will exchange vows.” Fane took a breath because he knew what he was going to say next she would not like. “And then we do the Blood Rites,” he finished vaguely. He knew she wouldn’t let him off that easy, but, he thought, it didn’t hurt to try.

  “Fane, sweetie, what exactly are the Blood Rites?” Jacquelyn asked him with syrupiness in her voice he knew better than to believe.

  “Understand, Jacquelyn, we are not human. There are some things our wolf nature demands, and one of those things is a blood rite. A male Canis lupus wants the world to know his mate is his. There are several ways this happens. His mate takes on markings that match those on his body and would fit like a puzzle piece. The markings on Canis lupus reveal their place in the pack. For instance, I am a dominant so my markings are on the right side of my body. They are also very elaborate, and they go to the front of my chest as well, indicating that I am an Alpha. My father explained to me that when Canis lupus finds his mate, he will develop new markings visible even with clothes on, like on the neck, and this tells all Canis lupus he is mated.

  Fane paused to give her a chance to ask questions, and then just to humor her, he turned and looked at Jen, who responded with, “Oh, I’m good. Carry on, this is great stuff.”

  Fane winked at her and grinned.

  To his and her surprise, Jacquelyn reached over and slapped his arm. “Quit winking at my friends. Jen’s gonna hyperventilate, and Sally’s gonna pass out. Get on with this whole Blood Rites thing.” She growled at him.

  “You’re a violent little thing, aren’t you?” Fane teased.

  She gave him a look as if to say, “I’m waiting.”

  “That is one way the male’s mate is marked.”

  Sally raised her hand like she was in school.

  Jen rolled her eyes and said, “Put your hand down you dork and just ask.”

  “How do the markings identify her to other werewolves if no one can see them unless she wears a low-back shirt like Jacque did tonight?” Sally asked.

  Fane growled and that earned him another slap on the arm from Jacquelyn.

  “Don’t growl at my friends either.”

  “I wasn’t growling at them, love. I was growling at the idea of another seeing your markings. The markings on the female are meant only for her mate to see. If another male sees them, he is looking at something he is not supposed to. The markings are precious to the rightful male mate because it is the first thing that indicates the she-wolf is his. It was very difficult for me tonight with yours showing. It helped that your hair covered up most of them,” he told her.

  “So, it’s kind of like some guy looking in her lingerie drawer and seeing all her hot little outfits, huh?” Jen stated with a grin.

  “Only you would come up with that analogy. You know that, right?” Sally asked her.

  “I’m just clarifying things, you know, breaking it down, making it chewable,” Jen responded.

  “Jen, Sally, I love you guys, but zip it, okay?” Jacquelyn asked them in exasperation.

  Both girls ran their fingers across their lips as if to close a zipper and gave her a thumbs up. Jacquelyn nodded her thanks.

  “Another way a male Canis lupus shows he found his mate is the ability to speak to her through their thoughts. I cannot speak to anyone else nor hear anyone else’s thoughts but yours. Just as you can only speak to me and hear my thoughts,” Fane continued to explain. He noticed the look Jacquelyn was giving him was less than pleased, and he asked her, “Does that bother you, Luna?”

  “Well, there are some things I don’t want you to know,” Jacquelyn told him shyly.

  “Oooh, like that time we snuck out and went skin—” Jen started but was quickly interrupted by Sally.

  “JEN,” Sally hollered. “Let’s get that popcorn now. I think you need something to keep your mouth occupied, or we are going to shove your foot in it, okay?” she finished sweetly.

  “Once again my parade is saturated in the downpour of hurricane Sally,” Jen retorted.

  Jacquelyn watched as her two best friends walked to the kitchen, and then she turned and looked at Fane.

  “Are there any other ways a male marks his mate?” she asked him.

  “I think you would be more comfortable if we talk about it privately.”

  Jacquelyn’s eyebrows rose in apprehension. “That bad, huh?” she asked him.

  In response, Fane simply took her hand, pulled her up from the couch, turned to Lilly and Sorin, and told them, “I think the rest of this conversation needs to be only between me and my mate.”

  “I can understand that,” Lilly responded.

  Sorin simply nodded his understanding.

  Fane looked at Jacquelyn and said, “Lead the way, Luna.”

  OceanofPDF.com

  Chapter

  Ten

  Jacque continued to hold Fane’s hand as she led him up the stairs to her bedroom. Before they reached the top, Jacque heard her mom yell, “Jacque, leave your door open, please. Mated or not, you are still living under my rules.”

  Jacque laughed, so thankful for something that made her feel like she was just a girl with a boy, hanging out. Not a Canis lupus, not a mate, just teenagers.

  “You got it, Mom,” Jacque hollered back.

  As they entered her room, Jacque let go of Fane’s hand and stepped away, putting some distance between them. She was beginning to feel just a tad claustrophobic and needed space.

  “You can sit in that chair or the window seat,” she said indicating both places.

  Jacque suddenly felt very nervous. Being in her room alone with him felt so intimate, yet she couldn’t deny she was very relieved that whatever he had to tell her was not going to be broadcast to everyone downstairs.

  “So, what is this other thing that marks the female as a mate? I’m assuming it has to do with the Blood Rites?” she asked him.

  “You are correct. It is about the Blood Rites. The reason I wanted to speak with you alone about it is because it is the only part of the ceremony done in private,” Fane explained.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. I thought you said there was no taking it lightly stuff in this ceremony,” Jacque said a little frantically.

  “Luna, I’m going to lay this out plainly for you. There will be no lies, half-truths, or bush beating. I’m going to say it bluntly,” Fane told her firmly.

  Jacque tried, she really did, but she couldn’t contain the laughter.

  “Meu inimă, my heart, would you please share with me what you find to be so funny?” Fane asked her patiently.

  “It’s called beating around the bush, prince of wolves, not bush beating,” she told him, still giggling despite her efforts not to.

  “Oh, well, my mistake. There will be no beating around the bush any longer. We are going to call it what it is, so if you turn a lovely shade of red, I will try hard not to find it adorable.”

  “Fine, spit it out already,” Jacque answered, irritated by his little sermon.

  She planted herself on her bed, legs Indian-style, back straight, and her hands folded in her lap. She was trying desperately not to be anxious, but she was quite unsuccessful. Finally, Fane began to explain the Blood Rites, and he was right, what he told her made her blush so badly she felt the heat of it in her face.

  “What I told you is true about the bonding ceremony. We do not have to consummate—or make love—whichever you prefer to call it, to be fully mated. We do, however, have to exchange blood.”

  Jacque cringed at that. “That’s gross. You do realize that, don’t you? I mean surely that can’t be good for a person.”

  Fane gave her an “I’m not finished” look which made her abruptly stop talking.

  “There is no eloquent way to put this. It just is what it is. I will mark you and take your blood by biting you.” Fane paused waiting for her reaction, she did not disappoint.

  “YOU ARE GOING TO WHAT ME?” She was completely caught off guard by his revelation. I mean, when he said exchange blood, I was thinking a finger prick, a little embarrassment because I’d have to suck on his finger and vice versa, but biting me, that is in a whole other category of embarrassment.

  Fane walked over to her bed and knelt in front of her. He placed his hands over hers, and she instantly felt reassurance flow through her. She closed her eyes and let herself soak it up, embracing the comfort he was providing her.

  When she opened her eyes, she was staring into glowing, crystal blue eyes. “How did you do that?” she asked him.

  “For wolves, touch is a very powerful thing. It provides comfort and reassurance to them, so it is with Canis lupus. Like other things, it is even more potent between mates. You needed my comfort, and I could do nothing else but provide it for you. When you need something, your inner wolf calls to me, I can feel it, my wolf can feel it, and we are obligated to do what we can to provide that for you.”

  Jacque tried not to think about that. But call her crazy, which at this point she was bound to be, she could just picture herself craving a Snickers ice cream bar in the middle of the night while a raging thunderstorm wreaked havoc outside, here came Fane knocking on her window, soaking wet, with a Snickers in hand. That could be kinda handy.

  Fane had apparently caught all of her little daydream because he chuckled at her.