"When Jen came back to her room, Jacque and I were waiting for her. We wanted to make sure she was okay, ya know?" Sally continued to fidget with her hands as she spoke. "Jen said that Decebel just came out with everything."

Cynthia sat up abruptly. "What do you mean 'everything'?"

"He told her he wanted her and that his wolf had claimed her as his mate. Of course, we all saw it a mile away, but I'm just wondering what would've made him change his mind about pursuing it so quickly."

Cynthia crossed her legs as she leaned back and watched Sally. It was obvious that the girl really cared for Jen, and even Decebel. How good it must be to have that kind of friendship, she thought. "Well, there could be a couple of reasons for his abrupt change of heart. I know that Alina and Vasile have tried to impress upon you all the differences between Canis lupis males and human males, as well as dominant Canis lupis males from non-dominant."

Sally nodded.

"Because of that, I will try not to be too redundant. So the dominant male is controlling, obsessive, protective, fiercely loyal, extremely intense, and very, very possessive. Sometimes these traits are an absolute inconvenience and frankly, a pain in the – well, you get my drift. There are other times, however, that these are necessary traits in our world. These qualities can be the difference between life and death in some situations." Cynthia paused, gathering her thoughts. "I will tell you that, at times, a dominant male might seem a bit bipolar in personality because they can switch at the drop of a hat. They are conditioned to think quickly and under pressure, to make snap decisions for the good of the pack and those they love. So what they think might be the right thing to do one minute can be nullified in the next by a change in circumstances or players on the field. With me so far?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm beginning to see how those things could have made Decebel decide he needed to get over this fear of not being able to protect Jen."

"Exactly," Cynthia agreed. "Tonight Decebel saw how the game was going to play out, so to speak. I think he realized even more how intensely he feels towards Jen. He hasn't had to compete for her attention until now. Decebel is intelligent, he is very strong, and at his core an Alpha. Being an Alpha takes all the traits I mentioned to the extreme. Personality also can make them react more strongly. Decebel's personality is much more intense than Fane's. He is an observer, not a talker. Tonight I would bet that he realized what his limit was in regards to not pursuing Jen, and he reached it. When he saw another wolf show considerable interest in her whatever was holding him back snapped."

Sally rubbed her face, obviously tired, but she wouldn't leave just yet. She wanted to try to understand the dynamics between Jen and Decebel. Something in her felt compelled to watch out for them.

"I know that was a long explanation, and I think probably the correct one. But there is a second possibility as to why Decebel changed his mind about his relationship with Jen. Decebel came to me today and told me Jen's scent has changed to him. He said he was sure it was the mating scent."

Sally's brow furrowed. "Oh, yeah. I remember Fane explaining the different mating signs – scent was one of them."

"Her scent might have finally pushed his wolf over the edge, allowing him to take control from Decebel, even if briefly. I really think that because Jen's a dormant the mating signs are just going to require an increase in emotional attachment and, even more annoying, patience. Simply being patient to let nature do its thing. It's almost as if her wolf needs to be awoken."

"Good analogy, doc." Sally smiled tiredly. "Okay. Well, I just wanted to get your take on the situation. But one more thing – do you think Decebel will change his mind?" Sally's voice took on a sharp, serious tone. "Cynthia, Jen – strong, capable Jen – would not handle it well if Decebel walked away from her. Not after his declaration tonight."

"There is one thing a wolf cannot change – his feelings towards his mate. If Decebel has accepted that his wolf has claimed Jen, if he has accepted that sometimes the wolf in us is much more perceptive than we are, and he is choosing to trust that, then there is no going back. Decebel couldn’t walk away from Jen even if, by some miracle beyond miracles, he wanted to. Not only that, but it goes against every fiber of his being to cause Jen such pain, physically or emotionally. His wolf would never stand for it. Decebel is over a century old, Sally. He knew all that when he decided to really pursue Jen. I can assure you he did not go into this lightly."

Sally nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay, that makes me feel better. Jen is one of those people who, once she commits, once she declares that you are hers, she goes all in with her whole heart. Jen would take a bullet for Jacque and me without a thought. She dragged Jacque out of that burning car, not caring if she made it out alive. So I just wanted to make sure Decebel understood that since he's given Jen the green light to claim him, he needs to be prepared to accept the consequences. Those consequences just happen to be called one very bossy, but also severely loyal, Jennifer Adams."

Once Sally left, Cynthia sat back on her bed and recapped their conversation. She wasn't really surprised that Decebel had made his move. Not after what she and everyone else had witnessed tonight. Cynthia decided it would be important that she try and keep up with any changes they experienced, especially Jen since she wasn't full Canis lupis. She knew Decebel wouldn't like the idea. He would consider it as prying on something very private, but this was important and could help future dormant relationships.

Chapter 17

Jen sat on her bed as she slipped on shoes. She'd decided on a comfortable, yet flattering outfit. It definitely had to be comfortable since self defense class was today. So she donned black yoga pants, a blue long sleeved tee, and her Nikes. Standing in front of the mirror, she examined the result and grinned. Not too shabby.

Jen wasn't really vain, but she did appreciate the attributes God had given her. Long, shapely legs, a small waist, and a large bust. Admittedly she was glad for being ample in that area, but there was the annoying problem of guys often talking to her chest instead of her face. Sometimes she thought they really expected them to respond, seriously. She had long, thick blonde hair – although blonde wouldn't have been her first pick – and bright blue eyes. She was often mistaken for a dumb blonde, but sometimes it was better to let people underestimate her.