"A couple of days. Why?" he questioned.

"Since you've been back, when you're around Jen would you say the encounters are intense?" she asked, ignoring his question.

Decebel chuckled. "You could say that. Again I ask, why?"

"Before you came in I was discussing with Vasile and Alina what I had found just before the pack meeting. I came across a documented case of a dormant wolf being mated to a full Canis lupis." Cynthia glanced down at some papers then back at Decebel. "It’s actually journal of an Alpha from over a century ago."

"That’s good, right?" Decebel asked apprehensively.

"Well," Cynthia paused, "it’s good because now we have something to sort of...gauge the progression of a mating between a dormant and full. But it has the potential to be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Decebel interrupted, not liking the idea of something causing harm to Jennifer. "How can this information possibly be dangerous?"

"Let me explain to you what was documented and then I will go into how it applies to to you and Jen," Cynthia began.

"I’m listening," Decebel told her as he sat up straighter in his chair. His wolf perked up, which really threw him for a loop since his wolf usually kept quiet unless on the hunt or in battle.

Cynthia gathered together the documents she had printed off and began to read.

"I met my true mate today. Not for the first time, but it was the first time the bond had appeared. I had always been strangely intrigued by her, but let it go as curiosity because of her mysterious air. I was caught completely off guard when I heard her thoughts for the first time. She was in danger, serious danger. I heard her cry out for help – in my mind. I started running, without regard to where I was or what I was doing. All that my wolf could think was that we had to get to her, had to save her. I ran for what seemed like forever and finally I broke into a clearing. There, tied to a post, my mate stood.

“Tears streamed down her face, making the bruises that marred her cheeks shine. I felt the blood in my veins begin to heat. My heart sped up and my eyes, I know, were glowing as rage poured into me, fueled by my wolf's need to protect our mate. Her clothes were torn, disheveled rags. Her hair was covered in dirt as if she had been dragged on the ground. She made no sound out loud as her tears continued to flow, but her mind was a turbulent storm of fear, anger, betrayal. She turned and looked straight at me. My breath caught as glowing azure eyes locked onto his. It was instinct to reach out to her mind."I’m here, Rachel,” I reassured her. “All will be well." Her eyes widened, the only indication that she’d heard and recognized me. Then they closed. Tears clear as diamonds and numerous as raindrops from a summer storm covered her fear-filled face once again.

The crackle and flash of orange flame finally shook me from my shock and Irealized there were men and women all around. Several were lighting wood and hay they had stacked under her, my mate. They were going to burn her alive. Any control I had snapped, the pull of the horror I was witnessing being the final tug. I lost it. For the first time in 200 years I lost control of my wolf. My phase was instantaneous. I lunged forward, taking down any who dared to block my path. I made no distinction between male or female. As far as my wolf was concerned they were all guilty and would suffer the wrath of an Alpha. Screams filled the air as one by one I destroyed those who hadn’t run in fear, but instead in their stupidity thought they had a chance against me.

“I got to her just before the fire reached her bare feet. Mercifully she passed out just as I phased back to my human form. I untied her as quickly as I could, pulling her away from the flames that seemed to come alive, reaching with arms, seeking out their prey. I carried her, never looking back. I took her to the pack village, to my home, which would now be hers."

Cynthia stopped there and looked up from the papers. "I’m going to skip ahead to after she awakens and they begin to interact. He describes his feelings towards her and I think that might be helpful for you. Then I'll read what he believes kept him from recognizing his mate and what it took to pull her dormant wolf to the forefront."

Decebel nodded, his only acknowledgment of her words as his brain processed what she had already read.

"Rachel isn’t shocked that I’m a Canis lupis. I couldn’t believe she knew all this time. Her family has been adamant about passing down their history from generation to generation. I met her over a year ago. She is the daughter of a gypsy healer, Melinda, who comes to the village to help with minor illnesses. I knew that her mother's family had served the pack as healers for generations, but what I didn’t know was that Rachel’s great grandmother had a brief affair with a pack member. As a result, a little girl had been conceived. Rachel is a fourth generation dormant Canis lupis, which is virtually unheard of and certainly never mated.

“Rachel has been with me a week now. She has been surprisingly accepting of our circumstances. I think it’s because she has been around the pack and, unbeknownst to me, had known about true mates and the pull. I find the more time I spend with her the more I crave her. We haven’t completed the Blood Rites. I haven’t even kissed her, although I find myself needing to touch her, a brush against her as I walk by, a brief hand on her back, a light caress on her face as she sleeps. She needs my touch, I feel it in her though she tries to block her thoughts from me. When I do catch bits of them I am amazed at the insight she has into why it took so long for the mating signs to happen between us. I've finally decided to talk with her about it. I feel if I don’t resolve this and claim her soon no one will be safe.