Jacque became anxious over Fane’s lack of response. What could make him so angry?

  “This is ridiculous,” Jen grumbled as she rose off the bed and trudged slowly toward the room door, her IV pole in tow. She pulled it open and stuck out her head. Decebel was standing to the left of the door in his usual pose, arms across his chest, looking for all the world like he would be happy to rip someone’s arms off given half the chance. Be that as it may, Jen had to take two seconds--okay, maybe three--to acknowledge that the man had a nice chest. Not an option, she told herself and decided that phrase would have to be her mantra anytime she was around Decebel.

  “Is there something wrong, Jen?” he asked her in his annoyingly calm voice.

  “We just heard what sounded like a tornado ripping through this hall, and you really want to ask me if something is wrong? Really? That’s all ya got? Are you seriously going to stand there and act like everything is peachy keen, jelly bean?”

  Decebel raised a single eyebrow at her. “Which question would you like me to answer first?”

  Jen growled at him. “Oh, forget it.” She grabbed her IV pole and walked past him. “I’ll find out what the hell happened without the help of Mr. ‘I’m a big bad werewolf, I will eat you’.” Her voice got deeper with each word.

  As she passed him, in a voice so low she nearly missed it, she heard him mutter, “You might like it.”

  Jen whipped her head around, nearly losing her balance and knocking her IV pole over.

  “Did you just make a joke? Because if you did, then we need to get on the phone with air traffic control to tell them to be on the lookout for fat little pigs with wings, and maybe even channel hell to see if the lakes of fire have frozen over.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Decebel softly took her arm and led her back to the room. He gently pushed her inside and pulled the door shut behind her.

  Jen stood there completely dumbfounded.

  “What did you find out?” Sally asked. Both she and Jacque were looking at their friend in expectation.

  “I ...” Jen couldn’t get her mouth to spit out what her brain was trying to piece together, so she just stood there looking thoroughly confused.

  Sally got up and walked over to Jen and helped her back to the bed. “Is it just me, Jac, or does it look like little miss thang has been rendered speechless?”

  “Never thought I’d see the day,” Jacque agreed. “But for clarification purposes, Jen, snap out of it and tell me if you found out anything.”

  Sally snapped her fingers in front of Jen’s face. This finally brought the girl’s brain back online. “Okay, you,” Jen pointed a finger at Jacque, who pointed to herself and mouthed “me” to Sally. Sally just shrugged her shoulders. “I have no information to give you other than the hall is a mess. That’s all I know.” Jen then turned and looked at Sally. “I did, however, find out Decebel has a sense of humor … I think, maybe, sort of. Crap I don’t know.”

  Before Sally and Jacque could ask Jen to clarify, the door to their room opened and Lilly walked in, looking exhausted.

  “Mom, what’s going on?” Jacque asked her mother.

  “We need to talk.”

  “That’s never a good sign,” Jen said.

  “Sally, Jen, you both need to stay and listen. This will affect you both.”

  “No, Jen, that is never a good sign. The last time she asked you guys to stay, I found out I was half werewolf.” Jacque’s voice wavered.

  Before Lilly could get started, there was a light knock on the door.

  “Come in,” all three girls yelled.

  Alina walked in apprehensively. “Lilly, I thought maybe I could help explain things if there were any questions.”

  “That would be great, Alina, thank you,” Lilly replied.

  “Ok.” Lilly pulled up a chair to sit down. She placed her elbows on her knees and leaned her head down, running her hands through her hair. “Let me get this out before Fane gets here. When he arrives, no one will be coming anywhere near you, Jacque.”

  “Mom, you’re making me nervous. What’s wrong?”

  “Dillon is invoking alpha rights as your father because you are a minor,” Lilly told her, frustration from her earlier encounter with Dillon leaking into her voice.

  Jacque stared at her mother blankly, knowing she should be outraged. She just wasn’t sure about what, exactly. “Alina, translation please.” Jacque turned to look at Fane’s mother.

  “First, I want you all to promise not to say anything until I have explained completely,” she told them. “Do I have your word?”

  “Word,” all three said dryly.

  “Dillon does not think you and Fane are old enough to mate.”

  Jacque started to interrupt, her face full of obvious outrage, but the look in Alina’s eyes was pure alpha, and Jacque’s mouth snapped closed. Alina nodded her head in approval and continued. “Since he is your father, and that he is the alpha of his own pack, and you are under the age of eighteen, Dillon can invoke what are called alpha rights. Basically, he is saying he can keep you and Fane from becoming bonded until you come of age—turn eighteen. He wants you to go back to Colorado with him and his pack for the next two months until your birthday. He thinks that you and Fane need to mature some and that Fane is not ready to be a mate and protect you as you ought to be protected.” After Alina finished talking, she waited for the inevitable, but it didn’t come. Instead, Jacque sat still as stone, her breathing even, her lips drawn tight in a straight line.

  “Fane, I know you can hear me. I need you.” Jacque sent the thought to Fane, allowing him to feel her anger, fear, and worry.

  “I am on my way. You need to know, Jacquelyn, I will kill anyone who tries to take you from me. Anyone.” Fane’s voice was like death itself, cold, dark, and unrelenting.

  Jacque shivered at the sound of it in her mind. “Just hurry, please,” she said.

  “Well, if Jacque will not share with the room the anger which she is undoubtedly feeling, by all means, allow me,” Jen announced. “Dillon Jacobs and what furry army is going to try, and let me just reiterate that … try … as in will, endeavor, strive, aim, seek, and unsuccessfully attempt to take Jacque away from us?”

  Sally looked at Jen and couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. “Your vocabulary never ceases to amaze. Just when I think all you know is profanity and perversion, you come out with a speech worthy of Braveheart. Well done.”

  Jacque would have acknowledged her friends’ efforts to defend her had the door not flew open and a raging, pissed off werewolf prince walked in. His power swirled around them so strongly that Alina let out a whine, sounding alarmingly like a wolf in pain. Even Jacque felt the dormant wolf gene in her wanting to submit to the power of the alpha wolf in Fane. It was getting hard to breathe, the air was so thick with his anger. He walked over to Jacque, whose head was bowed and turned so that her neck was bared. It was like she knew instinctively to submit so as not to provoke the dominant wolf. Hopefully, she would subdue him in her surrender. Fane’s wolf must have been the one in control of the wheel because he leaned down over Jacque and growled low. He placed his face against her neck, breathing deeply, and his voice was guttural when he spoke. “Mine.”

  Jacque turned her head slightly and did what no other could ever do when an alpha was at this point--she looked him in the eyes. “Yes, I am yours.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Fane pulled his power in and suddenly it was like a weight had been lifted, and they could breathe again.

  “Note to self.” Sally coughed to clear her throat, still trying to drag air in. “Never anger an alpha.”

  “Good call, Sherlock,” Jen said sarcastically as she fell back on the bed, taking in deep breaths. She threw her arm across her face and tried to calm her racing heart.

  Jacque looked around. “Everyone okay?” They nodded. She turned and looked at her mate.

  “Sit,” she told him firmly.

  Fane’s eyes continued to glow, and Jacque noticed his human hands had claws. His wolf was still here to play. Good to know.

  Fane growled, or rather, his wolf growled. Jacque blew her breath out in exasperation. “Mate, you have made your point. We all submit and yada, yada. Now, will you please sit down next to me?” When Fane didn’t acquiesce, Jacque turned and looked at Alina as if to say, ‘fix it’.

  Alina walked over to where Fane stood, and he turned and growled at her. Alina bared her throat, careful to keep her head lower than his and to not make eye contact. “The wolf is in control, Jacque. So until Fane can pull him back, he is going to respond just like an alpha wolf in the wild.”

  “What do we do then?” Sally asked.

  “Everyone just stay calm,” Alina told them. “Nobody but Jacque can look Fane in the eyes right now. Also, please keep your head lower than his.”

  “Well that’s not hard to do, he’s a mountain with legs, albeit a hairy mountain,” Jen muttered to no one in particular.

  Jacque turned her notice back to Fane. She took his hand, drawing his attention from his mother. He looked down at her, and she could see his eyes soften. She stood up slowly, gingerly, because despite her rapid healing, she was still in pain, especially when she moved.

  “You sit,” his mate told him.

  “No, I stand.”

  “Me Tarzan, you Jane,” Sally mumbled.

  “Snap, you beat me to it. Nice going, Thelma.” Jen grinned at Sally.

  “I learned from the best, Louise.”

  “Damn straight.” Jen and Sally bumped fists and turned to look at Jacque, who had cleared her throat louder than necessary.

  “What?” they both said in unison, shrugging their shoulders.

  “I swear I have my own tweedle dee and tweedle dumb.” Jacque rolled her eyes and turned once again to her mate. “What can I do to help you?” Jacque spoke through their bond, hoping to soothe the wolf who was still the one manning the boat.

  “Touch,” was the wolf’s response.

  Jacque nodded her head in acknowledgment to his response. She took his hands and placed them around her waist. She wrapped hers around him and then put her hands up under his shirt so that her skin was touching his. Then she laid her head on his chest and listened to the beat of his heart. Jacque felt him lay his cheek against her hair and could hear him breathe in. She knew he was taking in her scent, which, for some reason, comforted him. She ran her hands up and down his back, enjoying how smooth his skin was, how strong he felt.

  “I love you,” Jacque whispered into his mind, pouring every ounce of emotion into those three words. She felt a deep rumble in his chest and knew this was what he needed. Just as wolves sought comfort through touching each other, Fane’s wolf needed to feel her, a physical reminder she was his, that she was safe.

  “Mulţumesc, Luna, numai tu îl poți calma. Thank you, Luna, only you can calm him.” Jacque exhaled a deep breath at the sound of Fane’s voice in her mind.

  She pulled back just enough to look at his face. “Welcome back,” she whispered to him. Fane turned her so that his body was shielding her from view, and he placed his hands on either side of her face and just looked at her, like he was trying to memorize every detail.

  “Dragostea mea, te-aș sărut acum. My love, I would kiss you now.” Fane spoke so softly that Jacque nearly missed it.

  “What did you just say?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

  “I said I wanted to kiss you now.”

  “Then why are we still talking?” she asked with a wicked look in her eyes.

  Everyone in the room ceased to exist at that point. The only thing Jacque could see was Fane’s waiting lips. He leaned down while she stretched up on her toes to meet his eager lips. Usually, when he kissed her, it started gently, but not this time. Fane let go of her face and wrapped his arms firmly around her, pulling her close to his body. Jacque ignored the stinging pain caused by his tight embrace. For this, she would burn all over again. Jacque felt his tongue slide against her lips, and a moan escaped her lungs. She heard Fane’s low growl in response. Jacque pulled back. Breathing hard, she looked around Fane’s shoulder, remembering they had an audience.

  “They’re gone,” he whispered, his breathing just as labored as hers.

  “No wonder you were getting hot and heavy.” She grinned.

  “I’m sorry if I hurt you when I held you.” He gently led her to the bed where she had spent the last month while her body desperately tried to heal. Healing was not the thing her body needed right now.

  “Wolf-man, if you are gonna hurt me like that, by all means, hurt me.” She laughed when he fake growled at her and bared his teeth.

  She sat down on the bed and leaned back against the pillows at Fane’s prodding. He leaned across her, propped up on one arm, careful to not put any weight on her legs. With his free hand, he reached up and pushed her hair away from her neck. He ran his fingers down her collarbone and back up to her neck. Jacque shivered at the sensation of his hand on her skin. He continued to trace this same pattern from one collarbone to the next and back up to her neck.

  “I love touching you.” She heard his deep voice in her mind.

  She smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair. He rewarded her with a groan. “I love hearing you make those kinds of noises, and I love even more that I’m the one who causes them.” Jacque couldn’t believe how candid she was being. But she wasn’t embarrassed with him, not anymore. This was Fane, her mate, her best friend, her love, and the last person in the world she would ever need to feel embarrassed in front of.

  “I’m glad you’re finally catching on,” he said in response to her thoughts.

  Jacque tugged at his hair in retaliation to his eavesdropping.

  He laughed. “It’s not eavesdropping, love. I’ve told you it’s being attentive.”

  “So, do I have your attention?” she whispered as she traced his lips with her fingers.

  “Undivided,” he said, lips barely moving. “I’m mesmerized by you, by your touch, the only thing that can bring my wolf to heel.

  “Good, cause you might want to pay extra close attention to what I’m thinking right,” she paused as she pictured in her mind what she wanted, needed from Fane, “now,” she finished.

  “I think I can handle most of that.” He kissed her fingers.

  Jacque’s brow furrowed. “Not all?”

  “You’re a wicked, wicked woman. You know that, right?” Fane teased her as he leaned forward and kissed her neck, nipping gently where his mark would soon be.

  “There we go with the whole ‘soon’ thing.”

  “Hush, my love. No more words,” Fane said in between kisses on her neck, collar bone, and lips.

  And there were no more for a long while.

  “I understand what you need me to do, Logan. I don’t need you to explain it twelve different ways.” Dr. Cynthia Steele’s frustration showed on her face.

  “If something changes in the plan, if for some reason Fane is able to stay with her tonight, we need a Plan B,” he told her.

  “I’ve already got it. If something goes wrong, I will come tell the wolves that the blood tests I took from Jen are abnormal and that I want to take Jacque to the lab and draw more blood so I can compare the two. They will be confused and focused on Jen,” she explained. “They won’t realize Jacque is gone until it is too late.”

  “Is it abnormal?” Logan asked her.

  “That’s patient confidentiality, Logan, you know I can’t tell you that.”

  “You are helping me abduct a future alpha’s mate and you are worried about patient confidentiality?”.

  “I have nothing against Jen. There’s no reason to violate her privacy. You only need to worry about Jacque.”

  “Fine,” Logan growled. “Just make sure that one way or another, we get Jacque away from those mongrels and that she is sedated for our departure.”

  * * *

  Cynthia watched the wolf leave her office. She wondered, not for the first time, if she was doing the right thing. Then she would see her brother’s face in her mind. He had been so unhappy the last few years. She had known his wolf was growing uneasy at being unmated for so long. As an alpha, it was doubly hard on him. His death was a perfect testament to what could happen when a wolf went after a female that wasn’t his true mate. So why was she helping Logan? It was obvious Fane was indeed Jacque’s mate. The truth was, Cynthia was angry and hurt, and Fane was the cause of that anger and hurt. She couldn’t challenge Fane for killing her alpha, but she could hurt him just the same. That’s all there was to it. Fane had taken what was hers, and now she would take what was his.

  The papers she held in her hand drew her from her thoughts as she once again went over the lab results that belonged to Jennifer Adams. Although Jennifer looked ordinary enough, there was nothing normal about her blood, and she knew if Logan was aware of it, Jacque wouldn’t be the only female he would try to take to his pack.

  “Dillon, just let him stay the night with her,” Lilly said. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

  “The big deal, Lilly, is that she is only seventeen and you’re okay if a guy spends the night with her. What else are you okay with our daughter doing?” Dillon’s nostrils were flaring as his frustration at the situation rose.

  Jen, Sally, Vasile, Alina, and Decebel sat in the family waiting area that had become the undeclared meeting spot. They all looked on as Lilly and Dillon squared off.

  “Does he realize what a major no-no he just made?” Sally whispered to the group.

  “I don’t think he does, Sally. He criticized her parenting. That was probably the dumbest thing he could do,” Vasile agreed.

  Alina patted her mate’s leg. “I knew you were smart when I met you.”

  “Come now, Mina. Don’t be too shy to admit that you were so taken with my good looks that you could not focus on anything else.”

  “He’s remembering it backward,” she whispered conspiratorially to Jen and Sally. “The first time we met, the only words he could say were Luna and mina, and even then, he didn’t say them in the correct order.” The girls laughed with Alina.