Piercing Silence (9 page)

Decebel stood to her far right. His large
arms crossed in front of his chest with his brooding frown firmly
in place. He looked like a stranger to her. Shadows seemed to wrap
around him and the very light in the room seem to avoid him.

Vasile was sitting on one of the loveseats;
his eyes were tired and his mouth pulled into a tight line. He
looked older, though he still didn’t have grey hair or any
wrinkles. She heard footsteps behind her and watched as Sorin and
then Fane walked into the room.

Jacque took a step toward her mate but
stopped when she remembered that he couldn’t see her. She ached
with the need to feel his arms around her and to have him tell her
that everything would be fine, that he would never let her go, and
that he loved her. None of those things had ever been in doubt, but
that did not mean she needed to hear them any less.

She watched as he took a seat next to his
father. His blue eyes held no tenderness in them. They were as hard
as the marble tile upon which she now stood.

“You’ve been graduated for a year now,
Fane,” Vasile spoke, breaking the silence.

Jacque looked over at the Great Luna. The
goddess nodded. “Yes, this is two years after you should have met
him.”

Jacque turned back to the men and watched as
Fane clenched and unclenched his jaw. “I’m not ready.”

“What kind of answer is that?” Vasile
snapped. “You told me two years ago that you felt like you needed
to go to the U.S. but that you weren’t sure you were ready. I
understood then because you were young. You are a pup no longer. If
you feel a pull to go, then you know what it could mean.”

“But we know there are no packs in that
area. That’s the whole reason I backed out the first time. Why on
earth would my mate be in Cold Spring, Texas where there are no
Canis lupus?” Fane argued. “Besides, don’t you think we have bigger
things to worry about?”

That had Jacque perking up even more.

Vasile shrugged. “Desdemona makes her
threats; we’ve been holding her off. She will still be here when we
return. Now back to your first question. It doesn’t matter if you
can’t explain it. We are werewolves and for all intents and
purposes should not exist, yet we do. You need a mate.” Vasile
motioned toward Decebel. “He needs a mate. Hell, half the pack
needs mates, and they haven’t found any here. Maybe you are to be
the catalyst for something good, Fane.”

“So you’re telling me that if I don’t go
then I’m responsible for the other males not finding their mates?”
Fane’s eyes narrowed on his father.

“I simply want to know what you’re afraid
of.”

Fane stood from his spot and walked over to
the fireplace. There were no flames in its hearth, which only
served to make the room seem colder. His shoulders were tense and
Jacque wished she could ease his frustration.

“I just have a feeling that I’m not going to
like what I find,” he answered finally.

Jacque knew she shouldn’t be offended
because she didn’t think he meant that he wouldn’t like her, but it
still stung.

“You don’t think you will like your mate?”
Sorin spoke up for the first time.

Fane shook his head in frustration. “No,
that’s not what I mean. I mean something is wrong.”

“I would think that if something is wrong
and your mate might be involved it would be all the more reason to
go.” Decebel’s deep voice sounded foreign to Jacque’s ears. There
was no warmth in it. Like his dead eyes, his voice was
lifeless.

“We’re going,” Vasile said as he stood up
briskly. “As your Alpha, I’m telling you that we are going.
Decebel, Sorin, and Costin will join us. We are going to lay this
to rest once and for all. Get your stuff packed and meet at the
vehicle in twenty minutes.” Vasile stormed from the room leaving
behind a very frustrated Fane, surprised Sorin, and unmoving
Decebel.

“Why do you want to go?” Fane turned to face
Decebel.

Decebel’s amber eyes looked at Fane and for
a second Jacque saw them flash with the glow of the wolf. “I
honestly don’t know. I’ve given up on finding a true mate. I don’t
deserve one. But like a blister being rubbed over and over, I’m raw
with the need to act. My wolf is more restless than he’s ever been,
and the only thing that seems to calm him is the idea of going with
you to this Cold Spring place.”

“And what if you do find your mate there?
What if you don’t like what you find?”

A wicked grin that was similar to the ones
Jacque had seen on Decebel’s face before took the place of his
frown. But unlike the wicked grins she’d seen, this one lacked any
emotion. “Then I will kill him.”

Fane’s mouth dropped open briefly before he
caught himself. “So if you find your female and she’s already with
someone then you…” Fane’s words trailed off.

Decebel nodded. “Yes, then I’d take care of
it. Though I do not feel I deserve a mate, my instincts would never
allow me to walk away from her if I found her, and I sure as hell
wouldn’t leave her in the hands of another male.”

Jacque wasn’t surprised by Decebel’s words,
but she was surprised at how cold they sounded.

“Is that what you think you will find?”
Sorin asked Fane having stood up and walked toward the door.

Fane nodded. “I should have gone when I felt
prompted the first time, but I just couldn’t rationalize as to why
America or why Texas. My gut tells me she’s there, but she’s no
longer alone.”

Jacque’s stomach dropped to her toes as she
realized what was about to happen. She didn’t feel the Great Luna’s
hand on her arm or even notice the pull and empty space as they
traveled. All she could think about was that Fane was coming to
find her, two years after it should have happened, and he was going
to find her with Lucas.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Jacque
slumped forward as the ground appeared beneath her feet. She
stumbled forward but was caught by the goddess’ hand. She didn’t
have time to recover or to prepare herself.

“Why are you here?” Lucas’ voice rumbled
through the air.

Jacque straightened up and looked around her
trying to get her bearings. She was standing in her front yard and,
to her surprise, Jen and Sally were there.

“I thought they left me?” Jacque asked the
goddess.

“Did you think your friends would ever
really abandon you for good? They were always destined to be a part
of my children. Since you and Fane did not meet at the designated
time, the Fates had to make sure that they would be in the right
place at the next opportunity for their own destinies to become
fulfilled. Jen and Sally both are dating wolves from Lucas’
pack.”

“Do they know what they are?” Jacque asked
as she looked at Jen who was standing next to a handsome, blonde
guy.

“Yes, which is partly why they forgave you.
They realized it must have been difficult to keep such a
secret.

“I need to speak with you.” Fane’s voice
drew her attention and when she looked at him she saw that he
wasn’t answering Lucas’ question, he was talking to her―well, her
other self. Jacque looked at the face of the future Jacque and
could see clearly the confusion and shock in her eyes. Future
Jacque tilted her head to the side as she stared back at Fane, and
she knew that he must be using their bond to talk.

“Huh, I do make funny faces when we talk
through the bond,” she mused as she continued to watch the drama
unfold in front of her.

“She is mine,” Lucas snarled.

Fane looked away from future Jacque then and
his face was strangely calm. When he met Lucas’ eyes, he almost
looked amused. “Are you sure about that?”

“She’s been mine for two years.”

Fane took a step toward the Cold Spring
Alpha. “Does she bear your mark? Does she wear markings that match
your own?” Fane’s voice had dropped low as he challenged the other
male. “Does she hear your voice in her mind?”

Future Jacque looked up at Lucas and the
doubts were already beginning to slip through the cracks that Fane
was putting in the carefully crafted reality that Lucas had
built.

“If she doesn’t bear your mark, then Fane
has every right to challenge you.” Vasile stepped up next to his
son.

“Who are you?” Lucas asked through narrowed
eyes.

“
'Who are you?' is a more
appropriate question,” Vasile parried. “You see, I am the Alpha of
the Romanian pack, and I know
all
the other Alphas. But I don’t know you and you
are not on any pack roster. Who are you, Lucas Steele, and why do
you have an unregistered pack?”

Lucas tried to meet Vasile’s eyes but
couldn’t. Jacque—the Jacque who was watching in horrid
fascination—knew that Lucas wasn’t nearly dominant enough to hold
Vasile’s gaze. Then again, few could stand against her
father-in-law.

“Do you accept my challenge?” Fane asked,
his eyes staring at future Jacque.

“I accept,” Lucas growled as he took future
Jacque’s hand.

“She will not stay with you,” Vasile spoke
up. “You know the rules of the challenge. You will remain separated
from her until after the challenge.”

“Do I have a say in this?” Future Jacque
finally seemed to snap out of her shocked state.

“No,” all three males responded.

She turned her glare on Fane and once again
her eyes took on that faraway look. Jacque was actually jealous of
her future self as the other got to speak to Fane through their
bond for the first time. She missed her mate and missed that
connection.

Just when Jacque thought they would be
walking away from that encounter without bloodshed, at least until
the challenge, Decebel walked across the lawn passing Vasile and
Fane until he was standing about ten feet from Jen and the male
with her.

“Decebel,” Vasile warned.

Jacque saw the claws on his hands then and
realized why the Alpha was growling at his Beta. Decebel was barely
in control of his wolf.

“I challenge for her,” he said in a voice
barely understandable.

Jen’s eye narrowed as she looked from the
guy next to her back to Decebel. “Excuse me, Tarzan, but who the
hell are you talking about?”

Jacque laughed out loud, glad that no one
could hear her.

Decebel look at the guy standing next to
Jen, but he couldn’t even raise his head to look at Decebel. He was
way outmatched. “Is this your—” Decebel paused and clenched his jaw
so tight Jacque was sure his teeth would break at any minute. “Is
this your—” he tried again.

“Dude, if it’s that painful to talk then
maybe you should just stop,” Jen said, adding fuel to an already
very volatile situation. “This is my boyfriend, if you must
know.”

Vasile walked over to where Decebel stood
and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What is your name?” Vasile
asked Jen.

“Jennifer Adams,” she answered, though not
with near as much attitude as she gave Decebel.

“You are human?”

“And you are not,” Jen snorted. “Anything
else we need to cover? Maybe we need to sort out what our genders
are as well just for good measure?”

Jacque smacked a hand to her forehead. She
looked over at future Jacque and that was when she noticed Sally
standing next to another male. She turned quickly to look back at
Sorin and Costin. Sure enough, Costin was eyeballing Sally like he
hadn’t eaten in about twenty years and she was a juicy T-bone.

She turned and looked at the Great Luna.
“This is going to be a blood bath.”

The Great Luna raised a brow at her. “It’s a
messy business trying to fix destiny when you step off the path
designated for you.”

“Decebel, are you sure?” Vasile asked and
Jacque turned to look back at the group.

Decebel’s eyes were glued
to Jen and while Jen obviously appreciated the view, she wasn’t
about to swoon at his feet.
Some things
never change,
Jacque thought.

“I challenge your boyfriend,” Decebel
growled, “for you.”

Jen raised a single brow. “And what if I
don’t want you?”

Decebel took a step closer to her. The male
next to her started to move but Decebel’s head snapped up to look
at him and the man fell to his knees. Guess it was blaringly
obvious who was more dominant between the two.

Jen looked down at her boyfriend and then
back up at Dec. Jacque grinned. Jen didn’t want to admit it, she
could tell, but she was impressed. No surprise there, she was
Decebel’s match in every way.

Decebel turned back to Jennifer and leaned
in closer to her. He took a deep breath and Jacque saw his
shoulders relax slightly.

“Are you going to answer my question?” Jen
wiped the awed look off her face, obviously remembering that she
was supposed to be irritated. “What if I don’t want you?”

“You will,” Decebel said softly.

Jen was speechless and, despite the
circumstances, Jacque really wished she had a camera to capture the
moment and show it to her friend once the nightmare was over.

Vasile watched his Beta
for several more seconds before finally shaking his head. “So be
it,” he said and then turned back to Lucas. “Two challenges stand
for two
unmarked
females you claim.”

“So this is all happening because we don’t
have bite marks on our skin?” Jen spoke up stepping to the side of
Decebel, being careful not to touch him, and faced Vasile.

“You are human and yet you know of our race.
Have they not explained to you what it means to be a true mate?”
Vasile asked her. “Did your boyfriend,” (The word didn’t sound like
a good thing as he said it) “not tell you about what it meant to
wear his mark or about your own markings that should match his? Did
he not tell you about the bond between mates and the ability to
communicate without words? Surely they’ve been open and honest with
you about what it truly means to be mated to one such as us?”