Sally glanced at her phone and saw that it was 12:15. “We've got to head if we want to make it on time.”
Sally and Jen each grabbed a bag and headed for the stairs with Jacque following.
“Wolf-man, we are heading your way, hope you’re ready for this,” Jacque sent to Fane.
“I have been ready for you since I laid I eyes on you. Be safe, I will see you shortly.” Fane sent the words with a caress that caused Jacque to shiver.
As they pulled out of the driveway, Jacque leaned her head back against the head rest, closed her eyes, and pictured Fane’s face, her future.
Chapter 2
Across two state lines in Denver, Colorado, Dillon Jacobs paced the floor of his office. The Alpha of the Denver pack was flipping through photos that Logan, his Beta, had taken of the daughter he hadn’t even known existed until recently. He was struck with the fact that life as he knew it was irrevocably changed. Word had traveled fast in the Canis Lupis world that Vasile, one of the strongest Alphas of the Grey Wolves was in the States, not only in the States, but specifically in Coldspring, Texas. Coldspring just happened to be the town where Lilly Pierce lived, the woman whom he would have married had he not been a wolf who could only have one mate, the one nature choose for him. Not that Dillon didn’t love his mate beyond words, but Lilly had been his first love. The loss had faded over the years, but the memories were still there, packed away in the recesses of his mind gathering dust. Until now.
As soon as he had heard about the Alpha Vasile being there, he had sent Logan to find out what had caused him to travel so far from home. Dillon had been in shock when Logan called to tell him that Lilly had a daughter, and that she was seventeen years old. It had been seventeen years since Dillon had last laid eyes on Lilly Pierce. Seventeen years since he had found his mate and packed his bags only leaving Lilly a note to say goodbye. It was the coward's way out, but he hadn’t known how he could face her knowing he was going to rip out both their hearts. He had told Lilly that the day might come when he would have no choice but to leave. That hadn’t make it any easier. The irrevocable proof though, was in the pictures. Lilly’s daughter was the spitting image of himself. Dillon was not a large man, standing at 5’11”, 190lbs. He was broad across the shoulders, as most Canis Lupis are, which was only enhanced by his narrow waist and the snug fitting tee shirts he often favored.
With auburn hair that had subtle waves in it and the same piercing green eyes as the girl in the photos, he could no more deny her than he could deny his reflection in the mirror. His face was more angular than the girl's, who Logan had said was named Jacquelyn, whose face was softer and rounder. He did see traces of Lilly here and there. Jacque had her mother’s mischievous smile, and though her eye color matched his, they held the humor in them he so often had seen in Lilly. Like her mother she was as striking as she was beautiful. He thought momentarily on the fact that Lilly had named their daughter after Dillon’s grandmother. Though Lilly had never met his grandmother, he had talked of her often, sharing with Lilly what an impact she had in raising him. He couldn’t take credit for his quick wit and often wicked tongue that was all Grandma Jacquelyn.
“Your daughter is to be bonded to Vasile’s son,” Logan told him, snapping him out of his brief jaunt down memory lane. The dry indifference in his Beta’s voice did not reveal if he cared one way or the other. Dillon turned to look at him, wanting to confirm that his body language matched his words. Logan was as serious and severe looking as ever. At 6’1”, 250lbs of muscle, Logan was an intimidating being. He too was broad across the chest, had a narrow waist, and it was apparent in his snug black fatigues he had muscular legs. His dark brown hair he wore longer than most of Dillon’s wolves, nearly touching his shoulders, but much of the time he had it pulled back. He had high cheek bones, a slightly crooked nose from being broken many times in his long life, and Dillon had heard more than one woman say Logan's lips were made for sin, whatever that meant.
“She is still a minor, how could Vasile even consider allowing them to mate?” Dillon thought out loud.
“Fane, the Alpha’s son, had to compete in a challenge against another Alpha who was trying to claim Jacque. Perhaps it is Vasile’s way of keeping his son from having to fight others from claiming your daughter,” Logan offered
Dillon thought about this. It would make sense, for if Fane was indeed Jacque’s true mate then he would walk through hell itself to keep another from claiming her.
“I will admit it is impressive that Fane, being as young as he is, was able to defeat such a strong Alpha,” Dillon acknowledged
“He did have the benefit of his Alpha’s counsel, surely that had an impact on his victory,” Logan responded in his usual indifferent tone.
Still the idea of his little girl mated at 17 rubbed his fur the wrong way. Although he didn’t really have a right to say what she could or could not do, she didn’t even know who he was. Maybe, he decided, the best thing to do for now is to watch from a distance.
“Logan, I want you to go back to Coldspring and keep an eye on my daughter. Don’t let yourself be known, just observe from a distance and report back to me. I will let you know if and when I will be coming myself. For now I will wait,” Dillon told his Beta
“It will be done as you have said, Alpha,” Logan responded in the formal address
Dillon excused Logan to depart, leaving him alone in his study with his thoughts. He had been keeping these thoughts blocked from his mate. He didn’t know how she would respond to the news that he had a daughter with another female. No, for now he would keep this secret just a little longer.
Logan was sitting outside of Lilly Pierce’s house when she pulled out of the driveway. He had barely made it back into town to see them off to Jacque’s bonding ceremony. Luckily, he had put his plan in motion before he had reported back to his Alpha. It had been so easy to get information out of the Coldspring pack, considering there were none more dominant then him. Then he just did a little eavesdropping outside Jacque’s window to get all the information he needed on her schedule and timeline for the bonding ceremony. He hated to be insubordinate, he usually prided himself on his faithful obedience to his Alpha, but in this situation he didn’t think his Alpha was taking the appropriate action to protect his pup. Logan had decided it was his duty to step in since he wasn’t emotionally vested in Jacque. He felt he was able to look at the situation more objectively. That was what he kept telling himself, anyway. The truth was Jacque Pierce was unique. She was special, and too new to this world to decide that the first wolf she met was her mate. It was his job as her dad’s Beta to protect her and to show her that there was more than one wolf in the den. Again, that was what he kept telling himself. Shaking off those thoughts, he pulled out into the street to follow Lilly’s vehicle. He knew the direction she would be heading because he had insured her route. All it took was a little money and he had been able to convince one of her employees to help implement his plan. Humans were so easy to sway without any sense of loyalty, they had no problem betraying those who had been kind to them. But that wasn’t his problem, and it had worked to his advantage. Just as Lilly was turning on the street that would take her to her book store he turned off and drove to the spot that he knew they would have to pass once they continued on to Vasile’s home.
His plan was simple, the best laid ones always were. All he needed to do to insure that Dillon would intervene was show that Fane could not protect his mate. There was nothing more disgraceful than a wolf who could not protect his own. Insuring that Lilly’s tire would not only blow, but also cause a minor accident hadn't been all that difficult. He had placed a military device on the inside of the tire that simultaneously punctured it and wrapped a cable around the axel, pulling it once the tire blew, causing the axel to become unstable and theoretically cause her to lose control of the vehicle. It wouldn’t be a devastating wreck, but it would be enough. The kink in the plan was the bonding ceremony. Logan had to make sure his plan happened before Jacque and Fane were able to complete the bonding and blood rites. Once the blood rite was completed all bets were off. The idea of Fane performing Blood Rites with Jacque made his skin crawl. Fane was just a pup, there was no way he could adequately provide and protect a mate. If Logan had any say, Fane would be leaving Coldspring, Texas empty handed.
Chapter 3
Fane had spent the morning doing absolutely nothing other than conversing periodically with Jacquelyn. Verbally sparring with her was one of his favorite things to do. No one would let him help prepare for the ceremony, his father saying that Fane needed to take this time to prepare himself for his Luna, for tonight. In all honesty, Fane was trying to avoid thinking about it, or at least about one part of it: the blood rites. He knew that Jacquelyn was nervous about it and he was as well. He had asked his father what he needed to do and all he had said was that instinct would take over and the magic of the mate bond would help. As nervous as he was about performing the blood rites, his wolf growled low at the thought of their mark on Jacquelyn’s neck for all Canis Lupus to see. He realized his wolf was restless, eager to finish the bond. Fane decided he needed to let the wolf out for a little while, let him run off some of his energy.
He went out the back door and stood on the porch of the guest house on the property his parents were renting. The whole estate was 85 acres of woods, no prying eyes around. Fane stripped out of his clothes and felt the change pour over his skin, reshaping him inside and out, and within moments where a man had stood was now a large black wolf. Although he was a Grey wolf, his grey undercoat was tipped with black, the effect making him look nearly solid black unless his fur was rubbed the wrong way. The wolf shook his whole body as if he were wet and trying to expel the water from his coat. He put his nose in the air and, breathing deep, filled his lungs with wild flowers in bloom, fresh cut grass, and damp earth from a recent rain and finally let out a long howl. Fane heard a twig snap to his left and his howl cut off as he snapped his head in the direction of the noise. He saw a rabbit take off and just like that the chase was on. He took off like a bullet, eyes glued to the bouncing prey that wove in and out of bushes, around trees, and over fallen logs. Fane stretched his legs and lengthened his stride, the wolf reveling in the hunt, the air flowing through his fur rippling every strand. As Fane chased after his quarry, he realized that this hunt felt different than others. He felt whole, the emptiness that was every unmated male’s constant companion was being filled. Because of that the wolf was able to focus more thoroughly on the hunt, his thoughts no longer divided between man and wolf. If he felt this good just from finding his mate, how good would he feel once the bond was complete, once their mating was consummated?
Fane lunged one final time, pushing his long body to its limit with his hind legs and landed jaws first on top of his prey, breaking its back instantly. The wolf enjoyed the spoils of the hunt and once he had his fill he found a sunny spot, the grass warm from the rays and laid down, rolling to his side. Feeling the warm air ruffle his fur, Fane’s mind reached out for Jacquelyn’s without intending to. It was like his soul needed to feel its other half and if he went too long without that contact, he became bereft and restless. He didn’t say anything to her; he just sort of slipped into her thoughts, enjoying being with her even if he couldn’t physically touch her. Once his wolf was content that their mate was safe he got up, shook off the grass and dirt, and began the run back to the guest house. He would need a shower after his run and he still had his vows to write. He was really struggling with what to say to Jacquelyn, he knew what he felt, but he just couldn’t find adequate words to tell her.
After a shower and sitting and staring at a blank piece of paper, trying in vain to put his emotions into words, Fane decided to take a break. As he was lying on the bed all he could think about was a certain fiery red head and that tonight she would be all his. He had really been hoping that Jacque would be willing to incorporate the human wedding vows into the bonding ceremony, but she wasn’t ready for that. He had explained that their bonding was permanent, unlike a human marriage, but the idea of being married at 17 seemed to make her nervous, so he would wait. Fane was quickly learning that waiting really sucked.
“Wolf-man, we are heading your way, hope you’re ready for this.” Fane heard Jacque’s voice in his mind. He grinned at her playfulness, which was one of the things his wolf really liked about her: she played, something that even wolves in the wild did as a part of the mating dance.
“I have been ready for you since I laid I eyes on you. Be safe, I will see you shortly,” he told her as he imagined himself caressing her soft face. He sent her that feeling as well and felt her shiver in response. That made him smile even bigger.
Looking at the time on his phone, 12:15, Fane got up, deciding it was time to get dressed just as he heard a knock at the front door.
“It’s open,” he said loudly.