[English] PRINCE OF WOLVES

Prince of Wolves
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“Pay attention to Lucas, Jacquelyn. Look at him and let me see his face,” Fane instructed her.

Jacque pictured Lucas in her mind just as she was seeing him.

“Jacque, you must be careful. He is not in control of his wolf.”

“Yeah, ya think?” Jacque accidentally said aloud.

Lucas snarled and his eyes narrowed. “Are you able to speak through each other’s thoughts? Are you speaking to him now?” he asked her.

“Umm, maybe and not your business,” she answered.

Lucas lunged at her, grabbing her by the arms. Jacque slammed the wall down in her mind so Fane could not see what Lucas was doing. She knew he would come to her house and raise all kinds of hell, and quite possibly try to kill Lucas.

“Do not play games with me. I am Alpha and you will answer me truthfully, mate,” he growled in her face.

Jacque jerked her arms free and stepped back from him.

“Listen carefully, Lucas Steele, because I will only say this once. I am NOT your mate, I will never be your mate, and if you ever put your hands on me again I will cut them off along with other body parts you might want to use one day. Got it?” Jacque told him with as much force as she could put behind her words.

“That’s a shame, too, because you’re kind of cute. But it happens to the best of them,” Jen said as she sauntered into the living room with Sally right behind her.

“And the worst of them,” Sally finished for her.

Both girls stood on either side of Jacque with their arms crossed, an obvious wall of solidarity against Lucas.

Lilly walked into the living room and took in the scene. She looked at Jacque and saw the red marks that were now appearing on her arms from where Lucas had grabbed her. Lily's mouth tightened in anger.

“I think it’s time for you to go now, Mr. Steele,” Lilly told him with forced politeness.

Lucas turned his gaze on Lilly, who took an involuntary step back. He drew in a deep breath, obviously trying to compose himself. Then he looked at Jacque. “I have challenged Fane for the bonding ceremony. If I win, you will be mine. Nothing and no one will keep you from me.” And with that he turned to walk out the front door.

All four of them followed him out to watch him go, and when they got out the door they saw Fane jump from his second story window and take two bounding steps and land right in front of Lucas.

“Oh S@#T! Jen hollered

“I second that,” Sally said

“I third it,” Jacque said, eyes so wide they threatened to pop out of her head.

Chapter 22

Fane saw Lucas lunge for Jacquelyn before she could put the wall up between their minds, and the rage he felt called his wolf out. He was nearly completely phased when he heard Sara downstairs. That was enough to pull him back and keep from becoming a huge, black, snarling wolf in his bedroom. It wasn’t enough, however, to keep him from growling like a dog with rabies. The anger he was feeling was tangible; it was making it hard for him to breath.

Lucas had touched his mate, he had put his hands on her in a threatening way, and by doing so had violated the challenge rules. That meant that Fane would be allowed to see Jacquelyn for the duration of the two days they had to wait until his father arrived. Because he was Jacquelyn’s true mate, challenge rules said he could protect her if the challenger caused physical harm to the female.

Before that thought was even complete in his mind, and without any thought to who might see him, he leaped out his window into the front yard and jumped right in front of Lucas Steele. Sometimes life just threw you a bone when you needed one.

Lucas crouched low, immediately growling. “If you touch me you forfeit the challenge.”

“Sa patesti ce este al meu (you harmed what is mine),” Fane growled.

“Oh crap, he’s talking in Romanian. That means he’s pissed doesn’t it? They always talk in their native tongue in the movies when they’re fixing to kick somebody’s a-” Jen tried to finish, but Jacquelyn slapped her hand over Jen’s mouth and shook her head from side to side.

“Let me translate for her,” Sally said. “Shut the #@$% up, Jen!”

“My bad,” Jen whispered once Jacque had uncovered her mouth.

Fane could not remember a time when he had been so angry. He could feel his wolf pushing to come out, to defend their mate.

“Ai violat regulile provocare (you violated challenge rules),” Fane growled.

He knew he needed to calm down but when he glanced over and saw the red marks on Jacquelyn’s arms, his wolf won. He phased in the blink of an eye and had Sorin not lunged in front of him, he would have torn Lucas Steele’s throat out.

He felt a hard object throw him back and let out a grunt as he hit the ground. In an instant, he was back on all four feet, head low, eyes narrowed, and teeth bared. He was taking slow, calculated steps to place himself in between Lucas and his mate. He saw Jacquelyn step back when he got near her, and it hurt to know she was afraid of him in his wolf form.

He continued to move forward, pushing Lucas farther away, and was preparing to lunge again when he heard Sorin yell,“Fa ne nu ating de el! (do not touch him).”

Fane stopped in his tracks, he didn't move closer but he continued to growl and glare at Lucas.

“As Fane has said, you have violated the challenge rules by causing harm to Fane’s mate, therefore it is Fane’s right to stay with her while we await the arrival of his Alpha,” Sorin informed the wolf.

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“I did not harm the female!” Lucas snarled.

“Hey, flea bag, the female has a name!” Jen spat at him.

“Jen, now is not the time, hon. Keep your trap closed,” Sally said through pursed lips.

“Oh right, sorry. I just get so carried away. I’m good, carry on.”

Sally and Jacquelyn rolled their eyes.

Lucas must have decided during that little interlude that he needed to be more diplomatic, because when he spoke the second time it was quite a bit nicer.

“I did not mean to cause Jacquelyn harm. I do not think red marks on her arm constitute a so-called violated challenge,” he told Sorin.

“What you think does not play into what simply is. It is time for you to take your pack and leave. You will be notified immediately when our Alpha arrives,” Sorin said in finality, and just to punctuate that he was done with the conversation, he called Fane to him. “In privinta, mea print, va rog sa veniti. (With respect, my Prince, please come).”

Fane gave Lucas one more snarl for good measure and trotted over to where Jacquelyn stood. He put his head against her thigh and nudged her backwards.

“You gotta be kidding me. You’re bossy even when you're in wolf form,” Jacquelyn told him, rolling her eyes. He nudged her a little harder. Finally relenting, she turned to go back toward the house.

“Come on, girls. Show’s over…for now anyways.”

Sorin waited outside until Lucas and his wolves had driven off.

Once in the house, everyone filed into the living room, which had quickly become the “meeting” room. Jacquelyn knelt down in front of Fane and ran a finger down the center of his muzzle. Fane closed his eyes and a low hum came out of his throat.

“You were great out there, you know?” she whispered to him.

Fane opened his eyes and they just stared at each other for a minute. Then Fane licked Jacquelyn smack on the face. “EWWWW! You have GOT to stop kissing me in public. Really, it’s getting out of hand,” Jacquelyn told him, wiping her face. Fane simply looked at her with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth in a goofy grin.

“Fane, I think we need you back in your human form, please,” Sorin told him respectfully.

Fane turned and trotted up the stairs to Jacquelyn’s room. “I don’t know what he thinks he is going to find up there unless he likes his pants super tight and ten inches too short,” Jacquelyn told Sorin.

“I will get him something from my bag,” Sorin offered.

He returned with a pair of jeans and a shirt and handed them to Jacquelyn.

“Uh, what am I supposed to do with these?” she asked Sorin.

“Wait, hold on,” Jen said, holding her hands up. “This is obviously a job for a woman who appreciates a fine looking specimen like wolf-man up there.”

Jen tried to take the clothes from Jacque, who stepped back, holding the clothing out of Jen’s reach.

“Like I’m going to let you, the nymphomaniac of our posse, take these clothes up to Fane. Seriously, how delusional do you think I am?” Jacquelyn asked her.

“I could really use some clothes, Luna. You keep your room kind of cold,” Fane told her through their connection.

“I’m bringing them, but you better have a towel or something wrapped around you,” Jacquelyn said sternly.

“I make no promises, love. You will just have to risk it.”

Jacquelyn huffed out a breath and headed up the stairs. All the while, Jen and Sally were letting out cat calls. Fane could hear the girls from Jacquelyn’s room and could only imagine how red his Luna’s face was.

He heard her knock very gently on her bedroom door. Fane grabbed a blanket from the floor and wrapped it around his waist.

“I’m decent, Luna. Come in,” Fane told her.

Jacquelyn walked in and her head was down with her hair falling in her face so she could not see anything in front of her. She reached out and tried to hand Fane the clothes, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her all the way into the room. She let out a shriek as she collided with Fane.

“Sorry, love. Didn’t mean to pull you quite that hard,” he said with a sly grin.

“Uh huh, sure you didn’t,” Jacquelyn said as she twisted her wrist to get free of his grasp. Fane let go easily, but did not step away from her, so Jacquelyn took the initiative and stepped back.

“What are you doing? Don’t you think you need…” Jacquelyn began, but stopped mid-sentence when she let her eyes wander over Fane’s torso. Fane realized she was looking at his markings and it made his wolf happy that she noticed them.

“What do you think?” he asked her.

She begun to walk around him, circling him like a predator seeking out its prey. Her eyes narrowed as she followed the lines of the marks. A couple of times her hand reached out like she wanted to trace the marks. It took all of Fane's control not to lean into her hand. Like the wolf, he craved her touch.

“It’s beautiful. I didn’t realize the marks would cover so much of you, but you said that they come across your chest because you’re Alpha, right?” Jacquelyn asked, still completely mesmerized by the marks.

“That is correct. I have more marks than others and my marks match my mate’s.” Fane reached out and ran a finger across Jacquelyn’s neck as he said this. Jacquelyn slapped his hand away. “No touching while you’re standing in nothing but a blanket,” she told him, trying to sound firm but not able to wipe the grin off her face.

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When she finally stopped and just stared at him he couldn’t help but tease her. “Have you gotten your fill or do you need a few more minutes? I’ll be happy to let you study them if you’d like,” Fane told her with a wink.

“Yeah, I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?

“Well, if you are not going to take advantage of me while I am so vulnerable, I suppose I should get dressed.” Fane grinned.

When she didn’t respond or turn to leave Fane decided to shock her into action. He acted like he was going to unwrap his blanket. “Of course, if you want to watch me dress you are welcome to. Seeing as how you are my mate, you could even help if you’d like.”

Jacquelyn turned bright red and abruptly turned around to face the door. Fane dressed quickly and tried to keep his mind out of hers, although he was very curious as to what she was thinking about.

“Ok, love, you can turn around.” He was slipping his shirt over his head as she did.

“You know you’re beautiful, don’t you?” Jacquelyn asked him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you, all of you. Your skin is beautiful, you’re all buff and built, your eyes are incredible. You’re just beautiful,” she explained.

“Well nobody has ever told me that, so no, I did not know I was beautiful. Thank you,” he said, placing his hand over his heart and bowing his head.

“You are exquisite. Did you know that?” he asked her.

“I wouldn’t say exquisite. I mean, I don’t think I’m Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts, but I suppose I don’t break the mirror,” she responded.

“No female I have ever seen holds a candle to you, Luna.”

They were quiet for a moment. Fane was looking at her face, her beautiful green eyes and endearing freckles. He let his eyes wander down her neck to her shoulders and then arms, where the red marks that were quickly becoming bruises caught his eyes. He growled low.

“Come here please, Jacquelyn,” Fane told her.

Jacquelyn had stepped back a step at the sound of the growl.

“I am not growling at you, meu inim?. I merely want to look at the marks that mongrel left on you,” he explained.

“It’s nothing. They don’t even really hurt anymore,” Jacquelyn fibbed.

“Jacquelyn, love, don’t tell me un-truths. I know when you aren’t being honest with me.”

“Who are you, Santa Claus?” Jacquelyn retorted.

“Just come here, please. Or do I need to come over there?” Fane asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Pipe down, I’ll come to you.”

Jacquelyn walked over to him and he gently touched each arm where the bruises were. Jacquelyn flinched, unable to hide the fact that his touch hurt. Fane leaned down and kissed her arms gently over the bruises, wishing that he could heal them. He had failed to protect her, his mate. She'd needed him and he had not been there.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I was not there to protect you. I should have been.”

“Fane,” Jacquelyn reached up and ran her hand down his check, “this was not your fault. You were not allowed to be there, and how was anyone to know that psycho fur ball would hurt his so-called mate? You have nothing to apologize for so just knock it off. Got it?”

Fane looked into her eyes and could see the sincerity there, no condemnation or anger, and he was so thankful. She was truly amazing, and she was his. Thank the moon that she wanted him because he would have hated to have to spend the rest of their lives pining after her.

“I am grateful that you do not condemn me. Nonetheless, you are my mate and I should always be there to protect you, which is why you will not be out of my sight until the challenge. I will trust no one to protect you but me,” Fane told her.

Jacquelyn began to remind him that her mother would not approve of this but he stopped her with a finger to her lips.

“I will talk to your mother. As I said before I will not put your safety second to her approval.”

When he removed his finger from her lips, she stepped forward and kissed him. When she stepped back Fane looked at her quizzically. “What was that for?”

“Just because I can, and I wanted to,” Jacquelyn told him simply.

“Oh. Well, in that case...” Fane grabbed her around the waist and tossed her on the bed, covering her body with his. Jacquelyn let out a squeak. He held his weight off of her by supporting himself on one forearm. Then he leaned down and nuzzled her neck with his nose. Jacquelyn began to giggle and push at his chest.

“Stop that, that tickles,” she told him, laughing. “I’m not kidding, Fido, you’re going to make me pee on you.”

Fane pulled his head back to look at her. Her eyes were crinkled with laugh lines.

“I’m a wolf, not a dog, love. And if I don’t get to pee on you, then you most certainly do not get to pee on me,” Fane teased her.

He leaned forward and kissed her gently, then a little harder. By the time he pulled away they were both trying to catch their breath.

“I think we better go downstairs now,” Fane told her, still trying to get his breathing under control.

Jacquelyn reached up and stroked his face and gently pulled him closer. “Or not,” she said just before she began to kiss him again.

Fane let it go on a moment more before he finally pulled away and stood up, pulling her up at the same time.

“As much as I would love to stay right here with you, love, Jen might come looking for us soon and finally get that show she’s been waiting for,” Fane told her as he winked again.

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“Ugh, fine, have it your way. But you’re the first guy I’ve ever heard of that has walked away from a willing female,” Jacquelyn told him.

Fane pulled her back as she tried to walk past him. “We have plenty of time, meu inim?, and I don’t want a just a willing female, I want my mate bonded to me, wearing my mark.”

“Good grief, and here I thought I was picky,” she teased. “Ok, wolf-man, if we’re going down let’s go. Oh, and I’m not going to be there when you decide to tell my mom you’re staying. I’m going to be conveniently occupied with something that would normally be unimportant but for some reason at that exact moment needs my undivided attention.”

Fane ran a finger across the marks on her neck and Jacquelyn shuddered. “What ever makes you happy, love.”

Jacquelyn rolled her eyes and took his hand as they went to join the others downstairs.

Chapter 23

“Seriously, Sorin, how old are you?” Jacque heard Jen asking him as she and Fane walked into the living room.

“Jen, are you being rude?” Jacque asked her nosy friend.

“Jen rude? Never,” Sally said in mock astonishment.

Sorin was just grinning good-naturedly. “No, I don’t mind her asking. I do, however, ask that you not act too shocked when I do reveal that I am 135 years old.”

Everyone was silent for a few heartbeats, shocked, even though Fane had told them that Canis lupus could live for centuries, hearing it from the mouth of one who had was a little different.

“Shut. Up.” Jen gasped. “What have you been doing for 135 years? Don’t you get bored?”

“Jen, it is not essential to your livelihood to know everything about everyone. You know that, don’t you?” Sally asked her.

“Maybe not, but it does make life more interesting,” Jen told her

Sorin sat listening to the girls banter and when they were finally quiet, he leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “I can’t say that I have. Humans are too interesting to ever get bored. I have enjoyed my long life and see it as a gift. However, I do envy the males of my species who have found their mates. I have been looking for mine all these years. My wolf grows restless, and if I wasn’t so close to Fane and my Alpha, I fear I might have a little pent up aggression.”

“What do you mean if you weren’t close to them?” Sally asked him.

Jacque sat down at one end of the couch and Fane sat on the floor in front of her with his back leaned up against her legs. Sorin looked at Fane as if asking for permission to speak.

Fane spoke instead. “When a wolf lives so many years without his mate, he can become volatile and aggressive. The reason the female Canis lupus are so precious is because they balance the male’s violent nature. They bring peace to the battle that is constantly raging inside the wolf, especially the dominant ones. An Alpha helps keep the wolves under control. He is able to command the wolves in ways others, even dominants, cannot.” Fane looked up at Jacque and the look on his face made her heart ache. She didn’t understand what she did for Fane, but she was grateful it was her and not some other girl.

“So am I, meu inim?,” Fane told her through his thoughts.

Jacque winked at him, loving the way he listened to her, not even minding that he was being nosy.

“Not nosy, just attentive,” he told her.

She slapped his arm. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that if it makes your conscious feel better,” she teased him aloud.

The whole room turned to look at them, obviously confused by the comment from Jacque that made no sense.

“My bad,” she said, looking sheepish.

“Must be nice to be able to talk to each other without anyone else listening to your conversation, which, by the way, would so come in handy in class,” Jen mused.

“Anyway,” Fane continued, “that is what Sorin means when he says it helps when he is around me or my father. I am not the Alpha yet, but his wolf recognizes that I am next in line to be Alpha, so I am able to control his wolf.”

“I’m sorry that you haven’t found your mate, Sorin. It seems so unfair that Fane has found his when he is so young,” Jacque told him as she absentmindedly traced the marks on Fane’s neck.

Finally, when nobody had said anything for several minutes, Lilly stood up and suggested everyone pile into the kitchen and help make breakfast.

“Might as well. Don’t want the wolves to get hungry,” Jen said, laughing.

“You crack yourself up, don’t you?” Jacque asked.

“Quite often, actually,” Jen responded.

After everyone had eaten breakfast, Fane asked Lilly if he could speak with her. Before her mom could drag her into it, Jacque grabbed her two friends and headed up to her room.

“What was all that about?” Sally was confused.

“Fane is going to tell, not ask, my mother that he is staying in our home.”

“Does he know your mom will chew him up and spit him out, werewolf or not?” Jen asked.

“I told him I would take no part in it, but he said my safety came before him trying to appease her, and that he wouldn't trust anyone else to keep me safe,” Jacque explained.

“Well, maybe he’s itching for a good fight after not being able to beat the crap out of that psycho wolf today,” Sally said.

“Yeah, that or he’s just delusional that being a prince or Alpha or whatever is going to have some bearing on what Lilly will allow. HA! Yeah right,” Jen said with a smirk.

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Jacque felt a little nervous and was beginning to wonder if she should have stayed with Fane to at least help smooth things over. Naw, she thought, he’s a big boy, he can take care of himself.

“I heard that, Luna,” she heard Fane tell her.

Jacque couldn’t suppress a giggle. She was always caught off guard when he responded to one of her thoughts, especially when she wasn’t thinking it to him. She didn’t like to think about the fact that she had access to his thoughts, it just felt weird to think about intruding.

“Intrude away, love. I have nothing to hide from you.”

“Yeah, wolf-man, that’s what worries me.” She sent him the thought and heard him chuckle in response.

Sally and Jen were lying on Jacque’s floor, going through her CDs when she heard her mother yell her name.

“The stuff is going to hit the proverbial fan,” Sally said.

“If I’m not back in ten minutes, come looking for my body please.” Jacque was only half joking. Lilly could have a pretty hot temper when she got upset or was pushed in a direction she was not really ready to go.

Jacque made her way to the dining room where she found Fane and her mom seated at the table.

“So what’s up?” Jacque asked her mom innocently.

“Fane has just informed me that he plans to stay here until after the challenge. I wanted to know what you thought about that,” Lilly told her.

Jacque was a little surprised by her mom’s words and it took her a moment to formulate an answer.

“You...what...I…” Jacque tried to spit it out, but it just wasn’t happening.

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

“I’m just a little confused. I thought you would be mad that he wanted to stay here,” Jacque explained.

“I want you safe. I may be a stubborn woman, but I'm not a stupid one. Are you okay with him staying here?”

Jacque glanced at Fane and had to look away when he winked at her. She wanted to say, 'of course I'm okay with it, duh! Who wouldn’t be ok with a major hottie with a Romanian accent staying at their house?', but she didn’t.

“I’m ok with it if you are,” she answered nonchalantly.

“Alright, then. I guess that’s settled,” Lilly said, then turned to Fane, “Lay a paw on my little girl and you will be a three legged Lassie, got it?”

Fane winced and asked, “You both do realize I’m a wolf not a dog, right?”

Lilly shrugged and stood up to give Jacque a hug.

“I’ve got to go to the bookstore and do some work. I’m not sure when I will be home so you'll have to fend for yourselves when it comes to dinner.”

“Lilly, please allow Sorin to accompany you. I do not like the idea of you out alone,” Fane told her

“I'll be fine. No one is going to mess with me in such a public place,” Lilly answered

“Maybe, maybe not. All the same, I want Sorin to go with you.” Fane’s tone said the discussion was over. It was really weird to hear a seventeen year old guy talk with such authority, yet it seemed so natural coming from Fane.

Sorin appeared in the entryway to the dining room. He turned his head slightly away from Fane, exposing his neck, and waited for Fane to tell him what he wanted.

“Sorin, please accompany Lilly while she works. I don’t want her out alone with everything that is going on. I wouldn’t put it past Lucas to do something stupid like snatch Lilly in order to get Jacquelyn to cooperate,” Fane told him.

Jacque hadn’t even considered something like that. Man, her life had turned into a movie, she could probably sell it to HBO and make a fortune. She would have to consider that once all this was done.

“HBO? What is that?” Fane asked her.

“You really are just as nosy as Jen, aren’t you?” Jacque asked him back

Fane turned to look at her and shrugged his shoulders, continuing to wait for her answer. Jacque let out a breath and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, good grief. It’s a television station. I’m thinking I could make a killing selling my story to them for a mini-series or something.”

Lilly just laughed and shook her head as she walked out of the dining room with Sorin on her heels.

Jacque and Fane were left in the dining room staring at each other. After a few moments, Jacque began to feel self conscious and turned to go back up to her room.

“Hey, where are you going?” Fane asked as he reached for her arm.

“I was going to go back up to my room to see what the girls are doing. Why? Where are you going?”

“I guess I need to come up with something to tell the Henrys as to why I am going to be staying over here all the time,” Fane told her.

“You could tell them the truth. You never know, they may take it really well.”

“I’m not sure what else I can tell them. Nothing else makes sense,” Fane explained.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Jacque asked him.

Fane looked surprised by the question. “You would do that for me?”

“Well, I do have some con***ions, of course,” Jacque teased.

“Really, and what might those be?” Fane asked her flirtatiously.

“I want Jen and Sally at the bonding ceremony thingy,” Jacque blurted out.

“Is that all?” Fane asked, surprised.

“Give me time. I’ll think of more, but for now that will do.”

“Done,” Fane answered.

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“Let me run up and tell Jen and Sally that we're going over there.”

Thirty minutes later, Fane and Jacque were sitting in the Henrys' living room across from Sara and Brian. Both looked a little shell-shocked by what Fane had just told them. Fane wasn’t talking now, he was just letting it sink in.

“Sara, Brian,” Jacque spoke gently, “are you okay?”

Sara looked at Jacque as if she just realized she was in the room.

“Are you okay?” Sara turned the question on Jacque. “I mean, you’re his mate, right? Are you okay with that?”

“I’m great with it. I mean, I’m still a little shocked and it does seem very surreal but other than that, I’m rosy,” Jacque told her.

Brian still hadn't said anything and Jacque was beginning to wonder if he was going to be able to process this without freaking out. Then he surprised her by saying, “I knew there was something different, something special about you, Fane. I’m not saying I understand all of this, but I trust you, and I want Jacque and Lilly safe from whatever's going on. We believe you and support you.”

“I truly appreciate your trust. I am going to try to limit my time here because I don’t want to give Lucas a reason to use you against us. Please stay alert for anything odd or out of place,” Fane told them.

“We can take care of ourselves, you just worry about what it is you need to take care of. You said your father is coming to help?” Brian asked.

“Yes, my father is coming and so is my mother, but they will only be here to keep the challenge fair. My father is a very, very strong Alpha and there are few who would dare to challenge or defy him.”

Jacque stood up, went over to Sara and hugged her, then Brian. “Thank you guys for being so awesome,” she told them.

“Yes, I have to agree with Jacquelyn. You both are very awesome,” Fane said, shaking Brian’s hand and hugging Sara as well.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent with Fane, Jacque, Jen, and Sally all hanging out in Jacque’s room. Occasionally they would talk about the whole challenge thing, but mostly they just quizzed Fane on all things Romanian. They asked him what different words were in Romanian. Jen wanted to know how to curse in Romanian, go figure. He told them about the folklore of werewolves and vampires. Jacque steered the conversation quickly away from that because she didn’t really want to know if vampires were real. She was just coming to terms with werewolves, and there was no need to overwhelm her already wavering sanity.

Fane was a good sport, even when Jen tried to ask about Fane’s personal dating experiences and the like. He just winked at her and politely said, “A prince doesn’t kiss and tell, love.”

Of course, the wink nearly made Jen hyperventilate, so it was only fair for Jacque to slap Fane on the arm for nearly making her friend pass out because he was so freaking hot.

“I don’t understand why you’re hitting me, Luna. She is the one who asked about my previous experience with girls,” Fane defended.

“I’m hitting you because you flirted with her and nearly killed her. Do you even realize how drool-worthy you are?” Jacque asked him.

Fane ****ed his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “Drool-worthy? What does this mean?”

“What it means, Romeo, is that when you walk into a room every chick there forgets she is with the guy standing right next to her and wishes she was with you,” Sally piped in.

“Exactly. Well put, Watson,” Jacque told Sally.

“That’s what I’m here for, Sherlock,” she responded.

Jacque looked over at Jen to see if she had recovered from her swooning. Jen was lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, staring dreamily at Fane. Sally followed Jacquelyn’s line of sight, then slapped Jen on the butt.

“OW!” Jen yelped. “What the hell, chicka?” She glared at Sally.

“I was thinking maybe we should go see what we can round up for dinner,” Sally said, looking at her phone to check the time. “It’s already five fifteen, and you know how you get if you go too long without eating, Jen.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just call it what it is. You want to give Simba and Nala here a little privacy. It’s all good,” Jen said as she followed Sally out of earshot.

Jacque shouted, “He’s a wolf, you nymphomaniac freak, not a lion.”

She heard Sally and Jen laugh as they descended the stairs.

Chapter 24

Fane looked over at Jacquelyn, who was on her bed, still grinning over the Lion King reference Jen had made. Fane was so thankful that she had friends with such great sense of humor. Laughing could get you through a lot.

“How are you doing, Luna?” Fane asked her.

Jacque looked at him and smiled sweetly. “I’m doing. How are you?”

“I’d be better if you were closer to me,” Fane told her with unabashed honesty.

“Where did all this boldness come from?” she asked him with a grin.

“When I realized I could lose you at any moment, I decided I wouldn’t waste any time I have with you. And seeing as how I love being close to you, touching you, I feel it’s a major waste when you aren’t next to me,” he explained, making it sound like such a logical answer.

“Oh. Well in that case,” Jacquelyn paused as if to think about it, “naw. I’m too comfortable to move.”

Fane laughed, caught off guard once again. He stood up and walked over to her, sitting down next to her. He placed his hand on her back and rubbed in circles, just enjoying her nearness.

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“Keep that up and I’m gonna be sound asleep,” Jacquelyn told him with a sigh.

“I will rub your back for you every night if you like, my Luna.”

“What does Luna mean?” Jacquelyn asked, not for the first time.

“It means 'moon' in Romanian,” Fane answered.

“And why exactly do you have a pet name for me that refers to a big, round space crater?” Jacquelyn asked skeptically.

“It is an honor to be called Luna, and only an Alpha female earns that title.”

“There’s just a small problem with that, you know. Just a minor little thing, really…” Jacquelyn paused. “I’m not an Alpha female, Fane.”

“Aw, love. But you will be once we are bonded,” Fane pointed out.

Fane didn’t get a response from her after that. He continued to rub her back and listen to the hum of the fan motor. He was trying very hard not to intrude on her thoughts; he wanted her to share with him without him having to fish it out of her brain.

“So, why is it an honor to be called Luna?” she finally asked.

“Because the moon influences many things on this earth. For instance, the moon controls when the tide rises and falls, and you, as the Alpha female, will have great influence on your mate and the Pack. No other female has the influence you will have. So when I call you Luna, I am telling you I recognize how important you are.”

Jacquelyn just stared at Fane for a few breaths. “Wow, I was thinking you were gonna say something about how like the moon I light up the darkness in your life, yada yada. You know, something sappy.”

“I could say something sappy if you want,” Fane told her, knowing she would really rather him not.

“No, no. I’m good with what you gave me. I don’t see how I could possibly be all that influential, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“You will see. One day, probably sooner than you think, you will understand how the Alpha female is like the moon,” Fane said as he continued to rub her back.

After a while, Fane decided sitting up was no longer comfortable and laid down next to Jacquelyn on her bed. His position was such that he was looking right at Jacquelyn’s face. She'd fallen asleep during their silence and Fane was just content to watch her sleep. He hadn’t realized how tired he was from worrying about Jacquelyn all night, and found himself drifting off as well.

Fane woke with a start, blinking rapidly to clear his sleepy eyes. He realized the room was dark. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to see what time it was – eight pm. He looked over at Jacquelyn and realized that she was no longer there. He put his hand on the spot where she'd been and felt that it was still a little warm. She'd not been up long. He drew on his wolf hearing to listen to the house and realized it was silent. There was no need to panic, he knew that, but he still didn’t like that fact that there were three teenage girls who were supposed to be in the house, yet it was quiet. His mind reflexively sought her out.

“You do have a good reason as to why you are not in this house, right Luna?”

Fane could feel her blocking him from her thoughts, which meant she was up to no good. Why was he not surprised?

“Why on earth would you think I was up to no good?”

Fane grinned at her false innocence.

“Where are you, love, and what mischief have you and your sidekicks gotten into?” Fane asked.

Fane could tell by her silence that he wasn’t going to like what they were up to.

“We were bored so we climbed up on the roof to look at the stars. See, it’s not that bad,” Jacquelyn responded.

Fane let out a slow breath, trying to control the strong protective instincts that were a part of his genetic makeup. He knew that she was fine, but all he could think about was if she slipped and fell. What would he do if something happened to her? Get a grip, Fane, he told himself. You can’t put her in a bubble.

“No, you can’t put me in a bubble, but because I know it will make you feel better I'll come in from the roof. See? I can be reasonable…but don’t always count on it,” Jacquelyn teased him.

“Thank you, Jacquelyn, you are right. It will make me feel much better if you would come back in.” Fane was so thankful that his mate cared about his feelings and concerns. He knew that she didn't know it yet, but those qualities would be a treasure to an Alpha who would often feel as if he were bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Fane got up from the bed and headed downstairs to see if he could find something to eat – he was hungry and his wolf was hungrier. He managed to find some bread and lunch meat and put together a decent sandwich. He was in the kitchen eating when he heard an ear-splitting scream.

Fane dropped his sandwich and took off toward the front door. He threw it open and was instantly hit with the unmistakable smell of Canis lupus. His lips pulled back in a snarl as a low growl began to build in his throat. Fane’s wolf pushed to be let out, his mate was in danger and he wanted blood.

“Jacquelyn, where are you? Are you alright?” Fane sent her the thought.

For a moment there was no response and it was enough to cause Fane’s hold on his wolf to waiver. His eyes phased, he could feel the rest of his body shaking with the need to.

“I’m ok, just in shock. We’re in the backyard. Please come,” Jacquelyn told him.

Even though she said she was okay, he could tell she was scared. Fane ran around the side of the house and came to an abrupt stop. Fane now understood why they'd screamed. About ten feet from Jacquelyn’s back door were four dead animals. Fane walked to where the three girls stood. He stepped in front of Jacquelyn and placed his hands on either side of her face and made her look at him.

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“Are you alright? Was there anyone out here when you screamed?” he asked her.

“There was no one out here. We had climbed down from the roof and were fixing to go in the house when we noticed a shadow on the ground. We came over to investigate and we saw those,” she said, pointing at the bodies on the ground.

Fane looked over at Sally and Jen and saw that they were both just staring at the animals. “Are you two okay?” he asked them.

Jen slowly turned her head to look at him. “Is it just me,” she asked, “or are there really four dead animals in Jacque’s backyard?”

Fane stepped away from Jacquelyn and walked over to inspect the animals. He noticed right away that there were no bullet wounds or arrow piercings. There were, however, tears in the animals’ jugulars. These four had been killed by wolves, and they were all clean kills, there was no damage to the rest of their bodies. He noted that they were laid out in order of size, smallest to largest. The first was a rabbit, next a fox, then a small doe, and last a large buck deer. Fane let out another low growl. Jacquelyn walked up to him and placed her hand on his arm and it was enough to calm him.

“This is no threat. It is an offering, and a demonstration,” he answered.

“Offering for what? And to demonstrate what, exactly?” Sally asked.

“Lucas is offering Jacquelyn kills from his hunt, a peace offering of sorts. He is also demonstrating his ability to provide for her and the pack. He wants her to know that he is able to take care of her should she become his mate. It is a wolf thing, so to speak,” Fane explained.

“Okay, first of all, EWW!” Jacquelyn started. “Second, why in Sam Hill would I want four carcasses laying in my backyard, and three, what the hell am I supposed to do with them?”

“I’m thinking bonfire,” Jen said.

“Huh-uh, nope. That would stink,” Sally responded.

Fane pulled out his phone and dialed Sorin’s number. Sorin picked up on the first ring.

“Da,” Sorin answered.

“Am si eu ceva am nevoie de tine sa faca (I have something I need you to do),” Fane told him.

A few moments later he put his phone away having explained to Sorin that he wanted him to take the four animals over to the car dealership where he had purchased his motorcycle and put them out front. After a brief silence, he pulled his phone out again and dialed another number.

“Da?” Fane heard, as his Alpha answered the phone.

“Unde e?ti tu (where are you),” Fane asked him.

“Your mother and I have just landed in Newark and are boarding the plane to come to Houston. It’s a little less than four hours from here to there. How far is Coldspring from Houston?” his father asked.

“It’s fifty five miles, so a little less than hour,” Fane answered.

“We should arrive at Jacquelyn’s between one thirty and two am, then. What has happened?” Fane’s father asked, concern lacing his tone.

“The Alpha Lucas Steele broke the challenge rules by harming Jacquelyn. Sorin stopped me from killing him and now he has left four dead animals in Jacquelyn’s yard.”

Fane heard his father growl. “How did he harm your mate?”

“I wasn’t there to protect her,” Fane told him with obvious shame in his voice. “He saw the markings on Jacquelyn’s back and neck. He got angry and grabbed her arms and gripped her hard enough to leave bruises on both arms. Imi pare rau am ratat ai, tatalui (I am sorry I failed you, father).

“Tacerea (silence). You have not failed me, son. You had no choice but to honor the rules of the challenge. You don’t have time *****lk over what has happened, do you hear me?”

Fane took a deep breath. He knew this is what he needed to hear and was thankful that he'd decided to call his father.

“I hear you, Alpha,” Fane answered.

“You have a fight to prepare for and a mate to protect. What has happened is past. Take whatever anger you have over this and use it to fuel you during the challenge, but do not dwell on it.”

“Thank you, Tata (father). I will see you soon.” Fane ended the call.

Fane took Jacquelyn’s hand to lead her back into the house. “Ladies, I don’t think our furry friends need an audience any longer,” he said as he held the back door open for them.

Without saying anything to each other and without any conscious choice, they all went and sat in the living room. Jen and Sally each took an end of the couch while Jacquelyn and Fane sat on the loveseat. Fane was absently tracing the markings on Jacquelyn’s neck.

Sally finally broke the silence. “So what now?” She directed the question to Fane.

Fane was staring at Jacquelyn and had to pull his gaze away to look at Sally.

“My father and mother will be here around one thirty or two. Tomorrow he will call Lucas to make him aware of his arrival, and then they will set the time and place for the challenge,” Fane explained.

“Are you nervous?” Jen asked him.

Fane felt Jacquelyn tense at the question, the anxiety came off her in waves.

“Inima mea, va rog sa nu faceti griji. (My heart, please do not worry),” Fane thought to her.

“I have no idea what you just said, but I have a feeling you are telling me to chill out. Am I right?” she asked him.

“I didn’t exactly put it like that. What I said was, 'my heart, please do not worry'.”

Turning to look at Fane, Jacquelyn said, “How can you tell me that? You're going to fight another wolf to the death and you tell me not to worry. Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”

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“Jacquelyn, I am not without defenses. I am from a strong bloodline, I am a dominant and I stand to be Alpha to the largest pack of Greys in the world. All of these things make me stronger and I have found my mate. Please, love. I don’t want you to be upset,” Fane implored her.

Jacquelyn didn’t say anything, just stood with her back to Fane, head down, looking utterly defeated. It broke Fane’s heart.

“I think a hot bath is in order. What do you think, Sal? Hot bath for the wolf princess?” Jen posed to Sally with a look that said 'get up off your butt.'

Sally was a quick study. “Yep, most definitely. Hot bath is just what the doctor ordered…or something like that.”

Fane watched helplessly as the two girls took his defeated and worried mate upstairs, away from him. His wolf was protesting, and so was the man. We should be the one comforting her, she is ours to protect and love. Fane began to step toward them, but stopped when Jen pierced him with a stare and gave a shake of her head that was most definitely a command for him to back off. He couldn’t help the growl he let out.

“Don’t you growl at me, White Fang, I’ll have you neutered and de-clawed so fast you won’t know what hit you,” Jen retorted.

Fang ****ed his head to the side and then shrugged his shoulders. “At least you got the species right.”

Fane let the girls go without further protest and sat back down on the loveseat. He let out a deep breath and laid his head back. He was tired, and to his chagrin he was worried. Not worried about winning the challenge, he felt confident he could beat Lucas. No, he wasn’t worried about that. He was worried about Jacquelyn wanting to watch. He was sure that she had no idea just how messy it would get and he knew it would scare and anger her. He was learning that when his Luna was angry she tended to be impulsive. His only consolation was that his mother would be there to keep Jacquelyn from doing anything that would put her in harm's way. The thought of something happening to her caused him to be short of breath, like maybe he was having a panic attack. Okay, Fane, get a grip, he told himself.

After several more deep breaths he was beginning to calm down. He closed his eyes and tried very hard not to slip into Jacquelyn’s mind to see if she was okay. It took all of the manners his mother had beat into him not to listen to her thoughts. Instead he laid there, humming the tune of one of his favorite artists. Believe it or not Fane, a Romanian, was a Willie Nelson fan. Who knew? It was a song that he wanted to share with Jacquelyn because it described so well how he felt. Soon, he thought. Not tonight. Tonight she didn’t want to be with him, but soon.

Chapter 25

Jacque lay in the tub her two best friends had filled with hot water and bubble bath. She felt bad for walking out on Fane like she did, but she was hurt, scared, and worried. No amount of telling her she shouldn’t worry was going to make it better. Tears ran down her cheeks as she imagined all the horrific possibilities of what could happen at the challenge. He expects me not to worry. As if, she thought.

She stayed in the tub until the water became cool. As she dressed and combed through her curls, she was trying to decide if she should go to Fane or just go to bed. If she were honest with herself, she would do what every bit of her was craving to do. To crawl up in his lap and let him hold her, to spend as much time with him as possible. It really truly was a no brainer, as much as she loved Jen and Sally, a hot Romanian prince and, as fate would have it, her soul mate was waiting for her. She knew what Jen would say, something along the lines of, “If you don’t go to him, you better believe I will.” Yep, mm-hmm, that’s what she would say. Okay, decision made. She winked at herself in the mirror as she turned to leave the bathroom.

Before she went down to Fane, Jacque stuck her head in the door of her bedroom to tell Sally and Jen thank you and let them know she would be downstairs. But before she could even open her mouth to speak, they were already answering her unspoken thoughts.

“You’re welcome, we love you, you love us, we’re the best friends ever, and all that sap,” Jen said without looking up from the magazine she was flipping through.

“Yes, we’re okay if you go down to Fane. No, it won’t hurt our feelings, and we all know if you don’t, Jen will,” Sally said with a wink.

“True dat,” Jen threw in there for good measure.

“Ok, you two are the best friends ever. I mean that. I’ll be back in a little while,” Jacque started.

“Don’t hurry on our account. You know we'll want details, and if you come back up here with nothing juicy, I might just throw you out the window. Any questions?” Jen said, again without looking up.

“You haven’t looked into that medicine we’ve talked about, have you?” Sally asked her sarcastically.

“Details, ok. Got it,” Jacque said as she turned to go.

As she got to the top of the stairs and began to descend, she heard Jen yell, “Don’t think I won’t know if you’re lying. I know how many bases you’ve been on, you red-headed puritan. I will be able to tell fact from fiction.”

“Oh, shut up already,” Sally scolded.

Jacque laughed and shook her head. She knew that what Jen was really trying to do was lighten the mood. Jen knew how hot-headed Jacque could be, and if she went to Fane already upset it would be hard for her to calm down and be reasonable. Being reasonable just wasn’t one of her stronger attributes, much to Jacque's frustration.

As she walked into the living room, she saw that Fane was still sitting on the loveseat. His arms were stretched out on the back of the seat, and his head was resting back. His eyes were closed and because his breathing was so slow and even, it was hard to tell if he was awake.