The wolves all bowed their heads, and their shoulders slumped in defeat. It was Decebel who spoke. “He has fallen.”

  With those words, overwhelming dread poured over Jacque. She jumped up, turned back toward the circle, and ran. The wolves were there in a flash, once again holding her around the waist, only this time Decebel turned Jacque toward him and held her. It made her think of how Fane had held her just like that when she had been crying in fear, and it only made her cry harder. Jacque pounded her fist on Decebel’s chest as the pain seeped out of her into the night air.

  “This cannot be happening. It just can’t be.” Her body shook, and that made Decebel hold her tighter. He spoke to her softly in Romanian, and once again she thought of Fane. She couldn’t take it. Her brain was not able to control her emotions, and so it finally just shut down. The last thing on Jacque’s mind before she blacked out was Fane’s voice saying “Soon.” She didn’t know if it was her imagination or if it was really him. Whatever it was, she clung to it as the darkness took her.

  Fane lay beneath Lucas’s jaws, weak from all the blood loss. He heard Jacquelyn’s sobs, her pleading. He had seen her run into Lucas in an attempt to push Lucas off of him, and all the while he had had to lie still. If he had moved, his plan would not have worked. He kept his mind separate from Jacquelyn’s, making sure he did not give her any sign he was okay. He hated seeing her hurt, but if she knew he wasn’t dead, just very close, she would not have struggled so much and it would have tipped off Lucas. As soon as Jacquelyn was out of sight, Lucas gave Fane one final shake and then began to let go of his neck. The fact that Lucas had not bothered to make sure Fane’s heart had stopped was the wolf’s mistake. Fane had held his breath, which made Lucas think he was dead. Foolish, cocky.

  Lucas released Fane’s throat, and turned his head up toward the moon, and howled. While he was distracted, his vulnerable throat was completely exposed to Fane, and he took full advantage. With all the strength he had left, he lunged up and sank his teeth deep into Lucas’s throat. He tasted his blood, and that fueled his anger. Fane gripped even tighter and felt his jaws crush the vocal cords and windpipe, silencing Lucas’s howl. Then Fane jerked his head violently to the left, pulling so hard his teeth ripped Lucas’s throat wide open, severing arteries. Blood poured like a rushing river from his throat, pooling on the ground. In less than a minute, Lucas collapsed on his side. Fane would not make the same mistake Lucas did. He took a paw and pushed Lucas onto his back, exposing the most vulnerable part of a wolf. He leaned down and once again sunk his teeth into the wolf’s flesh, tearing through skin and muscle until he finally disemboweled Lucas. That was an injury from which Fane knew Lucas would not rise.

  Fane turned to look at his father, who nodded his head once. Then Fane turned his head upward and howled in victory before collapsing.

  “Sorin, Alina, get Fane and take him to the Henrys. Get him cleaned up. I will be there as quickly as I can to heal him,” Vasile ordered.

  “Forgive me, Alpha, but why do you not want us to take him to his mate?” Sorin asked apprehensively.

  “Jacquelyn was hysterical when she was dragged out of here. She is not likely to be any calmer yet, and she does not need to see Fane in his current state,” Vasile explained.

  Sorin nodded his understanding. With Alina’s help, he gathered up Fane.

  Vasile turned back to the wolves Lucas had left behind with his death.

  “Who of you is Lucas’s second?” Vasile asked them.

  A tall, bulky man stepped forward. “I am his second,” he answered.

  “What is your name?” Vasile asked the man.

  “Jeff Stone,” the wolf answered.

  “You are second no longer, Jeff Stone. You stand Alpha of the Coldspring pack. You are to keep a record of your pack as is Canis lupus law. I will check on your pack to make sure you are abiding by the laws. If you do not know them,”—Vasile reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, from which he withdrew a card—“here is my contact information. Call me, and I will help you. Are we clear?”

  Jeff nodded and then turned his head, exposing his neck in submission to Vasile.

  “Good. Now take your former Alpha and give him a proper burial. Let this be a lesson to each of you that you cannot claim women who are not your mates. Lucas would have never found comfort or peace with Jacquelyn because she was not his true mate. He would have eventually resented her for not being able to give him what he so desperately needed,” Vasile explained to the wolves. Then he simply said, “Go,” and watched as they collected Lucas’s body and left.

  Vasile took a deep breath, preparing for the task before him: heal his son and somehow explain to his mate they had intentionally planned for Fane to appear dead. This is not going to be pretty.

  OceanofPDF.com

  Chapter

  Eighteen

  Fane moaned as he struggled to sit up. He was back in his human form and as he looked around, he realized he was in his room at the Henrys’ house. He started to stand, but he got very dizzy and had to quickly sit back down.

  “Take it easy, Son. You’ve had quite a night,” Fane’s father said as he came through the bedroom door.

  “Where is Jacquelyn?” Fane asked. The question had been burning a hole in his head since he woke up. He had wanted her there with him so he could hold her and reassure her he was fine. She had been so hysterical the last time he saw her he knew she must still be a mess if she did not know he was alive.

  “She is at her house. We did not take you there because I wanted you to look somewhat healthier than you did when Lucas was finished with you,” Vasile told him.

  That makes sense. Fane gingerly tried standing again and was successful this time. He was thankful someone had thought to put boxers on him so he wasn’t naked. He walked over to the mirror to survey the damage.

  “It’s not too bad, after healing you up a bit. You still have some ugly bruising and minor cuts but no broken bones,” his father told him.

  Vasile was right about the bruising. Fane looked like someone had taken black, grey, and blue paint and splattered it on him. He had deep cuts on his face, neck, back, and legs. Overall, though, it could have been so much worse. Fane was so, so thankful, for her sake, he had been the victor. Jacquelyn came to his mind, and he felt bile rise in his throat at the memory of her sobs. He had to see her. She needed to know he was okay, and then he was going to have to beg her forgiveness.

  “I need to see her, Tata, father,” Fane said.

  “I know, but you need to be prepared for…” Before Vasile could finish, Fane’s door swung open so hard it hit the wall with a loud bang.

  What came through it was the picture of pure, unadulterated rage, otherwise known as Jen. Sally followed, looking every bit as angry, but in a much more controlled way.

  “What on… I mean, how in the.… WTF Fane!” Jen finally yelled. “How could you not tell her you were going to go all armadillo on her? Did you not trust her? Did you think she couldn’t handle watching you lay there not fighting back? What on earth was going through that pea-sized, canine mush you call a brain?”

  Fane looked confused, and he was. He didn’t understand.

  “Um … Jen, I hear you and you have every right to be angry, but … well, I don’t know what you mean by going armadillo.”

  Jen rolled her eyes. “You do realize when I have to explain my comparisons and insults it takes a lot of the thunder away, right? It’s a Texas thing. Armadillos play dead when they feel threatened. They fall on their sides and go all stiff. They look dead, but they aren’t. Are you with me now, fleabag?”

  “Yes, okay, now I understand. There are a couple of reasons I didn’t tell her. The first is that we didn’t decide on that plan until about fifteen minutes before the challenge started. The second was we needed her reaction to be authentic.” Fane realized as soon as Jen’s face began to turn shades of purple that the last part might not have been necessary.

  “Please, please, for the love of all things that are not werewolves, tell me you did not just say you wanted her reaction to be authentic.” Jen sounded so calm, and her calm was scarier than her yelling.

  Fane didn’t get a word out before a fist connected with the left side of his face. He was truly in shock. He had never been hit by a girl, and although it didn’t hurt, he felt really bad she felt his behavior deserved physical violence.

  When he turned his head, he looked at Jen only to see she was, in turn, looking at Sally, who was jumping up and down, shaking her hand, and growling out any and all expletives she could think of.

  “Holy crap, man! Why is your face so freaking hard?” Sally yelled.

  Jen’s mouth was wide open in disbelief, and then a sly grin spread across it. “That was so badass! It’s about time you recognize my way has its advantages.”

  “Well, other than my hand being broken, it was worth it,” Sally told her.

  Fane knelt on one knee in front of the two girls, startling them into silence.

  He laid his hand across his heart and bowed his head.

  “I am truly sorry my actions caused so much pain. It wasn’t my intention, and it tore a hole in me to see my love so broken. I beg your forgiveness but understand if you do not give it,” Fane told them with all sincerity.

  Jen and Sally looked at Fane, then at each other, and then they looked at Vasile who had silently been watching the whole thing.

  “Is he for real?” Sally asked Vasile.

  “I ordered him to play dead, therefore, he could not disobey. Ultimately, your anger should be at me. And yes, he is for real, as you put it,” Vasile explained.

  “Fane,” Sally began and then used her hand to tilt his head up so he was looking at them, “we know why you did it, and it was an awesome strategy. It’s just that we had to watch Jacque sob so hard she puked up her guts, and then she passed out. It was like her brain couldn’t handle what her emotions were doing to her body, so it just turned off. It was horrible, so even though we know it was probably the best strategy, we had to defend our girl. Of course, we forgive you. I wish I could tell you how Jacque is going to react when you tell her what you had to do, but it could go either way. She may be so thankful you’re alive she doesn’t care, or she may be in such shock from the pain she tries to kill you herself. So, good luck with that.” And with that, Jen and Sally turned and left him in silence.

  “She doesn’t know yet?” Fane softly asked his father.

  “No, Son, that honor has been left to you. As the two avenging angels who just left said, good luck with that,” Vasile told him. “Get dressed. It’s time for you to go see your mate.”

  His father left him, and Fane stood up, feeling very numb. He was so broken at having hurt Jacquelyn. How was he going to face her? Without any thought as to what he was doing, Fane dressed, brushed his hair and teeth, and then headed over to Jacquelyn’s. It was the longest walk he’d ever made, and yet it was the shortest as well.

  Fane opened the front door to Jacquelyn’s house. Everyone, save Jacquelyn, was sitting in the living room, and as he walked in all their eyes turned on him. He took a deep breath and walked in farther. His mother was the first to move. She came over to him and exposed her neck. Fane took a step back, unbelieving of her action.

  “I am your mother and your Alpha, but I acknowledge the sacrifice you had to make.” She kissed him on the cheek as a tear rolled down her face. Fane reached up and wiped it away.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you, Mama,” Fane told her.

  “Tsk, tsk, you did what needed to be done. That is what an Alpha does. Because of the responsibility you hold, there will be many decisions you make as an Alpha that others will not understand. No offense to the humans, but they cannot begin to comprehend the weight you will carry on your shoulders, nor the weight you carried this night. You did what no one else could have. That, my son, is what the Alpha does, never doubt that.” Then everyone in the room, including the humans, to Fane’s astonishment, bowed their heads in submission.

  “Jacque is in her room, Fane. She isn’t awake yet. She apparently passed out at the challenge, and she has been out ever since,” Lilly told him.

  Fane closed his eyes and squeezed them against the tears threatening to spill. His mate—his love—broken because of him, but not with Lucas. “She is ours,” he heard his wolf say. “As our Alpha said, we did what we had to.” Fane turned from the crowded living room and walked up the stairs to Jacquelyn’s room.

  He opened the door and used his wolf vision to see. The room was dark, illuminated only by a single nightlight. He made his way over to her bed and sat down on the edge. She laid there, her hands folded across her stomach, so still. Fane leaned down and kissed her forehead. He took a deep breath and let her scent fill his lungs. He kissed both cheeks, he kissed her nose and her chin, and then he kissed her lips. Tears ran down his face, and he was trembling. He wanted to hold her, but he didn’t want to startle her awake. Slowly, he pulled away from her, and as he sat up, he realized her eyes were open, really open, like very wide open.

  “AHHHH!” Jacquelyn screamed and threw the covers over her head. “I’ve finally gone crazy. His death pushed me over the edge where I’ve been teetering all along, and then BAM, I’m in the middle of crazy ground.” Jacquelyn was mumbling to herself, not totally hysterical, but definitely on the verge. Fane thought he’d better catch her quick before she really did lose it.

  “Luna, you’re not crazy. I’m really here. I’m not dead, love. It was fake. I was faking it to lure Lucas into a false victory,” Jacque heard the hallucination that was Fane say.

  She wasn’t going to fall for that. Fane would have told her he was going to do something like that so she wouldn’t have to go through it. He would never have allowed her to be hurt so deeply.

  “Jacquelyn, please, it’s really me. I didn’t…” He paused and took a deep breath. Jacque was taken off guard by this show of emotion from a hallucination, not that she had much experience with hallucinations, thank goodness. She pulled the covers down just enough to see Fane. His head was bowed, so he didn’t know she was looking at him. “I didn’t tell you I was going to appear to die because…” His shoulders shook with sobs, and the tears fell and wet his hands.

  “Because what?” Jacque couldn’t help but ask.

  Fane’s head snapped up, and then he cried more. “Luna, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please know that it killed me. I didn’t tell you because I needed your reaction to be real, so Lucas would believe he had won.”

  Jacque sat in stunned silence. She couldn’t believe it. Her emotions were at war. She was angry, yes. But who gives a flying flip because he’s alive. He’s here, and he can hold you.

  Jacque sat up, leaned forward, and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down. Fane put his arms around Jacque’s waist, and when he pulled her tighter, she let out a sharp yelp.

  “What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Fane asked her, running his hands over her. Jacque saw panic in his eyes.

  “It’s nothing, just a little sore from the against-my-will retreat tonight. I got a few bruises from being restrained, that’s all,” Jacque told him, playing it off.

  When his hands ran across her stomach, she winced even though she tried so hard not to. Fane growled and then slowly raised the hem of her shirt and exposed her stomach. His growl got much, much deeper. “What the hell happened to you, and who the hell did it?” Fane said.

  “Fane, it’s nothing. It’s—” Jacque tried to explain but was cut off when Fane snarled at her.

  “It’s NOT NOTHING! You have a bruise as dark as night and as wide as a 2x4 across your stomach, Jacquelyn.” Fane paused. She could see the wheels in his mind turning. “Whose arm is that, Jacquelyn? Don’t argue with me, Luna. Whose arm is it? You can tell me, or I will discipline each wolf down there instead of just the one.”

  Jacque sat back up and, to Fane’s surprise, pushed him. He was caught off guard and fell off the bed onto her floor. Fane looked up at her in shock.

  “Listen up. Your pack restrained me so that I would not get killed trying to kick Lucas’s ass. I was trying to kick his ass, in case you forgot, because you didn’t tell me you weren’t dead, only faking it. So, you aren’t going to discipline anyone. You are going to accept that I have a bruise across my stomach, my arms, my shoulders, and my shins because YOU chose to keep ME in the dark. Are we clear?” Jacque was breathing hard from her outburst.

  Fane lowered his head then looked up at his mate. “Crystal,” he told her and grinned.

  “Good, now come back up here and show me how sorry you are,” Jacque said playfully.

  Fane crawled back onto the bed, and he pulled the hem of her shirt up once more exposing her stomach. He suppressed a growl and then kissed the bruise from one end to the other. She could tell he was taking comfort in the feel of her flesh.

  “Okay, stop that. It’s tickling me.” She giggled.

  Fane pulled her shirt back down and gently wrapped his arm around her. He laid his head on her chest and listened to her heartbeat and the sound was like the sweetest music he’d ever heard.

  “Fane.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Why is your leg not broken?”

  “My father healed my major injuries. He can use the power he draws from the pack to heal his wolves. I only have bruises and cuts now,” he explained.

  “Oh, that’s nifty.”

  Fane chuckled. “Yes, it is most definitely nifty.”

  Fane raised his head and looked into her eyes. Jacque stared back and shuddered at the thought of losing him. It had almost killed her when she thought he had died. She truly had not wanted to go on.

  “I’m so sorry my love for doing that to you. I don’t deserve you, your forgiveness, or your love,” Fane told her through their bond.

  “Oh, shut up. What you did, yes, it was horrible for me, but it was necessary for you to win. I would go through it again if I knew you would be alive in the end. You deserve more than I can give. I just hope you’ll take what I can give you, just me,” Jacque told him.