by Quinn Loftis
Jacque just stood there, staring at Alina in total disbelief. She felt completely blindsided. Why hadn’t Fane said anything to her? How could she possibly leave her life here? Would her friends parents even consider allowing them to go with her?
“Fane is so busted,” Jacque said aloud, although really only saying it to herself.
“Is everything okay, Luna?” she heard Fane ask.
“You have been holding out on me. And just to prepare you, it might be wise of you to get anything I could use as a weapon as far from me as possible,” Jacque told him.
Fane did not respond to the thought. She was already getting angrier because she knew he wasn’t going to argue with her, that he would surrender. She wanted a good argument. She needed to vent her own frustrations at the injustice of it all.
“Jacque, are you okay?” Alina asked her.
“Not real sure just yet, but I’m not going to have a melt down or anything,” she answered.
“I think we should head back now. It’s nearing lunch time, and I’m sure Fane is probably edgy with you not in his sight,” Alina told her.
“Right now it might be a good thing that I’m not in his sight,” Jacque muttered under her breath.
Chapter 28
Fane knew he was in trouble for not telling Jacquelyn that she would need to move to Romania after the bonding, but there were so many changes happening all at once, he hadn’t wanted to throw more at her. Obviously he had been wrong not to tell her. Man, this whole mate thing is difficult. Even if they were meant to be together, apparently that did not mean things would be smooth. Although he would still rather have her, even if she was mad at him, than not have her at all. She was actually pretty cute when she was mad. Hopefully he could smooth things out when they talked tonight.
Fane’s father had talked to Lucas Steele and set up the time and location for the challenge. Lucas had asked several times if Jacquelyn was going to be there and that had set Fane and his wolf on edge. He also had the nerve to ask if she received his offering. This caused Fane to let out a ferocious growl, and his Alpha chastised him for it. “You never lose control. It gives the other wolf the upper hand,” he told Fane.
Fane had to step outside to calm down and his father had followed him out. At first his Alpha didn’t say anything to him, he just let him wrestle with his emotions. But then he spoke.
“Some of the intensity of your emotions is because the bond is not complete. Once it is, you will have much more control. Until then you are going to have to reign it in. Tomorrow during the challenge, if you lose control you will not be able to think clearly. The rage will fog your brain and that will slow your movements. You have to separate your emotions from your fighting. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” Vasile asked.
“Yes, but it’s easier said than done. I will try.” Fane lowered his head and in a very soft voice, told his father, “I’m afraid. Does that make me weak?”
Vasile went to his son and wrapped him in a tight hug, like he used to when Fane was a pup.
“That you are able to admit your fears shows how strong you are. Only a fool pretends not to fear difficult and frightening things. I am Alpha of the Romanian pack, the largest Canis lupus pack in the world, yet I am afraid too. All will be well, Fane. You are strong and able, you have trained all your life to fight in both of your forms. You will win, you will be bonded with Jacquelyn, and one day you will be Alpha,” he told Fane with complete confidence.
Fane took in the comfort that came from having his Alpha hug him, pouring his power over him. For wolves, touch was a major part of their comfort, and he appreciated his father’s willingness to give him such a gift.
As Vasile pulled away from Fane, they both turned toward the sound of a door opening.
“Sounds like your mother and Jacquelyn are back. Let’s go fill them in on what is planned for tomorrow,” Vasile told him.
Fane hesitated, he couldn’t believe it but he was actually nervous about seeing Jacquelyn. He knew she was upset with him and he felt ashamed that he had withheld information. Okay, more than that, very important information from her.
“Is something wrong, Fane?” his father asked.
“While Jacquelyn and mom were out, she learned about having to move to Romania,” Fane explained.
“Ahh,” Vasile said in understanding. “You did not tell her yourself, and now she is upset with you. Rightfully so, I might add. You know that there should be no secrets between mates.”
“I was trying to spare her any further stress, at least until the challenge is over. I wasn’t trying to be deceitful, but I see now I should have put more faith in her ability to handle it,” Fane admitted.
“You will learn, son. Granted, you may fail a lot in the process and even spend nights in, as the Americans say, the dog house, nonetheless you will learn,” his father told him, patting him on the back.
“Come, let’s go face the wrath of your little fire. Once she gets it out of her system she will feel better.”
Fane walked cautiously into the living room, feeling like prey, which was a really weird feeling since he was a predator. He didn’t like it at all. Jacquelyn was seated in the ugly chair, as he had heard her think of it. That told him that she didn’t want him sitting by her. He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. As if she felt his presence, she looked directly into his eyes and that look pierced him to his soul. She was his…and she was angry. In fact, if it were possible, he imagined steam would be coming off those red curls. Before he could go to her, Jen walked right into his line of vision. She didn’t look too happy either.
“A word, fur ball,” was all Jen said as she turned to walk into the dining room. Obviously she expected him to follow.
Once in the dining room she pinned him with a stare equal to the one Jacquelyn had already given him.
“I’m going to say this one time, and only once. It would be very wise of you to listen up. If there is anything, and I mean anything, even if it’s something like you have an extra toe or whatever, anything at all you are not telling Jacque, you had better come clean. What you did was so, so, so not cool. Do you get that? You have walked into her world and pulled the proverbial rug out from underneath her feet. She deserves to know the truth about everything. If there is some weird mating ritual, then I’m giving you fair warning, ‘cause in case you haven’t noticed, she’s a little touchy about the whole physical part of a relationship. If you don’t tell her now, you’re liable to end up as a rug in front of her fireplace. Are we clear, Cujo?” Jen asked.
“Very, very clear. I didn’t mean to hurt her,” Fane started to say.
Jen held her hand up to silence him. “Save it, flea bag. I’m not the one you have to convince. You make Jacque happy, that makes Sally and me happy.”
“Jen, are you done laying down the law with my mate yet?” they both heard Jacquelyn ask.
“I suppose I’m finished,” Jen said as she turned to go. But before she was out of the dining room, she added, “For now.”
Fane watched Jen walk out of the room, thankful that she had not lived up to her reputation of inflicting pain. When she was no longer in sight, he turned to look at Jacquelyn. She was leaning against the wall, arms folded across her chest. Her glare wasn’t quite as harsh as when she was sitting in the chair, but it was a glare nonetheless.
“Jacquelyn,” Fane started, but Jacquelyn shook her head.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. I want to get something to eat, I want to get away from those wolves that just came into my living room, and I want to go lie in my bed and brood. So whatever you have on the tip of your tongue, just save it.”
Fane had been so engrossed in his conversation – well, his scolding – with Jen that he had not heard or smelled the other wolves come in. He growled as his eyes phased to his wolf sight.
“I understand,” Fane began. Again, Jacquelyn tried to silence him, but this time he would not submit. “No, Jacquelyn, you are goin
g to listen to what I have to say.” Jacquelyn’s head snapped up at the tone in Fane’s voice. He tried to soften it but by the look on her face he was unsuccessful. “I understand you are mad at me, and rightfully so, but for the moment I need you to please trust me and do as I say. We are going to go in the kitchen and get something to eat and then we are going to go up to your room. If you don’t want me in the room with you that is fine, I will sit in the hall. As long as the other wolves are in the house you will be close to me,” he finished with a low growl.
Jacquelyn took in a sharp breath when she finally noticed that his eyes had phased. She walked over to him and took his hand and place it against her cheek. She closed her eyes, pressing her face against the palm of his hand, and whispered, “Yours.”
Fane leaned down and blew warm air on her neck, putting his scent on her. Then he kissed her lips softly. “I love you,” he told her gently.
“I know,” Jacquelyn said in reply.
Fane pulled his hand away from her face and took her hand. He led her into the kitchen, deftly made two sandwiches, and grabbed a bag of chips and two bottles of water from the fridge. Then, turning to Jacquelyn, he told her, “I want you to walk in front of me, please.”
Jacquelyn acquiesced to his wishes without argument. They walked through the living room, and as they did she could feel the eyes of the other wolves on her. Fane snarled at them and Jacquelyn saw them all drop their gazes to the floor. Fane was holding it together by a thread. Je really needed to bond with his mate or he was likely going to wind up killing one of these wolves.
Once in Jacquelyn’s bedroom he eased up a little. Knowing she was safe and with him helped calm him and his wolf. They both sat down in the floor and Fane spread their make-shift picnic in front of them.
“Do you want me to sit out in the hall?” he asked her.
“No, you dork. I’m not going to make you sit in the hall, even though I’m very not pleased with you,” Jacquelyn told him. “I don’t want to talk about that right now. Tell me about these other wolves. Why did you go all postal on Boian when he got in my face, even though he wasn’t doing anything?
Fane took slow breaths, calming himself. Jacquelyn didn’t realize how valuable she was to a Grey male. He had to help her understand, but in order to do that he had to stay calm.
“You are a female.”
“Spot on there, wolf-man. Any more bright revelations to share?” Jacquelyn interrupted.
“You didn’t let me finish, Luna.”
“Oh, my bad. Please do continue,” Jacquelyn said.
“You are a half Canis lupus female, able to mate with a male. The female ratio to male werewolves is somewhere around thirty to one. To put it simply, you’re in very high demand. Now, yes, you have found your mate, but the catch is you are not bonded to your mate. No blood rites have been performed, no mating has taken place, and to unmated males, that makes you fair game. So naturally, around other unmated males I’m just a little territorial when it comes to you. I can never show weakness to another dominant wolf. For them to see weakness in me means I’m vulnerable, and vulnerability to a wolf means easy prey,” Fane explained.
“Is that why you would not sit down until they did?” Jacquelyn asked.
“That’s correct. A more dominant wolf’s head is never lower than the less dominants. As for why I took Boian to the floor, he was closer to you than he should have been and he scared you. For those reasons he needed to be disciplined. He now knows not to go near you or I will kill him,” Fane said matter of factly.
“Isn’t that a little over the top?” she asked him.
“Not when it comes to Canis lupus. Unmated males can be volatile and unpredictable. Giving them boundaries helps them keep their wolf in check. That's the other reason is a mated female is not to be touched by another male unless her mate says it is okay – it's just another way to prevent fights. I know it doesn’t make sense to you and seems archaic, but there is an animal that lives inside us and that animal has to be kept under control. The human part of me is what kept me from tearing Boian to shreds. The wolf would not have shown mercy, which is what sets us apart from full-blooded wolves,” he answered.
Jacquelyn didn’t say anything, she just took bites of her sandwich and chewed slowly, obviously in thought. Fane ate his sandwich as well and let her think about what he had told her. He knew it was a lot to take in, but he also knew that she had a right to know everything.
“So did I freak you out?” he asked her.
“Fane, sweetie, I’m way past freaked out, but I’m dealing.”
Fane finished his sandwich and stretched out on her bedroom floor, arms behind his head. He let out a big yawn and closed his eyes.
“I’m gonna take a nap, if you don’t mind. Could you please stay up here until the other Greys leave?” he asked her, trying very hard to not sound like he was ordering her around. See, he thought. I’m learning.
“Since you asked, and not demanded, I will stay. I’m actually kind of tired, too.”
Jacquelyn stood up and stretched, then kicked off her shoes and climbed up onto her bed. She laughed when Fane turned and propped himself up on an elbow, looking at her questioningly.
“You’re just gonna let me sleep on the floor, Luna?” he asked her incredulously.
“Well, you are a wolf. I don’t think it’s a good idea to start the habit of you sleeping in the bed, you know, with all the shedding and whatnot,” Jacquelyn teased.
Fane stood up, unfolding his tall form, and stalked forward, eyes squinted, looking every bit the predator. Jacquelyn squealed and started to get off the bed, but before she could, Fane wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back down. They were both laughing and breathless when Fane looked down into Jacquelyn’s eyes. He kissed her on the forehead and settled in next to her, pulling her close against him. Once again, he started humming his favorite Willie Nelson song until they both drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 29
“Should we wake them up?” Sally asked Jen.
“Yeah, but first we should draw on their faces. We could put paw prints on Jacque’s face and claw marks on Fane’s,” Jen said, laughing. “Get it? Paws. Ya know, ‘cause he’s a wolf.”
Sally was looking at her like she had grown an ear on her forehead.
“Oh, never mind,” Jen said, batting her hand at Sally.
“You are one disturbed little girl. You know that, right?” Sally asked.
Jen gave Sally a “go to hell” look and said, “Just wake them up already. Fane’s dad said he needed to talk to all of us and I’m guessing that means the prince and princess here.”
“There’s no need to wake us up, you dip. Nobody could possibly sleep with Thelma and Louise standing over them gabbing. And if you had drawn anything on our faces, I would've personally make sure the entire school knew you had a third nipple,” Jacque told her crankily.
“Who has a third nipple?” Fane perked up.
“Oh, bring up the word nipple and you’re all ears, fur ball. And you,” Jen said, pointing her finger at Jacque. “You know I don’t have a third nipple, so how can you possibly tell people that?”
“I know that, but do they? And how exactly would you disprove me, flash the school at a pep rally?” Jacque asked, sounding victorious.
Sally burst out with a loud laugh and Fane was grinning.
“Man, she so got you pinned, sista. Ha!” Sally laughed, pointing at Jen and giving Jacque a fist bump.
“Ok, fine. Whatever. Both of you get your royal arses up. Fane, your dad wants to talk to everyone down in the living room,” Jen told them both. Then she grabbed Sally by the arm and pulled her out the door, muttering as they went. “What the hell? You’re supposed to be on my side now that Jacque has to side with her fur ball all the time.”
“Hey I side with the victor, Thelma. So next time, win, and I will be in your corner,” Sally told her with a wink.
“Why do I have to be Thelma? I’m really more of a Louise
personality,” Jen whined.
“Seriously, do you really want to argue about what movie characters we are going to be?” Sally asked her in amazement.
“I’m just saying,” Jen retorted, holding her hands up in surrender.
Jacque stood up and lifted her arms in the air, stretching. She looked down and saw that Fane was watching her intently.
“What are you looking at, oh prince of wolves?” Jacque asked him.
“I’m looking at my beautiful mate, and are the nicknames ever going to stop?” Fane asked her.
“Hmmm. Well, I guess I could…nope, sorry. There are just too many possibilities and I like to explore my creative side,” Jacque said in mock seriousness.
Fane stood up and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. Jacque leaned into him, loving the way he felt against her and the way he smelled. She noticed the clock on her dresser said six thirty pm and her stomach tightened. They had slept the day away and every minute that went by brought them closer to the challenge. She closed her eyes and squeezed Fane tighter, wishing she could whisk them away to somewhere safe with just a thought. Geez, she thought, you would think with all this werewolf stuff there would be some way to teleport or something, but nooooo, that would be too weird. Not like werewolves are weird or anything.
“Guess we better head downstairs,” Jacque heard Fane say.
She pulled away from him and put on her best smile, nodding her head. Fane took her hand and led her out of the room, down the stairs and into the living room. Everyone was seated there already, and oddly enough they were all in the exact spots they had been that morning. The other Greys were already sitting on the floor. Jacque noticed Fane didn’t hesitate to sit down on the couch.
“What did you need to talk with us about, Tata?” Fane asked his father.
“Just some finalization of the plans for tomorrow. First, I want Jacquelyn to shower over at the Henrys' in the morning.”
Fane put his hand on Jacque’s knee before she could protest. “It’s so you won’t have my scent on you. It will provoke Lucas and his wolves much more if you smell like me,” Fane explained.
