She whispered to him as he loved her and her words began to mend the brokenness inside.

“I love you Fane,” and then she kissed his shoulder.

“I need you,” a kiss to his chest.

“I’m yours alone,” he kissed her deeply at that last declaration and he took everything she gave him, soaking her up greedily.

“Mine,” The word rumbled from his chest as he watched his wife, his mate, bask in their shared passion.

“Vasile,” Adam bowed his head slightly to the alpha as he grabbed his shirt from a chair in the gym.

“Adam, how did things go with my son this evening?”

Adam could tell there was something very different about Fane. He had become very distant and the easy demeanor that he once carried had been replaced with a stony wall.

“He did well. He is very powerful and worked very hard,” Adam answered.

Vasile’s eyes narrowed. “What was his temperament?”

“He remained detached throughout the training, but as we sparred his focus increased and he seemed to let go of whatever burden is weighing him down. He would be a dangerous wolf to fight. He is extremely powerful, but it is not a desire to learn or gain skill that is motivating him.”

“His wolf is out of control,” Vasile said calmly.

Adam shook his head. “No, not his wolf, Vasile. It’s the man that is out of control.”

Vasile had no words for Adam’s statement. He just stood there watching as the fae left the gym.

If Adam was right and it was the man who was out of control, then things were worse than Vasile had realized. When the wolf was in control, it was pure instinct. The wolf would be dangerous until his mate was safe. Once the threat was neutralized, he would once again be able to be calmed by his mate’s light and goodness. When the man was out of control, it wasn’t only instinct that was driving him; it was also emotion. Emotions could make people do irrational things. When the man was out of control, it made the wolf in him restless because he would be trying to figure out where the threat is that is causing the man to have such rage sweltering inside of him. Fane’s emotions were keeping him from acting rational, from seeing true reality. He won’t allow his mate or his wolf to help him gain control.

Fane was a ticking time bomb and Vasile was going to have to step in if he wanted to protect the pack and Jacque.

Chapter 4

“People seem to believe that when you find your soul mate, the one person who completes you, that things will just be lollipops and sunshine. I hate to stomp on your tootsie rolls, but being the right person for your mate does not suddenly turn you into this giving, selfless, loving, gentle, and all that other crap person. You are still the person you were without them; the difference is now when you aren’t any of those good things, you have someone who will love you anyway.” ~ Jen

“Where are Fane and Jacque on this nice quiet evening?” Jen asked as she, Decebel, Sally, and Costin sat in thelibrary. Jen’s feet were propped up in Decebel’s lap and he was absentmindedly rubbing them. Sally and Costin were on the couch across from them and Costin lay with his head in Sally’s lap while she ran her fingers through his hair. Both couples had inadvertently wound up in the library together. Now seemed like the perfect time to plan an intervention for their best friend and her wolf.

“I think they decided to go to bed early after the meeting,” Sally answered.

Jen let out a hard breath as she pulled her feet from Decebel’s lap and sat up on the couch. Her baby bump was still small enough that she could lean forward and put her elbows on her knees.

“I would love to take that statement and turn it in to some graphic sex talk that would make Sally blush, but the reality is, they probably just went to sleep.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Decebel’s deep voice rumbled from beside her.

Jen’s head turned slowly to look at her mate. The look she gave him could have burned a hole through a brick building. “Did you seriously just ask me that?”

Decebel didn’t say anything. He just sat there meeting her stare.

“When have we ever just gone to…,” she was cut off by a growl from her mate.

“Jennifer stop,” Decebel’s voice was tight with irritation.

A smile spread across Jen’s face and nothing in that smile was friendly.

“You’re right Dec I should stop. That’s a dumb question for me to ask, since the answer is every night for the past two weeks.”

Decebel stood up abruptly and his power radiated throughout the room. “Why are you always discussing the details of our sex life in front of every person we know? Have you ever thought that maybe I don’t want you to discuss it? Have you ever once considered how I might feel about it?” His voice was so deep that it vibrated in Jen’s chest.

Jen stood from the couch slowly. Though she wasn’t huge, she still was getting used to having weight protruding from her stomach and she lost her balance a lot. She swayed slightly once on her feet and when Decebel reached out to steady her, she snarled at him and slapped his hand away. “Keep your damn hands off of me. That shouldn’t be too hard for you since it seems to be what you want anyway.”

After several heartbeats she looked up at his face. She mentally prepared herself to stay calm. Just keep it together Jen, she told herself.

“You forget that I am in your mind B. I am a constant shadow and I know how you feel and what you think,” she paused and gritted her teeth to keep from crying. Damn pregnancy hormones. “That is until now. So now that I can’t see what’s going on inside of you, I have to draw my own conclusion as to what has suddenly made you act like a pissed-off four year old whose ice cream has just splattered to the ground. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I must not be doing it for you anymore.”