Pui migdale în nasul porcului si el spune cã e o ghindã.
Honey is not for the ass' mouth.
“May I speak with you?”
Vasile looked up from his desk to see his third standing in the door of his office. He motioned for Ion to enter. It was the first person he had seen in more than a week not because they did not seek him out but because he had commanded that no one was to disturb him. Nine days ago he had awoken in the middle of the night gasping for breath and sweating as though he had been running through the very depths of hell as a sense of loss engulfed him. His first reaction had been to reach for her but she wanted space and he wanted to give it to her. He had felt her reaching through their bond, and several times he had nearly responded, but the selfish part in him, the part was hurt by her words, kept him from doing so. More and more he had sought out solitude, needing the quiet undisturbed time to consider all the things that needed to be done to help restore his pack to a thriving, healthy one. And even with all of that time, he was still unable to concentrate long enough to come up with a plan that did not include running back to his mate and taking her for his own. Needless to say, as his third walked in, he was not greeted with a warm welcome.
“There are rumors that someone in the Western pack is stirring up trouble in the villages,” Ion began without preamble. He was not one for small talk, and that was something Vasile had always appreciated about him.
“What kind of trouble?” Vasile asked.
“They are questioning the events of the Alpha’s deaths. They think something is amiss.”
Vasile tossed down the parchment he had been looking over and stood from his chair. He rubbed his eyes and then pinched the bridge of his nose trying to will away the headache that had been beating the inside of his skull like a relentless drum. When he finally looked back up at Ion his brow drew together as he saw the concerned look on his face.
“Are you alright, Alpha?” Ion asked him.
“Aside from dealing with my parents' death and the mess my father left the pack in, I am as good as can be expected.”
Ion took a deep breath seeming to consider whether or not he should ask the next questions. “What of your mate? How are you handling the separation?”
“My mate?” Vasile’s eyes narrowed. “She is fine. Why, have you heard something?” He was suddenly a lot more alert as he considered the idea that something had happened to her. He was sure he would have felt her panic, and just as he started to open the bond, Ion answered.
“No, nothing has happened. But being separated from your mate is difficult, especially when you haven’t completed the bonding ceremony.”
Vasile let out a resigned sigh. He knew by the look in Ion’s eyes that he was not going to let it go. “I am having trouble concentrating.”
“Perhaps, you should go visit her,” he suggested.
Vasile shook his head. “I have things that need to be taken care of here and she is with her family. She is safe.”
“She may be safe, Alpha, but being safe and being well are not the same thing.”
Before Vasile could respond his office door flew open, the sound of the solid wood bouncing off of the stone wall reverberated across the room as Nicu and Alin rushed in. Both warriors’ eyes were wide, and slightly wild.
“What is going on?” Vasile asked. It was then that he heard the mounting rumble of a crowd and then yells beyond his window. He turned to go and look out but stopped at the sound of Nicu’s voice.
“Do not look, Alpha.”
The anguish in the warrior’s voice held Vasile’s attention.
“Why not?”
Alin was looking anywhere but at his face, and Nicu’s jaw was clenched so tight that Vasile was sure it would shatter at any moment.
“Answer me!” he snarled.
It was Ion who spoke through clenched teeth, his voice deep and rough. “They have your parent’s bodies.” Ion had made his way over to the window while Vasile had been questioning Nicu and was staring out at the described scene.
Vasile’s head snapped around and he moved using the speed of his wolf to the window. His heart stopped in his chest as his eyes took in the mob, and in the middle, lying in the caskets they had been buried in, were his parents.
The temperature of the room seem to drop several degrees as Vasile’s voice crooned out in the calm, contained fury he was known for. “Anyone who was the least bit involved with this is sentenced to death.”
Alina jumped as the door to the small cottage flew open and then slammed. Her father stormed in growling and muttering under his breath about stupid, high strung males.
“Is everything alright?” she asked him as she stood from the chair where she had been mending one of Serghei’s shirts.
Petre’s eyes snapped up to meet hers and widened slightly realizing that he had an audience. Alina took a step towards him and could smell the anger, fear, and worry flowing off of him.
“What has happened?” she asked and even as the question left her lips she felt a twinge of anxiety. But when she tried to reach for where it originated, it dissipated like fog rising as the cool morning air warmed.
“It is not anything you need to concern yourself with,” he told her in that infuriatingly placating tone that set her teeth on edge.
“I am not a child, Father; you do not have to protect me from all the bad things in this world,” she bit out.
“I know you are a child no longer, Alina, but I will always do everything in my power to protect you. That is what a parent does.” When he saw that she was not going to be swayed, he let out a deep breath. “There are some males from our village that are joining with other males from other villages in our pack to go listen to some lies regarding the former Alpha’s deaths. Emilian, the Beta of the Western Romanian pack, supposedly has proof that Stefan had been lying to our pack for centuries.”
Her thoughts immediately jumped to Vasile and the things he had shared with her about his parents. If what her father was saying was true, then there was definitely need to worry. Was he safe? Were they going to do something to him? She wanted to ask him, but she had given up reaching out to him. She had accepted that for now, at least, he wanted the space she had so foolishly requested. “What kind of proof? And why? Why would they accuse someone who is already dead and gone?”
“I do not know. Serghei would not say. As for why…well, ambition will make a man do many things. If Emilian is the one behind this, then it means he is looking to be Alpha. If they have proof that Vasile’s parents were not honest with the pack, then the pack will not trust him to lead.”
Alina’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Serghei is a part of these fools? Why on earth would he want Vasile overthrown?”
Petre watched his daughter closely for any reaction to Vasile’s name but she did not bat an eye. She had not talked about him for months now, and he could tell from the tired look in her eyes that he was still keeping the bond shut tight. It had been nine days since Georgeta petitioned the fae, and despite seeing his daughter in pain, he agreed with Perizada’s decision. It was not wise to interfere with fate, and Vasile and Alina were fated for one another. As much as he did not want his daughter to hurt, he wanted her more to grow and mature. Unfortunately, more often than not, pain was a part of that process.
He watched as her brow furrowed even lower, and he could tell that she knew something that she was not sharing. He hated seeing the weight of so much on her shoulders and missed the easy going smile that use to be so readily given. But Alina was going to have to learn to be tough if she was going to be mated to someone such as Vasile―a wolf who held so much dominance, power, and strength. Maybe this experience would prepare her for the many trials she was sure to face as an Alpha female.
“Serghei is young and easily swayed by the excitement,” he reasoned.
“You sound like you are describing a puppy rather than a grown man,” she shot back.
He wanted to freeze time in that moment, to hold it still, so that he could treasure the flash of anger in her stormy, grey eyes and the tightening of her lips that betrayed the emotion that never seemed to show on her beautiful face. He had hated seeing her hurt when Vasile had closed their bond, and it had made him appreciate her spirit that he, at one time, found utterly tireless. “Whatever proof this Beta claims to have is probably a farse, and all of those who chose to follow him will realize they were fooled.”
She nodded, which was her usual form of communication. Petre watched her walk to the door struggling to think of anything more to engage her. She pulled the door open and looked over her shoulder at him. “I am meeting Sisily by the river for a little while. I will be back for supper.” Then she was gone along with their fleeting moment of reconnection.
Alina stepped around the side of the cottage into the cover of shadows and the forest. She pressed her back against the rough bark of a tree and closed her eyes as the last rays of the sun slowly began to fade. The lingering warmth did nothing to thaw the cold inside of her. She imagined she could stand within touching distance of the sun and never feel warm. Vasile had explained to her just how dangerous things would get it the pack found out that his parents had not been true mates. The trust that had been so severely damaged in Stefan’s last decade or so as Alpha was bleeding over into Vasile’s reign. If someone had indeed discovered that Vasile’s parents were not true mates, things were about to get a whole lot worse. She wished she could be there for him―wished she could lend him her strength and encouragement. Perhaps he did not need her. Maybe she would only serve to be a distraction during a time in which he would need all of his wits about him. She was sure his top wolves would protect him, not that he would ever accept protection from another. He was a dominant among dominants after all, but nonetheless she had a feeling those wolves would give their lives for him whether he wanted them to or not.
When she opened her eyes, she attempted to call on her wolf in hopes that the animal would finally answer her, but just as with her previous attempts, her wolf ignored her, as if it was sleeping and refused to wake up. Her wolf was angry that they had not pursued their mate. It felt like Alina was giving up. But in reality, Alina was just at the place where she desperately wanted Vasile to come back to her. She wanted him to choose her without her having to beg it out of him. It was the first time she could ever remember her wolf denying her help. She started to let out an exasperated sigh but was cut off by the large hand that covered her mouth.
Sergehi felt the warmth of her breath on his hand as he covered her mouth. He pulled her away from the tree further into the forest. As he pulled her back against his chest holding her tightly to him, he took a deep breath and nearly lost himself in her familiar scent. She was beginning to struggle but stopped as soon as she heard his voice and, no doubt, caught his own scent.
“Alina,” he murmured into her neck as he continued to breathe her in. She mumbled something against his hand, and he smiled as he imagined her sharp tongue tearing into him because he had scared her.
“You cannot scream or run, alright?” he asked quietly. She nodded and he slowly uncovered her mouth and loosened his arms around her. She turned quickly and he saw the anger that danced like fire in her eyes as she glared at him. It lasted only a second and then it was gone.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked him, not even mentioning that he had just nearly accosted her.
“What do you mean?”
“My father said you were going with a group of the pack to accuse the dead of lying.” Her voice was cool, devoid of any of the warmth he was used to.
“That is why I came to talk to you,” he said as he tried to hold back the excitement. He knew that Alina could not be meant for Vasile; he knew that she was his and always had been. When Emilian had come asking for volunteers to help find some bodies, and then informed them that those bodies would give proof that Vasile was not fit to be the Alpha of the Eastern pack, Sergehi had barely been able to contain his shout of count me in. Gradually, over the days of searching the mountains, it became apparent which members of the pack truly wanted Vasile out. Only then did Emilian began to reveal more details of who they were looking for and why. Serghei could admit that he felt a little sick when the Beta told him they were going to be digging up his former Alphas’ bodies, but when he told him what they would find, any misgivings fled. When the pack found out their former Alphas were not true mates and had lied about it for centuries, there would be no way any would believe Alina and Vasile were mates, not without seeing the mating markings themselves. Since Serghei hadn’t heard any rumors about the markings changing on Vasile, then he knew the marks could not have appeared on Alina yet either.
“Could you not just knock on the door like a normal person?”
“I wanted to speak with you without your father breathing down my neck,” he explained. She seemed to take this explanation as satisfactory because she motioned for him to continue.
“Tonight Emilian is going to reveal the truth of our former Alphas. Then it will become clear for all to see that Vasile is not fit to lead our pack.” He bounced on the balls of his feet as his adrenaline rushed through his body. More than likely blood would flow tonight, and his wolf was itching for a fight after having Vasile humiliate him.
“And what truth is this Beta going to reveal?” she asked with a single brow raised.
“Stefan and Daciana were never true mates. They lied. For all those years, they lied to us.”
He could see her struggling with the news as they all did when they first heard. It was unfathomable that an Alpha pair would betray their pack in such a way.
“How can Emilian possibly prove that? They are dead; they cannot argue against his accusations,” she argued.
“They might not be able to argue with their mouths, but their bodies do not lie.” He might have said this a little too smugly, because as her eyes widened with shock, he instantly dreaded answering the question she was bound to ask next.
“What about their bodies, Serghei? How could he know anything about their bodies when they have been laid to rest?” she asked through narrowed eyes, the cool indifference slipping away just a little.
“We dug them up,” he answered, bristling at her sharp tone.
“You did what!” Her voice pierced the quiet evening, bouncing off the trees and through the air.
He slapped a hand over her mouth to keep her from yelling out again and turned her quickly so that her back was pressed to his chest again and she was sufficiently subdued. He was so close to having what he wanted; he could not let her ruin it. “We had to dig up their bodies to prove that they were not mates. It is true, Alina. Daciana had no mating marks, none, anywhere on her body. She did not belong to Stefan, just as you do not belong to Vasile.”
Serghei’s words were like a bucket of cold water being splashed on her too hot skin. It awakened something inside of her that had been slumbering for months now. The shock of what they had done, how far they were willing to go to see Vasile brought to heel, had awoken her sleeping wolf. She had to swallow back the bile that threatened to rush up her throat as she replayed his words over and over, We dug them up; no mating marks, none, anywhere on her body. You do not belong to Vasile. Had he lost his ever loving mind? What was wrong with these people that they would dig up and then defile the body of one who had done nothing but care for them, sacrifice for them, and lead them? Oh Great Luna, she thought, he had gazed upon the body of his female Alpha, as if he had the right to do such a thing, whether that body had life running through it or not.
His breath on her neck distracted her from the thoughts racing through her mind. His hand was stifling over her mouth, and though she knew she could breathe just fine through her nose, having her mouth covered so tightly made her feel as though she could not get enough air. What was he planning to do with her? How did she even fit into his and the other wolves’ twisted scheme?
“Do you promise not to scream?” he asked her deliberately as if speaking to a child. She fought the urge to bite into his hand and simply nodded instead.
He removed his hand slowly obviously worried that she would not keep her word, but when she kept quiet, he stepped back allowing her a little room. She turned to face him and tried to hide the panic from her face that was bubbling in her blood. She needed to stay calm. If she got upset it would only provoke his wolf, and that was the last thing she needed in that moment.
“What do you mean I do not belong to Vasile?” she asked him the one question that truly bothered her. Had Vasile been denying she was his mate and if so to what end?
Serghei’s forehead wrinkled as he narrowed his eyes at her. “I mean you are not his mate as he claimed you to be. Are you really going to play dumb with me, Alina? You do not bear his markings. He is doing exactly what his father did, claiming someone who does not belong to him. And he had the nerve to threaten me for saying that I thought we were true mates. There is every much a possibility that you are mine as you being his.”
“I am not playing dumb, Serghei, and I am not a piece of property. I do not belong to anyone,” she snapped despite her earlier decision to stay calm. “Perhaps, I do not have the markings yet because….” She suddenly stopped talking as a thought occurred to her. Maybe Vasile did not want anyone to know he had found his mate. What if he thought she was in danger because she did not bear his markings yet. Now that his parents’ lies had come to light, the pack members would surely doubt the truth of his claim on her. Serghei waited for her to finish her thought. She shook her head as if to clear it and then finished with, “I am still not of age. Obviously, my future has not been made clear yet, and I should not have to explain myself to anyone.”
He shook his head after a few moments and let out a quick breath. “Regardless, I need you to come with me. I need you to see for yourself so that you will understand just how far the Lupeis will go to protect themselves instead of their pack.” He reached for her hand but she jerked it back sidestepping him when he would have attempted to get closer to her.
“I am not going anywhere with you, Serghei. My father and mother will be the ones to decide when and if I need to know what is going on, if there is anything in deed going on with the Alpha and his parents.” She tried to sound confident and final. As she turned to head back towards her home, she thought she just might have accomplished it until, once again, a hand was covering her mouth and her body was being drug against her will further into the woods.
“I am sorry that you feel that way. I would have rather you had come with me willingly, but if the only way I can get you to see that you belong to me is by force then I will do it.” Before he could completely lock her body against his, her wolf took over. She phased in mid leap and ran for her parent’s home. She did not hear his pursuit and assumed he would rather run like the coward he was than face her father’s wrath at his impudence.
Serghei backed away further into the darkness as he watched Alina flee. She would no doubt inform her parents of everything he had said, and now there would be no way they would let him near her. That was alright for now, as long as Vasile could not get anywhere near her either, and the pack would make sure of that. There was no way they would allow him to claim her until she bore his markings, and she would have to prove they were there by showing someone. He turned away from the direction of her home, stripped off his clothes, phased, and headed off at a run back towards the pack castle. He wanted to confront Vasile. He wanted to stir more doubt in the minds of his pack mates to ensure that Vasile would no longer be trusted. An Alpha who did not have the trust of his pack would not be able to control them, not unless he was an incredibly dominant and strong leader. Serghei did not see how anyone would be able to stay in control once they saw the unearthed bodies of their parents. He picked up his pace as he thought about the look on Vasile’s face when Emilian essentially dethroned him. Serghei would need to hide Alina before that happened. He could not run the risk of Vasile seeing her again. Even though Serghei did not believe that Vasile was Alina’s true mate, he was not stupid enough to tempt fate. If she was indeed his true mate and they were allowed to complete the bond, it would only strengthen him. If Serghei could ensure Vasile’s death before they bonded, then Alina would be free to be his. The young wolf grinned as he thought to himself not only did Vasile need to be dethroned but he needed to be taken out of this life all together.