understand how
desperately you need her. Don’t let finding her turn you into what
you fight so hard not to become. I concede that we have an animal,
a beast, living inside of us, but the Great Luna also gave us the
spirit of a man. We have the ability to reason, to think beyond the
immediate moment. We have been entrusted with all of the strengths
of the wolf and that of man as well. We cannot abuse that power.
These wolves showed no self-control by attempting to take females
that were not their true mates. Do not lower yourself to their
standards by giving up your own self-control.”
“I can make you no promises,” Decebel
admitted coolly.
The silence in the SUV was so tangible that
Jacque was sure if she made a sound they would be able to hear her.
Her mind was drawn back to the reasons she’d thought it would be
best for Fane to have never met her and she realized how foolish
she’d been.
Fane was her mate. He held the other half of
her soul and she’d stupidly believed they wouldn’t have found one
another regardless of how long it took. They were as inevitable as
the rising of the sun.
She looked over at the future Fane. He was
hurting, just as the Fane in her reality was hurting. The pain that
she thought to save him from had still occurred.
He lowered his head and pressed his
fingertips against his forehead. His shoulders were tight and she
wanted so badly to reach out and rub the stress from him.
“I just need her with me,” Fane whispered
into the silence. “I can handle anything as long as she is by my
side.”
Decebel and Costin both nodded their heads,
the looks on their faces making it clear that they completely
agreed with his statement.
Decebel’s head snapped around to look out of
the window and Jacque followed the direction of his stare. That was
when she realized they were just down the street from her house. A
small smile appeared on her face; she should have known they
wouldn’t have been far.
“What the hell are they doing now?” Decebel
growled as they watched the three girls step out of her front
door.
The males waited until they were several
houses away before they climbed silently from the vehicle and
started to follow them. Jacque and the Great Luna were suddenly out
of the SUV, without having to lift a leg, and walking with the
males. They’d only gone about twenty feet when Vasile motioned for
them to stop.
All of the males lifted their noses into the
air and breathed. Snarls followed as they confirmed what Jacque
already knew.
“Lucas and some of his pack are here,”
Vasile said, speaking so softly that only werewolf hearing would
pick it up.
Decebel started to continue forward but
Vasile stopped him. “They will catch our scent as well if the
direction of the wind changes.” He turned to Fane and Costin. “Can
either of you track your mates through the mental bond?”
Fane nodded. “She doesn’t realize it, but I
have complete access to her mind.”
“Not like he would have stayed out anyway,”
Jacque muttered.
“Then we will follow them.” Vasile motioned
for them to get back in the vehicle.
“We’re just going to let the girls go with
those mongrels?” Decebel asked incredulously.
“A wise man not only picks his battles
carefully but also his battlefield,” Vasile said, placing a hand on
his Beta’s shoulder. “Trust me.”
After several tense heartbeats, Decebel
nodded and loaded up with the others.
The Great Luna placed a hand on Jacque and
they too were once again in the SUV with the males.
“Why would Lucas break the rules of the
challenge?” Fane asked as his leg bounced restlessly. “He knows now
that we don’t have to wait. We can attack immediately and it won’t
be just the three we challenged.”
“Heck yeah!” Costin hollered. “A good brawl
is just what we need. Well, really what we need is our females, but
I don’t think they’re just going to jump in our arms and let us
have our way with them, so a brawl is the next
desperately you need her. Don’t let finding her turn you into what
you fight so hard not to become. I concede that we have an animal,
a beast, living inside of us, but the Great Luna also gave us the
spirit of a man. We have the ability to reason, to think beyond the
immediate moment. We have been entrusted with all of the strengths
of the wolf and that of man as well. We cannot abuse that power.
These wolves showed no self-control by attempting to take females
that were not their true mates. Do not lower yourself to their
standards by giving up your own self-control.”
“I can make you no promises,” Decebel
admitted coolly.
The silence in the SUV was so tangible that
Jacque was sure if she made a sound they would be able to hear her.
Her mind was drawn back to the reasons she’d thought it would be
best for Fane to have never met her and she realized how foolish
she’d been.
Fane was her mate. He held the other half of
her soul and she’d stupidly believed they wouldn’t have found one
another regardless of how long it took. They were as inevitable as
the rising of the sun.
She looked over at the future Fane. He was
hurting, just as the Fane in her reality was hurting. The pain that
she thought to save him from had still occurred.
He lowered his head and pressed his
fingertips against his forehead. His shoulders were tight and she
wanted so badly to reach out and rub the stress from him.
“I just need her with me,” Fane whispered
into the silence. “I can handle anything as long as she is by my
side.”
Decebel and Costin both nodded their heads,
the looks on their faces making it clear that they completely
agreed with his statement.
Decebel’s head snapped around to look out of
the window and Jacque followed the direction of his stare. That was
when she realized they were just down the street from her house. A
small smile appeared on her face; she should have known they
wouldn’t have been far.
“What the hell are they doing now?” Decebel
growled as they watched the three girls step out of her front
door.
The males waited until they were several
houses away before they climbed silently from the vehicle and
started to follow them. Jacque and the Great Luna were suddenly out
of the SUV, without having to lift a leg, and walking with the
males. They’d only gone about twenty feet when Vasile motioned for
them to stop.
All of the males lifted their noses into the
air and breathed. Snarls followed as they confirmed what Jacque
already knew.
“Lucas and some of his pack are here,”
Vasile said, speaking so softly that only werewolf hearing would
pick it up.
Decebel started to continue forward but
Vasile stopped him. “They will catch our scent as well if the
direction of the wind changes.” He turned to Fane and Costin. “Can
either of you track your mates through the mental bond?”
Fane nodded. “She doesn’t realize it, but I
have complete access to her mind.”
“Not like he would have stayed out anyway,”
Jacque muttered.
“Then we will follow them.” Vasile motioned
for them to get back in the vehicle.
“We’re just going to let the girls go with
those mongrels?” Decebel asked incredulously.
“A wise man not only picks his battles
carefully but also his battlefield,” Vasile said, placing a hand on
his Beta’s shoulder. “Trust me.”
After several tense heartbeats, Decebel
nodded and loaded up with the others.
The Great Luna placed a hand on Jacque and
they too were once again in the SUV with the males.
“Why would Lucas break the rules of the
challenge?” Fane asked as his leg bounced restlessly. “He knows now
that we don’t have to wait. We can attack immediately and it won’t
be just the three we challenged.”
“Heck yeah!” Costin hollered. “A good brawl
is just what we need. Well, really what we need is our females, but
I don’t think they’re just going to jump in our arms and let us
have our way with them, so a brawl is the next
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