Prince of Wolves (18 page)

“
Understand, Jacquelyn, we are not human. There are some things that our wolf nature demands, one of those things is a blood rite. A male Canis lupus wants the world to know his mate is his. There are several ways this happens. For example, his mate takes on the markings that he has on his body. The markings on Canis lupus reveal their place in the pack. For instance, I am a dominate so my markings are on the right side of my body. They are also very elaborate and go to the front of my chest, indicating that I am an Alpha. My father explained to me that when an Alpha finds his mate he develops new markings that are visible even with clothes on, like on the neck, in order to tell all Canis lupus that he is mated. A mated Alpha is a much stronger Alpha.”

Fane paused to give her a chance to ask any questions, and then just to humor her he turned and looked at Jen, who responded with, “Oh, I’m good. Carry on, this is great stuff.”

Fane winked at her and grinned.

To his and Jen's surprise Jacquelyn reached over and slapped his arm. “Quit winking at my friends. Jen’s gonna hyperventilate and Sally’s gonna pass out. Get on with this whole blood rites thing,” she growled at him.

“
You’re a violent little thing, aren’t you?” Fane teased.

She gave him a look as if to say “I’m waiting.”

So he continued. “That is one way the male's mate is marked.”

Sally raised her hand like she was in school.

Jen rolled her eyes and said, “Put your hand down, you dork, and just ask.”

“
How do the markings identify her to other werewolves if no one can see them unless she wears a low shirt like Jacque did tonight?” Sally asked.

Fane growled and that earned him another slap on the arm from Jacquelyn.

“
Don’t growl at my friends, either.”

“
I wasn’t growling at them, love. I was growling at the idea of another seeing your markings. The markings on the female are meant only for her mate to see, they are precious to him because it is the first thing that indicates she is his. Male Canis lupus do not like other males to see their mates' markings. It was very difficult for me tonight with yours showing, it helps that your hair covers up most of them,” he told her.

“
So it’s kind of like some guy looking in her lingerie drawer and seeing all her hot little outfits, huh?” Jen stated with a grin.

“
Only you would come up with that analogy. You know that, right?” Sally asked her.

“
I’m just clarifying things. You know, breaking it down, making it chewable,” Jen responded.

“
Jen, Sally, I love you guys but zip it, okay?” Jacquelyn asked them in exasperation.

Both girls ran their fingers across their lips as if to close a zipper and gave her the thumbs up sign. Jacquelyn nodded her thanks.

“
Another way a male Canis lupus shows that he has found his mate is the ability to speak to her by thought. I cannot speak to anyone else, nor hear anyone else’s thoughts but yours. It is the same for you,” Fane continued to explain. He noticed the look Jacquelyn was giving him was less than pleased and asked her, “Does that bother you, Luna?”

“
Well, there are some things I don’t want you to know,” Jacquelyn told him shyly.

“
Oooh, like that time we snuck out and went skin-” Jen started but was quickly interrupted by Sally.

“
JEN!” Sally hollered. “Let's get that popcorn. I think you need something to keep your mouth occupied or we are going to shove your foot in it, okay?” she finished sweetly.

“
Once again my parade is saturated in the downpour of hurricane Sally,” Jen retorted.

Jacquelyn watched as her two best friends walked to the kitchen, and then she turned to Fane.

“
So what’s the third way a male marks his mate?” she asked him.

Fane simply sent her the thought,
I think you would be more comfortable if we talk about it privately
.

Jacquelyn’s eyebrows rose in apprehension. “That bad, huh?” she asked him.

In response, Fane simply took her hand and pulled her up from the couch. He turned to Lilly and Sorin and told them, “I think the rest of this conversation needs to be between me and my mate.”

“
I can understand that,” Lilly responded.

Sorin simply nodded his understanding.

Fane looked at Jacquelyn and said, “Lead the way, Luna.”

Chapter 19

Jacque continued to
hold Fane’s hand as she led him up the stairs to her bedroom. Before they reached the top of the stairs she heard her mom yell, “Jacque, leave your door open, please. Mated or not, you are still living under my rules.”

Jacque laughed, so thankful for something that made her feel like she was just a girl with a boy, hanging out. Not a Canis lupus, not a mate, just teenagers.

“
You got it, mom,” Jacque hollered back.

Fane could feel her relief and it made him sad that he was causing her life to change so drastically from what she had ever known. He wanted her to be happy, he wanted her to feel safe, cared for, and loved by him.

As they entered her room, Jacque let go of Fane’s hand and stepped away, putting some distance between them. She needed space, she was beginning to feel just a tad claustrophobic.

“
You can sit in that chair or the window seat,” she said, indicating both places.

Jacque suddenly felt very nervous, being in her room alone with him felt so intimate, yet she couldn’t deny that she was very relieved that whatever he had to tell her was not going to be broadcasted to everyone downstairs.

“
So, what is this other thing that marks the female as a mate? I’m assuming it has to do with the blood rites?” she asked him.

“
You are correct, it is about the blood rites. The reason I wanted to speak with you alone is because it is the only part of the ceremony that is private,” Fane explained.

“
Whoa whoa whoa, back up. I thought you said there was no taking it lightly stuff happening in this ceremony,” Jacque said a little frantically.

“
Luna, I’m going to lay this out plainly for you. There will be no lies, half-truths, or bush beating,” Fane told her firmly.

Jacque tried, she really did, but she couldn’t contain the laughter.

“
Meu inimă, would you please share with me what you find so funny?” Fane asked her patiently.

“
It’s called beating around the bush, oh prince of wolves, not bush beating,” she informed him, still giggling despite her efforts not to.

“
Oh, well, my mistake. There will be no
beating around the bush
any longer. We are going to call it what it is, so if you turn a lovely shade of red I will try hard not to find it adorable.”

“
Fine, spit it out already,” Jacque answered, irritated by his little sermon

She planted herself on her bed, legs Indian-style, back straight, her hands folded in her lap. She was trying desperately to not be anxious but she was quite unsuccessful. Finally, Fane began to explain the blood rites, and he was right, what he told her made her blush so badly that she felt its heat.

“
What I told you is true about the bonding ceremony. We do not have to consummate or make love, whichever you prefer to call it, in order to be fully mated. We do, however, have to exchange blood.”

Jacque cringed at that. “That’s really gross. You do realize that, don’t you? I mean, surely that can’t be good for a person.”

Fane gave her an “I’m not finished” look, and she abruptly stopped talking.

“
There is no eloquent way to put this, it just is what it is. I will mark you and take your blood by biting you,” Fane paused, waiting for her reaction. She did not disappoint.

“
YOU ARE GOING TO WHAT ME?” Jacque yelled, completely caught off guard by his revelation.
I mean
, she thought to herself,
when he said exchange blood I was thinking finger prick, a little embarrassment because I’d have to suck on his finger and vice versa, but biting me? That's in a whole 'nother category of embarrassment.

Fane walked over to her bed and knelt down in front of her. He placed his hands over hers and she instantly felt reassurance flow through her. She closed her eyes and let herself soak it up, embracing the comfort he was providing.

When she opened her eyes she was staring into glowing, crystal blue eyes. “How did you do that?” she asked him.

“
For wolves, touch is a very powerful thing. It provides comfort and reassurance for them, and like other things, it is even more potent between mates. You needed my comfort and I could do nothing else than provide for you. When you need something, it calls to me. I can feel it, my wolf can feel it, and we are obligated to do what we can.”

Jacque tried not to think about that, but call her crazy – which at this point she was bound to be – she could just picture herself craving a Snickers ice cream bar in the middle of the night while a raging thunderstorm wreaked havoc. Here came Fane knocking on her window, soaking wet, with a Snickers in hand.
That could be kinda handy
.

Fane caught all of her little daydream and chuckled at her. “You really think the oddest things. You know that, right?”

“
Let’s stay on track, wolf-boy. Bite me where exactly? Since this has to be done in private, I’m a little leery of the answer,” she told him.

“
Relax, Luna. I’m not going to bite you anywhere that you might one day like,” Fane said.

Jacque knew he was just trying to get a reaction out of her and, much to her chagrin, it worked like a charm.

“
You just stop that thought right there. There will be no discussing of the future likes and dislikes of our maybe one day physical relationship, got it?” Jacque told him with finality.

“
I will humor you for now,” Fane told her with a grin. “Moving along, love, I will bite you on your neck. Rest assured, Luna, I am a werewolf but at least I’m not a vampire. My bite will not last so long as to drain you of your blood, only long enough to take enough blood to swallow and leave my mark on you.”

Jacque was quiet for a moment. She took a deep breath, then said, “I’m not even going to ask about the vampire comment. I’m just gonna let that one slide by without so much as a wave or glance. What I will give my attention to is this whole leaving a mark on me bit. I get that when you bite me you'll get blood in your mouth and yada yada, but how are you going to leave a mark on me?” Jacque asked him with surprising composure.

“
I’m not really sure how I leave a mark on you. I think it’s just a part of the whole supernatural part of bonding. The mark I will leave is the visual symbol that you are mated,” he explained. “The final warning to other males that you have been bonded is smell.”

“
I’m going to smell? Please tell me I’m not going to stink, ‘cause I don’t do stinky, okay?” Jacque implored him.

“
No, Luna, you are not going to stink. To other Canis lupus you will smell like me because you have taken my blood, and I will smell like you when I have taken your blood. Once we have consummated our mating, the smells will intensify greatly,” Fane explained.

“
You just had to throw that last curve ball in there, didn’t you? Well, don’t get your hopes up ‘cause I’m not going to swing at it,” Jacque told him haughtily.

“
So this whole biting thing is done in private. Why?” she asked.

“
Would you like me to bite you on the neck in front of your mom?”

“
Point to you. You’re right, there is no way that mouth of yours is coming near my neck in front of anyone, not my mom and especially not your parents,” Jacque said.

Oh crap
, she thought,
I have to meet his parents
. She felt panicky at that thought yet she didn’t know why. She hadn’t been nervous when she'd met Trent’s parents. She heard Fane growl as he caught the thought of Trent in her mind.

“
Oh shut up already, you over possessive, royal, Romanian pain in the backside. It’s not like I’m thinking about him biting my neck,” Jacque said sarcastically.

Fane stood up and sat next to her on the bed. He leaned closer and swept her hair away from her neck, revealing the markings on her shoulders and neck. Fane traced the marks and let out a low growl. Jacque shivered at his touch and found that she couldn’t quite keep her breathing even. Actually, she felt like she might pass out at any moment. What came next almost sealed her fate.

Fane leaned even closer and whispered in her ear, “I would hope you were not thinking of him biting your neck. I assure you that once I do you will never have need to think of another again.” And then he gently placed his lips on her neck. Jacque didn’t even try to suppress the small moan that came out of her tightly closed lips. But naturally, Fane could not leave well enough alone. After he kissed her neck, he pulled his lips away playfully and gently nipped her.

Jacque jumped and turned to look at him breathlessly, putting her hands up as if to ward him off. “I, um...” She shook her head and rubbed her face with both hands as she struggled to get her thoughts and words to cooperate with her mouth. “Now I understand why that part is done in private. Thank you for demonstrating.”