Jacque finally let Fane pull her away from the car then he stepped away from her, and though she tried not to let it hurt her, she couldn’t stop the stab of rejection she felt.

  “I’m not rejecting you, meu inimă, my heart. Please believe that. I’m trying to protect you,” Fane told her through his thoughts.

  She looked at him and nodded her head in acknowledgment as she watched him face the other wolves. He walked past them, and when he made it to the street, he turned and told them, “If either of you touches her, I will kill you and use your pelt as a rug.”

  Jacque watched him the entire way until the door to the Henrys’ was closed. One of the wolves standing in her yard walked up to her and bared his neck to her.

  “Do you think it wise to bare your throat to the one who would rather see it torn out?” Jacque asked, surprising herself for sounding so confident and in control, despite the emptiness she felt without Fane by her side.

  “I bare my throat in acknowledgment of my Alpha’s mate,” the wolf told her.

  “Then you bare it in vain because I am NOT your Alpha’s mate. If he kills every wolf on this earth, I will still not be his mate.” Jacque growled.

  “Go inside, my Luna. I can feel how tired you are,” she heard Fane tell her.

  “I am just fine, thank you very much. I will go inside, but not because you told me to. I’m just tired of standing out here with these buttheads,” Jacque responded.

  She heard Fane laugh. She felt his joy and that made her smile, which made the wolf in front of her cock his head to the side like a dog looking quizzical. Jacque blew a breath out in exasperation and turned to go into the house. Before she could make it in the front door, one of the wolves spoke. “Lucas said to tell you he will be here at 9:00 a.m.”

  When Jacque walked in the living room, everyone was seated, each with a mug of what she presumed was hot chocolate. Jen grinned a knowing look at her and winked. She saw Sorin sitting in the ugly chair and realized he had not been outside. What’s up with that?

  “Why did you not come out to defend your prince?” she asked him, sounding a little more accusatory than she meant to.

  “The wolves do not know there is a Grey in the house. If I had gone out, they would have scented me immediately. We do not want to provoke them any more than we need to until we are a little more matched in numbers,” Sorin explained.

  The man was unflappable and it frustrated Jacque. “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” she said.

  Despite what Jacque told Fane, she was very tired. She didn’t know what time it was, and frankly, she didn’t care. She suddenly just wanted to lie down and sleep. Sally and Jen must have picked up on this because they got up and took their mugs to the kitchen then came back and led Jacque upstairs. They helped her lie down and cover her with a blanket. Jacque watched them blearily as they sat on the floor. She could see the worried looks on their faces.

  “I know she’s tough, but I think this is wearing her out,” Sally said.

  “Well, duh!” Jen responded. “Wouldn’t it wear you out if you just met the man of your dreams then it turns out he’s a werewolf, then turns out you’re his mate or whatever, then it turns out there’s this other pack of wolves with a psycho, werewolf leader who wants you as his mate, then it turns out…” Jen paused. “You get the picture.”

  “When you put it like that, it is a lot to take in,” Sally agreed.

  Jacque didn’t have the energy to respond. Instead, she slowly drifted off into a fitful sleep.

  * * *

  Jacque woke up to the sound of Fane’s voice, and for a moment she thought he was there in her room but quickly realized he was talking to her through his thoughts.

  “Luna, wake up please,” Fane said.

  “Haven’t we talked about this whole waking-me-up-way-too-early-could-be-hazardous-to-your-health thing?” Jacque said.

  “I’m sorry to wake you, love, but I wanted to talk with you before Lucas arrives.”

  “Ugh! I was hoping this was all a bad dream,” she moaned. “Well, not you, but I mean the part about this Lucas dude and the challenge.”

  “I’m sorry, Jacquelyn,” Fane told her sadly.

  “Ah well, that’s how it goes. I’m too irresistible for my own good,” Jacque teased, trying to lighten the mood.

  “That you are, Luna,” Fane replied.

  Jacque picked up her phone to look at the time and saw that it was eight-thirty. Crap, she needed to get up and get dressed. What do you wear to talk to a crazy, Alpha werewolf?

  “As much clothing as possible,” Fane answered her thought.

  “I was thinking maybe I should wear that bikini you like so much,” she teased him.

  “That would be a very poor choice, Luna. I want your marks covered completely,” Fane replied.

  “I think a please is in order,” Jacque told him.

  Fane growled but then relinquished. “Please, love.”

  “Oh, alright, since you’re not being all jealous or possessive,” Jacque smarted off.

  Jacque got up and tiptoed around her two best friends. She wondered if their parents knew they were at her house. Jacque figured they must know or the National Guard would be out looking for them. She stepped into her closet and flipped through the shirts hanging there. She honestly hadn’t realized how many T-shirts she had with smart-ass sayings on them. Go figure.

  The one she finally settled on made her smile. It was a black, baby-tee that had a picture of Edward from Twilight on the front, and “Team Edward” on the back. That made her laugh out loud. “Take that, you mangy werewolf.”

  “You’re just too pleased with yourself, aren’t you?” she heard Fane say.

  “Hey, get out of my head, you perv. I’m trying to get dressed.” Jacque feigned outrage.

  “Sorry, love, I was just curious to see what you would pick. Your sense of humor is one of the things I love most about you. Please be safe, don’t provoke Lucas, oh, and maybe it would be wise to keep Jen away from him,” Fane told her.

  “Good idea. I feel like I should say bye, or talk to you later, but that’s just weird,” Jacque told him.

  “How about I just tell you I love you?” Fane asked her.

  Jacque smiled. “I love you, wolfman.”

  The last thing Jacque heard was Fane’s deep chuckle. She could feel him pull away from her thoughts, and she felt bereft. Jacque took a deep breath, started going through her jeans, and picked out a low-rise pair of cargo pants.

  She walked back through her room, past Sally and Jen, out her door, and to the bathroom to dress and throw her hair up in a ponytail. Jacque realized once her hair was up that the marks on her neck came up above the collar of her shirt.

  “Hells bells.” She huffed and pulled her hair back down. She pulled the front out of her face and secured it back with bobby pins. “That’s as good as it’s gonna get,” Jacque told her reflection in the mirror.

  When she walked back into her room Sally and Jen were both up, stretching and yawning. They took one look at her shirt and cracked up laughing.

  “You are my hero,” Jen told her.

  “Kill ’em with sarcasm. I always knew that was your motto,” Sally told her, still laughing.

  “I’m sorry I crashed on y’all like that last night. I was just so tired. I don’t think I have ever been that tired,” Jacque told them.

  “Well, it’s not like you’re under any stress or anything,” Jen said sarcastically.

  Jacque grabbed a pair of flip-flops from under her bed and slipped them on. As she reached for her phone, she heard Jen’s phone start playing the Jaws theme song. Sally and Jacque looked at her. “It’s my mom’s ring tone.”

  “Nice,” Sally and Jacque said at the same time.

  Jen answered her phone and stepped out in the hall to talk to her mom.

  “Do your parents know you are still here?” Jacque asked Sally.

  “Yeah, I called them last night. Your mom talked to both my parents and Jen’s,” Sally answered.

  “She did? What did she tell them?” Jacque asked.

  “She asked them if they minded if we stayed the rest of the week for a final vacation before school starts. Just the girls, doing girl things like facials and pedicures and whatnot. They totally bought it and thought it was so nice of your mom to let us all get one final week of relaxation before our stressful senior year starts,” Sally said as she put the back of her hand on her forehead and swooned.

  “My mom totally rocks,” Jacque said.

  “I totally do, don’t I?” Lilly said, standing in Jacque’s doorway.

  “Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Jacque asked her.

  Lilly looked at her daughter’s shirt and gave her thumbs up. “Nice job on the shirt.”

  Jen scooted in past Lilly and plopped back down on the floor. “My mom just wanted to know if she could bring anything over for us, brownies, nail polish … ya know, girly stuff. I told her we had it covered. She said to tell you thank you again, Lilly.”

  “Your mom wouldn’t thank me if she knew the big, bad wolf was coming over to play,” Lilly said. “Speaking of big, bad wolves, Lucas Steele is here.”

  Jacque’s mouth dropped open. “Here, here? As in, in this house here?”

  “Yes, Jacque, he is here, here,” Lilly answered. “He is asking to speak with you in private.”

  Without even thinking about it, Jacque reached for Fane’s mind. “He’s here.”

  “I know, love. I saw his car drive up. Are you okay?” Fane asked her.

  “I’m okay. I’m about to go talk to him. Be with me.”

  “Always.”

  Jacque asked Sally and Jen to wait in her room. She didn’t want them brought to Lucas’ attention.

  As Jacque walked into the living room, she saw him sitting on the couch, arms spread out wide over the back, looking quite relaxed. Smug little furball. She was pleasantly surprised to hear Fane’s chuckle in her mind.

  “Are you comfortable?” Jacque asked Lucas as she walked into the living room.

  When he turned to look at her, Jacque was caught off guard by his eyes, which were two different colors. His right eye was crystal blue, and his left eye was as green as ivy. He had brown, wavy hair that he wore messily, but she could tell it was a carefully placed messiness. He had a five o’clock shadow across a strong jawline, and when he smiled at her, a dimple appeared on both cheeks.

  “I am. Thanks for asking,” he responded.

  He had a deep voice, but not quite as deep as Fane’s. She had to admit he was an attractive guy. She heard Fane growl. “Chillax, wolfman. I only have eyes for you,” she told Fane.

  “Jacque.” The sound of her name brought her attention back to her living room, and she realized Lucas was now standing in front of her. She had to look up to see his face. He was at least six feet, maybe a little taller. “My name is Lucas Steele. I’m sure Fane told you that I am the Alpha of the Coldspring pack.”

  “Yeah, he told me. He also told me you are under some sort of delusion that I am going to be your mate,” Jacque retorted.

  “I distinctly remember advising you not to provoke him, Luna. Do you remember that?” Jacque heard Fane’s voice in her mind.

  “I don’t know. Some things seem kind of hazy at the moment,” she responded vaguely. Fane growled again.

  I have a feeling he’s going to be doing a lot of that being mated to me.

  “I claimed you before he even knew you existed. You should be mine,” Lucas told her calmly.

  Jacque was staring at him intently trying to get a lock on how old he was. She could tell he was older than her, but she couldn’t quite tell how much older.

  “How old are you?” she finally asked.

  He looked a little surprised by her question. That’s good, keep him on his toes.

  “I’m twenty-two,” he answered.

  “You do realize that I am not eighteen yet, so that makes me jailbait?” Jacque pointed out.

  “Human laws do not matter to our kind. Besides, I’m not saying we have to consummate our relationship, just that you will bond with me,” Lucas told her.

  “You so did not just say that. I mean, good freaking grief man. Is that all you wolves talk about?” Jacque asked, obviously annoyed.

  Lucas looked a little confused then caught on. “Are all human females this silly?” he asked her.

  “I am not silly,” Jacque said indignantly. His eyes wandered down to the front of her shirt, and she realized he had noticed the vampire depicted there. She smiled and then turned around to show him the back, without thinking about it beforehand, she pulled her hair up so he could read the words.

  At first, he was silent as he read it, but then she heard a deep, feral growl.

  Jacque dropped her hair back down and turned slowly. Lucas’ eyes were glowing, and his teeth had grown quite long. His breathing was fast, and she could tell he was struggling to keep his wolf under control.

  “He wasn’t lying when he said he could prove you were his mate,” Lucas said, his words a little difficult to understand because of the length of his teeth.

  Jacque’s eyes got big as she realized he had seen her marks. Just then she heard a ferocious snarl and realized Fane had caught that last thought.

  “I’m sorry, Fane. I didn’t mean to show him the marks. I accidentally lifted my hair and—”

  “Pay attention to Lucas, Jacquelyn. Look at him, and let me see his face,” Fane instructed her.

  Jacque pictured Lucas in her mind just as she was seeing him.

  “Jacque, you must be careful. He is not in control of his wolf,” Fane told her.

  “Yeah, ya think,” Jacque accidentally said aloud.

  Lucas snarled and his eyes narrowed. “Are you able to speak through each other’s thoughts? Are you speaking to him now?” he asked her.

  “Umm, maybe and not your business,” she answered.

  Lucas lunged at her, grabbing her by the arms. Jacque slammed the wall down in her mind so Fane could not see what Lucas was doing. She had no idea how Fane would react to Lucas’ actions, but she guessed it wouldn’t be good. She couldn’t risk him barreling through the front door and murdering the man right in her living room. Jacque was quite certain pre-challenge murder was against the contest rules.

  “Do not play games with me. I am an Alpha, and you will answer me truthfully, mate.” He growled in her face.

  Jacque jerked her arms free and stepped back from him.

  “Listen carefully, Lucas Steele, because I will only say this once. I am NOT your mate, I will never be your mate, and if you ever put your hands on me again, I will cut them off along with other body parts you might want to use one day. Got it?” Jacque told him with as much force as she could put behind her words.

  “That’s a shame too because you’re kind of cute. But it happens to the best of them,” Jen said as she sauntered into the living room with Sally right behind her.

  “And the worst of them,” Sally finished for her.

  Both girls stood on either side of Jacque with their arms crossed, an obvious wall of solidarity against Lucas.

  Lilly walked into the living room and took in the scene. She looked at Jacque and saw the red marks now appearing on her arms from were Lucas had grabbed her daughter and Lilly’s mouth tightened in anger.

  “I think it’s time for you to go now, Mr. Steele,” Lilly told him in forced politeness.

  Lucas turned his gaze on Lilly, who took an involuntary step back. He took a deep breath, obviously trying to compose himself, then looked at Jacque, “I have challenged Fane for the bonding ceremony. If I win, you will be mine. Nothing and no one will keep you from me.” And with that, he turned to walk out the front door.

  All four of them followed him, and when they got out the door, they saw Fane jump from his second-story window, take two bounding steps, and land right in front of Lucas.

  Three men climbed out of Lucas’ waiting vehicle and surrounded Fane and Lucas.

  “Oh, S@#T! Jen hollered

  “I second that,” Sally said

  “I third it,” Jacque said, eyes so wide they threatened to pop out of her head.

  Fane saw Lucas lunge for Jacquelyn before she could put the wall up between their minds, and the rage he felt called his wolf to the surface. Fane was nearly completely phased when he heard Sara chattering downstairs. That was enough to pull him back so he could keep from becoming a huge, black, snarling wolf in his bedroom. It wasn’t enough, however, to keep him from growling like a dog with rabies. The anger he was feeling was so tangible it was making it hard for him to breathe.

  Lucas had touched his mate. He had put his hands on her in a threatening way, and by doing so, he had violated the challenge rules. That meant Fane would be allowed to see Jacquelyn for the duration of the two days they had to wait until his father arrived. Because he was Jacquelyn’s true mate, challenge rules say he can protect her if the challenger causes physical harm to the female.

  Before the thought was even complete in his mind, and without any thought to who might see him, he leaped out his window into the front yard. He took two giant steps and jumped, landing right in front of Lucas Steele. He was dimly aware of other men exiting Lucas’ car and surrounding him, but he paid them no heed. He’d rip all their throats out if need be.

  Lucas crouched low immediately, growling. “If you touch me you forfeit the challenge.”

  “Ai rănit ceea ce este al meu, you harmed what is mine.” Fane snarled.

  “Oh crap, he’s talking in Romanian and that means he’s pissed, doesn’t it? They always talk in their native tongue in the movies when they’re fixing to kick somebody’s a—” Jen tried to finish but Jacquelyn slapped her hand over Jen’s mouth and shook her head from side to side.

  “Let me translate for her,” Sally said. “Shut the #@$% up, Jen!”

  “My bad,” Jen whispered once Jacquelyn had uncovered her mouth.

  Fane could not remember a time when he had been so angry. He could feel his wolf pushing to come out, to defend their mate. “Ați încălcat regulile de provocare, you violated the challenge rules,” Fane growled.