Jen watched as Decebel allowed the wall he always erected in front of others to come down. She took his hand and led him over to one of the love seats. Kicking off her shoes, she pulled her legs up on the couch and leaned into his side as his arms came around her. She closed her eyes and she felt him lay his cheek against her hair. There was a low rumble in his chest as she snuggled closer.

Decebel closed his eyes as he held Jennifer. This was what his wolf needed. He was beginning to realize why Fane touched Jacque all the time. It was like he couldn't not touch her. The reassurance, comfort, and peace that came from Jennifer's touch was a drug. A drug that he was fast becoming addicted to.

Gladly, he thought.

"Let's just stay here for a little while, okay?" Jen asked him sleepily.

"Ten thousand could not pull you from my side."

Chapter 19

"You are asking me to allow you to retaliate against the Romanian Beta?" Thad asked the wolf who stood before him, the same wolf who had grabbed Jen.

"Yes, Alpha. She does not belong to him. He had no right to attack."

"Maybe she isn't his mate, Dragos, but she is a pack mate," Thad reminded him.

"He still could have handled it differently, he didn't have to draw blood."

Thad was quiet for a few moments while he considered his options. This situation could actually work in his favor – if he played it just right. He turned back to Dragos. "Why not attack the one who allows Decebel such liberties?” The other wolf peered up at him, betraying his interest. Thad went on, “Why not take out the one who controls Decebel?"

Dragos couldn't deny that taking out the most powerful Alpha in a century appealed to him. "How could I take him out? He's too strong and protected."

Dragos watched Thad pull a small vial from the obviously expensive blazer he wore.

"Two drops of this in his drink and the big, bad wolf crumbles."

It was then that Dragos realized what was in the vial. "Menispermum," he whispered.

"Otherwise known as Moonseed," Thad concurred. "Well done. You must know, then, that the juice that comes from it is fatal."

Dragos nodded.

"So your task is to get this into his drink. I have simplified this by inviting the Alphas to dine with me privately. They will each have their own place setting with their names. You will be one of the wolf caterers that night and you will make sure Vasile gets the special drink. Then you can watch in satisfaction as the great Alpha withers away slowly. You see, unlike Kamalah, Moonseed kills slowly, makes the victim suffer."

Dragos smiled at the idea of bringing one so great to his knees.

"When is this dinner?"

"In three days' time. Be here at 5.30 p.m."

Thad dismissed the wolf. He then sent a text on his phone: "Have orders foryou."

A few minutes later his contact from the Romanian pack entered the room.

"I have a plan set for Vasile's death. Your job will be to lead Jen off on a wild goose chase to find the antidote for Moonseed. While you are out searching, somehow Jen will fall into one of those pesky cracks in the mountain."

"The antidote for Moonseed is Wolfsbane." The contact's brow furrowed. "It grows all over. How will I lure her so far away?"

"I will make sure to have all the Wolfsbane closest to the estate destroyed, thereby forcing you to wander out to find more. The reality is, I don't really want the Wolfsbane, but I will need some of the plant to fool them when we administer the so-called antidote. You see, when in their liquid form they are nearly impossible to tell apart. In fact, the only person I know that can tell them apart are gypsy healers. But, conveniently, there isn't a gypsy healer around," Thad explained with a satisfied smirk.

He watched as his contact thought about the plan, then nodded. "Okay. When?"

"Vasile will be poisoned in three days. Jen strikes me as the hero type. You will be able to convince her to go with you, no problem."

The contact said nothing more and left.

Thad smiled. His plan was coming together quite nicely. It was pure dumb luck that Dragos had come to him seeking revenge. Now the blame for the poison would fall on his shoulders. Thad would be left in the clear and even be able to act like he was helping. In three days' time he would watch the Romanian Alpha brought to his knees and, ultimately, his demise.

Vasile and Alina sat in a small gathering room with the other Alphas and their mates, the exception being Dillon, who was spending time with Jacque. Vasile had been the one to call the meeting, feeling like it would be best to meet the consequences of his Beta's actions head on.

"Did you find out exactly what provoked your Beta?" Victor, Alpha of the Bulgaria pack asked.

"The wolf training Jen was touching her inappropriately. Apparently Decebel saw the wolf touching her before Jen could handle it on her own." Vasile waited to see if any would contradict him. No one spoke so he continued. "As you know, Decebel is Beta of my pack. Jen is an unmated female, making it is his job to protect her since she has no mate to do so."

"I agree that he should protect her," Dragomir spoke up. "The question is, did he go too far?"

"I don't think her unmated status should decide the amount of defense she is allowed," Alina addressed Dragomir. "If any mated female had been grabbed so hard that bruises and claw marks became visible, her mate would kill the offender. There would be no fight to submission as Decebel did. The wolf who would touch a mate in that way would be signing his death warrant. Are our unmated females worth so much less?"