He dropped the bag, grunting as he stooped while keeping the doctor balanced on his shoulder. Sam had told him the key to the cabin would be under the welcome mat. He pushed the mat aside and saw the silver key. To his eyes, it was a small trophy proclaiming his victory at having finally arrived at his destination with his soon-to-be mate.

  He stepped into the cabin, not bothering to look around, and hastily placed Cynthia on the first piece of furniture he saw. He retrieved the bag and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. He leaned the doctor forward, pulling both of her arms behind her and secured her wrists. Feeling satisfied Cynthia was secured, he headed back to the plane to get Jacque.

  * * *

  Logan grabbed the IV bag and laid it on Jacque’s stomach for the transfer from the plane to the cabin. He lowered one end of the gurney onto the ground and then pulled it forward until the front wheels were at the edge of the doorway. Stepping into the plane, he grabbed the front of the gurney and lowered it to the ground as well. Logan grabbed the rest of the bags that Cynthia had brought with her and shut the plane door. He pushed the gurney forward as fast as he could without toppling Jacque.

  Finally arriving at the front door of the cabin once more, Logan pushed the gurney into the cabin, and this time took a minute to survey his new, temporary home. The roof of the cabin was severely pitched and rose at least thirty feet in the air. There was a loft across from the place where he stood that was open to look over into the main floor. Below the loft was a long hall, and he could see several doors leading off it. To his left along the back wall was the kitchen, the cabinets done in beautiful cedar. An old fashion Dutch oven rested in the wall to the right, and on the island that stood in the middle of the kitchen, was a flat top stove. To his right, Logan saw a huge rock fireplace. For a brief moment, he saw himself and Jacque resting in front of it on a bearskin rug, naked, lying in one another’s arms. A sofa and chairs constructed of cedar formed a semicircle around the fireplace. There were blankets thrown across chairs and pillows stacked on the floor, making it obvious this was a place of comfort, to relax and push away the rest of the world. Logan’s wolf rumbled in approval of the place he would call his den.

  Needing to figure out the best place to put the women, he walked down the hallway and searched the bedrooms. Two of them were just regular square rooms; each had a bed made of cedar and a bedside table. In between those two, was a small bathroom. The third door on the left was the master bedroom, it was larger than the first, and Logan could see double doors that opened into a spacious bathroom. Finally, he walked into a door across from the master bedroom and discovered a library. Bookshelves, crammed full of tomes of all shapes and sizes, lined the walls of the room. Logan smirked when he saw what was laying the middle of the floor—a bearskin rug. He’d have to move that to the living room later, after Jacque was healed.

  Surrounding the rug, were several cedar chairs with plump cushions and blankets thrown across their backs. This was where he would put Jacque and Cynthia. They would be comfortable in here, and the best part was, there were no windows in this room.

  Logan went back into the living area and picked Cynthia up. He carried her to the library and set her in one of the cedar chairs. He repeated the process for Jacque. Just as he was sitting her down, he heard Cynthia moan and turned to see that the doctor was waking up. She moaned again and tried to move her arms. The woman’s eyes snapped open as she realized her hands were pinned behind her. She glanced around wildly before her eyes landed on her captor.

  “What have you done, Logan?”

  “Don’t be alarmed. I merely had to ensure you couldn’t ruin my plans. I couldn’t have you telling Jacque where we were if you suddenly started to feel guilty. So, I decided it would be best not to go to your cabin. I regret having to cuff you, but until I can put a lock on the outside of this door, you will have to say that way.”

  “You know, I could just phase and be out of these in a second,” she challenged him, trying to hold his stare.

  Logan growled and stepped toward her, his eyes glowing. Cynthia had to drop her gaze. Crap, he is more dominant than me, she thought. Of course he would be, he was a freaking beta.

  “You can try to phase, but know this, there is only one reason I am not an alpha of a pack. Can you guess what that is?”

  Cynthia realized he was telling her that his power was strong enough to prevent her from phasing. He would have to be alpha material in order to do that. But there was one thing that would make him weaker than other alphas, of course. “You don’t have a mate,” she answered, glancing over at Jacque.

  “That will be remedied soon enough,” Logan growled, his eyes still glowing.

  He turned to leave the room, telling her not to move. Regardless of what he had said, she still tried to phase. Logan had been telling the truth. The power he had flowing through the house prevented her from shifting.

  Logan returned, carrying three more sets of handcuffs. He walked over to her and he grabbed one of her ankles and applied the cuff, then with the other end, he cuffed the rail of the cedar chair. Cynthia glared at him as he secured Jacque in the same fashion.

  As Logan stepped away, he heard Jacque moan. He looked back at her and saw that her eyes were fluttering, and she was trying to move. He stood frozen, waiting, but he didn’t have to wait long as Jacque’s eyes opened. She looked at him, then around at her surroundings until her eyes finally found Cynthia.

  “Dr. Steele?” Her voice was hoarse and full of unasked questions. Jacque turned her head back to him. “Logan?” She groaned and tried to pull her legs up toward her chest but only one came, as the other was cuffed to the chair. She grimaced in pain, then looked down at her foot with a puzzled expression. Then she began to writhe in her chair and realized her hands were bound behind her back. Pain wracked her body again, and she quickly settled.

  “Would someone like to explain to me why I’m handcuffed and not in the hospital?” Jacque asked, looking back and forth between Dr. Steele and Logan.

  “You’ve been kidnapped, Jacque. Logan wants to make you his mate,” Cynthia answered matter-of-fact like, and with much more truth that Jacque expected.

  Once again, pain coursed through Jacque’s body. She closed her eyes, trying to shut it out. When she could finally breathe again, the girl looked at Dr. Steele. “What’s wrong with me?”

  Cynthia explained to Jacque the same thing she had to Logan in the plane, but stopped before she told the girl what it would take to be healed.

  “Okay, doc. Obviously, you know how to fix this. Why else would Logan bring you along?”

  It was Logan who answered. “You need wolf blood. You will get it from me.”

  “Excellent,” Jacque said sarcastically even as she reached for Fane with her mind.

  “Fane!” She couldn’t contain the fear that poured into the bond between them. She was in pain, she might die if she didn’t get werewolf blood, and some crazy wolf had once again decided she should be his. Said wolf wanted her to take his blood and, yeah, scared was an understatement at this point.

  Jacque felt arms wrap around her and a hand caress her face. “Jacquelyn.” The desperate ache she heard in his voice was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

  Sally and Jen listened as Vasile told everyone what had happened with the Coldspring pack. When the wolves had returned from their meeting, their eyes were glowing and power that sucked all the air from the room was emanating from of each of them. Clearly, the news was not good.

  “Now that we know who has her, how can we figure out where Logan took her?” Alina asked her mate.

  “I’ve been thinking about that, and the only thing I can think to do at this point would be to question Dillon’s wolves.” Vasile turned to look at the other alpha. “How do you feel about that?”

  Dillon nodded his head in agreement. “I was thinking the same thing. I don’t know if Logan would have confided in any of my pack, but the only way to know for sure is to question them.” He turned to his wolves. “Lee, Phillip, Dalton, and Aidan, you will be first.”

  Vasile stood and turned to Lilly. “If you don’t mind, I would prefer the women wait in the kitchen.”

  Before Lilly could object, Jen grabbed her hand. “Come on, Ms. P. Let the fur balls do their thing. I’m sure they will gladly fill us in once they have beaten the truth out of these four.”

  “Jennifer,” Decebel growled.

  “Save it, wolf,” Jen growled back, holding her hand up. “You and I will dance later.”

  * * *

  Lilly let Jen pull her into the kitchen while Sally and Alina followed. Sally went straight for the fridge and retrieved a soda. Turning to Jen, who had hopped up on the counter, she tossed her one, knowing the blonde would be expecting it. Then Sally grabbed her own and went and stood next to Jen, leaning back against the counter.

  “Alina, why would Logan take Jacque?” Lilly asked the female alpha.

  Alina stared at the floor for a few moments before answering, “I can think of two reasons. One, he thinks he is helping Dillon by being the one to make the decision to take Jacque so that Dillon doesn’t have to.”

  “If that’s the reason, he’s dumber than he looked,” Jen said in between drinks.

  “The second reason is more likely; he wants a mate. I’m not sure how old Logan is, but from the power I could sense on him, he’s old enough to be feeling the effects of not having a mate,” Alina explained.

  “What is with this mate business? Is it really so big of a deal that these werewolves are willing to gamble their lives?” Sally asked Alina.

  “To a human, it seems unrealistic,” Alina answered. “The idea of a soul mate, what we call a true mate. There are so many facets to the magic behind our kind. I don’t understand it all, I just know what I’ve seen to be true. There is a darkness in the soul of a male wolf. He is designed to be fierce, unrelenting, protective to an extreme, and unforgiving. If a male does not find his mate, this darkness within him begins to take over, and gradually he begins to go mad, unable to control the force that was once something that kept his family, his pack, safe. Often, males will describe it as being at war with their wolf.” All three women listened so intently they didn’t notice the male wolves that had gathered in the background.

  “His mate is the light that keeps that darkness at bay,” continued Alina. “She fills the hole that has been growing ever larger in his soul. When the bond is completed between mates, their very souls merge, and the male will be able to leash the darker part of his nature and at last be at peace with his wolf.”

  There was a pause of silence before anyone spoke.

  “What does the girl get out of it? I mean, that sounds great for him, but what about the hole in her soul?” Jen’s question was nearly a whisper. Alina cocked her head to the side in a very wolf-like gesture, surprised that such a question had come from Jen.

  Alina walked over to Jen and placed her hand under her chin and tilted her head so that she was looking right at Alina’s face.

  “She gets a man who will love her completely and faithfully. She gets a man who will not only save her life, but lay down his own to keep her safe. He will provide for her no matter the cost. He will shelter her against all the storms that come their way, he will be the one to bring a smile to her face when no one else can. She gets a friend, a lover, a mate, the only man in this world who can complete her and give her the other half of her soul.”

  Jen wiped away tears that had begun to fall of their own accord. She didn’t understand why Alina’s words felt like they were etching themselves onto her heart. She smiled at Alina. “Is that all?” she halfheartedly joked, trying to shake off the intense emotions Alina’s words had stirred in her. Alina leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead as she whispered, “In time, all will be revealed. Do not give up hope, for Jacque or for yourself.”

  When Alina had stepped back to her spot against the opposite counter, it was then that Jen realized the male wolves had been listening to Alina’s words. She felt like a hole was being burned into the back of her head, and she knew who was watching her. She turned slowly and caught Decebel’s eyes. They were glowing and never wavered from hers. After several moments, she finally tore her gaze away, not able to think under his intense stare. As she turned around, she saw Fane, and the look on his face threatened to rip her apart. She hadn’t thought about how his mother’s words would affect him when his mate, the other half of his soul, was in the hands of another wolf.

  * * *

  Vasile stepped forward and took Alina’s hand as he addressed everyone. “The four wolves Dillon brought with him are innocent; they know nothing. So, our next move is to go to Denver and speak with the rest of his pack.” Vasile turned and looked at Lilly. His face softened as he stared into the face of a woman who was holding it together by a thread. “We are going to charter a jet. I’m not going to try to talk anyone out of going because it would just waste time.”

  “Finally, a wolf who knows when he’s been beat,” Jen said, reverting back to her sarcastic self. Vasile shot her a look that dared her to say more. Jen wisely decided to be fascinated by the peeling nail polish on her fingers.

  “The biggest hurdle will be Sally and Jen’s parents. Lilly, you and Alina are going to have to go with the girls to let them know that we will be leaving immediately instead of in a couple of weeks. Tell them there has been a family emergency and we need to get back to Romania as quickly as possible.” Lilly nodded, her face taking on a look of determination. She finally had a task, something to do instead of just waiting. She grabbed the car keys from the counter and motioned for the girls and Alina to follow.

  “How do you think your parents are going to take this, Jen?” Sally asked, her voice low.

  “Oh, probably about as good as that time we took tampons and hung them from the trees in front of Principal Stephens’ house.”

  “That good?” Sally asked sarcastically.

  “Remember, it’s for Jacque. So, do whatever it takes, Sally. I don’t care if you have to pull out every guilt trip card in your arsenal, we will be getting on that plane to Denver. We clear?”

  “I’m with you,” Sally confirmed. For Jacque, she would do whatever it took to make sure she was on that plane.

  * * *

  Fane walked up the stairs to Jacquelyn’s bedroom and shut the door behind him. He took a deep breath, taking her scent in, letting it flow over him. He felt his wolf push, growling, looking for their mate in this place where they had whispered words of love and shared their dreams for the future. Lying down on her bed, Fane buried his face in her pillow and it was there that he finally fell apart. Only with Jacquelyn could he ever let go. He remembered the night before the challenge when he had poured out his fears to her. He had laid his soul bare, and she had welcomed him with open arms. His shoulders shook as the pain and emptiness threatened to break him. The past hours without being able to touch her mind, not knowing if she was okay, had nearly brought him to his knees. He had listened to his mother speaking about the importance of a mate to the male Canis lupus, and now Fane felt like a knife was being thrust through his heart. The more she had talked, the more it had twisted, shredding muscle, arteries, veins that would send life-giving blood throughout his body. Jacquelyn was his heart and without her, his soul would wither and decay, just like the muscles and organs without blood. Without Jacquelyn, his darkness would be unleashed.

  Fane took a deep breath, trying to bring his emotions under control. He needed to think clearly and not allow his actions to be dictated by anger or fear, which would not bring his mate home safely. He sat up and wiped the evidence of his pain from his face. He wouldn’t show the depth of his emotions to anyone but his Luna. Only she had the right to his deepest hurts, desires, and fears. Only his Jacquelyn. He stood and walked toward the door and as his hand grasped the knob, he heard in his mind a voice he would have killed to hear again.

  “Fane!” Fear laced words. Fane felt his heart in his throat as his soul reached for its other half. His wolf growled, snarling to be let loose.

  “Jacquelyn.” His words were desperate.

  “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Fane had to know. Though he couldn’t do anything about it at the moment, he had to know.

  “I’m still hurting, but no one has injured me further. Logan has kidnapped me and Dr. Steele.”

  “Are you still sick?”

  “Not as bad.” Fane felt a pause before she continued. “I’ll be okay.”

  “Can you describe your surroundings to me? Maybe it will give me some sort of clue as to where you are.” Fane knew it was a long shot. If the wolf had any sense, and he must’ve to smuggle Jacque out of the hospital undetected, Logan would have made sure Jacque couldn’t see anything that she might use to help Fane find her. But then again, there might be something Logan had missed that would be just enough to give himself away.

  “The room we are in has no windows. It looks like a library or study.”

  Fane waited, feeling her intent to examine her surroundings.

  “Okay, it looks like maybe it’s a log cabin. The furniture is made out of some sort of wood and the walls are all wood like a cabin. I don’t see anything else that would give any clue as to where we are.” He heard rising panic in her voice.

  “Luna.” Fane gentled his tone to a whisper in her mind as he pictured himself caressing her face, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. “I will find you. You are mine. I will always come for you.”

  “Fane, hurry. Please.”

  The please is what got him. His Luna didn’t say please even in the most dire of situations. His Luna commanded. There was something she wasn’t telling him, but he wouldn’t push her right now.

  “Jacquelyn, I need to let my father know that you have contacted me. We are leaving shortly to go to Denver to question Dillon’s pack. We are hoping that he confided in one of the other wolves and maybe revealed where he was taking you,” Fane explained, wanting her to understand that if she didn’t hear him it wasn’t because he was gone.