“Please go easy on the door, Jennifer. I’m the one who will have to fix any holes you put in the wall,” grumbled Decebel.
“You could use some practice working with your hands,” she replied.
“That’s not what you said last… You know what? I’m not even going to take the bait this time.”
Jen rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Jacque. “I could hear your voice all the way down the hall, Red.” She marched up to her friend.
Jacque looked up at her blonde BFF, and tears ran down her cheeks.
Jen’s take-no-prisoner demeanor changed in the blink of an eye as she sat down next to Jacque and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight. “She’s going to be okay,” Jen said softly. “Your mom is one of the strongest people in the world. And she loves you, but she also knows that you have Fane and the rest of us with you. She knows you’re taken care of.”
“But why won’t she let us take care of her, too?” Jacque hiccupped as she cried. “That’s what pack is for. The warlocks may be her people, but we’re her family.”
“We are,” Jen agreed.
“But they are as well,” Decebel said. Jacque had almost forgotten he was still there. “If Lilly allows it, this loss will bind her to the warlock clans. But if it isn’t handled correctly, then it could divide her from them permanently. She has to stand on her own two feet. She’s smart enough to know that and you are, too.”
Jacque did know that. But it didn’t change the fact that she longed to see her mom and hug her as tightly as she could. And it didn’t help Jacque’s emotional state that she was so tired. Her mate, through no fault of his own, couldn’t be much comfort. Fane had been extremely busy dealing with pack members who were worried about their future. There were rumors that some of them were considering challenging him for alpha, which Decebel had simply laughed about. His dismissiveness had made Jacque feel a little less worried. But the fears for her mom were still in the back of her mind, constantly gnawing at her. Jacque had no idea how to help her.
Decebel walked over and sat in the chair beside the love seat, his body turned toward her and Jen. He rested his forearms on his legs and met Jacque’s eyes. After a few seconds, he dropped them. Jacque knew it was out of respect, not because she was actually more dominant than him. Decebel had been a loyal beta to Vasile and Alina. He’d promised to be just as loyal to Fane and Jacque. “You have to let her grieve the way she needs to,” he said gently.
Jacque wiped her cheeks and nodded. “I know. I really do. But it’s not easy to sit here and wonder what she’s going through.”
“Red,” Jen said, giving her a squeeze, “you know I’m with you. You want to storm into the warlock stronghold and demand to see the queen? I’ll gear up, we’ll paint our faces green, because”—she shrugged—“why the hell not? And we will take out anyone who keeps her from us.”
“Why green?” Jacque asked at the same time Decebel said, “No you won’t.”
“Ignore him,” Jen waved him off. “Green because we’ll be traipsing through the forest to get to the warlock mountain. It’s always been you, me, and Sally. And it always will be.”
“What’s always been us?” Sally’s voice came from behind Jacque.
She turned to see Sally and Costin walking in. Sally’s brown eyes were large and eager.
“Are we doing something?” the healer asked as she took a seat next to Jacque. “Jen looks like she’s cooking up a plan.”
“Please, no.” Costin sighed, sounding so miserable Jacque almost laughed.
“I’ve told her no,” Decebel said.
Costin huffed. “And when has that ever stopped them?”
“It’s worked a few times,” Decebel muttered.
“A few times out of hundreds? That isn’t enough to declare a victory with these three.”
Sally completely ignored her mate and turned back to Jen. “What are we doing?”
“Storming warlock mountain and demanding to see their queen so Red can feel better,” Jen explained.
Jacque pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “As much as I’d actually like to go along with Jen’s plan, which tells you how desperate I am, I have to agree with Dec on this.”
“Traitor.” Jen flung herself against the couch cushions. “A distraction would have been nice.”
Jacque understood Jen’s reaction. They were in a mourning period, but it felt as though the entire pack was a flock of sitting ducks. They were accustomed to action, not idleness. No one spoke, as if they all thought the same thing. Simply sitting and waiting was not something they did well.
A moment later, a heavy surge of power flooded the room.
“Dude has got to learn to reel that crap in,” Jen grunted.
Jacque watched as every head in the room except hers bowed, not of their own will. Her mate stood in the doorway. Power seemed to emanate from the very pores in his flesh. When he was feeling emotional, she’d noticed, it was difficult for him to reign all of that power in, and this is what happened.
He stalked toward her and then knelt down, gently cupping her face in his hand. It was amazing to her that he had so much strength but could be so tender when it came to her and Slate.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “I could feel your distress through our bond.”
He’d been feeling a lot of distress through their bond lately. Any time he thought it was too much, if they weren’t together, he would come find her and check on her, even if she’d already told him through their bond she was fine. Jacque always felt guilty when that happened because he already had so much on his plate. He didn’t need her burdening him with more.
His jaw clenched as he leaned forward until their heads touched. “You are
