“How’s it going, baby?” Jen heard Decebel’s voice in her mind.

She tried to reach out with her acute hearing to get an idea of how far ahead of him she was, but he was much quieter than she was when he ran. Which really got on her nerves.

She decided not to answer and make him sweat a little by putting up a wall between them. That was sure to make him run faster, but it would also drive him insane – which was what she lived for. She could feel him pushing against her mind, and the effort of blocking him was causing her to run more slowly. Deciding speed was more important, she let him push in.

“Not cool, Jennifer.”

“What’s not fair is that you can run faster than me, are quieter than me, and know how to use your sniffer. So suck on that lolly pop and try not to choke.” She heard his laughter and it made her smile. She loved it when Decebel laughed.

Suddenly she was bowled over by a large, furry being.

“Gotcha”

“Damn,” Jen muttered.

Decebel jumped back, letting her up, and lowered his front half down on the ground, his tail wagging. He wanted to play. Jen walked around him with her muzzle in the air, appearing to be indifferent to his actions. Decebel let out a small whine. As soon as Jen was close enough she nipped quickly at one of his four white paws and darted off into the brush.

“You do like the chase don’t you, Jennifer?” Decebel teased.

“Foreplay, baby. Foreplay.” She was repeating the words he had once spoken to her. Being in wolf form didn't deny them any pleasure.

Decebel let out a low growl and doubled his speed.

After running as fast and as hard as she could, Jacque decided to switch from defense to offense. She thought it might be fun to turn the tables on the wolf-man with a well-placed ambush. She hid in a thick grove of trees just off the path.  As the minutes ticked by and Fane got closer, her heart beat more quickly in her chest.  She crouched low, ready to pounce.

“I know you are here, little female.” She felt the caress of his words in her mind. He was trying to distract her. She didn’t respond.

When she finally saw him come into view she was momentarily confused when he simply sat on his haunches and looked around, looking more like a large farm dog taking a break than a fierce wolf. Once she collected herself she took two large steps and pushed hard with her legs, launching herself into the air. Just before she would have landed on his back, Fane, in a very experienced move, dropped to the ground and rolled her. Jacque landed with an “oomph” sound. She stood up, shaking herself.

“How did you know where I was coming from?” She turned to look at the once again calm Fane.

“I could hear your heartbeat, and smell you.”

“Damn, I was upwind. Amateur mistake,” she muttered.

“You actually gotmuch farther than I anticipated, and that whole zig-zag thing you and Jen did was brilliant.”

Jacque preened under his praise and walked over to him, rubbing against his side. He licked her muzzle and she instinctively lowered her head.

“I’m so glad that I can share this with you,” Fane told her as they lay down next to each other, their bodies pressed close.

“Me too.” Jacque’s voice was a contented sigh.

“Can I ask you something?” Fane's tone was cautious.

“Anything,” Jacque answered.

“Do you miss your home? Are you happy here with me, with my family?”

Jacque heard the worry in Fane’s voice. He could be in her mind anytime he wanted and seek the reassurance he needed. But instead he asked her.

“I miss my mom. But I get to talk to her anytime I want.” She turned her face to his. “Do I really miss my life back in the States? No. My home is wherever you are.”

“Do you ever wonder what your life would be like had you never met me? Where you might be, who you might be with?”

“If you mean do I think Trent and I would have gotten back together, then the answer is no.” Jacque felt Fane tense.

“What’s up, wolf-man? Are you still jealous of him?”

When he didn’t answer right away she sat up to look at him and immediately lowered herself back to the ground at his low growl.

“My father found out something about Trent. About why he ended your relationship so abruptly.”

“Oh?” Jacque sounded surprised. She was a little put out that he hadn’t told her a long time ago.

“Lucas threatened him if he didn’t stop seeing you. Trent actually stood up to him, but then Lucas threatened his family.”

“How did you find this out?”

“Simple,” Fane told her. “We asked him.”

“Did he not find that a little odd?”

“I explained to him that you and I had hit it off and gone on a couple of dates. I told him that you were honest with me about your relationship and the sudden break up. He looked genuinely sorry,” Fane added begrudgingly. “So when I told him that I saw some strange guys hanging around your place and wanted to know if he knew anything, he told me about Lucas.”

Jacque looked off into the forest, lost in thought at the information Fane had just told her. It was weird to realize that Trent hadn’t really wanted to break up with her. What would have happened? Would they have continued to date through their senior year? She heard a low growl from Fane.

“Sorry, I’m not saying that's what I wish had happened. It’s just weird to think that what I thought wasn’t reality at all. Why didn’t you tell me?”