"Would someone like to explain to me why I'm handcuffed and not in the hospital?" Jacque asked, looking back and forth between Dr. Steele and Logan.

"You've been kidnapped, Jacque. Logan wants to make you his mate," Cynthia answered matter of fact like, and with much more truth that Jacque expected.

Once again, pain wracked Jacque's body and she closed her eyes, trying to shut it out. When she could breathe again she looked at Dr. Steele. "What's wrong with me?"

Cynthia explained to her the same thing she had to Logan in the plane, but stopped before she told her how she could be healed.

"Okay, doc. You can't possibly think that I don't know that you must know how to fix this. Why else would Logan bring you along?"

It was Logan who answered. "You need wolf blood. You will get it from me."

"Excellent," Jacque said sarcastically even as she reached for Fane with her mind.

"Fane!" She couldn't contain the fear that poured into the bond between them. She was in pain, she might die if she didn't get werewolf blood, and some crazy wolf had once again decided she should be his. Said wolf wanted her to take his blood and, yeah, scared was an understatement at this point.

Jacque felt arms wrap around her and a hand caress her face. “Jacquelyn." The desperate ache she heard in his voice was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Chapter 28

Sally and Jen listened as Vasile told everyone what had happened with the Coldspring pack. When the wolves had returned from their meeting, eyes glowing and the power rolling off of each of them sucking the air from the room, it gave away that they had bad news.

"Now that we know who has her, how can we figure out where Logan took her?" Alina asked her mate.

"I've been thinking about that and the only thing I can think to do at this point would be to question Dillon's wolves." Vasile turned to look at the Alpha. "How do you feel about that?"

Dillon nodded his head in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing. I don't know if Logan would have confided in any of my pack, but the only way to know for sure is to question them." He turned to his wolves. "Lee, Phillip, Dalton, and Aidan, you will be first."

Vasile stood and turned to Lilly. "If you don't mind, I would prefer all of the women wait in the kitchen."

Before Lilly could object, Jen grabbed her hand. "Come on, Ms. P. Let the fur balls do their thing. I'm sure they will gladly fill us in once they have beaten the truth out of these four."

"Jennifer," Decebel growled.

"Save it, wolf," Jen growled back, holding her hand up in indication she didn't want to hear what he had to say, "you and I will dance later."

Lilly let Jen pull her into the kitchen while Sally and Alina followed. Sally went straight for the fridge and pulled out a Coke. Turning to Jen, who had hoppedup on the counter, she tossed her one, knowing she would be expecting it. Then Sally grabbed her own and went and stood next to Jen, leaning back against the counter. Alina stood opposite the girls with Lilly next to her.

"Alina, why would Logan take Jacque?" Lilly asked the female Alpha.

Alina stared at the floor for a few moments before answering, "I can think of two reasons. One, he thinks he is helping Dillon by being the one to make the decision to take Jacque so that Dillon doesn't have to."

"If that's the reason he's dumber than he looked," Jen said in between drinks.

"The second would be the one I feel is probably the reason, he wants a mate. I'm not sure how old Logan is, but from the power I could sense on him he's old enough to be feeling the effects of not having a mate," Alina explained.

"What is with this mate business? Is it really so big of a deal that these werewolves are willing to gamble their lives?" Sally asked Alina.

"To a human it seems unrealistic," Alina answered. "The idea of a soul mate, what we call a true mate. There are so many facets to the magic behind our kind. I don't understand it all, I just know what I've seen to be true. There is a darkness in the soul of a male wolf. He is designed to be fierce, unrelenting, protective to an extreme, and unforgiving. If a male does not find his mate, this darkness begins to take over and gradually he begins to go mad, unable to control the darkness that was once something that kept his family, his pack safe. Often males will describe it as being at war with their wolf." All three women were listening so intently that they didn't notice the male wolves that had gathered in the background, listening.

"His mate is the light that keeps that darkness at bay. She fills the hole that has been growing ever larger in his soul. When the bond is completed between mates, their very souls merge, and the male will be able to leash the darker part of his nature and at last be at peace with his wolf."

There was a pause of silence before anyone spoke.

"What does the girl get out of it? I mean, that sounds great for him, but what about the hole in her soul?" Jen's question was nearly a whisper. Alina cocked her head to the side in a very wolf-like gesture, surprised that such a question had come from Jen.

Alina walked over to Jen and placed her hand under her chin and tilted her head so that she was looking right at Alina's face.

"She gets a man who will love her completely and faithfully. She gets a man who will not only save her life, but lay down his own to keep her safe. He will provide for her no matter the cost, he will shelter her against all the storms that come their way, he will be the one to bring a smile to her face when no one else can. She gets a friend, a lover, a mate, the only man in this world who can complete her and give her the other half of her soul."