Blood Rites

"His mate is the light that keeps that darkness at bay. She fills the hole that has been growing ever larger in his soul. When the bond is completed between mates, their very souls merge, and the male will be able to leash the darker part of his nature and at last be at peace with his wolf."

There was a pause of silence before anyone spoke.

"What does the girl get out of it? I mean, that sounds great for him, but what about the hole in her soul?" Jen's question was nearly a whisper. Alina cocked her head to the side in a very wolf-like gesture, surprised that such a question had come from Jen.

Alina walked over to Jen and placed her hand under her chin and tilted her head so that she was looking right at Alina's face.

"She gets a man who will love her completely and faithfully. She gets a man who will not only save her life, but lay down his own to keep her safe. He will provide for her no matter the cost, he will shelter her against all the storms that come their way, he will be the one to bring a smile to her face when no one else can. She gets a friend, a lover, a mate, the only man in this world who can complete her and give her the other half of her soul."

Jen wiped the tears away that had begun to fall of their own accord, not understanding why Alina's words felt like they were etching themselves on heart. She smiled at Alina. "Is that all?" she half heartedly joked, trying to shake off the intense emotions Alina's words had stirred in her. Alina leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead as she whispered, "In time, all will be revealed. Do not give up hope, for Jacque or for yourself."

When Alina had stepped back to her spot against the opposite counter, it was then that Jen realized the wolves had been listening to Alina's words. She felt like a hole was being burned into the back of her head and she knew who was watching her. She turned slowly and caught Decebel's eyes. They were glowing and never wavered from hers. After several moments she finally tore her gaze away, not able to think under his intense stare. As she turned around, she saw Fane and the look on his face threatened to rip her apart. She hadn't thought about how his mother's words would affect him when his mate, the other half of his soul, was in the hands of another wolf.

Vasile stepped forward and took Alina's hand as he addressed everyone. "The four wolves Dillon brought with him are innocent, they know nothing. So our next move is to go to Denver and speak with the rest of his pack." Vasile turned and looked at Lilly, his face softened as he stared into the face of a woman who was holding it together by a thread. "We are going to charter a jet. I'm not going to try to talk anyone out of going because it would just waste time."

"Finally a wolf who knows when he's been beat," Jen said, reverting back to her sarcastic self. Vasile shot her a look that dared her to say more. Jen wisely decided to be fascinated by the peeling nail polish on her fingers.

"The biggest hurdle will be Sally and Jen's parents. Lilly, you and Alina are going to have to go with the girls to let them know that we will be leaving immediately instead of in a couple of weeks. Tell them there has been a family emergency and we need to get back to Romania as quickly as possible." Lilly nodded, her face taking on a look of determination as she finally had a task, something to do instead of just waiting. She grabbed the car keys from the counter and motioned for the girls and Alina to follow her.

"How do you think your parents are going to take this, Jen?" Sally asked her voice low.

"Oh, probably about as good as that time we took tampons and hung them from the trees in front of Principal Stephens' house."

"That good?" Sally asked sarcastically.

"Remember, it's for Jacque. So do whatever it takes, Sally. I don't care if you have to pull out every guilt trip card in your arsenal, we will be getting on that plane to Denver. We clear?"

"I'm with you," Sally confirmed. For Jacque she would do whatever it took to make sure she was on that plane.

Fane walked up the stairs to Jacquelyn's bedroom and shut the door behind him. He took a deep breath, taking her scent in, letting it flow over him. He felt his wolf push, growling, looking for their mate in this place where they had whispered words of love, and shared their dreams for the future. Lying down on her bed, he buried his face in her pillow and it was there that he finally fell apart. Only with Jacquelyn could he ever let go. He remembered the night before the challenge when he had poured out his fears to her. He had laid his soul bare and she had welcomed him with open arms. His shoulders shook as the pain and emptiness threatened to break him. The past hours without being able to touch her mind, not knowing if she was okay had nearly brought him to his knees. He had listened to his mother speaking about the importance of a mate to the male Canis Lupis and now Fane felt like a knife was being thrust through his heart. The more she had talked the more it twisted, shredding muscle, arteries, veins that would send life-giving blood throughout his body. Jacquelyn was his heart and without her his soul would wither and decay, just like the muscles and organs without blood. Without Jacquelyn, the darkness he would unleash would be the likes of which has never been seen.

Fane took a deep breath, trying to bring his emotions under control. He needed to think clearly and not allow his actions to be dictated by anger or fear, which would not bring his mate home safe. He sat up and wiped the evidence of his pain from his face. He wouldn't show the depth of his emotions to anyone but his Luna. Only she had the right to his deepest hurts, desires, fears. Only his Jacquelyn. He stood and walked towards the door and as his hand grasped the door knob, he heard in his mind a voice he would have killed to hear again.

"Fane!" Jacquelyn's fear laced her words. Fane felt his heart in his throat as his soul reached for its other half. His wolf growled, snarling to be let loose.

"Jacquelyn." Though he tried, he couldn't keep the desperation at finally hearing her, at finally feeling their bond no longer empty.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Fane had to know. Though he couldn't do anything about it at the moment, he had to know.

"I'm hurting, but not because anyone has hurt me. Logan has kidnapped me and Dr. Steele."

"Are you still sick?"

"Not as bad." Fane felt a pause before she continued. "I'll be okay."

"Can you describe your surroundings to me? Maybe it will give me some sort of clue as to where you are." Fane knew it was a long shot, but then again there might be something that Logan had missed that would be just enough to give himself away.