by Quinn Loftis
Jacque shivered at his words. “Oh goody,” she responded sarcastically.
Hey, what else would he expect from her? Sarcasm was her specialty.
Jacque went to her window and sat in the seat, staring out at the street. She was waiting for Fane to leave her house, so she could watch him walk across the street. Yep, she had it bad. She saw Sorin step out and then Fane. Sorin hugged Fane again. Man, they really are a touchy bunch, aren’t they, she thought. They talked for a few minutes. When they finally parted, Sorin positioned himself directly in front of Fane, put his hand over his heart, bowed slightly, and turned his head to expose his neck. The only response from Fane to acknowledge Sorin’s obvious submission was a curt nod. Then Sorin turned and walked back into Jacque’s house.
Before Fane turned away to walk back to the Henrys' house, he looked up at her window. At first Jacque wanted to duck away, embarrassed at being caught watching him…again. Then she figured, What the hey, how often do I get to hanker after hot Romanians?
“I would hope you don’t hanker after any other. Romanian, hot, or otherwise.… Luna, what does that even mean?” Fane sent her his thoughts.
“You’re really going to have to invest in a good dictionary and thesaurus. You know that, right?” Jacque responded.
She watched as he blew her a kiss and couldn’t help thinking how much she would rather have her lips on the receiving end of that kiss instead of his hand. She felt her neck tingle at the thought of his lips, and was telling herself to get a grip when she realized Fane hadn’t told her something. Jacque jerked her window up and leaned out.
“Fane, you conveniently forgot to tell me how I take your blood,” Jacque told him.
“I didn’t forget, I thought that would be obvious, love,” Fane told her. “You get to bite me back.” Fane winked at her, grinned, then turned to walk back to the Henrys'.
“If you don’t want to bite him, I will.”
Jacque turned to see Sally and Jen standing in her doorway. Sally lifted her right hand, which held a coffee mug. “Hot chocolate?” she asked.
“You better believe it,” was all Jacque said.
Chapter 20
Fane was smiling to himself as he walked across the street toward the Henrys' house. He hadn’t forgotten to tell Jacquelyn that she would have to bite him, he had just been waiting for the right moment. He was quickly learning that his Luna was unpredictable. He didn’t know if she would be happy about getting revenge over him biting her, or if the idea of having to bite him hard enough to draw blood would be the shove that pushed her over the edge. To his relief, she didn’t freak out…yet. She simply looked confused. He figured it would sink in in a little while and she would contact him later tonight.
Fane made it into the kitchen and then halfway up the stairs before he ran into Brian. “How was the date?” Brian asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“It was good. Jacquelyn is a wonderful girl,” Fane answered.
“So you gonna take her out again?”
“I hope so. I didn’t ask her tonight. I didn’t want to come across as obsessive or anything,” Fane told him and chuckled to himself. He knew he was beyond obsessed but, then again, she wasn’t just a girl he liked, she wasn’t just a crush, so honestly he was being pretty reasonable about the whole situation. Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Fane thought.
“Oh, you had a phone call while you were out,” Brian told him.
“A phone call? Was it from my parents?” Fane asked.
“No, it was from Steven, the salesman from the dealership. He asked that you call him back tonight, that it was very important. I wrote his number down and taped it do your door.”
“Ok, thank you,” Fane replied absentmindedly as he continued on up the stairs.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Brian called to him.
“Yeah, see you,” was all Fane said.
When Fane made it to his bedroom, he saw the note Brian had taped to the door. He pulled it off and pushed the door open, closing it behind him.
For a moment he just stared at the piece of paper, not really sure if he should call his Alpha first. He decided he should call Steve first – then he could tell his father about everything.
He picked up the phone and dialed the number Brian had written on the paper. He listened to it ring four times before someone finally answered.
“Hello,” the voice said.
“I’m calling to speak with Steve, please,” Fane said politely.
“Hold please,” Fane was told. Fane waited for several minutes before another voice came on the line. He was trying hard not to think about all the scenarios that could play out under the circumstances, and unfortunately each was no better than the other.
“Is this the pup from Romania?” a deep voice asked.
“If by pup you mean the Romanian Prince of the Canis lupus, then you are correct,” Fane responded already wanting to growl. “To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?” Fane asked.
“My name is Lucas Steele. I am the Alpha of the Coldspring pack. I’m calling to find out why you're still in my territory, as you have not been sanctioned to be here. Not only that, but why are staying across the street from the female I have claimed as my own?” Lucas asked, his voice becoming a growl.
Fane’s eyes began to glow; he felt his canines lengthen and had to close his eyes to gain composure. This mutt had dared to claim Jacquelyn as his. If he came near his mate he would rip his throat out. Once he was calm and able to speak he responded. “There is no record of your pack. Therefore, I do not have to seek permission to be here. As for the female you are referring to, unless you can prove that she is indeed your mate, you have no claim on her.”
Fane heard a low growl on the other end of the phone. He waited for Lucas to respond and for a moment thought that the other wolf was no longer there. Then he heard him speak. “Are you trying to say that you can prove she is your mate?” Lucas asked.
“Da (yes),” was all Fane said in response.
Then he heard Lucas say the very thing Fane had been hoping to avoid.
“Then I challenge you for the bonding ceremony. You know how this works, correct? Even if you do, let me refresh your memory. Whether or not she does carry your marks, she is not bonded to you, and I have the right to challenge you for the bonding ceremony. If I win, this of course means you die, and I will take the female as mate. If you win, well, the outcome is obvious,” Lucas explained.
Fane took a deep breath. His Alpha was going to be livid. Jacquelyn was going to be even angrier when she found out she had to go to Romania. This really was not how Fane had expected to start his senior year in high school. Fane had to buy himself some time in order to get Jacquelyn and her mother out of the country, which meant she would have to go without him. He didn’t like that idea, but he would do whatever he could to keep her safe.
“I can do nothing else but accept. However, I have the right to request my Alpha be present at the challenge to ensure a fair fight, and because he is in Romania, it will take two days for him to get here.”
“I know the rules. You may call your Alpha to come and witness. However, during those two days Jacquelyn,” Lucas paused when he heard Fane snap his teeth together and growl, “will be under house arrest, just in case you were planning on trying to smuggle her out while we're waiting for your Alpha. I will have two guards at her house and you will not be permitted to see her during this time.”
Fane was quickly losing control of his composure, and Lucas Steele finally pushed him over the edge when he told Fane he would be stopping by Jacquelyn’s house the next day to tell her his intentions. Fane’s nails began to sharpen and grow, his face was beginning to lose its human shape as the wolf tried to push himself out. His mate was in danger, another male was attempting to take her from him, and he wanted blood.
“Fane, are you alright? What’s wrong? Something’s wrong so don’t try to tell me it’s not ‘cause I will kick your butt if you lie to me after th
at whole ‘there will be no half truths and lies and blah blah blah,’ so spit it out.” Fane heard Jacquelyn in his thoughts and it calmed the wolf immediately. Fane realized in that moment how precious having a mate was, for only she could tame his wolf.
“I will not tell you that nothing is wrong, Luna, but I cannot tell you what it is at this moment. Please trust me. Give me a few minutes and I will explain,” Fane told her honestly. He knew he was going to have to tell her, especially since this Lucas Steele was going to be coming to her house. At least Sorin was there and would protect her with his life – she was to be his queen one day, she was to be valued above his life.
“Fine, five minutes. Then I want you at my front door to talk to me face to face,” Jacquelyn demanded.
“I will be there,” Fane answered.
Fane hadn’t realized that Lucas was asking him a question since he'd been distracted by his mate’s thoughts.
“Do you understand the terms that I have laid out for you regarding the challenge?”
“I do,” was all Fane said.
“Then I expect to receive a phone call the minute your Alpha is here. My wolves will be at her house in one hour. You have until then to see her. I would advise you to not let my wolves catch you touching her. As you know, while the challenge stands you cannot attempt to bond with her or you forfeit.” The line went dead.
Fane paced around his room, pulling the wolf back. His nails returned to their normal length, his canines receded, and when he looked in the mirror he saw that, although his face had gone back to normal, his eyes still glowed ice-blue. Well, he thought to himself, I think that’s the best I can do. He felt his wolf stir as if to tell him he was lucky that was all that was left of the phase.
Fane had never felt his wolf that angry before. He and his wolf were in agreement that the idea of this other Alpha anywhere near their mate was infuriating. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage not going over there and tearing Lucas Steele in two. He looked at the clock and realized it had been four minutes since he had heard from Jacquelyn and because he wouldn’t put it beyond her to march across the street if he didn’t show up, he decided he’d better get over there.
For the sake of expediency and to keep from bothering Brian and Sara, Fane decided to take the window. Two stories might have been a challenge for a human but for a Grey, jumping was second nature. He leaped to the ground, then set off at a jog across the street to Jacquelyn’s.
When he got there, she was already standing on the porch with a robe wrapped around her, foot tapping, and a look that would make even an Alpha Grey stop in his tracks. She was adorable.
“What the hell was that? Do you make it a habit to jump out of two story structures? Were you thinking, ‘hey the front door is such a typical way to leave a place why not mix it up a bit and fall out of the window instead’?” Jacquelyn fumed.
“Relax, Luna. I didn’t fall, I jumped. Jumping is second nature to me and I chose to do it because I didn’t want to bother Brian or Sara. How are you?”
“How do you think I am?” she asked sarcastically. “Here I am sitting, drinking my hot chocolate, explaining to my two best friends that I have to bite some guy, you know the usual, and BAM.” Jacquelyn clapped her hands together to emphasize her words. “I’m nearly knocked over by a wave of emotion or something,” she finished, sounding less aggressive and wearier than she had when she started.
Fane took her hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed it gently. He felt her shudder in response. He hated that he was causing her distress and hated knowing it was about to get worse. He looked at his watch and realized he only had forty five minutes before Lucas’ wolves arrived.
“I need you to get your mom, love. I will get Sorin,” Fane told her.
“Why? What’s wrong, Fane?” Jacquelyn asked, obvious concern all over her face.
“Let’s get inside and get everyone gathered and I will explain. Bring Jen and Sally also, please,” Fane said as he led her in the house.
“Sorin is in the room down the hall from the kitchen,” Jacquelyn told him.
Fane liked that there was distance between the other wolf and his mate, but the logical part of his brain worried that it was too far for him to be able to protect her effectively.
Fane headed toward Sorin’s room as Jacquelyn headed toward the stairs to get her friends and mother.
Before Fane could even turn the corner to go down the hall toward Sorin’s room, his guard was already there. Sorin exposed his neck in submission to his Prince and asked, “Have you called your father yet?”
“Not yet. I want to talk to Jacquelyn and her mother first and let them know what is going on. The wolf claiming to be Alpha of this territory is sending Greys over here to watch Jacquelyn’s house. I don’t think he is aware that you are here, and we need to keep it that way,” Fane told him.
Fane and Sorin made their way back to the living room and saw that all four ladies were seated on the couch together. Fane wanted to have Jacquelyn sit by him but relinquished the idea, knowing she needed to be close to the people she trusted most.
“I trust you, Fane.” Fane heard Jacquelyn’s thought in his mind. She stood up and came to him. He took her hand and led her to the loveseat where they sat down together. That small act made Fane’s heart swell with love for his mate.
Lilly looked a little sad when she saw her daughter sitting next to Fane, but she quickly shook it off. “Fane, tell us please,” was all Lilly said.
“There is a pack of Greys here in Coldspring and the Alpha, Lucas Steele, has contacted me. He is claiming Jacquelyn as his mate.” Fane couldn’t help the growl that came out as he said this last part.
“The hell I am!” Jacquelyn yelled, abruptly standing. “I don’t even know this crack pot…” She looked at her mom. “Do I?” she asked, sounding less confident.
“No, Jacque,” Lilly answered. “I don’t know him either. Fane, have you seen him?”
“No, I have not met him in person.” Fane turned to Jacquelyn. “You will know him soon enough, meu inimă. He is planning on coming here tomorrow to tell you himself.”
“Just who the hell does this guy think he is? He can’t just march his furry butt up to Jacque's house and if he thinks he can, he has obviously underestimated my ability to go all kung fu on his hide,” Jen ranted.
Fane smiled at her, appreciating her loyalty to his mate.
“Will you be with me?” Jacquelyn asked him, sounding like she already knew the answer.
“No, love, I will not be able to. Lucas has challenged me for bonding ceremony, so I cannot be with you until after the fight. He is allowed to see you one time to let you know of his intentions, and then he is not allowed to see you either,” Fane explained to his mate.
“What do you mean he challenged you for bonding ceremony? What fight?” Jacquelyn asked incredulously.
Fane took her hand and pulled her down next to him. “Because we are not bonded, any male has the right to challenge me to be your mate, even if he is not your true mate. I have no choice but to accept the challenge. What that means, Jacquelyn, is that Lucas and I will fight in our wolf forms. The one left standing will be your mate.”
“When you say, ‘the one left standing,’ you’re saying the one left alive, aren’t you?” she asked him.
“Yes, love. The fight is to the death,” he answered.
Jacquelyn sat quietly for a few moments. Her head was down so he couldn't see her eyes.
“Are you alright?” Fane asked as he placed a hand under her chin and pulled her face up to look at him.
“No, Fane. I am most definitely not alright. I’m freaking out at the moment, if you must know. The idea of bonding or whatever with you was crazy. The idea of bonding with a total stranger, a stranger that happens to be a werewolf, mind you, is beyond my ability to be reasonable about,” Jacquelyn told him.
“I second that motion,” Sally said.
“I third it,” Jen put in.
“You can’t third something you dork, you just say 'aye' to show you are in agreement,” Sally informed her.
Jen just stuck her tongue out at Sally and ignored her comment.
“You aren’t going to be bonding with anyone but me!” he growled.
“Yeah, yeah, beat your chest if you need to while you’re at it, Tarzan,” Jacquelyn said sarcastically.
“I’ve requested my Alpha be present at the fight. It will take two days for him to arrive. I was going to try and have Sorin smuggle you and your mom out of the country, but Lucas suspected as much and is putting your house under watch by his wolves. However, he is not aware that Sorin is staying here, so that is to our benefit. Should I lose…”
“You will NOT lose!” Jacquelyn said firmly.
Fane continued as if she had not spoken. “Sorin will get you and your mom to safety. You must promise me, Luna, that you will go with him and let my Pack keep you safe.”
“I will make no such promise because nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, is going to happen to you. If you get as much as a scratch on your handsome face I’m going to kick your werewolf a-” before Jacquelyn could finish Fane had his mouth on hers, kissing her firmly.
“Finally, I get some action!” Jen exclaimed.
When Fane finally pulled back from Jacquelyn, she looked a little dazed. She quickly recovered, however. “You just kissed me,” she said, her words full of confusion.
“I did, love,” Fane responded with a sly grin.
“In front of my mom!” Jacquelyn said, clearly embarrassed.
“And Sorin and your friends as well,” Fane pointed out, sounding smug.
“Don’t be a smart ass,” Jacquelyn told him.
Fane stood up and, looking at his watch, realized he only had ten minutes left with his mate. It infuriated him that he had to obey the rules of the challenge, but if he didn't he could wind up having to forfeit and lose her. The thought made his heart hurt. He pulled her up off the loveseat to him, and again not caring of their audience, kissed her like it might be their last. He held her face tenderly in his hands and tried to memorize her features, how soft her skin was. He pulled back abruptly and turned away, overwhelmed with such strong emotions he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to crush something; he wanted blood, the blood of the one who dared to take his mate. He was breathing hard and his eyes were glowing when Jacquelyn spoke.
