Jacque put her arms around his waist, holding onto him as if it would keep the storm raging around them from tearing them apart. She laid her head against his chest and listened to his heart, allowing the rhythm to calm her. Fane kissed the top of her head and gently rubbed her back. As he had done before, he whispered words in his language, and they seemed to ease the tension from her mind.

  “I love you, wolfman,” Jacque whispered, and knew with his wolf’s hearing he wouldn’t miss it.

  She took a deep breath and pulled away from him. He reluctantly let her go but did not take his hand off her hips.

  “I’m gonna go now, ’k, so I can spend time with your mom. What are you going to do?” she asked him.

  “I’m going to be with my father when he calls Lucas, and then I think I will sleep for a little while. I didn’t realize how tired I was until the pack left and I was able to relax,” he told her.

  “That reminds me… Are you going to tell me what the whole staring contest was about with the guys leaving and you suddenly deflating like a balloon with a hole in it?”

  “I will tell you about it, Luna, but not right now. You go take your shower. I know my mother is eager to get to know you, and seeing as how I plan to have you all to myself tonight, she better get her fill during the day,” Fane said as he pulled her close one more time and kissed her on the lips.

  Jacque pressed closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing her lips firmly against his. She loved it when he kissed her. His lips were so soft and gentle. Fane pulled back much too soon for her liking, but she let him go.

  “I’ll see you later,” he told her.

  Just like before when he was leaving to go back to the Henrys’, Jacque felt an impending sense of doom at the idea of him not being with her. She hated how desperate it made her feel. She was not the desperate type. She never had a problem if she and Trent went several days without talking. At the sound of Fane’s growl, she realized her mistake.

  “Remember, love, when you are emotional you tend to broadcast your thoughts. I try not to listen, but sometimes it’s a little too tempting not to, and when I hear his name in your mind, I can’t tune you out,” Fane explained. “I know in my mind I don’t need to be jealous, but the wolf in me considers you mine even when I didn’t know you.”

  Jacque grinned at him having just realized she would probably be able to get some dirt on him about past girls from Alina.

  “I guess I will just need to be more careful about not broadcasting when I’m emotional,” she told him innocently.

  “That’s a thought, or you could just not think about him,” Fane told her, his voice getting deeper as they continued the topic.

  “That’s a thought, too, albeit not a reasonable one, but a thought nonetheless.” Jacque winked at him as she turned to climb the stairs.

  “See you later, wolfman,” she called over her shoulder. Jacque heard him growl and couldn’t help but grin. If nothing else made her smile, she could count on aggravating him doing it every time.

  “Glad I can amuse you, my love,” she heard Fane’s voice in her head.

  “Me too,” she replied, which earned her another growl.

  As Alina and Jacque walked down the sidewalk, Jacque had a hard time not looking back at Sorin, who followed at a distance—their guard, as it were. She was amazed that four days ago she was just Jacque, a small-town teenager, about to be a senior in high school. Then BAM, she’s the mate to a werewolf prince who is going to have to fight another werewolf to keep her. Seriously, what happened that fate somehow got a wild hair up its butt and decided to throw her a curveball? She was truly baffled by it all.

  “Jacquelyn or Jacque? Which would you prefer I call you?” Alina’s voice pulled her from her disbelieving thoughts.

  “Well, everyone but Fane calls me Jacque. For some reason, he has called me Jacquelyn since we met, and I just haven’t bothered to say anything. Then again, he rarely calls me my name. Usually, it’s Luna, or love, or some other Romanian word that I have no idea the meaning of,” Jacque told her, smiling at how much she liked the different endearments by which Fane referred to her.

  “Vasile seldom calls me Alina.”

  “What does he call you?” Jacque asked and then her manners caught up with her. “I mean if you don’t mind me asking.”

  “I don’t mind. He calls me Mina,” Alina told her.

  “What does it mean?”

  “You’re going to laugh when I tell you because it just solidifies the fact that werewolves are indeed pushy, bossy, and possessive. It simply means mine. How ridiculous is that?” Alina said laughing.

  Jacque couldn’t help laughing with her.

  “I haven’t known werewolves even a week yet, and I still see the significance of that,” Jacque told her.

  “What has Fane told you about us?” Alina asked Jacque.

  “Well obviously, he’s told me about the whole werewolf family trait thing, and about y’all being the royal family, so to speak, but other than that, not really anything.”

  “Fane never has been the talkative type,” Alina said. “I suppose, too, all he’s been able to think about is keeping you safe. Grey males tend to be obsessive when it comes to their mates and children.”

  “Yeah, I suppose he has been a little preoccupied with the whole crazy, psycho Alpha trying to get in his Kool-Aid and steal his chick,” Jacque said, and then burst out laughing when Alina looked at her like she had grown a third arm.

  “Do you always talk like that?” Alina asked

  “Unfortunately, it’s a side effect of hanging around Jen. She’s much, much worse,” Jacque told her, shaking her head as she thought about her crazy best friend.

  “You care very much for Jen and Sally, and it’s obvious they care for you. I’m sorry that they won’t be able to be with you tomorrow,” Alina told Jacque.

  “I would rather my friends be safe. If it’s going to be dangerous, then they should stay away. You are right. I do care for them. I love them. They are my best friends, and I honestly don’t know what I would do without them.”

  Alina and Jacque walked a block in silence. Jacque thought about Alina’s question. What has Fane told you about us? Was Alina simply referring to the bonding and Blood Rites stuff, or was there more that Fane hadn’t told her? She would ask him tonight. If there was more, she was hoping it wasn’t something like for the good of the pack you must produce a male heir within one year of the bonding because that would suck.

  “Fane has explained to you about the bonding ceremony, I hope,” Alina said, finally breaking the silence.

  “Yeah, he told me about it. Not in great detail but the gist. The Blood Rites thing is a bit different from what we do in our bonding ceremonies,” Jacque joked.

  Alina laughed, apparently appreciating the good humor Jacque took in everything.

  “Because you are female, I know you will break it down a little better. Will you give me a clue as to what to expect?” Jacque asked Alina.

  “In the ceremony, Vasile will first bond you and Fane. There are three things that happen for a bond to be made. First, you will say vows. I have a copy of the vows you will say to Fane, and Vasile has a copy of the vows Fane will say to you. After the vows, the male presents the female with an offering, a way to show her he can take care of her and provide for his family,” Alina told her before Jacque interrupted.

  “He’s not going to give me a dead animal, is he?”

  Alina laughed. “No that is what a real wolf would give his mate. The symbolism is the same. The offering must be something of value that required him to sacrifice in order to get it. As a wolf sacrifices energy when on the hunt, so must a male Canis lupus give up something to provide for his family. Want to know what the catch is? Just as a female wolf can turn away a male wolf’s offering, so can we. You don’t have to accept what Fane offers to you.”

  “What did Vasile give to you?” Jacque asked Alina before she could tell her mouth not to say what her brain was thinking.

  “Before you hear it, you must first realize that Vasile and I have been mated for over two centuries, so what was in then is most definitely not in now,” Alina teased.

  Jacque was shocked to hear how long she and Vasile had been together.

  “Well, I must say you don’t look a day over thirty-five,” Jacque told her.

  “Now that you know just how long ago it was when we bonded, I will tell you Vasile gave me two things. The first was something I needed. My family was poor, and we didn’t have much, so he gave me a horse. She was beautiful.”

  Jacque watched as Alina’s face lit up with the memory of an animal she had obviously loved.

  “She was sable with a dark chocolate mane, tall and very elegant. I named her Cosmina, which means beauty. The second thing requires an explanation as well, maybe a small history lesson. In that day and age, wealthy families and nobility all had family crests or signets. Vasile comes from a long line of Alphas, which is our equivalent to royalty, and so his family has a signet. The signet was used to identify the family you were from, the social class you were in, and in our case, the pack you were in. Different families carried their signets in different ways. Vasile’s was a ring.” Alina held out her hand to show Jacque the gold ring.

  It had an oval-shaped face, and on that face was a grid of four diamonds. In each diamond, there was a symbol. The top left was a crown, the top right was a wolf, the bottom left, a sword, and the bottom right a full moon.

  “The crown represents the royal lineage, the wolf distinguishes we are werewolves, the sword testifies that as the Alpha family we are the sword of justice keeping the discipline among the pack, and the moon acknowledges the importance of the females in the pack,” Alina explained.

  “What was the significance of giving you the ring?” Jacque asked.

  “It was his way of offering me a place in the royal line. He was telling me that no matter my lineage, if I bonded with him, I would be accepted as the Alpha of the female pack members. In essence, he was offering me unconditional acceptance,” Alina answered.

  “I take it that was a significant offering,” Jacque said.

  “Yes, it was.”

  “And what is the last thing for the bonding?” Jacque asked.

  “Since you are human, this final act might seem very weird. The third thing is the Blood Rites where you will exchange blood, and Fane will put a visible mark on you for others to know you are his.”

  “Okay, you’re right. It is quite freaky-deeky to me because we don’t go around biting each other, but I’m trying to keep an open mind. Does it hurt?” Jacque asked, sounding very nervous.

  “Well, I’m not sure how it is going to be for a half-human. It does cause some discomfort—it is a bite after all—but some find it pleasurable because it is so significant to the bonding. It’s the way you complete becoming one with your mate,” Alina said, making it sound so normal, even though it was so not normal.

  “Well, I’m not going to say I’m not nervous because that would be the understatement of the year. I am trying very hard to keep an open mind,” Jacque told Alina.

  “I think Fane is very blessed to have you as his mate. I know it is going to be a big change for you, especially once you move to Romania, but—”

  “Wait, wait, throw it in reverse. What do you mean move to Romania? Fane has not said a single thing about moving to Romania!”

  “That’s what I was afraid of. Fane is next in line to be Alpha of the Romanian pack. He must be there to learn what that entails. You also need to be educated about what it means to be Alpha to the females. It is going to be hard for some of the females to submit to one who is half-human. You are going to have to learn to hold your own,” Alina told her.

  “What about my senior year? What about my friends, my mom? What the crap, man?” Jacque said.

  “The plan is to get you and Fane private tutors for your senior year. When you are not studying, you will be learning about the pack and traditions and how to be an Alpha. As for your mom, she is welcome to come with us, and, if she doesn’t, the pack will pay to fly her out any time you want. Your friends are welcome to visit, too. The tutor would work with them as well if, by chance, they came for an extended visit or some kind of exchange program. We realize we are asking you to give up a lot, and we will do everything we can to make it easier on you.”

  Jacque just stood there staring at Alina in total disbelief. She felt completely blindsided. Why hadn’t Fane said anything to her? How could she possibly leave her life here? Would her friends’ parents even consider allowing them to go with her?

  “Fane is so busted,” Jacque said aloud, although only saying it to herself.

  “Is everything okay, Luna?” she heard Fane ask.

  “You have been holding out on me, and just to prepare you, it might be wise of you to get anything I could use as a weapon as far from me as possible,” Jacque told him.

  Fane did not respond. She was already getting angrier because she knew he wasn’t going to argue with her, that he would surrender. She wanted a good argument. She needed to vent her frustrations at the injustice of it all.

  “Jacque, are you okay?” Alina asked her.

  “Not sure just yet, but I’m not going to have a meltdown or anything,” she answered.

  “I think we should head back now. It’s nearing lunchtime, and I’m sure Fane is probably edgy with you not in his sight,” Alina told her.

  “Right now, it might be a good thing that I’m not in his sight,” Jacque muttered under her breath.

  OceanofPDF.com

  Chapter

  Fifteen

  Fane knew he was in trouble for not telling Jacquelyn she would need to move to Romania after the bonding, but there were so many changes happening all at once, he hadn’t wanted to throw more at her. Obviously, he had been wrong not to tell her. This whole mate thing was difficult. Even if they were meant to be together, that apparently did not mean things would be smooth. Although he would still rather have her, even if she was mad at him, than not have her at all. She was actually pretty cute when she was mad. Hopefully, he could smooth things out when they talked tonight.

  Fane’s father had spoken to Lucas Steele and set up the time and location for the challenge. Lucas had asked several times if Jacquelyn was going to be there, and that had set Fane and his wolf on edge. Lucas also had the nerve to ask if she had received his offering, which had caused Fane to let out a ferocious growl for which his Alpha chastised him. “You never lose control. It gives the other wolf the upper hand,” he told Fane.

  Fane stepped outside to calm down, and his father had followed him out. At first, his Alpha didn’t say anything to him, he just let him wrestle with his emotions, but then he spoke.

  “You must realize some of the intensity of your emotions is because the bond is not complete. Once it is, you will have much more control. Until then, you are going to have to rein it in. Tomorrow during the challenge, if you lose control, you will not be able to think clearly. The rage will fog your brain, and that will slow your movements. You have to separate your emotions from your fighting. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” Vasile asked.

  “Yes, but it’s easier said than done.” Fane lowered his head, and in a very soft voice, he told his father, “I’m afraid. Does that make me weak?”

  Vasile went to his son and wrapped him in a tight hug as he used to when Fane was a pup.

  “That you can admit your fears shows how strong you are. Only a fool pretends not to fear difficult and frightening things. I am Alpha of the Romanian pack, the largest Canis lupus pack in the world, and yet I am afraid too. All will be well, Fane. You are strong and able, you have trained all your life to fight in both of your forms, you will win, you will be bonded with Jacquelyn, and one day you will be Alpha.” He sounded completely confident. Fane wished he shared his father’s assurance.

  Fane took in the comfort that came from having his Alpha hug him, pouring his power over him. For wolves, touch was a major part of their comfort, and he appreciated his father’s willingness to give him such a gift.

  After Vasile pulled away from Fane, they turned toward the sound of a door opening and then closing.

  “Sounds like your mother and Jacquelyn are back. Let’s go fill them in on what is planned for tomorrow,” Vasile told him.

  Fane hesitated. He couldn’t believe it, but he was nervous about seeing Jacquelyn. He knew she was upset with him, and he felt ashamed he had withheld information … okay, very important information, from her.

  “Is something wrong, Fane?” his father asked him.

  “While Jacquelyn and Mom were out, she learned about having to move to Romania,” Fane explained.

  “Ahh,” Vasile said in understanding. “You did not tell her yourself, and now she is upset with you. Rightfully so, I might add. You know there should be no secrets between mates.”

  “I was trying to spare her any further stress—at least until the challenge is over. I wasn’t trying to be deceitful, but I see now I should have put more faith in her ability to handle difficulties,” Fane admitted.

  “You will learn, Son. Granted, you may fail a lot in the process and even spend nights in, as the Americans say, the doghouse, but nonetheless, you will learn,” his father told him, patting him on the back. “Come, let’s go face the wrath of your little fire. Once she gets it out of her system, she will be better.”

  Fane walked cautiously into the living room feeling like prey, which was weird since he was a predator. He didn’t like it at all. Jacquelyn was seated in the ugly chair, as he had heard her think of it. That placement, combined with her posture, told him she didn’t want him sitting by her. He couldn’t help but grin. As if she felt his presence, she looked up directly into his eyes, and that look pierced him to his soul. She was his … and she was angry. In fact, if it were possible, he imagined steam would be coming off those red curls. Before he could go to her, Jen walked right into his line of vision. She didn’t look too happy either.