16

Jen spun in a circle. "I'm basking in the glow. Don't ruin my buzz."
Sally sat up. "You've been with Decebel," she accused.
"Been working on your sleuthing, Watson?" Jen asked with raised eyebrows.
"Not really. There's just nothing, or anyone, who could make you look so smitten."
Jen began undressing, not even caring that she had company. She was the immodest one and they were used to it.
"Decebel told me he wants me and that his wolf has claimed me as his mate," she threw out there without any warning.
This time it was Jacque who sat up abruptly. "Just like that? No 'hey, want to see a movie?' or 'I'm thinking we might have some intense mojo going on'? Just bam," Jacque smacked her hands together, "you're my mate?"
Jen grabbed a pair of boxers and t-shirt. She figured she wasn't going to get a shower until she spilled every detail to these two – not that she hadn't once demanded the same of Jacque.
"I think we both just don't want to play any games. Well, not ones that are going to hurt us. You know I'm still going to make him work for it, but at least we both know where we stand."
"So, what else did he say?" Sally asked eagerly.
Jen proceeded to go over – verbatim, she might add – her and Decebel's conversation. Jacque and Sally hung on every word.
"Did he kiss you?" Jacque asked.
"No," Jen's face fell, " he put his hands on my hips and pulled me close. And bloody hell, Jacque, you could have helped a sister out and prepared me."
Jacque grinned. "It's good, isn't it?"
Jen smiled wistfully. "Better than eating Godiva chocolate and watching Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt while taking a hot bubble bath. Which, yes, I have done…all of the above…at the same time."
Sally laughed, "Only you would chance putting a television so near a bathtub."
"We all have our vices, Sal," Jen said unrepentantly.
"So, the verdict is basically ya’ll are going to pursue this behind the Alphas' backs." Jacque more stated than asked.
"I just love a good scandal." Jen beamed.
"Especially when you're right in the middle," Sally added.
"Don't you know it." Jen stood up from the chair she had been occupying while she recapped her evening. "Oh, one more thing," she added absently as she headed towards her bathroom to shower, "He told me he wanted his scent on me. So, he's coming by in the morning early before breakfast."
"Shut. Up," Jacque sputtered.
"And how exactly is he going to accomplish this, Jennifer Adams?" Sally's motherly tone was sharp. Jen found it quite amusing when Sally got all protective.
"Why Sally, how dare you." Jen laid on the thickest southern belle accent she could. "You imply that I would allow that wolf to put his paws on me."
"Oh, honey, I'll do more than imply it," Sally retorted.
"Then you know me better than I thought." Jen winked.
"Jennifer!" Sally said, outraged. "I thought you wanted to wait."
"Oh chillax, Polly Prude. All he's going to do is hug me. Geez, here I thought my mind was the only one that lived in the gutter. I didn't realize you were looking for real estate, Sal."
Jacque jumped up off the bed. "Alright. Well, don’t do anything I would do." Jacque winked. "Of course, I'm licensed to."
This time Sally yelled Jacque's name. "What is with you two?"
"We've got to get you a man, Sally," Jen threw out as she shut the bathroom door.
"I don't need a man," Sally growled. "I have my hands full enough as it is with you two."
"Well, maybe it's time you got your hands full of something else," Jen yelled through the door. They heard the rush of the shower starting.
Jacque cackled. "Nice."
Sally followed Jacque out of the room, and Jacque laughed more as she heard Sally mutter under her breath, "I'll show you need a man. Puuuhlease, you two need your mouths washed out with soap, or better yet bleach. No, no, actually. Bleach and soap."

Jen emerged from the bathroom, clean and completely de-Decebeled, to a knock at her door. She told the little part in her that hoped it was said wolf to pipe down.
She opened the door to find Crina and Marianna standing outside her door.
"Hey ladies, what's up?" Jen asked and stepped back so they could enter.
"Hope it isn't too late to come by," Marianna told her as they walked in.
"I'm a night owl, so no worries."
"Marianna and I were bored," Crina started.
"Translation," Marianna interrupted, "Crina's bored. I'm dragged along."
Jen grinned.
"So, we were thinking, you know how tomorrow we're supposed to go to the gym to learn self-defense from the Serbia pack males?"
"Yeah," Jen said, already interested in a possible scheme – oh, how she loved schemes.
"There will be another group of females there as well, so I figure they'll probably introduce our packs. I – well, we," Crina said, looking at Marianna, who just snorted at her, "were thinking how funny it would be if when they introduce our pack, we did some sort of cheer or dance or something. Like what you Americans do for your sports teams."
"You're wanting to stick it to the man. I'm totally digging it."
"Sticking what to what man?"
"It's just a saying, when you want to rebel against authority."
Marianna nodded.
"You realize Vasile will be upset about this, right?" Jen asked.
Crina gave a very Jen-like smile. "Never stopped us before."
"Nice." Jen smirked.
"For the record I'm usually the innocent bystander," Marianna added, but winked at Jen afterward.
"Uh huh, sure you are. Okay, so let's do this." Jen paused. "Um, where are we going to do this exactly?"
"The gym. It was empty when Marianna and I checked on our way here," Crina told her.
"Lead the way, Thelma."
"Who's Thelma?"
Jen shook her head. "I can see a major movie night is in order."

The girls made it to the gym without encountering anyone, for which they were grateful.
"So, Jen, were you a cheerleader in school?" Marianna asked.
"No, I was usually one of the ones making fun of the cheerleaders. But I'm really good at rhyming and songs, so I'll come up with the cheer. Crina, I saw your moves on the dance floor. You and Marianna put together some moves, okay?"
They nodded and got to work.

An hour later, Jen had composed a complete cheer and Crina was perfecting the dance moves to go along with it.
"Alright, let's do it from the top," Crina told them.
They each got in their designated spots and on Jen's count, they started.

"Shimmy, shimmy, shake, shake,
We know you want some, of this cake.
Shimmy, shimmy, bye, bye,
Still others want, some of the pie.

Careful boys don't get too near,
It's not our Alphas you should fear.

Grubby, grubby, paws, paws
You know you want to, break some laws.
Double, double, dog dare,
You pant and growl, while you stare.

Sorry but, we're not that easy.
Turn around, if you want sleazy.

Get it, get it, got it, got it,
Too bad you can't, get up on it.
Wolf, wolf, big, bad,
Turn us down and we'll be mad.

We may be fine, and smokin' hot,
But gentle she-wolves we are not.

Run, run, male, male,
We know you want some of this tail.
Hit it, hit it, tap it, tap it,
You could not find it, if we mapped it.

We told you once, now that's twice,
We don't play fair, we don't do nice.

Growl, growl, drool, drool,
No pups with us, you silly fool.
Watch us, watch us, run, run,
Try to catch us, if you're that dumb.

You can look, maybe even touch,
We promise not to hurt you much.

Boys, boys, don't run away,
We've more games we want to play.
Challenge, challenge, fights, fights,
Who will get, my Blood Rites?

We know you each, have a plan,
Catch us, catch us, if you can.”

The girls were panting by the time they finished. They actually all had a pretty hard time keeping a straight face as they pulled off the moves. Jen was cracking herself up with her lyrics.
As the girls continued to practice, changing up different moves to make it flow better, they were completely clueless to the gathering audience outside the gym doors. A couple males from the Serbia pack had been coming to work out in the gym when they heard the girls' cheer. They stopped to look in before they entered and were surprised to see three of the unmated females from the Romanian pack.
"We really should leave," one of the males said as he continued to watch.
"Yeah, we should," his pack mate answered.
There was a pause.
"Go get some of the other guys. Oh, and grab my phone. Let's get this on video."

Decebel lay in his bed after reluctantly taking a shower. He hadn't wanted to wash Jennifer's scent from his skin. But he took solace in knowing that he would see her, touch her again in the morning.
After he dropped her off at her room, he had gone to the workout room and ran off some of the adrenaline flowing through his veins after having been in such close proximity to Jennifer. He had to admit that he felt lighter, more in control now that they had talked and put all their cards on the table. He was relieved to hear that Jennifer felt as strongly towards him as he did her. Sometimes he wasn't sure. It felt so strange to him to feel insecure and worried that a female wouldn't like him. He grinned to himself. She did like him. A lot.
The issue hadn't really changed. He was still going to have to deal with other wolves showing interest in her. But it made him feel better knowing that she wasn't interested in them. That in her heart, it was him. He figured maybe he should be worried that she would indeed find her true mate among the other packs, but truthfully, regardless of the lack of mating signs, Decebel would bet his life that Jennifer Adams was his true mate.
There it is, he thought. I'm admitting it and accepting it – better than that, I'm embracing it. Decebel felt his wolf settle down for the first time in months. Finally, man and wolf were in harmony again.
Just as he began to close his eyes and drift off there was pounding on his door. Urgent pounding, not just an average knock. Decebel was at the door in one bound.
Costin was on the other side, looking a little nervous.
"What's going on, Costin?"
"Beta, it's 11.30. Do you know where your female is?"
Decebel might have appreciated the little joke, but Costin was referring to Jennifer, and implying she wasn't where he had left her.
"Tell me." Decebel's voice was a knife.
Costin's eyes widened and he started talking very fast. "I was going to the gym to work out and when I got down there, I saw a bunch of the males from other packs looking in the gym windows. I heard voices, cheering female voices. When I got close enough to see...well, there was Jen, Crina, and Marianna."
Decebel pushed past Costin and was trying hard not to run. He needed to calm himself before he got there.
"What exactly are they doing?" he asked as Costin tried to keep up with his Beta.
Costin hesitated, but the cutting look Decebel sent him loosened his tongue. "They're doing some sort of cheer and dance," he said vaguely.
"Do I want to know what she's wearing?"
"Probably not."
"Bloody hell."
Costin remained silent the rest of the way.
Decebel heard snickers and male voices as he rounded the same corner Costin had only minutes before. He walked right up and the wolves parted like the red sea.
They all stared at Decebel, waiting for him to come unglued. Instead he plucked the phone from the nearest wolf, then looked at them all with glowing eyes.
"If you have been recording this you have five seconds to delete it."
There was sudden movement all around as buttons were pushed on phones.
"If I hear that any of you have not deleted it and are showing it to others, I will call you out, I will challenge you, and you will lose."
Decebel met the eyes of the wolves and each dropped theirs quickly.
"Are we clear?"
"Yes, Beta," they said in unison. The power coming off Decebel was raw and strong. It took even the more dominant wolves’ effort to not collapse under it.
"Good. Now go before I decide that I don't care about keeping the peace between our packs."
The wolves were nearly all gone before he had even finished speaking. Smart wolves, he thought.
Before Decebel opened the gym door, he looked at the phone he had taken and pushed the play button on the video. Decebel's eyes grew wider with every word, every hip gyration, every bend, every come hither look he watched his mate perform. After standing in shock for a moment, he pressed the delete button and handed Costin the phone.
"When I open this door, Costin, I want you to escort Marianna and Crina to their rooms. You are to stay outside their doors the remainder of the night."
"Yes, Beta," Costin complied.
Decebel reached for the gym door. He took a deep breath and told his wolf to cool it, but he knew his eyes still glowed.

"Okay, this will be the last time," Jen panted, it had been a while since she'd gotten this much exercise. "Then I think we can call it a night."
"I'm pretty sure the night has been called."
The three girls froze at the sound of the voice behind them.
"Crap, crap, crap," Jen muttered to herself.
"Crina, Marianna." Decebel's voice was not harsh, but firm. He meant business. "Costin will escort you to your room. Do not leave it until it's time for breakfast in the morning."
Neither girl spoke as they walked towards Costin.
Crina looked up as she passed Jen and mouthed, "Sorry."
Jen gave a shrug, then took a deep breath and turned to face her Beta.
"Fancy meeting you here," she flirted.
The look in his eyes said that wasn't going to work. One thing Jen was quickly learning about Decebel – his emotions very rarely ruled him. With her, they occasionally broke free of their cage. And in times like this, when he'd decided he was right and that she was going to obey, nothing could sway him.
"I distinctly remember dropping you off at your room, Jennifer,"
"Well...I wasn't really tired and Crina and Marianna said they wanted to get some exercise, so -"
"Why is it that you did not procure an escort to the gym? Why exactly did you think it a good idea to prance around in your sleep attire without any sort of protection in a mansion full of unmated male wolves?" Decebel took slow, measured steps towards her as he spoke. "Please tell me, because I know there has to be an earth-shattering reason for why you did something so haphazard and dangerous."
"Did you just use the word procure?" Jen asked incredulously, the hint of a smirk across her lips.
"Jennifer." Decebel's voice was deathly low.
Jen unconsciously took a step back at the glowing eyes boring into hers. "It's not a big deal, B. Nobody came in while we were in here. I don't see why you're giving me grief."
Decebel chuckled. It was not a good sound.
"Not a big deal. Right. Well, maybe you can explain why I just had to run twenty wolves away from those doors. Who, I might add, were recording your little performance on their phones. So, tell me again how it's not a big deal." Decebel was once again moving towards her.
Jen continued to back up until the backs of her legs hit the foldaway bleachers. She nearly fell back on her butt, but caught herself with one hand. Irritated with her clumsiness and the slight fear she felt at being stalked by Decebel and his eerie calm, she reverted back to the “gives a rats ass” Jen. Call it a defense mechanism, but it helped her keep her cool.
"Only twenty?" she asked as she cocked her hip to the side and propped her hand on it. "I would've thought that little dance would pull in quite a bit more." She made a show of looking thoughtful, tapping her chin with her finger. "Hmm, maybe we needed a bit more hip action. Although, I don't think we were giving it our best. It'll definitely be better when we do it for real."
Decebel growled and took a final step closer. They were less than a foot apart. Jen still had her hand propped on her hip, but now she was having to lean back a bit to look up at his nearly painfully gorgeous face.
"I hate to be the one to break it to you, baby, but you will not be performing that little number for anyone. Ever."
Jen's eyes narrowed. "I have a feeling one day I'll change your mind about that. By the way, don't think that calling me baby will help you get away with being a pushy, furry dictator."
"Look, I know girls don't understand how guys' brains work." He actually looked bashful as he continued. "I'm over a century old and my brain still works that way. Guys don't just see hot chicks doing a hot dance."
"What else could they possibly see?" Jen asked, revealing just how innocent she was despite all her big talk.
"When you dance like that, and look at them like you were...they – we," he corrected, "see it as an invitation."
Jen couldn't stop the disbelieving laugh that emerged. "Man, you guys really are messed up in the head if that’s what you get from a dance and cheer that's actually insulting towards unmated males. Which, if they listened to the words, they would understand."
Decebel grabbed her hand and tugged her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and inhaled her scent deep into his lungs.
"You already stand out with your beautiful blonde hair, long legs, and stunning eyes. Could you please not draw more attention to yourself?" he pleaded.
"You left out one of my best attributes," Jen began but Decebel cut her off.
"Jennifer." His voice was a growl.
Jen laughed. "You just outed yourself, wolf."
Decebel couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. Only she could calm him and make him forget he was even angry.
"I'm going to take you back to your room and I want you to stay there until I come for you in the morning."
Jen stepped out of the shelter of his arms. She rolled her eyes. "Fine, geez. Always cramping my style."
Decebel walked her back to her room. Right before she went inside, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. He leaned in close and Jen's breathing quickened. He skimmed his nose against her neck, causing a shudder to ripple through Jen's body. He pulled back and said the last thing Jen ever expected.
"As much as I hate for you to take another shower now that you bear my scent, it would be best. Apparently, your little dance made you hot."
Jen grinned wickedly. "If it got me hot, it most certainly got you -"
Decebel laid a finger against her lips. He shook his head, letting her know he knew exactly what she'd been about to say.
"Keeping your words in check is becoming a full-time job," he teased. She stuck her tongue out in response, bringing a chuckle from him. "Sleep well," he told her as he turned to go.
Jen blushed heatedly as she began to push the door to her room open, but before he got too far, she muttered, "Wouldn't be such a hard job if my mouth were busy with other things." She knew with his wolf hearing he would hear her.
Decebel didn't turn around. "Look forward to scenting – I mean seeing you in the morning, Jennifer."
Jen quickly closed the door. Grinning as she leaned back, she said out loud, "You are seriously poking the beast, Jen. And if I were a betting girl, I would say you want to get bit." She laughed breathlessly. "That about sums it up, Sherlock." She shook her head and once again headed for the shower.

Cynthia's head rose at the sudden knocking on her door. She looked at her watch and wondered who would visit her at midnight. She got up and opened the door to find Sally on the other side.
"Sally." Cynthia didn't hide the surprise in her voice. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes," Sally said initially, but quickly recanted. "Well, honestly, I don't know. Can I talk to you for a minute? I realize it's late." She couldn't stop wringing her hands and shifting from one foot to the other.
The girl's behavior did not go unnoticed by the doctor.
"Sure. Come on in." Sally scuttled through the door and Cynthia shut it softly. "So, what brings you here at this hour?" she asked, though not unkindly.
"It's about Jen and Decebel..." Sally started.
"Ah, yes. The celebrities of the ball," Cynthia joked.
Sally smiled. "You can always count on Jen to either make an entrance or an exit. One of them will always be epic."
Cynthia waited patiently for Sally to continue.
"After Jen left the dance, Decebel followed her and they talked."
"Only talked?" Cynthia's eyebrows lifted as she leaned forward.
Sally nodded. "Yeah, there was no funny business. Contrary to her appearance and big talk, Jen actually has high standards when it comes to being physical in a relationship."
Cynthia had to admit she was surprised. Jen's mouth often suggested otherwise.
"When Jen came back to her room, Jacque and I were waiting for her. We wanted to make sure she was okay, ya know?" Sally continued to fidget with her hands as she spoke. "Jen said that Decebel just came out with everything."
Cynthia sat up abruptly. "What do you mean 'everything'?"
"He told her he wanted her and that his wolf had claimed her as his mate. Of course, we all saw it a mile away, but I'm just wondering what would've made him change his mind about pursuing it so quickly."
Cynthia crossed her legs as she leaned back and watched Sally. It was obvious that the girl really cared for Jen, and even Decebel. How good it must be to have that kind of friendship, she thought. "Well, there could be a couple of reasons for his abrupt change of heart. I know that Alina and Vasile have tried to impress upon you all the differences between Canis lupus males and human males, as well as dominant Canis lupus males from non-dominant."
Sally nodded.
"Because of that, I will try not to be too redundant. So, the dominant male is controlling, obsessive, protective, fiercely loyal, extremely intense, and very, very possessive. Sometimes these traits are an absolute inconvenience and frankly, a pain in the – well, you get my drift. There are other times, however, that these are necessary traits in our world. These qualities can be the difference between life and death in some situations." Cynthia paused, gathering her thoughts. "I will tell you that, at times, a dominant male might seem a bit bipolar in personality because they can switch at the drop of a hat. They are conditioned to think quickly and under pressure, to make snap decisions for the good of the pack and those they love. So, what they think might be the right thing to do one minute can be nullified in the next by a change in circumstances or players on the field. With me so far?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm beginning to see how those things could have made Decebel decide he needed to get over this fear of not being able to protect Jen."
"Exactly," Cynthia agreed. "Tonight, Decebel saw how the game was going to play out, so to speak. I think he realized even more how intensely he feels towards Jen. He hasn't had to compete for her attention until now. Decebel is intelligent, he is very strong, and at his core an Alpha. Being an Alpha takes all the traits I mentioned to the extreme. Personality also can make them react more strongly. Decebel's personality is much more intense than Fane's. He is an observer, not a talker. Tonight, I would bet that he realized what his limit was in regards to not pursuing Jen, and he reached it. When he saw another wolf show considerable interest in her whatever was holding him back snapped."
Sally rubbed her face, obviously tired, but she wouldn't leave just yet. She wanted to try to understand the dynamics between Jen and Decebel. Something in her felt compelled to watch out for them.
"I know that was a long explanation, and I think probably the correct one. But there is a second possibility as to why Decebel changed his mind about his relationship with Jen. Decebel came to me today and told me Jen's scent has changed to him. He said he was sure it was the mating scent."
Sally's brow furrowed. "Oh, yeah. I remember Fane explaining the different mating signs – scent was one of them."
"Her scent might have finally pushed his wolf over the edge, allowing him to take control from Decebel, even if briefly. I really think that because Jen's a dormant the mating signs are just going to require an increase in emotional attachment and, even more annoying, patience. Simply being patient to let nature do its thing. It's almost as if her wolf needs to be awoken."
"Good analogy, doc." Sally smiled tiredly. "Okay. Well, I just wanted to get your take on the situation. But one more thing – do you think Decebel will change his mind?" Sally's voice took on a sharp, serious tone. "Cynthia, Jen – strong, capable Jen – would not handle it well if Decebel walked away from her. Not after his declaration tonight."
"There is one thing a wolf cannot change – his feelings towards his mate. If Decebel has accepted that his wolf has claimed Jen, if he has accepted that sometimes the wolf in us is much more perceptive than we are, and he is choosing to trust that, then there is no going back. Decebel couldn’t walk away from Jen even if, by some miracle beyond miracles, he wanted to. Not only that, but it goes against every fiber of his being to cause Jen such pain, physically or emotionally. His wolf would never stand for it. Decebel is over a century old, Sally. He knew all that when he decided to really pursue Jen. I can assure you he did not go into this lightly."
Sally nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay, that makes me feel better. Jen is one of those people who, once she commits, once she declares that you are hers, she goes all in with her whole heart. Jen would take a bullet for Jacque and me without a thought. She dragged Jacque out of that burning car, not caring if she made it out alive. So, I just wanted to make sure Decebel understood that since he's given Jen the green light to claim him, he needs to be prepared to accept the consequences. Those consequences just happen to be called one very bossy, but also severely loyal, Jennifer Adams."

Once Sally left, Cynthia sat back on her bed and recapped their conversation. She wasn't really surprised that Decebel had made his move. Not after what she and everyone else had witnessed tonight. Cynthia decided it would be important that she try and keep up with any changes they experienced, especially Jen since she wasn't full Canis lupus. She knew Decebel wouldn't like the idea. He would consider it as prying on something very private, but this was important and could help future dormant relationships.