[English] PRINCE OF WOLVES

Prince of Wolves
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“That is so romantic,” Sally said dreamily.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Jen said. “Spend time with him, get to know him, and see if he feels the same way.”

Jacque and Sally looked at each other in shock. “Jen, did you just suggest something that didn’t involve wild making out, clothes coming off, and is comparable to the car scene in Titanic?” Sally asked incredulously.

“You didn’t let me finish. Then after you get to know one another, seal the deal with a steamy make out scene on the motorcycle, like in Top Gun. Ahhh, see? There is always a time and place for lip locking, hand roaming, and good ol' fashion clean, or if you’re lucky, not so clean fun,” Jen said with a wink.

“As always, Jen, you did not disappoint,” Jacque told her.

“I aim to please, my dear,” Jen replied, completely undaunted.

Jacque looked at her watch and realized it was twenty after. Okay, she told herself, have fun, don’t worry about all the other crap going on. Jacque took one more look in the mirror and caught a glimpse of her neck and shoulders.

“Oh ****e, the markings are showing!” Jacque exclaimed.

“We know,” Sally said.

“Why didn’t you remind me?”

“Because they look as cool as Hades, that’s why,” Jen piped in.

“That statement doesn’t even make sense, Jen. Hell is not cool, geez…”

“Oh, my bad. They look as hot as Hades, that’s why,” Jen interrupted.

Jacque continued, “And what should I say to my mom? ‘Hey mom, going on my date, oh don’t worry about these handy dandy marks, ya know how it is with random, mysterious markings and what not, just popping up when you least expect it'.”

“No, we were going to tell her they were the stick-on ones and that Jen insisted you wear them,” Sally said.

“The idea that I be the one to blame was completely involuntary, I will have you know.” Jen frowned.

“Seeing how thick that one is I doubt she will swallow it, but he is gonna be here…” before Jacque could finish the doorbell rang.

“So I don’t have time to change,” she finished.

“Look, you’re going to be great. Just be yourself,” Sally told her in a motherly voice.

“For goodness sakes, if you wind up not liking him, kiss him anyway for us, okay? Throw us a bone, Jac,” Jen told her.

“And if I like him but I’m not ready to kiss him, what then my little nympho?” Jacque asked her.

“If you like that gorgeous piece of meat out there and you don’t kiss him, I will personally take every bra you own and hang them on all the antennas of the cars on your street. Oh, and I'll write your name on them in black magic marker and hang two on hottie's motorcycle! How you like them apples?” Jen told her.

“Where on earth do you come up with these ideas? Is there like a website called vindictive.com, or cruel-mean-ideas.org?” Sally asked her sarcastically.

“Nope, I think of them all by my little self,” Jen answered.

The girls all turned when they heard a soft knock on Jacque’s bedroom door.

“Come in.” They all three said. Jacque looked at the other two as if to say hello, my room, but they just shrugged.

Jacque’s mom came in the room looking at the girls like they were guilty, and in truth they usually were.

“Fane’s here. He brought a helmet. Did you forget to mention you would be riding a motorcycle?” Lilly asked her.

“No, I just assumed that you knew,” Jacque said.

“Well, I did see him on one but I assumed that he would be borrowing one of the Henrys' cars.”

“Well, you know what they say about assuming,” Jen added.

Both Lilly and Jacque turned their heads to look at Jen, who simply shrugged and said, “I’m…”

“Just saying. Yeah, we know,” Sally finished for her.

Jacque decided to just go ahead and let her mom see the marks so she wouldn’t freak out in front of Fane.

“Mom, what do you think about these fake tattoos that Jen put on me?” Jacque asked, turning around so her mom could get a look at her shoulders and neck.

Jacque heard her mother take in a sharp breath. She turned to look at her and saw her mom had her hand over her mouth and there was fear, major fear in her eyes. Once again she knew her mom knew something that she wasn’t sharing.

“Are you ok, Lilly?” Sally asked Jacque’s mom.

It took a minute for Lilly to get her composure back, but as soon as she did her face went blank.

“Of course. I’m fine, it was just a bit of a shock. They look so real,” her mom told them.

Jacque turned to look at her two best friends. “What are ya’lls' plans? Staying here or going home?” she asked them.

“We’re going back to Jen’s to hang out. If you want to come over after your date and Lilly’s ok with it, that’s fine,” Sally answered.

“That’s fine with me, if you want to,” Lilly told Jacque.

Jacque couldn’t decide what she wanted. Part of her wanted to be with her friends, the other part wanted to be alone so she could talk to Fane. She would see how the night went and decide then.

“I’ll call you guys and let you know if I’m coming. I don’t know what time we are going to be home so I wouldn’t want to come over if it was really late and ya’ll were already in bed,” Jacque told them.

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Sally and Jen gave her a ‘yeah, what a load of crap super sized with fries’ look. Jacque just tried to look as oblivious as possible under their scrutiny.

Jacque looked at her mom, expecting her to say something about a curfew but she never did, she just turned to go back downstairs. “I’ll be downstairs with Fane telling him embarrassing stories from your childhood, so you might want to expe***e your final preparations,” Lilly told her daughter.

Jacque turned back to her friends. “Look, I’m not going to lie. Part of me wants to stay home tonight so I can talk to Fane, but the other part of me wants to be with my girls,” Jacque told them.

“We’re totally cool with you staying home to get to know him more. There is only one stipulation and that is we get everything in living color detail. No condensing, no paraphrasing, no inconclusions, and no summaries. Every single detail!” Jen told her adamantly.

Jacque laughed at her two friends and gave them both hugs. “Thanks, chicas. You two are the best.”

“Ok, I’m ready. I’ll see you guys later,” Jacque told them.

“Have fun!” Sally and Jen said together.

“Oh look, Sal. Our little girl is growing up. Where did the time go? From teaching her to cut her Barbie doll’s hair, to cutting her own hair, and now sending her off with a hot piece of Romanian meat. I’m getting all choked up.” Jen faked tears.

Sally looked at Jen and shook her head. “You done?”

“Yeah, I’m done. Why you always gotta cramp my style, yo?” Jen asked in her best slang voice.

“’Cause that’s how I roll,” Sally answered.

“Are you two sure you can be left unattended and to your own devices?” Jacque asked them, smiling.

“Go already,” Jen said.

Jacque opened her bedroom door and walked to the top of the stairs. She took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth.

“Luna, I’ve been waiting to see you all day. Are you rethinking going out with me? Because that’s okay, I’ll just go back to the Henrys' and let you be with your friends,” Fane told her through his thoughts.

“NO!” Jacque responded, realizing a little too late that she had just incriminated herself letting him know how much she wanted to see him as well. “I’m on my way down now. Quit being so impatient, it’s not becoming,” Jacque told him.

She felt his confusion when he asked, “Becoming what?”

Jacque couldn’t stop the giggle that came out of her but she regained her composure by the time she was at the last of the stairs.

“Never mind,” she answered as she came around the corner into the living room. Her mom was sitting on the couch and Fane was sitting across from her on the antique, high winged back chair that her mom had inherited from some distant relative. It was a horrible shade of peach but Lilly loved it so the ugly lump stayed in their living room. Somehow, with Fane sitting in it he managed to make it look good. Man, I have it bad, Jacque thought to herself.

Fane must've caught that last thought because he grinned at her knowingly.

He stood up when she entered the room and, without shame, looked her up and down from her toes to her head and back again. Jacque was a tad surprised that he would do this in front of her mother and supposed because of her nerves she could be excused for having a Jen moment.

“Did you get your fill or would you like me to turn around for you too?” Jacque asked.

“Jacque, is that anyway to speak to your date?” Lilly asked, clearly not shocked that Jacque had acted with such attitude.

“Actually,” Fane started, “I would love for you to turn around so that I may admire the new ad***ion to your already beautiful skin.”

Jacque couldn’t help but blush for two reasons: one, he had called her skin beautiful. I mean, come on. Who wouldn’t blush at that, right? And two, the way he commented about the markings seemed very possessive, like they tied her to him in some way and for some weird, messed up reason Jacque liked that. Yeah, she thought, they have a padded cell in the insane asylum just waiting for ya, babe.

Jacque didn’t miss the way her mom responded to Fane noticing the markings – she was glaring daggers at him, as if daring him to make any further comment. Jacque knew that look. It was one of the looks in her mom’s repertoire that meant if you wanted to keep your ass then you better cover it now.

So Jacque did a quick turn around and grabbed Fane by the hand. Oh, he had great hands. I mean, seriously, she thought. Does he have to have great everything? She nearly burst out laughing because she could just imagine the comeback Jen would have for that.

“Alright. We’re going, mom. Love you. Don’t wait up, I’ll wake you up when I get home. Yes, I will wear my helmet; no, I won’t be cold; no, I don’t need any money; yes, I have my house key, and yada yada yada,” Jacque answered before her mom could even ask.

They were out the front door before Lilly could get in a word.

“Was that really necessary?” Fane asked her.

“Did you not see the look my mother was giving you when you asked about these marks on my skin? Which, by the way, I know you know something about and you will be happily divulging said information tonight,” Jacque told him.

Fane acted as if he simply had not heard her and since he had not let go of her hand once they made it outside, simply pulled her along to his motorcycle. He handed her a black and dark pink helmet which, upon closer inspection, had different designs on it. It was actually pretty awesome. She put it on her head, trying not to feel too ridiculous, and waited for his instructions.

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Fane looked at her and grinned a breathtaking smile, dimples and all, “You ready, Luna?” he asked her. It felt like he wasn’t just asking her about the motorcycle ride, more like he was giving her a choice, one that she had no plausible outcome for.

“Probably not, but what the hell. What’s life without a little excitement or craziness, ya know? Take your pick,” Jacque answered.

Chapter 16

As Fane drove across town with his mate behind him, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, he thought about how it had taken every ounce of self control for him not to reach out and run a finger across the markings on Jacquelyn’s shoulders and neck – his markings. It was bad enough that Lilly had noticed the possessiveness in his voice when he asked about them, but his wolf just wouldn’t ease up until he asked Jacqueline about them. Thankfully, he hadn’t made a total fool of himself by touching them or growling in contentment. But the night was still young, and he had ample time to make a fool of himself, so better not count your pups.

Before they got on the motorcycle, Fane asked her if she was ready, and although he meant for the date, he also was pleading with his eyes to understand he needed her to be ready for more. He knew that she was strong mentally and physically, the Moon would not give him a weak mate as he was Alpha, and she would be over the females. But Fane was not so naive to believe that it wouldn’t be a shock to learn werewolves were real, and quite possibly other things that went bump in the night.

“How are you, Jacquelyn? Are you cold?” Fane sent her the question.

“I’m great! This is awesome. I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before. I can honestly see why you wouldn’t want to drive a car after you’ve been on one of these! Oh, and no I’m not cold,” Jacquelyn answered him, sounding excited.

It pleased him to know he was able to do something to bring her happiness. He could feel her joy pouring off in waves and it was so soothing to his wolf. His mate was happy and that was very important to him.

They reached the restaurant that Fane had decided on. Brian had told him about it when he mentioned he was taking Jacquelyn out. It was a mom and pop diner with a little bit of everything.

“This ok with you?” Fane asked her.

“Yeah, this is great,” Jacquelyn answered.

Fane looked at her for a moment. He couldn’t help it when his eyes lingered on the markings on her shoulders and neck. Those marks told all Canis lupus she was his, his to make happy, his to protect, his to…and to his astonishment he realized she was his to love as well. Even though he didn’t know her very well yet, he knew without a doubt he would love her.

“Fane, is everything alright?” she asked him.

“Yes, Luna. Everything is fine, better than fine, actually,” Fane told her with a smile.

To Fane’s satisfaction, dinner was pleasant, easy. There was no time when he felt the conversation forced or awkward. He smiled over the fact that she didn't refuse dessert like most girls on a first date, and she had absolutely no qualms about taking food off his plate without even asking.

After they ate, Fane took Jacquelyn to a nearby park. He had no plan of telling her anything yet. He'd told his Alpha he would keep quiet until her mom talked to her and he planned to keep his word. But he knew she would ask questions and it was better here where their conversation would not be easily overheard.

“I know you've only been here a few days, but how do you like Coldspring?” Jacquelyn asked.

“Thus far, it seems like a pleasant place to live, not as formal as the life I am used to, or as cold,” Fane told her with a wink.

“No offense, but based on what you wear, your life doesn’t seem all that formal.”

Fane hadn’t thought about how his appearance might look to her. She probably thought he lived in a little hovel of a house with junk out front. She would be surprised to find that his home was actually 7,000 square feet, although it was partly because his father often had members of the Pack stay with them.

“I guess the clothes would lead you to a different conclusion,” Fane responded.

Suddenly he had this intense desire to know her, know anything or everything. “What’s your favorite color? What is your favorite song, book, and movie? What do you like best about being an only child and least?” Fane fired question after question, not really giving her a chance to answer. He was so eager to learn all about his mate, his Luna.

“Step back, take a deep breath, ‘cause any minute now you are going to pass out from lack of oxygen,” she told him. “Well, seeing as I'm super shy this will be hard for me to share, so bear with me.”

Fane rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. Jacquelyn was anything but shy.

“My favorite color depends on the day and today it is green,” she explained.

“Is that why you are wearing green?” Fane asked.

“Yes. I have to admit that I dress very much in accordance with my mood, and the colors I choose reflect that. I know, I’m a conundrum. What can I say? I like to keep things interesting.”

“Favorite song? That changes frequently as well. Right now I would have to say its ‘Accompany Me,’ by Bob Seager. Ask me again next week and it'll be different. Favorite book? Well, you’re probably going to laugh if you know what this book is, but it’s one I have always loved. It’s called ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ by Shell Silverstein. It’s a children’s book of outlandish poetry. Ever heard of it?” she asked him.

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“No, actually. I have not. Perhaps you will share it with me sometime,” Fane told her.

“I don’t have a copy of it anymore. I lost it along time ago, although, I think Jen took it and just never ‘fessed up,” she explained.

Fane made a note of this is in his head. That was something he could get her, something to show her he cared about what she liked.

“Okay, where were we...oh, my favorite movie. Well, it’s not just one, it’s a series. The ‘Harry Potter’ movies. You’ve heard of them, right?” she asked.

“Yes, I have actually seen them as well. They were good,” he told her.

“As far as being an only child, I don’t know that I've ever really thought about what it would be like to have a sibling. I've always been so close to Jen and Sally it’s like I have sisters.” She shrugged. “What about you? Same questions.”

Without repeating the questions, Fane simply answered them in the order he had asked them. “Any shade of black or grey, ‘Lord of the Rings’, ‘300’, and I don’t like the responsibility that comes with being the only heir in my family.”

He realized that she wouldn’t understand the whole heir reference, but in an effort to be as honest as possible where he could, he told her.

“So, um, I was wondering if you,” Jacquelyn stumbled around her words. It was obvious she was uncomfortable with what she wanted to know. Catching the thought in her mind, he understood she wanted to know if he had a girlfriend in Romania. He was actually a little shocked that she thought he would pursue her if he did have a girlfriend, but he had to remember she did not know him yet.

“No, Luna. I do not have a girlfriend, nor am I recently out of a relationship.” Fane knew the jab about her ex wasn’t necessary, but he couldn’t help it. He loved to see her get riled up and, sure enough, if she had had hackles they would be at attention.

“Why does it bother you so much that I had a boyfriend? I mean, it’s not like I even knew you existed a week ago, not to mention Trent and I aren’t together anymore,” she said firmly.

“I know, Jacquelyn, I’m sorry. I’m not really bothered by it anymore. Well, mostly not bothered by it. I have to admit I don’t like the idea of another male touching you, but as long as I know he won’t be again, I think Trent is safe,” Fane told her honestly.

“So you’re saying that if I dated another guy they wouldn’t be safe?” she asked him in disbelief.

“Do you want to date another guy?” Fane countered.

Fane felt the wall in her mind go up and knew the answer was no, she didn’t want to date anyone else, and he smiled at that, which was not a smart thing to do at that moment.

Jacquelyn stepped forward and put a finger against his chest, poking him with every word. “Don’t dodge my question with a question of your own, you pushy, bossy, Romanian butt head!” She was fuming. Fane imagined that if it were possible there would be smoke rising off that hot tempered red head of hers, and she wasn’t done yet either.

“I can damn well date who I want, when I want. There is nothing you can do or say to change that, so if you want to continue with this…this…thing between us,” she said, flinging her hand back and forth to indicate them both, “then you'd better just back the hell up, buddy!” By the time she was done, she was panting from her little rant.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t date another person, I asked you if you wanted to,” Fane told her. “Is that so hard to answer?”

Jacquelyn glared at him, obviously wanting to hit him with something. He decided to back up just a little. He continued to stare back at her into those deep green eyes, waiting to see if she would admit to him what he already knew.

Jacquelyn looked down as if something could possibly be of interest to her on the ground. In a voice so soft, he would have missed it if not for his wolf hearing, she said, “No, I don’t want anyone else.”

When she looked up at him there were tears in her eyes and his heart broke.

“Meu inim?, why the tears? I did not mean to hurt you. Please tell me what I can do, you are breaking my heart,” Fane told her with agony.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He stroked her hair gently and whispered to her in his native language words of comfort and reassurance. Finally, after several moments she began to speak. She didn’t pull away from him, which was good because he wasn’t ready to let her go. He had hurt her. His wolf was not happy and needed the touch of his mate.

“I’m sorry. I’m not usually a blubbering idiot, it’s just that I’m so confused. My emotions for you are so freaking intense and I’ve known you all of three days. I mean, this isn’t a movie where we meet and fall madly in a matter of days, Fane. This is my life!”

“I know, I’m sorry I wasn’t more considerate. Please, love, forgive me. I won’t let my jealousy or pride get in the way of taking your feelings into consideration again,” Fane told her in all sincerity.

Before she could pull away, Fane kissed her lightly on the forehead and took a deep breath, enjoying the way she smelled.

She looked at him oddly and said, “I’m not even going to ask why you just sniffed me.”

“Because you smell wonderful.” Fane was completely unashamed that he had been caught.

They were quiet for a few moments before the questions he had been waiting for her to ask finally came.

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“So, are you going to fill me in on why we can share thoughts or why I suddenly have markings on my skin that would fit yours like a puzzle?” Jacquelyn asked him.

“So you noticed that the markings matched?” Fane was surprised.

He had to tell his wolf to chill out because he desperately wanted to preen in front of her, proud that she'd noticed his markings. Good grief, Fane thought to himself. This is ridiculous, wanting to prance in front of my mate and show her I'm worthy of her. Act normal, you hairy baboon, or she’s going to run from you screaming.

“They are unusual markings, climbing up your neck like that, so naturally I noticed them.” She tried to sound nonchalant about it.

“Look, Jacquelyn, I want to tell you. You have no idea how badly I want you to know everything. Your mom needs to talk with you first. She needs to tell you what she knows and then when I explain how I fit into it, it will make more sense to you,” Fane explained, imploring her to accept this.

Fane knew, however, that she would never let it go that easily.

“What does my mom have to do with any of this?” she asked him incredulously.

Just as Fane was about to answer her, a car pulled in next to his motorcycle, which was quite a distance away from where they were sitting on a bench. Fane let his wolf out enough to use his eyes, and saw to his displeasure that it was the wolves that had driven past Jacquelyn’s house the night before.

The four Greys began walking toward them and Fane tried to figure out what his best strategy would be. He and his wolf were in agreement that they did not like their mate in danger, but what could he do? If he attempted to fight them, she would be left unprotected. If they tried to make a run for it, the Greys would easily overtake them because she couldn't run faster than the wilves. He could carry her, but Fane had a feeling that would not go over too well with his Luna.

He would just have to wait and see what they wanted.

“Who are these guys? Do you know them?” Her thoughts were clouded with worry.

“I know very little about them. This is another thing we need to talk about, but we must talk to your mother first,” Fane answered.

Fane never took his gaze off the wolves coming towards him and his mate, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Jacquelyn give him a displeased look, obviously not happy with his answer.

As the wolves approached, Fane couldn’t suppress the low warning growl that escaped from his throat. If he had been in wolf form his hackles would have been standing, tail down, stance wide and low, ready for any sudden movement they might try.

The wolf from the dealership, Steve, spoke first. “My Alpha wants to know why you are still here.”

Fane took a step forward, which caused the wolves to back up a step. None of them could help lowering their heads just a little because Fane was more dominant than them all.

“I hate to break it to you, Beta, but your Alpha has no authority to order me out of a town that he has not made known as his territory. There is no record of this pack existing.”

The Grey looked a little confused by this, which meant either his Alpha didn’t know this, or his Alpha didn’t share this information with his pack.

“Regardless, there is only one of you compared to an entire pack. What do you really think you can do against those odds?” he asked Fane.

Fane glared menacingly at the four Greys; they backed up even more. “You tell your Alpha to back off. There are only so many disregards for Pack Laws that I will concede.” Fane looked each wolf in the eyes and they dropped them instantly. Then, in the same voice his father used to make his wolves obey, Fane told them, “Leave, now.”

When a dominant issued a command like that the submissive could only obey, whether they wanted to or not.

Steve fought the order as he walked away. Before he got in his car, he turned to Fane and said, “Just so you know, pup, she has already been claimed. If you don’t stay away, her true mate is going to challenge you, and rest assured he will tear you apart.”

At that Fane snarled furiously. His eyes began to glow and he felt his canines elongate. The Grey whined and scrambled into his car, his tires squealing as he peeled out.

Fane closed his eyes and took slow deep breaths. Calm yourself, Fane thought. No one is going to take her from you. He sort of chanted this to himself over and over until he and his wolf were somewhat in control. Fane turned to face Jacquelyn and saw confusion, but to his relief there was no fear.

“Ok, you can forget trying to get away with not explaining that little episode of the Twilight Zone. I'm not an idiot, so don’t think I didn’t pick up on the whole animal kingdom reference, the way you just nearly went postal on their hides, or the fact that the 'she' they were talking about was me,” Jacquelyn said, arms crossed, brow furrowed in determination.

Fane walked up to her, towering over her short frame To her cre***, after seeing him act like the animal he was, she didn’t take a single step back.

“You’re right, Luna. It’s time to talk, but your mom will start. Let’s go.”

With that, they were on his motorcycle headed back to Jacquelyn’s house.

Chapter 17

Jacque held on tight to Fane’s waist, laying her cheek against his back, taking in his warmth. She was nervous, but glad she was finally going to get some answers. That whole little scene at the park had freaked her out. She could not make sense of anything those guys had said to Fane, or vice versa.

The only reference she had of the term ‘Alpha’ had to do with dogs or wolves. And who were they to tell Fane he had to leave and what did they mean she already had a mate? The questions swirled around in her brain over and over again, yet she could find no explanation.

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“Luna, are you ok?” Fane asked her, sounding worried.

She smiled, not able to help liking the fact that he worried about her. It felt good to be cared for, not that she wasn’t cared for by others, but it felt good coming from him.

“I guess I’m as good as can be expected. Don’t be alarmed if I freak out or have a melt down, it will pass,” she told him with only a small amount of teasing in her voice.

The truth was she was already on the verge of a panic attack. When those guys told Fane he had to leave, the mere idea of him gone actually caused her pain. How messed up is that?

Jacque closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. In and out, in and out. Whatever it is, whatever he tells you, you will not cower in a corner and shake like a frightened puppy, she told herself firmly. No, but I make no promises that I won’t pass out from shock. There is no shame in passing out, it’s simply the brain’s way of saying 'hold the stink up, I need to process this mess'. Jacque smiled at her monologue, wondering if other people talked to themselves like that. Probably not, but everyone’s got something, right?

Fane pulled into her driveway and turned off the engine. It seemed eerily quiet. Jacque climbed off his bike, taking the helmet off, and shook her hair out. She looked up to find Fane watching her.

“What?” she asked him.

To Jacque’s surprise, Fane actually blushed! He turned his head away from her and she saw the small smile that had appeared.

“Sorry, it’s just, um, well, you looked attractive shaking your hair out,” Fane stammered.

Jacque tried really hard not to laugh but was completely unsuccessful. She looked up at him and saw embarrassment in his eyes.

“Fane, you can’t possibly be embarrassed by thinking I’m hot. I practically drool all over you every time I see you. I should be the one embarrassed,” she confessed to him.

“Are you?” Fane asked.

“I guess maybe I should be, but throw me a bone, you are freaking hot. I can’t change that so I’m embracing it.”

Fane chuckled and told her, “You amaze me, Luna. Truly you do.”

It was Jacque’s turn to blush. “Thanks,” was all she could think to say.

Fane took Jacque’s hand as they were walking to the front door. She felt warmth spread up her arm and throughout her body just from holding it. When Jacque opened the door, she saw the man that had been the driver of the limo Fane arrived in just three nights ago, standing in her living room. Jacque froze, not really sure what to do.

Fane stepped around her and went to the man and embraced him just like they had done on the night he arrived. Okay, Jacque thought, I’m fixing to have a two-year-old moment.

“MOM!” Jacque yelled, “WHO IN KING ARTHUR’S NAME IS THIS MAN IN OUR HOUSE, WHAT THE CRAP DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU AREN’T TELLING ME, AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS THAT KEEP US SANE WHAT HELL IS GOING ON!”

In the kitchen Lilly Pierce closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It’s time, she thought to herself. She'd hoped this day would never come, that Jacque would grow up and have a normal life, never affected by her father’s blood. Apparently that had been too much to hope for.

Lilly stepped into the living room. “I guess it’s time for me to tell you the truth about your father,” she told her daughter.

“Why have you waited this long to say something? Were you ever going to tell me?” Jacque asked, the hurt evident in her voice.

Lilly sat down on the couch, hands folded in her lap, eyes focused on the floor. “Actually, no. I wasn’t planning on telling you as long as it never affected you. I figured there was no reason to add confusion to the pain of your father leaving.”

“Did you ever think that it wasn’t your choice to make?!” Jacque was yelling now, she was so upset and yet knew that her anger was disproportionate to the situation.

“Jacquelyn, calm yourself. She was just trying to protect you, not hide things from you,” Jacque heard Fane’s soft, comforting voice tell her. Unfortunately, it just fueled her fire.

Jacque turned on him. “Do not tell me to calm down! Everyone in this room seems to know something about my life that I don’t and frankly that just ticks me off a teeny, tiny bit, so back off!”

Fane held his hands up in surrender and took a seat across from Lilly on the loveseat. Sorin sat in the ugly winged back chair, leaving Jacque the only one standing.

She wasn’t ready to sit down so she started pacing around the room.

“I understand why you're angry and that you're hurt, but I need you to hear me out before judging me,” Lilly told her.

Jacque stopped and tried to wipe away the tears that were running freely down her cheeks. She turned to look at her mom and simply nodded her head. Her mom patted the couch for her to sit on, but Jacque took one look at Fane and knew she needed to sit by him.

“I’m sorry, love, it’s just that I see you hurting and all I want to do is comfort you. It’s MY job to comfort you. Please bear with me a little longer. Sit by me, calm the animal inside please.” Fane’s thought was so emotional that Jacque found herself walking over to the love seat and sitting next to him.

Jacque’s mom looked a little shocked, but as quick as it appeared it was gone.

“Jacque,” her mom began, “there is no easy way to explain this. There is no way that I can say it that sounds sane, so I’m just going to lay it out there, okay?”

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“If you knew what my life has been like the past few days you wouldn’t even have to lead off with that. So as Jen and I like to say, slap me with it,” Jacque told her.

Lilly took a deep breath. “Your father is a Canis lupus, a werewolf.”

When Jacque didn’t respond Lilly just continued. “I knew there was something different about him when I met him. The longer we dated, the more sure I was that he wasn't normal. So one night I just asked him, ‘What are you?’ And he told me. At first, naturally, I didn’t believe him, but then he showed me his wolf and he was beautiful. Over time, he told me more and more about his culture and species. I knew one day he would leave because he would find his true mate. He was honest with me about it and I chose to stay with him anyway because I felt that whatever time I could have with him was better than none at all.”

Lilly paused for a moment and looked at Jacque, who was just sitting there staring at the table in front of her. Fane took one of her hands and looked like he was waiting for her to go into hysterics at any moment. Still, she said nothing.

Lilly continued. “Three days before he left I found out I was pregnant with you. I was going to tell him that very night, but when I got home there was a note waiting for me instead of him.” Jacque looked up at her mother when her voice wavered and saw she had tears in her eyes.

She realized then that her mom still loved her father. Even though he's a Canis Lup-whatever, she thought to herself.

“Canis lupus, meu inim?,” Fane told her.

“I wasn't thinking to you, was I? No, I was not. I was thinking to myself. So if you don’t mind, keep your nosy Romanian brain out of mine,” Jacque growled.

Fane just squeezed her hand and this angered Jacque even more because she didn’t want anyone’s comfort or understanding, she just wanted to be pissed off.

Lily pulled herself together and when Jacque still did not say anything she said, “I had no idea what would happen to you as half Canis lupus. I didn’t know if I would come in your room one day and find a wolf puppy in your crib. As time went on and you seemed to be completely normal, I decided to just let it go. When you hit puberty I was worried maybe that would trigger some change in you, but it didn’t and I thought we were home free. And then,” Lilly looked at Fane, there was no condemnation when she said, “you came along, and I knew all my hope was in vain.”

Fane looked Lilly in the eye and told her, “I am sorry to have brought your fears to pass, but I am not sorry to have found Jacquelyn. She is my mate and I will claim her, as is my right. You know she will not be complete without me, nor I without her.”

Lilly nodded. “I know this, Fane. At first I was angry and scared. However, now that I have spent some time with you, albeit not enough, I can tell you are a good man. I say 'man' because you can no longer be a boy, you have to protect my little girl.” Her voice sounded almost desperate now.

Jacque’s head snapped up when she heard her mom’s tone and saw the fear in her eyes.

“Okay,” Jacque started, taking a deep breath, “give me just a moment, ok? Let me process this…out loud.” She turned her head to look at Fane. “You, Casanova, give me some space, you’re freaking me out right now.”

Fane let go of her hand and moved away from her, though only a tiny bit. Jacque rolled her eyes.

“So my father turns all hairy once a month, is that what I hear you telling me?”

Fane and Sorin both let out a snort of laughter but pulled it together when Lilly glared at them.

“No, all the things you think you know about werewolves are false. Canis lupus can phase – they don’t call it changing – whenever they want to. They can phase their whole body into wolf form, or just their eyes, or teeth, or whatever. It has nothing to do with the moon.”

Jacque knew her mom loved interesting things, and she definitely found the whole werewolves-being-real bit interesting. She was past the whole trek down memory lane and moving right along onto the highway of the unbelievable.

“I can’t phase though, right?” Jacque asked apprehensively.

“No,” Lilly, Fane, and Sorin all said at the same time.

“Surround sound, nice,” Jacque said sarcastically.

What can I say? she thought to herself. I get sarcastic when I’m freaked out.

“Well, that’s a crappy deal. Here you have a dad who can turn into this cool wolf thingy and you can’t even get a ***y, bushy tail,” Jen said as she and Sally walked into the living room.

Jacque stood up, the relief very obvious on her face.

“What are you two doing here?” she asked them.

“I asked them to stay and listen in. I knew you would tell them anyway and figured you would need some support from people you didn’t feel like were hiding things from you,” Lilly told her.

“So you guys heard everything?” Jacque asked tentatively.

“Every page-turning word. I wanted to pop some popcorn. I figured there might be some tense moments and you know I eat when I’m tense, but goody two shoes here wouldn’t let me,” Jen said irritably.

Sally patted Jen’s hand in mock sympathy. “We know, sweetie. But see, since it was Jacque finding out it was her dad who gets hairy, not yours, I didn’t really care if you were tense.”

Jen took Sally’s hand off hers and bit into it hard enough to leave teeth marks.

“Hey! What the hell, chick?” Sally exclaimed.

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“See, don’t you wish you'd given me the popcorn?” Jen retorted.

Jacque started laughing, she just couldn’t help herself. She was so grateful to have Sally and Jen giving her something normal to grasp onto.

Jacque turned and looked at her mom. “So my father left because he found his true mate, or whatever?”

“Yes, and I want you to know I don’t blame him. I knew that it would eventually happen,” Lilly answered.

“Did he ever know about me?” Jacque asked, not really sure if she wanted to know the answer because if he did, and he had never bothered to come meet her, it was really going to hurt.

“No honey, he didn’t know. After he left I had no way to contact him. If he'd known he would have wanted to be a part of your life. He is a good man, Jacque. Only problem was he wasn’t really a man. Just my luck, huh?” Lilly said with a sad smile.

Jacque thought for a moment and something Fane had said earlier came to mind – he had called her his mate!

She slowly turned to look at him and saw that his head was down, shoulders slumped as if he were deflated. It broke her heart to see him look so broken. Jacque walked over to him and got down on her knees in front of him. He still did not move. Jacque took her finger and placed it under his chin and raised his head so she could see his face. The look she saw brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t talk out loud, she felt like this was private, just between them, and for the next few moments there was no one in Jacque’s world but Fane.

“What’s wrong, Fane?” she asked him.

“You know what you are to me, yes?”

Jacque whispered her answer out loud. “Mate.”

Fane nodded his head. “Yes, meu inim?. You are my mate, the other half of my soul, and the thought of you not wanting me is more than I can bear,” Fane told her honestly.

“No pressure, huh?” Jacque said, trying to lighten the mood.

“I would never ask you to do something you do not want to, Luna, but I will not lie and say that I won’t follow you around like a sick puppy,” Fane said with a smile, though the tears were not quite gone yet.

“I just need time to sort through all this. I’m not saying I don’t want you, I mean, now that I’ve met you the idea of life without you makes it hard to breathe,” Jacque revealed.

Fane took her hands in his and said, “Time is the one thing I can’t give you, love.”

Chapter 18

Fane held the hands of his mate and hated to have to tell her that he couldn’t give her the one thing she wanted, but there was no time. He needed to complete the bond through the blood rites, especially since there was another Canis lupus attempting to claim her. Once the bond was complete, no other male could dispute whose mate she was.

Fane pulled Jacquelyn up off the floor and returned her to the seat next to him. He continued to hold one of her hands, taking comfort from the touch.

“I’m not trying to rush you, Jacquelyn. Under different circumstances I would give you all the time you need, but you are not safe un-bonded,” Fane explained to her.

“Ok, that was just clear as mud. Would you mind elaborating why I am not safe?” Jacquelyn asked.

“When I came here my father…wait, let me back up for a moment and tell you a little about who I really am so that everything fits together, okay?” Fane asked.

“Whatever gets us to the place we need to be. I’ll try not to ask 'are we there yet',” Jacque answered impatiently.

“I am Canis lupus like your father. My lineage is Romanian. There are many types of werewolves. But we are known as Grey wolves, as is your father,” Fane explained.

“How can you know my father is a Grey?”

“My father told me,” he answered.

“Who is your father?” Jen asked, enthralled in the conversation.

Everyone in the room turned to look at her. She just lifted her shoulders and said, “My bad. That was Jacque's line, wasn’t it?”

Sally shook her head and hit Jen in the shoulder. Jen scowled at her.

“My turn,” Jacque piped in. “So, who is your father?” she repeated.

“I’m getting to that. You two jumped the bullet,” Fane told them.

The three girls laughed. Sorin coughed, trying to disguise his laughter.

“Jumped the gun, handsome, not bullet,” Jen corrected him with a grin.

“Oh. Well, as you would say, my bad,” he told Jen.

“Let me continue. As I said I am a Grey and my Pack is in Romania. Every pack has an Alpha, just like our animal cousins. The Alpha is sort of like the king, he rules the pack. He keeps order so that dominant wolves don’t tear each other apart, and so that everyone, especially the non-dominants, also called submissives, are protected.” Fane was trying to make sure he made all this as clear as he could so that Jacquelyn would understand where she fell in all this – and what her new life would be like.

“My father is the Alpha of the Romanian Canis lupus. I am next in line to be Alpha and our Pack calls me Prince. I am a dominant, which means it is in my nature to want to protect those weaker than me. It is also in a dominant’s nature to be aggressive and very territorial. An Alpha has to be a dominant or else he can not maintain order in the pack. Are you with me so far?” Fane asked her.

“You’re a Romanian werewolf prince, your dad is the werewolf king, you are bossy, possessive, and territorial by nature. Which, if you were just a wolf would mean you’d pee on whatever you wanted to mark as yours.”

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Jen was nearly rolling on the floor at Jacquelyn’s description.

“And why exactly did you bring your royal butt to Texas?” Jacquelyn finished.

Fane was smiling, thankful that her sense of humor was still intact. He took that to mean she was handling this news rather well.

“Every male Canis lupus has one mate, only one. Sometimes they are drawn to a certain area. I think it’s natures way of helping us wolves out, because it can take years and even centuries to find your mate.” Fane let that sink in a minute, knowing the inevitable was coming. But Jen beat Jacquelyn to the punch…again.

“Hold on, put on the brakes, throw it in park, and set the emergency brake while you’re at it. Did you just say centuries?” Jen asked dubiously.

This time, nobody paid attention to the fact it wasn’t Jacquelyn who had asked. They were all too busy looking at Fane, waiting for an answer. Sorin, however, was just sitting in the ugly peach chair looking bored. He could throw his two cents in at any moment, Fane thought to himself. But Sorin just sat there.

“Yes, I said centuries. Canis lupus live much, much longer than humans,” Fane answered.

This time is was Jacquelyn who asked, “How much longer? ‘Cause you know I’m only good for like seventy five years, maybe eighty. If I sit any longer on the shelf, I expire.”

“Once we complete the blood rites your life is tied to mine and you will live as long as I do, just as I will live as long as you. You see, Jacquelyn, once mates are bonded one cannot live without the other. It is the way of our species that when one mate dies the other follows,” Fane told her.

“Oh my gosh!” Sally exclaimed. “That is so freaking romantic! Or depressing. It’s all in how you look at it. Do you have any cousins?” she asked him hopefully.

“I’m sorry, Sally, but you must have Canis lupus somewhere in your lineage to bond with a Canis lupus.”

“I can check. You know, like do some research, ‘cause there is no telling what’s in my blood. I could go back generations…” Sally was interrupted when Jen covered Sally’s mouth with her hand.

“Don’t mind her. She's missing that part in her brain that tells her when to shut up,” Jen said.

“You’re one to talk,” Jacquelyn said, smiling.

“Okay, keep going. I need to get this all out tonight so I can have tomorrow to freak out,” Jacquelyn told Fane.

“I came to Texas because my wolf somehow knew you were here, and that his mate, our mate, was in danger. Before you ask, I will try to explain this quickly. My wolf and I are one, but also separate. When I am not in wolf form, he is still there. I can still call on him for help and use his attributes. When I am in wolf form he uses my human attributes – I can still think and reason like a man. That is why we don’t call it changing, because that implies that when we are in our wolf forms we no longer retain any human attributes, and vice versa, which is not the case. We always coexist together. Does that make sense?” Fane asked.

“Yeah, I get that. Not that it’s easy to believe, but I understand the logistics of it,” Jacquelyn answered.

Fane let go of her hand and brushed her hair away from her face. She looks so tired, he thought to himself. He was so grateful that she hadn't thrown him out or told him he was crazy . But there is still more, so she might throw me out yet.

“I realize what you’re saying is that I’m your mate. You’ve mentioned this bond thing, and blood…what did you say?” Jacquelyn asked.

“Blood rites. Even though we are mates, we have to perform a ceremony to bond us to each other,” Fane began.

“Oh, Sally, get some popcorn now. It’s fixing to get rich,” Jen interrupted.

Jacquelyn rolled her eyes and Fane just ignored the comment. He didn’t want to be distracted, his Luna needed to know what was coming and know it had to happen very, very soon.

“Ok, back up. When you say perform a ceremony, are you talking behind closed doors type stuff?” Jacquelyn asked him, sounding embarrassed and nervous at the same time.

“If you are asking me if we must consummate our relationship to complete the bond, then the answer is no, Luna.”

He saw her take a deep breath and let it out in obvious relief.

“Put up the popcorn, Sally, things are staying stale,” Jacquelyn announced.

“Can’t you ever just drizzle on my parade or do you always have to have a full monsoon?” Jen asked her with obvious irritation.

“Is the idea really that bad to you, Luna?” Fane asked, honestly wondering.

“We are so so so NOT having this conversation right now. I may be your mate or whatever, but I've only known you three stinking days. What kind of girl do you think I am?” Jacquelyn thought back to him.

“Well in truth, love, it does please me to know that is something you do not take lightly,” Fane told her. Then, sounding a little unsure, he asked, “You haven’t taken it lightly, so to speak, with anyone else, have you?”

Jacquelyn closed her eyes and shook her head. She took a breath and Fane could tell she was trying to reign in her fiery little temper.

“If you absolutely must know, there hasn't been anyone I've wanted to take lightly…ever. And since you are being so stinking nosy, what about you? Is there a double standard in the Canis lupus world? Is it okay for a guy to take any and everyone lightly without repercussions?” Jacque threw back at him.

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“Thank you. To answer your question, it is very uncommon for a male Canis lupus to take anyone but his mate lightly.” Fane grinned at the euphemism they were using to keep from having to actually say 'making love'. Jacquelyn caught that thought. “Nope, it’s called not taking it lightly, deal with it.”

Fane laughed out loud at her embarrassment, which caused everyone in the room to look at him. He couldn’t help himself, she was such a joy to his heart. He didn’t care if she never called it what it was, just so long as she would be his.

“Are you two ready to share the conversation with the rest of us, or would you like to take this to another room?” Jen asked sarcastically.

“Nope, no need to leave. We're just all one big happy family, sharing, talking, and getting all the gory details of life as a werewolf. Just another typical Wednesday night,” Jacquelyn rambled on nervously.

“Are you ready for me to continue, my Luna?” Fane asked her.

“Bring it on.”

“The blood rites ceremony is performed by the Alpha of the pack you are joining, so it will be performed by my father. In some ways it is much like a human wedding. There are usually only a few witnesses – family and close friends. We will exchange vows...” Fane took a breath because he knew what he was going to say next she would not like. “...and then we do the blood rites,” he finished vaguely. He knew she wouldn’t let him off that easy, but he thought it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“Fane, darling, what exactly are the blood rites?” Jacquelyn asked him with sweetness that he knew better than to believe.

“Understand, Jacquelyn, we are not human. There are some things that our wolf nature demands, one of those things is a blood rite. A male Canis lupus wants the world to know his mate is his. There are several ways this happens. For example, his mate takes on the markings that he has on his body. The markings on Canis lupus reveal their place in the pack. For instance, I am a dominate so my markings are on the right side of my body. They are also very elaborate and go to the front of my chest, indicating that I am an Alpha. My father explained to me that when an Alpha finds his mate he develops new markings that are visible even with clothes on, like on the neck, in order to tell all Canis lupus that he is mated. A mated Alpha is a much stronger Alpha.”

Fane paused to give her a chance to ask any questions, and then just to humor her he turned and looked at Jen, who responded with, “Oh, I’m good. Carry on, this is great stuff.”

Fane winked at her and grinned.

To his and Jen's surprise Jacquelyn reached over and slapped his arm. “Quit winking at my friends. Jen’s gonna hyperventilate and Sally’s gonna pass out. Get on with this whole blood rites thing,” she growled at him.

“You’re a violent little thing, aren’t you?” Fane teased.

She gave him a look as if to say “I’m waiting.”

So he continued. “That is one way the male's mate is marked.”

Sally raised her hand like she was in school.

Jen rolled her eyes and said, “Put your hand down, you dork, and just ask.”

“How do the markings identify her to other werewolves if no one can see them unless she wears a low shirt like Jacque did tonight?” Sally asked.

Fane growled and that earned him another slap on the arm from Jacquelyn.

“Don’t growl at my friends, either.”

“I wasn’t growling at them, love. I was growling at the idea of another seeing your markings. The markings on the female are meant only for her mate to see, they are precious to him because it is the first thing that indicates she is his. Male Canis lupus do not like other males to see their mates' markings. It was very difficult for me tonight with yours showing, it helps that your hair covers up most of them,” he told her.

“So it’s kind of like some guy looking in her lingerie drawer and seeing all her hot little outfits, huh?” Jen stated with a grin.

“Only you would come up with that analogy. You know that, right?” Sally asked her.

“I’m just clarifying things. You know, breaking it down, making it chewable,” Jen responded.

“Jen, Sally, I love you guys but zip it, okay?” Jacquelyn asked them in exasperation.

Both girls ran their fingers across their lips as if to close a zipper and gave her the thumbs up sign. Jacquelyn nodded her thanks.

“Another way a male Canis lupus shows that he has found his mate is the ability to speak to her by thought. I cannot speak to anyone else, nor hear anyone else’s thoughts but yours. It is the same for you,” Fane continued to explain. He noticed the look Jacquelyn was giving him was less than pleased and asked her, “Does that bother you, Luna?”

“Well, there are some things I don’t want you to know,” Jacquelyn told him shyly.

“Oooh, like that time we snuck out and went skin-” Jen started but was quickly interrupted by Sally.

“JEN!” Sally hollered. “Let's get that popcorn. I think you need something to keep your mouth occupied or we are going to shove your foot in it, okay?” she finished sweetly.

“Once again my parade is saturated in the downpour of hurricane Sally,” Jen retorted.

Jacquelyn watched as her two best friends walked to the kitchen, and then she turned to Fane.

“So what’s the third way a male marks his mate?” she asked him.

Fane simply sent her the thought, I think you would be more comfortable if we talk about it privately.