I stared down at the mating ceremony invitation in my hand. By now, Master Gabriel and Jane had shared her story with me. This card was beautiful yet disgusting for the information it contained.

Master Gabriel was invited to the mating ritual of Tristan Martin and Avery MacKenzie. I had no doubt it would be an enormous affair if he was including his vampire acquaintances.

I examined the offensive piece of stationary, turning the envelope over to see it included a plus one. Master Gabriel hadn’t been to the Martin’s pack yet to inform Tristan that Jane was safe in our care.

We expected he was going to be forced to mate. He’d told Jane as much before their link was severed, but less than one week after we found Jane freezing to death in the woods, it was a bit fast.

Jane had been with us for four days, two of which she slept when she arrived. The event was in three days’ time.

I was outraged on her behalf. I knew this wasn’t Tristan’s doing, but I was offended nonetheless.

Jane had become dear to me, and it was my great pleasure to feed and care for her. I already couldn’t fathom what we would do without her in our home and lives.

I took some time to simmer down before walking down the hall to Master Gabriel’s study, where he and Jane were perfecting their Feeder contract.

I could hear them arguing over how much money she could access. He wanted to give her his limitless black card with ATM cash capabilities, and she merely wanted an allowance of a few thousand dollars a month.

“That’s barely above minimum wage, Jane!” he practically shouted in frustration.

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“You don’t have to yell. I’m standing right here!” she growled back, “You’re already giving me shelter, food, and clothing. What would I do with so much money?”

“I have more money than I could ever spend in a thousand human lifetimes! You might as well help me spend it; you’ll be feeding me, for goodness sake, you stubborn girl!”

I walked into this scene. Master Gabriel took one look at my face, and his frustration turned to concern, “Emma, what’s wrong?”

He rushed to my side and gently placed his hands on my shoulders, “Are you ok?”

My angry frown did not dissipate. I simply handed him the invitation.

Master Gabriel took the card and read it swiftly, then passed it to Jane.

We watched her closely as she took the invite from him and read over the details for several minutes. Her heart rate increased, but otherwise, she didn’t move or show any expression or emotion.

“Jane?” I asked as I finally stepped towards her.

She looked up at me and smiled, “I’m ok, Emma. We knew this would happen. He will still come for me in the end. We just need to let him know I’m alright. Alpha Martin is forcing him; it’s not like he wants to go through with this.”

“Jane,” I began slowly, “if he marks her, it will cause great physical pain to you. It will be even worse if they…” I paused, “…are intimate.”

Jane’s eyes flickered fear for an instant; then, she purposefully took slow, deep breaths to calm herself.

“It is what it is,” she finally said after a while.

Gabriel frowned, then placed his hands on her shoulders in the same manner he had to me earlier.

“I need to visit Tristan. Let’s finish the contract in a couple of days,” he decided.

Jane nodded, and I took her hand, leading her out of the study and down the hall to her bedroom. She was wearing a t-shirt and leggings and was already barefoot, so I led her to the bed, and she let me tuck her in. I climbed into bed next to her and pulled her into my arms. She put her head on my shoulder and began to weep.

She cried for over an hour before eventually falling asleep. Jane was utterly and completely emotionally spent.

My shirt and her hair were drenched in tears.

I stayed as still as the dead as her breathing became deep and even, holding her in a comforting embrace.