by Quinn Loftis
“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 inimă,” 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.
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 conditions, 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.
“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 cocked 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 ove
r to her, sitting down next to her. He placed his hand on her back and rubbed in circles, just enjoying her nearness.
“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.