Blood Rites

"How dare you speak about our prince with such disrespect again," Decebel growled.

"Decebel, stand down." Vasile spoke calmly, but there was a pulse of power in his words that poured over the room, pushing everyone to their knees, including Dillon.

Dillon fought the command and managed to get to his feet.

"I will ignore the disrespect you have just shown my family, Jacobs, and only address the pack law that you have brought to our attention," Vasile told him.

"What is he talking about, Alina?" Lilly whispered.

"Just listen Lilly, and whatever you do, stay calm," Alina told her firmly.

"Calm, okay, got it," Lilly responded.

"You are correct it is pack law that you have the right to invoke Alpha rights, but you need to be sure that this is really what you want to do. You do realize that having a pissed off teenage daughter will make your life difficult, to say the least?" Dillon didn't respond.

"Have you thought about what she wants, that she wants to be with Fane?" Alina asked him gently.

"I have, but then kids do not always know what is best for them. If she comes with me I will get to spend time with her. She can use the time away from Fane to figure out if he really is the best thing for her."

"Go with you? What the hell are you talking about, Dillon?" Lilly's jaw was clenched in anger.

"Calm, remember," Alina told Lilly.

"He just said he wants to take my daughter."

"OUR daughter." Dillon interrupted.

"No, that is not how it works, Dillon. You don’t get to come and say you’re her parent and that she should come with you when she doesn't even freaking know you!"

"Lilly, she is half wolf. You can't possibly know everything that is best for her," Dillon tried to reason.

"Everyone out." Lilly's voice was like a whip. "Out! Everyone!"

Vasile nodded to Decebel and his Mate.

"Logan, go," Dillon told his Beta.

Once the door closed and Dillon and Lilly were the only two in the room Lilly straightened her spine and looked Dillon dead in the face.

"I don't know who you think you are, Alpha or not. If you try to take her she will hate you. She loves Fane, they are mates, and you of all people know what that means. If you try to keep them apart you will rip their souls in two."

Dillon took a deep breath. "I'm not taking her from him indefinitely. She's only 17, Lilly, she isn't even an adult."

"She will be eighteen in two months, Dillon, which you might know had you been around when she was born."

"Fine then, I will have her for two months, because once he bonds with her she will be gone, Lilly, and I just found her." Dillon's voice was soft and Lilly could hear the pain in it.

"Why do you even want her so bad? Surely you have full-blooded werewolf children with your mate, which I do not begrudge you by the way."

Dillon looked at the ground when he spoke. "We were never able to conceive."

The words hit Lilly like a punch to the gut, pushing all the breath out of her.

"Jacque is your only child?" she asked him.

"Yes."

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. It was Dillon who broke the silence.

"Lilly, I'm not trying to be the bad guy. I could have lost her in that wreck. She should have been protected, and I'm not blaming you. Fane is responsible for her, he just isn't ready, they need time to mature. If all I can get is two months with her, then so be it, but maybe if they step back for a little bit they will see that it would be good to wait to bond."

"You're trying to intervene what fate has ordained. It's going to back fire on you, Dillon. If Jacque doesn't want to go with you, I swear to you I will do everything in my power to keep it from happening. God help you when Fane finds out." Lilly turned abruptly and fled the room, slamming the door behind her.

Logan walked in just after Lilly's departure.

"That went well," Dillon said sarcastically.

"Vasile wants to speak with you," Logan told him.

Dillon nodded his okay for Logan to let Vasile in.

Vasile came into the room and his power followed him. Dillon could feel it and it grated on his wolf as if being petted against the grain of his fur.

"What are you going to do?" Vasile asked.

"Just what I said, Jacque is coming home with me at least until she turns 18. If she wants to be with Fane after that, then I can't stop her. So from now until she leaves my wolves will guard her. You will pull your wolves back, and Fane can be here during the day but I don't want him sleeping up here."

"So be it. You had better keep her safe, Dillon. If anything happens to my son's mate while in your care I will take it out of your flesh." Vasile's voice was that same deadly calm, but Dillon's wolf had no choice but to submit.

Vasile turned to Logan. "You need to come introduce yourself to Jacque. While you are doing that I will get Fane." Vasile turned and looked back at Dillon. "Hold your wolves back until I get Fane away from the hospital. You have no idea what you have provoked. You will be lucky if my wolf can make him submit."

"Logan, go with Vasile and meet Jacque, I will call the rest of the pack and tell them to wait until I say to come in," Dillon ordered his Beta.

Vasile left the room with Logan behind him. Dillon took a deep breath, wondering for the hundredth time if he was doing the right thing.

Chapter 16

Vasile opened the door to Jen and Jacque's room and walked in without knocking. At this point politeness was not at the top of his agenda. Decebel was standing against the wall, his look cold and promising death. Jen and Sally were sitting on one bed looking very confused, and Fane and Jacque were on her bed. Fane stood up abruptly when he saw the other wolf enter the room with his father.

"Alpha, who is this?" Fane asked him.

"This is Logan, Dillon's Beta. He has come to introduce himself to Jacque because he will be helping with guard duty," Vasile explained.

Jacque smiled and said hello but could tell something was wrong. She looked at Fane, who was still staring daggers at his father.

"Fane, I need to speak with you in the hall while Logan introduces himself."

Fane growled.

"Stop!" Vasile ordered. "Decebel will stay here, she will be fine."