Jade:
Worried about what Cassie must be feeling, Jade continued to stroll through the pack lands. She chose the path that wove through forest area. She was walking silently contemplating her thoughts. Her heart and brain were warring with each other. She felt tired after walking for an hour or so. She was quite near the border of the pack. She thought of turning back but she wasn't ready. So seeking out a stone, she leaned against it and closed her eyes. After a minute or so, she heard a twig breaking and her eyes snapped open.
Her head swivelled from side to side trying to find the source of noise. She realized that she was alone and vulnerable. So she quickly climbed a tree and started watching the area around her. She spotted a wolf moving slowly through bushes. It stopped a little ways away from the tree. Instinctively Jade knew it was the boundary line of pack. Thinking it must be a member of pack and she freaked out unnecessarily, Jade started climbing down but stopped at the entry of an intruder. He felt vaguely familiar. She couldn't see who it was because of all the leaves in between.
She tried to sense what form of creature it was. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the aura of power around the creature. Her eyes snapped open. Angara! Her mind screamed and told her to run. Her fear made her broadcast to Trixie and Liz such that whatever she saw and heard they could too.
She thought about running quietly. 'Stop.' Trixie's voice in head commanded. 'Don't move. A slight noise might give away your position. Watch what's happening. But be careful. Can you get closer without anyone noticing?'
'No. I am scared.'
'Don't be. Cassie will be there soon.' Liz tried to pacify Jade.
'Cassie? No. Don't send her. What if she gets hurt?'
'Jade, dear, she is a vampire. Stealth is in their very nature. Jade broadcast what you are seeing to Jack. Can you?' Trixie questioned.
'No. We are not yet integrated in his pack completely. Nor are we related.'
'Jade, don't be scared. I am getting Jack and Cassie must have already reached there.'
'I don't see her.'
All of a sudden the branch Jade was sitting on quivered; she nearly let out a shriek but for the hand on her mouth. She saw that it was Cassie. Cassie motioned her to be quiet. Soon enough Jack in his wolf form and Trixie sitting on his back came through forest running silently. Jack halted a little way away and sent out something to Cassie. Cassie picked Jade up as if she weighed nothing and set her down near Trixie, reaching them in a blink of an eye.
Trixie held Jade close. Cassie nodded to her and went back up in the trees. Jade knew instinctively that she was trying to get closer to Angara to hear them out. Jade whimpered and Trixie's arms around her tightened. Jade didn't want Trixie's comfort. She craved Cassie's arms.
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Trixie:
"How would you like to get married?" Trixie asked Sam.
Sam and Liz jumped, separating from each other. Jack sitting beside Sam also started at Trixie's question. "What?" "Married?" "We don't need to..." Three of them began exclaiming.
Trixie raised both hands and said, "Please let me explain. Cassie wants to marry Jade. But it's supposed to be a surprise. So if we tell her that you two are getting married. It will be easier for us to plan even when she is around and we can get her try a dress or two for fun and everything..." Trixie let it trail.
"Is Jade ready for marriage though?" Sam asked.
"Well she wants to mate me. So how is getting married any different?" Cassie spoke up.
"Gosh Cassie... You scared me." Trixie said whirling.
"But wouldn't she want to plan her own wedding?" Liz asked.
"Trixie... Liz... Help me. Angara." Unexpectedly Jade's voice rang in Trixie's mind. Trixie and Liz suddenly seemed to focus, their pupils expanding briefly.
"Cassie, Angara is at the boundary of pack land and Jade is there alone. She's sitting on a tree."
Cassie ran out of the dining hall before Trixie could complete her sentence.
Jade thought about running quietly. 'Stop.' Trixie commanded mentally. 'Don't move. A slight noise might give away your position. Watch what's happening. But be careful. Can you get closer without them noticing?'
Jack also stood up, "I should go help them. Let me assemble a team and I'll be off."
Trixie put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Don't call anyone. There is a wolf from pack out there meeting him probably without coercion or force. It might mean a coup. How about just two of us go and investigate. Cassie and Jade are also there. We might be able to get some information without them knowing anything."
"How do we get out without anyone noticing? If I left in middle of eating, everyone will suspect something." Jack whispered back.
Trixie thought about that, "Kiss me for a minute or two then run with me in your arms. Everyone will think... well you know... that we..." and she blushed.
"Brilliant." Sam flashed a smile.
Jack frowned but scooped her up in his arms and kissed her deeply. His tongue ran along the lips and made her shiver. He pressed her closer to himself. Her lips parted slightly and his tongue slid in of its own violation. He tasted and probed her. Suddenly breaking the kiss he lifted her in his arms and carried her out. Everyone had been watching their performance and eyes followed their exit. Trixie was blushing crimson. Jack's worry had slightly abated. But he set her down roughly, stripped all of his clothes and shifted to wolf in less than a minute.
The wolf glanced back at her and crouched a bit. It looked as if he was asking her to climb up on his back. Trixie climbed hesitantly. As soon as she did the wolf started running. Trixie held onto his neck, her hands full of fur. Trixie started enjoying the run. The caress of wind on her skin and her hair flying behind felt nice. However it was too short. Jack stopped his nose in air. Trixie took that as the sign that they were nearby. He softly padded near the tree a little ways away from where he spotted Jade and Cassie.
Jack wanted to growl, Trixie felt the rumble began. So she stroked his fur softly. Jack stopped growling. Jack seemed to mentally converse something to Cassie. She leapt down, put Jade near them and moved stealthily closer. Trixie got down and held Jade. After a minute though she let Jade go. Trixie felt that Jade didn't want her.
Jack nudged her hand with his nose and started walking back towards den. Trixie followed his lead and followed him towing Jade with her. When they were a safe distance away, she asked Jack, "Why are we leaving Cassie behind?" Jack turned to look at her but Trixie couldn't understand his expression as he was in wolf form. Jack turned again and continued walking.
Instead of going inside cottage, he went to the circle. Trixie understood something is really wrong. She mentally asked Liz to come and get Jade. Jack went to the edge of the circle and changed to human form. He sat down, leaning against tree trunk and with his head in his hands. Trixie didn't enter the circle and watched him with Jade from where they were standing.
Jade turned to Trixie, "What's wrong?" Her voice was filled with fear.
"Let me find out. You go to Liz. I am sure Cassie will be home soon." Trixie replied.
Jade nodded and left her side. Trixie moved towards Jack. She stood before him. He didn't look up or acknowledge her presence. Trixie placed a hand on his shoulder. He still didn't move. So she sighed and sat down waiting for him to say something.
As she waited, many thoughts raced through her mind. She thought that she and her friends would have to leave this place. She thought as an Alpha he would ask Sam and Cassie to leave with them because of their chosen mates. Most were filled with worry about her friends, but she was surprised that she was worried about Jack as well.
Since there was still no sound from him, Trixie thought about what she felt about Jack. The kiss had been passionate even though it was fleeting. She didn't believe that he was her mate but she knew that there was something between them. She tried to recollect all that she had heard about interspecies mating after Martha's death. It was then that Jack moved. His face was livid. He got up and started pacing. Trixie kept her face averted due to his lack of clothes. Cassie was just coming through the edges of forest. Her hair was in disarray due to the speed of her running. She came to stand near Trixie where Jack was pacing.
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Jack:
He started pacing the circle. His pack members had suffered once because of Angara. Now that they had his daughter in the pack, it was likely that they will suffer again. And now Angara had a pack member helping him. He could ask them to leave but the more he thought about it the more he realized that it would serve to disintegrate the pack not to mention the disappointment of his family and his mate.
He couldn't think of a way that would enable him to stop Angara and protect every member of his pack. He feared he would be seen as weak as his father had seemed. He was over a century older and he still seemed a novice in this matter. Feeling vulnerable, hurt and angry; he turned and hit a tree trunk with his fist. The tree split in two and collapsed on another tree and finally fell down. Out of the corner of eye he saw Trixie jump, his frustration was still lingering but he reined in his temper. He strode over to where Trixie and Cassie were waiting for him and sank down to ground again.
For a while, no one said anything. Then Trixie asked tentatively, "Who was the wolf?"
