Sãrãcia nu-i rusine.
Poverty is no disgrace.
Her mouth was dry, and her hand shook as she raised it to touch the place on her neck where Vasile, Alpha of their pack, had only moments ago caressed her gently with his thumb. Something so insignificant, and yet it was the most precious touch she had ever received. He was gone now, along with his two warriors and her father. Females could attend meetings, but really there was no point. The males would be too busy trying to protect their mate if they were there, and then they would not get anything accomplished.
She had not moved from the place where he had left her. Her shoes were suddenly filled with lead too heavy to lift. Her eyes stared, not seeing anything in front of her as her mind raced, and she battled her will. She wanted to flee, to hide from the male who had affected her so. She also wanted to throw herself in his arms and make him promise never to leave her again. But instead of doing either, she just stood there frozen with indecision, doubt, and, to her surprise, curiosity. While he had been next to her, she had felt as if she could fly, but now her body felt heavy and uncoordinated.
“Alina,” her mother called to her yet she still could not move. She heard her footsteps coming closer and knew that her mother would want to know what was wrong, and for once she was afraid to tell her―afraid she would insist she pack and leave with him at once and afraid she would not.
“He is the one, no?” she asked.
Somehow Alina managed to get her head to perform a wobbly nod. Her eyes finally shifted as she looked at her mother. “How could you tell?”
Georgeta’s lips puckered. “Tsk, girl, I know a male on the hunt when I see one. He was staring at you as though you were the ripest fruit plucked from the harvest and dropped in his lap. I might have even seen a tad bit of salivating.”
That finally made Alina move as she laughed at her mother. The thought of any male salivating over her, especially one such as Vasile, was indeed ludicrous. She was no great beauty, she knew that, and usually that did not bother her. “You must not have seen him clearly, Mother. Had you seen his expression from a more direct position, you would have seen the scowl plastered on his handsome face as he glared down at me.”
“He is quite lovely, is he not?” Her mother beamed at her.
Alina crossed her arms in front of her and narrowed her eyes. “I hardly think your mate would appreciate you saying so.”
“Did you notice how tall he was? And that hair was so dark and thick,” her mother continued completely ignoring her. “His lips were definitely worth a second glance.”
Alina stomped her foot, childish, but unavoidable. “Enough! How can you carry on so?”
“Feeling a bit possessive, dear?” Her mother’s knowing eyes sparkled at her.
Alina turned and walked towards the house needing to sit down in the shade for a few minutes while she gathered her thoughts.
Her mother took the chair while she sat on the edge of her bed. She looked around their tiny home, so simple, but it met their needs. So why was she embarrassed? “He lives in a castle. His wardrobe is probably the size of our entire house. I just . . . I do not,” she stumbled over her words as she ran her hands over her thighs repeatedly.
“Well,” her mother breathed out. “I never thought I would see the day that a pretty face and full purse made my daughter tuck her tail and run.”
Alina’s eyes snapped up. She could not believe her mother had just said that to her, but even in her wounded state she knew she was right. “I do not feel like myself,” she admitted. “Ever since I saw him standing there―confident, beautiful, and not appearing as if he needed anything from anyone―I have just felt inadequate. What could I possibly have to offer him?”
“Perhaps you need to get to know him before you pass judgment on either of you. I know you are sixteen in less than a month, but you are still young in many ways. Give him time to show you the man he is before you decide who he is not.”
A knock at the door had both of them turning, and before Alina could see who it was, her stomach dropped in anticipation but quickly righted itself when Sisily, her best friend, walked in.
“When you did not show up I was worried about you,” she said biting her lip in her usual manner when she was unsure of herself.
“I am so sorry, Sis.” Alina stood quickly and went to her friend. “I did not forget; I just got held up.”
“But what she really wanted was to be held down,” her mother muttered as she walked past the two girls into the kitchen.
“Mother!” Alina’s face flushed as she glowered at Georgeta.
Sisily was grinning from ear to ear as she looked back and forth between mother and daughter.
Georgeta shrugged. “I, unlike you, see no reason not to celebrate and enjoy the beginning of true mates joining, bringing hope to those still waiting.” She looked at Sisily pointedly.
Sisily was bouncing on the balls of her feet, too focused on Alina to notice the look. “You have met your true mate? Who is he? Is he from another pack? Is he handsome? Did he….”
“Sisily, stop,” Alina interrupted her exuberant friend. She glanced at her mother who now wore a smug smile. “How about we go to our usual meeting spot and talk,” she suggested.
Sisily happily waved to Georgeta as she rushed after Alina. “Are you in a hurry?”
Alina slowed immediately, realizing that she was letting her emotions get the best of her and taking it out on the closest thing she had ever had to a sister.
They sat by the edge of the river, picking at the grass and tossing sticks into the water. Alina knew that Sisily would not begin speaking until she started first. She had gotten her initial shock out of the way and was now willing to be patient. She was a good listener.
“Vasile, the new Alpha is here,” she finally said. Sisily nodded but did not comment. “He came by our house earlier this morning and had two warriors with him.” She paused drawing in a shaky breath. “I felt him in my mind. The pull to go to him was…was…strong, as though I had not felt or drunk a drop of liquid in ages and he was the rain. I wanted to run to him, to be covered by him, and to be drenched in his scent as he washed away everything that came before him.”
“Which one?” Sisily exhaled as she fanned herself.
Alina nearly laughed at the sight of her friend flustered and breathless. The smile faded as she looked away back to the slow running water. “Vasile.”
There was silence for several minutes; only the chirping of birds and the rippling noise of the river pierced the quiet.
“He is very, very handsome,” Sisily crooned finally.
Alina chucked the stick she had been playing with. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
Sisily heard the irritation in Alina’s voice and frowned. “Wait, are you not happy that you have finally met him? I mean, Alina, you have a true mate, and you have only waited sixteen years before he found you. Any other female in this village would be dancing like a fool and singing at the top of her lungs.”
“Deep, deep down, I am. I truly am happy. My wolf is preening like the fool you just described, and if I phased she would probably shake her tail shamelessly at him.” This brought a giggle from her friend. “But I am not of age yet. My father has already told me that he will not release me into my true mate’s care until I am twenty. That is a long time for him to wait. And, I realize how very shallow this is of me, but I do not feel adequate for him. I do not feel I am his equal. I know nothing of leading a pack. I have not been raised with fine things, and my skin is not soft and delicate as the females that surely live in the castle. I am no beauty on a good day, but standing next to him I am as dull as an unpolished gem left in the ground where it formed.”
Sisily gasped. “How can you say such things?”
“Uh, because they are true?”
“Alina you have never seen yourself clearly. First of all, you will learn how to be an Alpha female; that will come with time and experience. You are smart and mature beyond your years. How many times have others mistaken you for eighteen, or older, simply because of the way you hold yourself? There are males in this village who walk by your home every day in hopes that the mating signs will appear even though they have had no such luck in all the years they have known you. None of them have cared that you are not of age.”
Alina lifted the braid from her neck trying find some relief from the late morning air. “Now you are just being silly.”
“And your humility and utter obliviousness to all these things about you, only makes you more attractive to others,” Sisily continued. “You are a virtuous woman, pure, good, honest and lovely beyond words. Our Alpha could not have been blessed by the Great Luna by a more worthy mate. The best part about true mates is even though you may have to wait two years, or four years before you can be bonded, he is not going anywhere. You do not have to worry that he will find someone else, Alina. And even if he could, he would never find one that measured up to you.”
Alina felt tears gathering in her eyes at her friend’s assessment of her. Sisily was right; that was not how she saw herself at all. She was well aware of her virtue because being intimate with anyone that was not your true mate was disgraceful. She had no doubt that many males would wind up slaughtering whoever it was that their female had consorted with. But the other qualities she had doubts about.
“Give him a chance, Ali,” Sisily implored. “You might even discover you like him.” She grinned.
“Maybe, but he is quite possessive and overbearing. Those are things that might quickly get on my nerves.”
“Then maybe you should wait and see if a more submissive male peaks your fancy,” Sisily teased. “You know how dominants are and Vasile is as dominant as they come.”
Alina thought about the idea of having a submissive male as a mate, and though she knew there were females who preferred such men, it did not appeal to her. She wanted a male who could protect her and their children if one day they were so blessed. She wanted a male that could provide for her and shelter her, not that a more submissive wolf could not. But dominant males were driven to do such things not just for their mates but for any in need of their protection.
“I guess if I am to have the type of male that I am attracted to, I will have to accept that he will have some tendencies that will ruffle my feathers. After all, I cannot expect him to be perfect.”
Sisily nodded and leaned back on her elbows turning her face up to the sun. “Mated,” she hummed. “I am so happy for you, Ali. He will be good for you, and no doubt you will be very good for him.”
Alina joined her friend laying back on the thick grass and closed her eyes. She hoped Sisily was right. She hoped that she could be the mate he had always desired. And she hoped that he could love her completely as she imagined she would one day love him. Most of all she just hoped he would be willing to wait for her.
“You know this is going to break my brother’s heart,” Sisily said interrupting her thoughts. “He was convinced that you had to be his true mate or he would not feel so strongly towards you. He even did some research in the pack public archives on delayed mating signs.”
Alina’s breath froze in her lungs. She had completely forgotten about Serghei. He had had a crush on her for as long as she could remember but she had never reciprocated and he never pushed the issue. He did bring her all his mending, claiming the females in his house were shoddy stitchers. She did not mind sewing up his clothes and her father had never told her not to. There had only been one time when he had pushed the boundaries. It had been a couple months back; he was walking her home after a village gathering. They were laughing and joking just as they always did. They got on very well, and she considered him a dear friend. When she had reached the door the atmosphere abruptly changed.
“Thank you for walking me home,” she told him. Usually he would smile, nod, say something charming, and then be on his way. This night however he did not step away, he stepped closer.
“Alina,” he whispered her name like a prayer. “I have to know.”
“Know what?” she asked though she was pretty sure she had an idea of what he was speaking about.
He did not give her an answer or time to reject him. Like most werewolves, his movements were swift and smooth. She was in his arms pressed tightly to him and his lips were on hers. She had never been kissed before, but even in her ignorance she was pretty sure that she should feel more than just how uncomfortable the pressure of his lips were. She did not kiss him back but simply held still. She did not know if his wolf was in control or the man, and she did not want to provoke him. So she waited, standing stiff and awkward, until he finally pulled back and released her.
“Did you feel anything?” he asked her.
“Serghei, you are my friend and I love you as a friend. But beyond that there is nothing.” Her voice was gentle but by the flinch in his eyes she felt as if she had slapped him.
“I do not understand how I could possibly feel the way I do about you if you were not my true mate. I will not attempt to kiss you again until the signs show but neither will I stay away.”
She had to give him one thing, if he was nothing else, he was persistent. “I am not asking you to stay away. As I said, you are my friend and that will always be true.”
He nodded but the intense look in his eyes did not lessen. She bid him goodnight and turned to go in. Just as she entered she saw the blouse that Sisily had asked to borrow. Alina had asked her mother to lay it out for her. She grabbed it quickly and hurried back out the door. “Serghei,” she called. He had already made it to the turn in the road that would take him to his home. She held up the blouse and waved it. “Could you please give this to your sister?”
He jogged back to her and accepted it with the smile she was used to seeing. “I will see that she gets it.”
“Thank you!” she called back as she turned back towards her house.
“Sisily?” Alina sat up abruptly as her thoughts began to turn into ideas—ideas that she hoped were not true.
“Hmm,” her friend answered.
“What did you do with that blouse I let you borrow?”
“What blouse?” Sisily sat up beside her. “You never gave it to me. But it was no bother. I figured you forgot about it. My mother had one that was perfectly fine for the next time we go to market.”
“Gâscă!” Alina snarled.
Sisily gasped because young women did not typically swear, especially Alina. “What is wrong?”
Alina stood up and brushed herself off and then grabbed Sisily’s hand and helped her up. “What is wrong is that I gave that blouse to your brother a couple of months ago and told him to take it to you. If he did not give it to you, then what do you think he has done with it?”
Sisily’s eyes went wide as she realized what Alina was implying. “Surely he would not keep it,” she reasoned. Her eyes darted from side to side as if at any moment someone was going to jump out and yell ‘caught you’! “Oh, oh no!” Sisily grabbed Alina’s arm to stop her from walking. “What if it is in his room? He would not do something so improper, right?” When Alina did not answer she shook her. “Right!”
“He kissed me,” Alina finally admitted. She had not told her friend out of respect for Serghei. She knew that males could be touchy about their egos, and she did not want his sister to think less of him, not that she would.
“HE WHAT?” she shouted.
Okay, so maybe she would think less of him. “It was just another attempt to see if maybe the signs would appear,” Alina said quickly and then began walking again. She was not sure where she was going until her feet were moving in the direction of the meeting place, where she hoped the males remained. If they were not, then that meant that Vasile was probably making his rounds to homes to say hello and introduce himself and his warriors.
“Did you kiss him back?”
Alina shook her head and then huffed. “Of course not. I don’t feel anything for him other than brotherly affection. He is simply infatuated with me.”
“Stealing your clothes and hiding them is not simple infatuation,” Sisily argued. “You know why he took it. It is, I mean, how,” she stumbled as her face grew redder and redder. “He wanted your scent, Alina! Your scent is in his room, probably in his bed because that is more than likely where the little pervert stashed it.”
“Do not call him that. He is just confused.”
“You had better stop defending him, Alina. If Vasile catches your scent in another male’s bed, the worst thing you could do is defend that male to your mate. If you want my brother to die a painful death than tell Vasile not to call him all the things that you know he is going to.”
Alina was not worried about Vasile yelling obscene names at Serghei; she was worried he would not yell at all. She had seen in his eyes that his silence was so much more deadly than any snarling could ever be. She quickened her pace as she thought about poor, albeit stupid, Serghei facing off with one such as Vasile. When they reached the covered area where the larger gatherings were held her feet came to a sudden halt. There was no one there.
“Gâscă.” It was Sisily who swore this time and Alina did not give it a second thought. She was too busy pulling up her dress so she could run. She called on her wolf’s power and felt her muscle move inhumanly fast as Sisily stayed right on her heels.
They finally reached the dusty track that would take them to Sisily’s house. Alina knew immediately that they were too late.
“Why is it so quiet?” Sisily asked in a whisper as though talking any louder would somehow cause all hell to break loose.
“Because someone is about to die,” Alina answered soberly.