"Yeah. Ya know, for Beta. Although, I like it because I could also be calling him the technical term for a female dog and he wouldn't know it. So really, calling him B totally works to my advantage," Jen explained in all seriousness.

Everyone turned when a quick burst of laughter came from the right side of the room. When Sorin saw everyone turn their eyes on him, he quickly began coughing. Holding up his hands, he finally composed himself. "Pardon me, Alpha. I seemed to have swallowed wrong."

"You have to be careful while swallowing smart ass comments, Sorin," Jen teased. "They tend to have a choking effect."

Sorin winked at Jen, who refused to look at the ominous wolf in the room currently staring a hole in her head.

Jen looked back to Vasile. "Okay, so the moral of the story is find a mate, don't panic, and try to avoid any male pissing contests…literally." Jen winked at Decebel as she said this and he lifted his lip in a snarl.

"That sounds about right," Vasile agreed. "I think today you should just go about the rest of your day as usual. Try not to worry about The Gathering."

Jen snorted. "Yeah, I'll get right on that."

Thad, the Alpha of the Serbia pack, held a cell phone to his ear as he listened to his contact.

"There is to be a pack meeting tonight announcing The Gathering," the voice on the other end told him.

"Will the three Americans be in attendance?" Thad asked.

"Yes."

"I expect you to befriend them, earn their trust." Thad paused. "I'm still working out the details of the plan, but as soon as I have figured it out I will be in contact. Remember, don't contact me. I will be in touch with you."

"Yes, Alpha." Then his contact disconnected the call.

Thad sat down in his office chair, looking out over the mountains of his territory. All he had to do was be patient and let his quarry come to him. The Gathering was a month away, he had plenty of time to finalize the plan. Once everything is said and done, I will have taken down the most powerful Alpha in a century.

Decebel knocked on the door to the pack infirmary. Remembering Jennifer's words, he grinned and waited for Dr. Steele to invite him. Wouldn't Jennifer be proud of me? he thought.

"Come on in," he heard Cynthia Steele yell through the door.

Decebel turned the knob and pushed the door open, sticking his head in before walking through. "Is this a bad time, Cynthia?"

"Decebel, hey." Cynthia took her glasses off and set down the book she had been studying. "No, not at all." She waved him in.

Decebel closed the door behind him and stepped into the area that was used to treat their pack. The room consisted of several large hospital beds along one wall and across from those, two surgery areas that were separated by partitions. Cynthia had a desk immediately to the right of the door with several file cabinets behind her. There was also a lab area set up with various machines, microscopes, and sharp looking objects that Decebel preferred to stay away from.

Part of Cynthia's punishment for her part in the kidnapping of Jacque was serving the Romanian pack as the on-site physician. Vasile, at Jacque's pleading, had spared Cynthia physical punishment, but Vasile had stripped Cynthia of her career. She would practice medicine for the pack and in turn the pack would provide her with lodging, food, the essentials – but until Vasile decided she would not be paid and her freedom was very limited.

"What can I do for you?" she asked him.

Decebel took a chair on the opposite side of her desk. Once seated he looked straight at Cynthia, who quickly averted her gaze. "I need to know what you know about dormant wolves."

"I don't know that much," she told him.

"Then I need you to find out about them. Find out if there is any documentation of their mating tendencies and the occurrences that have gone along with them." Decebel leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him.

"What's going on, Decebel?" Cynthia asked, her brow furrowed in question.

He let out a frustrated breath. "I thought I would have time to deal with whatever it is that's going on between Jennifer and I, but now with this gathering..."

"Oh, yeah. Vasile told me about that," she said, nodding her head. "He wants me to go in case there are injuries during the inevitable fights between the unmated males."

Decebel nodded. "We'll be lucky if there aren't any casualties, to be honest."

"So, this thing between you and Jen..." she prompted.

"I don’t know what it is. There are no mating signs other than the urging of my wolf and how I react in her presence," Decebel explained. The frustration he had been feeling was evident in the way his body tensed as he talked. "I can't hear her thoughts, my markings haven't changed – yet the idea of another male near her makes me crazy. She's all I think about. Her scent has become a part of me, and I have a ridiculous urge to make sure she has my scent on her."

Cynthia watched him as he spoke, observing the way his eyes began to glow as he talked about Jen. There was something going on, that was for certain.

"Everything you're describing indicates you have found your true mate," Cynthia told him. "I'll look into the pack archives and see if there is any documentation on dormant wolves. She may be your mate and it may take something major to create the bond, just like it took something traumatic to bring out the wolf genetics in her. Or she may just not be your mate."

Decebel growled, not liking the doctor even suggesting that Jennifer didn't belong to him. Yeah, I'm in trouble. This gathering was going to prove to be the ultimate test in self control for him and his wolf.

Decebel stood. "Thank you. I really appreciate your help." Before he reached the door, he turned and added, "And your discretion."

Cynthia was completely surprised the dominant wolf had come to her. That alone proved that Jen was really getting under his skin. She turned to her laptop and pulled up the database for the history of packs the world over. Amongst the thousands of files surely there was something documented on a dormant. She began searching through files – opening, skimming, and closing, over and over. Yeah, she thought, this is going to be fun.

Chapter 9

Jen and Sally walked together to a large meeting room. The pack was meeting in five minutes for the announcement of The Gathering.