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  Jen grinned and turned to Sally and Jacque, who were grinning as well. "I like her," she told them.

  Decebel overheard Jen's words and looked at her. "I don't think you and Crina should hang out, Jennifer."

  Jen cocked her head to the side, her lips pursed. A wave of jealousy rushed over her. "She an old flame, Decebel?"

  Decebel sat up straight, clearly caught off guard by the question. "No," he answered flatly.

  Jen's eyes narrowed dangerously. "A current flame?" She didn't even recognize her voice as she growled at the thought of Decebel with another woman.

  Decebel watched as Jennifer bristled while waiting for his answer. Then it dawned on him – she was jealous. He couldn't stop the chuckle that slipped past his lips. He saw her body tense and realized that laughing wasn't the smartest move he could have made.

  "Jealous, Jennifer?"

  "Of course not," she spat at him. "I just think with as much as you flirt with me, if you are involved," the word came out like it was repugnant to her, "then you need to take your flea-infested self elsewhere."

  "And if I'm not involved? What then?" he asked softly, almost a challenge as he looked into her eyes.

  Jen stopped breathing at the heat in his look. She was mesmerized as she watched his eyes begin to glow. Amber met her blue ones and she felt herself being drawn closer to him.

  "Jennifer," Decebel whispered her name. "What if I'm not involved?"

  His hand on her leg finally brought her out of her trance. She took a gulp of air as she realized she was getting light headed from lack of oxygen. She shook her head and looked at Decebel in shock. "Bloody Hell!"

  She abruptly stood as the whole room turned to look at her. Jen didn’t know what had just happened but she knew she had to get as far from Decebel as she could right at that moment. She couldn't think clearly when he was around, and she sure as hell couldn't think when he looked at her like that, and said her name in that voice, and touched her… Crap, she thought. I'm so screwed.

  Decebel stood to follow her but Sally grabbed his arm. She didn't even flinch when he snarled at the one who would keep him from following Jennifer.

  "Sit. Down," Sally said firmly to the furious Beta.

  The room was deathly quiet when the door slammed shut behind Jen. All eyes were on the group in the corner. Decebel eased back into his chair and met the stares of the other wolves. One by one they submitted to their Beta and looked away.

  "As I was saying," Vasile continued. "All unmated members will attend The Gathering. The mated pairs who will attend have already been informed."

  "What about the dormant American?" a male wolf in the middle of the room asked.

  Decebel snarled. "She is not your concern."

  "Decebel!" Vasile growled.

  Decebel bared his neck at his Alpha in submission. "My apologies, Alpha."

  Vasile looked back at the other wolf. "The answer to your question, Stelian, is that any and all with wolf blood of any amount are required to attend. Jen is a dormant, but she is a member of this pack. An unmated member," he amended. Decebel growled at the words. "And as such, she will participate just like any pack member." Vasile nodded for the wolf to be seated.

  The meeting continued on for another hour with questions and frustrations being voiced. Through the entire process Vasile was patient and answered each question, but was unbending and firm. He made it very clear that his pack would attend and that any males who found themselves in an altercation would be dealt with harshly. The room broke into laughter when he said that he wanted it clear that this was not an opportunity to hook up and scratch an itch.

  "We are there to seek out true mates. Do not disrespect someone else's mate by putting your hands, mouth, or any other part near what does not belong to you just because you are attracted to them. I will not punish any wolf who challenges another male because he was stupid enough to touch another's mate, even if she hadn't been mated at the time. Do I make myself clear?"

  "As you say, so shall it be," the room said in unison.

  Jacque grinned at Sally. "Jen would have been all over that. 'Any other part near what does not belong to you'," she repeated Vasile's words. "She's going to be ticked off that she missed an opportunity to embarrass Decebel."

  "Totally," Sally agreed.

  Fane lightly slapped her thigh. "Luna, behave."

  "Make me," she challenged as she leaned back, causing him to growl low in his chest.

  Vasile finally dismissed the meeting. As Jacque stood, Fane whispered in her ear, "I suppose your challenge will have to wait since you want to find out what caused Jen to leave so abruptly?"

  Jacque smiled at her mate, but before she could answer Sally spoke. "I know why she stormed out of here."

  Decebel's and Jacque's heads both whipped around. "You do?" they both asked at the same time.

  Fane raised an eyebrow at Sally's words.

  Sally in turn eyeballed Decebel. "Jen never really learned how to use an inside voice. So, Decebel, why don't you share how she asked you if you were involved with Crina, and how you never really gave her an answer but instead taunted her, and then nearly made her hyperventilate with desire."

  Decebel's head cocked to the side, his eyebrows drawn together. "How -"

  "I would say it's a gift, but really I'm just nosy as hell. And damn, boy, the look you were giving her nearly had me in a puddle."

  "Shut up!" Jacque squealed. "Are you telling me Jen stormed out of here because he got her all hot and bothered?"

  Sally was grinning from ear to ear. Decebel looked like he would be perfectly happy if the universe would just swallow him whole.

  "She was angry when she left," Decebel defended. "She left because she was mad."

  "Yeah, mad because she's got it bad for you, Sherlock," Sally told him, rolling her eyes.

  "Really? She likes me?"

  Jacque laughed at Decebel's cocky smile.

  "Um, if you aren't her mate that's not a good thing, Casanova," Jacque reminded him.

  Sally nodded in agreement, scrutinizing Decebel. "Let's just hope that she finds her mate at Mate Fest so she can get over you."

  Decebel took a step towards Sally. Fane stepped around Jacque and laid a hand on Decebel's chest, stopping him. "Easy, Beta."

  Decebel closed his eyes taking slow breaths, leashing his wolf. Then Sally's words worked past the jealous fog. "Mate Fest?" he questioned.

  Sally grinned. "Jen deemed it."

  "Naturally," Decebel muttered with a slight smile.

  Chapter 10

  Decebel made his way to Cynthia's office after the pack meeting. He needed to share this new development about Jennifer's scent changing and see what the good doctor had to say about it.

  The door to the infirmary was already open when he arrived. He walked in to find Alina and Vasile sitting across from Cynthia's desk.

  "Decebel." Vasile inclined his head.

  "I'm sorry, Alpha, I didn't mean to interrupt. I can come back," Decebel told him, backing out of the room.

  "Actually, I would like to talk with you about what happened in the meeting."

  Decebel cringed mentally, remembering how he had snarled at Stelian for daring to worry about Jennifer's fate.

  "Of course.” He stepped back into the room and grabbed an extra chair. He brought it over and sat next to Vasile's.

  Vasile stared at his Beta for several moments before he spoke. "Is she your mate?" he finally asked.

  Decebel let out an audible sigh. "I don't know, Vasile," he answered in a rare show of vulnerability, shown by using his Alpha's first name. It let Vasile know that Decebel needed his friend's guidance just as much as his Alpha's.

  Vasile nodded. "Explain."

  "I don't hear her thoughts, my markings are the same. She hasn't mentioned that she has any marks on her body. That said, my wolf has claimed her." Decebel ran his hands through his hair, the frustration evident in his tense jaw as he continued to speak. "I've been battling him for the f
irst time in over a century. No matter how much I remind myself that there aren't mating signs, my wolf doesn't care. He has claimed her and he wants her."

  "So other than how you feel about her, there is no evidence that she could be your true mate?" Alina asked him gently.

  "Well, actually..." Decebel looked over to Cynthia, who had been silently listening to the conversation. "While I was sitting next to her in the meeting I caught her scent." He paused.

  Cynthia perked up. "And?" she asked.

  "It's changed," Decebel told her. "It's very faint but I swear I could smell the mating scent on her."

  "What did she smell like?" Vasile asked carefully. Decebel knew Vasile only asked because he would have another wolf scent Jennifer to see if what he smelled matched what Decebel did, but he still bristled. Asking another wolf what his mate's scent was to him was like asking a human man to pass around his wife's lingerie. In other words, it was extremely personal.

  "Before, she always smelled like warm vanilla." Decebel thought back to the meeting, when he had breathed it in so deep. "But today there was a hint of cinnamon. It was just barely there, but it was intoxicating." Decebel's words softened as he thought about Jennifer's scent, remembering how it had stirred his wolf.

  "Interesting," Cynthia murmured. "How long have you been back?"

  "A couple of days. Why?" he questioned.

  "Since you've been back, when you're around Jen would you say the encounters are intense?" she asked, ignoring his question.

  Decebel chuckled. "You could say that. Again I ask, why?"

  "Before you came in I was discussing with Vasile and Alina what I had found just before the pack meeting. I came across a documented case of a dormant wolf being mated to a full Canis lupis." Cynthia glanced down at some papers then back at Decebel. "It’s actually journal of an Alpha from over a century ago."

  "That’s good, right?" Decebel asked apprehensively.

  "Well," Cynthia paused, "it’s good because now we have something to sort of...gauge the progression of a mating between a dormant and full. But it has the potential to be dangerous."

  "Dangerous?" Decebel interrupted, not liking the idea of something causing harm to Jennifer. "How can this information possibly be dangerous?"

  "Let me explain to you what was documented and then I will go into how it applies to to you and Jen," Cynthia began.

  "I’m listening," Decebel told her as he sat up straighter in his chair. His wolf perked up, which really threw him for a loop since his wolf usually kept quiet unless on the hunt or in battle.

  Cynthia gathered together the documents she had printed off and began to read.

  "I met my true mate today. Not for the first time, but it was the first time the bond had appeared. I had always been strangely intrigued by her, but let it go as curiosity because of her mysterious air. I was caught completely off guard when I heard her thoughts for the first time. She was in danger, serious danger. I heard her cry out for help – in my mind. I started running, without regard to where I was or what I was doing. All that my wolf could think was that we had to get to her, had to save her. I ran for what seemed like forever and finally I broke into a clearing. There, tied to a post, my mate stood.

  “Tears streamed down her face, making the bruises that marred her cheeks shine. I felt the blood in my veins begin to heat. My heart sped up and my eyes, I know, were glowing as rage poured into me, fueled by my wolf's need to protect our mate. Her clothes were torn, disheveled rags. Her hair was covered in dirt as if she had been dragged on the ground. She made no sound out loud as her tears continued to flow, but her mind was a turbulent storm of fear, anger, betrayal. She turned and looked straight at me. My breath caught as glowing azure eyes locked onto his. It was instinct to reach out to her mind."I’m here, Rachel,” I reassured her. “All will be well." Her eyes widened, the only indication that she’d heard and recognized me. Then they closed. Tears clear as diamonds and numerous as raindrops from a summer storm covered her fear-filled face once again.

  The crackle and flash of orange flame finally shook me from my shock and I realized there were men and women all around. Several were lighting wood and hay they had stacked under her, my mate. They were going to burn her alive. Any control I had snapped, the pull of the horror I was witnessing being the final tug. I lost it. For the first time in 200 years I lost control of my wolf. My phase was instantaneous. I lunged forward, taking down any who dared to block my path. I made no distinction between male or female. As far as my wolf was concerned they were all guilty and would suffer the wrath of an Alpha. Screams filled the air as one by one I destroyed those who hadn’t run in fear, but instead in their stupidity thought they had a chance against me.

  “I got to her just before the fire reached her bare feet. Mercifully she passed out just as I phased back to my human form. I untied her as quickly as I could, pulling her away from the flames that seemed to come alive, reaching with arms, seeking out their prey. I carried her, never looking back. I took her to the pack village, to my home, which would now be hers."

  Cynthia stopped there and looked up from the papers. "I’m going to skip ahead to after she awakens and they begin to interact. He describes his feelings towards her and I think that might be helpful for you. Then I'll read what he believes kept him from recognizing his mate and what it took to pull her dormant wolf to the forefront."

  Decebel nodded, his only acknowledgment of her words as his brain processed what she had already read.

  "Rachel isn’t shocked that I’m a Canis lupis. I couldn’t believe she knew all this time. Her family has been adamant about passing down their history from generation to generation. I met her over a year ago. She is the daughter of a gypsy healer, Melinda, who comes to the village to help with minor illnesses. I knew that her mother's family had served the pack as healers for generations, but what I didn’t know was that Rachel’s great grandmother had a brief affair with a pack member. As a result, a little girl had been conceived. Rachel is a fourth generation dormant Canis lupis, which is virtually unheard of and certainly never mated.

  “Rachel has been with me a week now. She has been surprisingly accepting of our circumstances. I think it’s because she has been around the pack and, unbeknownst to me, had known about true mates and the pull. I find the more time I spend with her the more I crave her. We haven’t completed the Blood Rites. I haven’t even kissed her, although I find myself needing to touch her, a brush against her as I walk by, a brief hand on her back, a light caress on her face as she sleeps. She needs my touch, I feel it in her though she tries to block her thoughts from me. When I do catch bits of them I am amazed at the insight she has into why it took so long for the mating signs to happen between us. I've finally decided to talk with her about it. I feel if I don’t resolve this and claim her soon no one will be safe.

  “I asked Rachel about her thoughts on our mating. I thought I would have to coax it from her, but she was surprisingly forthright. She said she had spoken with her mother about it and the experience her mother had as a healer is what helped her devise her theory, one that seems to be playing out as I write this.

  “Melinda believes that because the wolf blood is so diluted in Rachel that something had to happen to trigger that animal part of her, something intense. She said it's like what little amount of wolf lives in her was buried so deep that only something happening that required the help of her wolf caused it to come forth. Rachel had been in trouble when the bond connected us. I asked her what had happened that people she knew would do such a horrible thing to her. Rachel told me that even though she is a dormant, one trait appeared once she became a woman. Her eyes had begun to glow. Anytime she was scared, or angry, or even excited her eyes would shift from blue to glowing azure.

  “Rachel's best friend had seen it happen and promised to tell no one. She broke her promise. She told her mother that she thought Rachel might be a witch. That was all it took. Cry witch and the righteous will emerge shouting their indignati
on and pointing their damning fingers.

  “The villagers had taken her from her home while her mother was away and sentenced her to death. To death, with no proof. That was when I found her. Her dormant wolf had known they needed help and had pushed forward to cry out to their mate. Melinda is convinced that had Rachel and I not known each other or had contact for the past year – in other words, had her mate been a stranger to her – she would not have been able to reach out to him, to me.

  “Melinda also asked if I noticed the bond growing stronger now that Rachel and I are together all the time. I explained to her how I was feeling and how the emotions and needs are growing stronger. For an unbonded Alpha, that is dangerous. She told me to be honest with Rachel about my feelings, the bond, the Blood Rites, all of it.

  “Rachel and I completed the Blood Rites last night, and completed our mating. It was the final link from my wolf to hers, dormant or no. This morning the mating marks appeared on her back. They're beautiful. My marks have changed as well. She teased me and told me they were very manly.

  “Despite Rachel's dormant Canis lupis blood, I don't think our bond is weaker than other full-blooded mated pairs. From talking with my other mated males, Rachel and I experience the same intense feelings as they do, when apart…and together."

  Cynthia finished reading and the room was silent. Decebel looked straight ahead, thinking of all the possibilities, outcomes, and yes, even the dangers that came with this information.

  Vasile was the first to break the tense silence. "Do you see why Cynthia feels this is a dangerous situation?"