Orice pãcat poate fi iertat.
There is mercy for everything.
“We can start at Sain’s home,” Petre told Vasile as they left the gathering hall. Things had once again gone well. There had been a great sense of relief when Vasile had explained to them that he had been unaware of the state of many of the villages, and that he would be remedying it immediately. He let them know that he knew what his job was as Alpha and that he would make sure that things would never get like that again. Many had offered their condolences to him and welcomed him as their Alpha. All of the males had submitted to him when the time came for him to ask for any challengers. It was a good thing there had been none because he was edgy. Being away from Alina, with no commitments from her, was making his wolf very agitated. And knowing that she was too young to claim was not doing a whole lot for his control either. It was not completely unheard of for true mates to find one another before they were mature, and in truth as long as the female was able to bear children and the parents were amiable, then she could be claimed. But Vasile knew it would not be fair to Alina to ask her to become an Alpha and be mated to one as dominate as he at the tender age of sixteen. Even he was not that selfish. At least he hoped he was not.
“Alpha, I am Sain.” A man shorter than Vasile, though almost as wide held out his hand. Vasile took it shaking it once. “We are honored to have you in our home. My mate, Theris, has made some special treats for the occasion.”
“She need not have gone out of her way,” Vasile said congenially.
Sain chuckled. “Yes, well Alpha, once you have a mate you will see that when they put their mind to something there is not a whole lot you can do to sway them.”
Vasile frowned at the man’s words. He did not like to think that Alina would not listen to his council. Surely, she would know that he would always have her best interest at heart. As they reached a slightly larger cottage, he noticed the road that ran alongside it wound back around to Alina’s house. It took every bit of his will power not to just keep walking until he was there with her, holding her, smelling her. He stepped into the home, ducking beneath the doorframe as he often had to do. For a moment he was surprised at how keen his imagination had become because he swore he could smell her, as if she were here in the house with him.
They ushered him to a table in the kitchen. He noticed a door just to the right of the kitchen that led to a bedroom, and then several feet to the right of that, he saw another door. As he sat down a young man emerged from the door closest to the kitchen.
“Alpha, this is my son, Serghei,” Sain said.
Serghei took a step towards him holding out his hand. Vasile stood and the younger man had to look up just a little to look at his face. Vasile was six foot four inches tall, so he guessed Serghei to be around six foot even. He took a step even closer so that the boy’s hand was nearly touching his stomach. When Vasile took the hand he saw Serghei flinch. He would have loosened his grip, had he cared that he was hurting him.
“Would you please explain to me why you reek of my mate’s scent?” Vasile’s words were slow and measured. Serghei tried to take a step back but Vasile’s grip was too tight for him to move.
“I uh, I do not know who your mate is, Alpha,” he sputtered as he tried not to look Vasile in the eyes.
Vasile closed his eyes and tilted his head in the direction of the room Serghei had just exited. He did not even have to breathe deep to catch it. He pushed the boy into Ion’s hold. “Do not let go of him.”
Ion nodded and gripped his charge by the arms.
“Vasile,” Sain spoke up. “If you please, tell me what this is about. There must be some misunderstanding.”
Vasile ignored the man as he entered the room. It was not a large room and there was no window for light. Only the flame of a gas lantern pierced the darkness. The further he walked into the room, the stronger her scent became. And when he was standing directly next to the bed, it overwhelmed him. He reached down and tossed the pillow out of the way and a low, deadly growl rumbled as he picked up a piece of clothing that was obviously meant for a woman. He held it to his face, and when he caught the other male’s scent mixed with Alina’s, he nearly lost it. The carefully controlled rage that he kept under tight reign pulled and pushed at the constraints. Vasile did not allow himself to growl and snarl as many males did when they were angry. He did not have that luxury. He knew that if he were to release his wrath, many, many people would die. The wolves who knew him had learned very quickly that the quieter he became, the more deadly his fury would be.
Once he was sure that he would not kill everyone in the other room, he allowed himself to walk out. Several of the men from the meeting had followed them, and so the living area and kitchen were full. All eyes were on him. When he held up the blouse, the gasp was collective from the males followed by growls. They knew the pup was not mated and, therefore, had no excuse for having female belongings in his possession, let alone his bed.
The only one not growling was Theris, Sain’s wife. She walked right past Vasile and into her son’s space. Her eyes were narrowed and her jaw was clenched so tightly it was a wonder she did not break her teeth.
“What have you done?” she growled as only a female could. Like a whip striking skin her words slapped the male and he recoiled.
“I did not do anything. I swear, I did not t-t-touch her,” he pleaded, first looking at his mother and then at Vasile.
It was the stutter that had given him away. “If you lie to me again, I will force your phase and skin you.”
Serghei paled and swallowed hard. “I kissed her. That is all.”
Vasile stepped back and leaned against the wall behind him. The thought of Alina in the pup’s arms, in that bed, kissing, touching, and doing other things, was nearly too much. The shirt was gripped tightly in his hand, and he struggled not to shove it down the young man’s throat. Maybe he was overreacting. I found my mate’s blouse in another man’s bed, he thought to himself. No, I am definitely not overreacting. There was a part of him that knew―knew that Alina had not been in Serghei’s bed. He knew that she had not compromised her virtue, but the jealous beast in him did not care. It wanted blood.
“Vasile.” Her voice cut through the thick silence, penetrating the haze of fury that had begun to consume his logical thinking mind.
His eyes opened slowly and he saw her standing in the open door. The group had parted making a straight path for her. She did not move. She met his gaze and held it. He growled. Now was not the time for her to challenge him.
“Alina, please,” Serghei started but Vasile’s power rushed through the room dropping everyone to their knees.
“You are not allowed to speak, especially not to her.” He did not have to look at the male for him to know to whom he was speaking. His eyes were still on Alina, who was the only one still on her feet. He could tell the force of his authority was weighing on her, but she was his equal and therefore the only one who would never have to kneel before him.
He waited, waited to see if she would come to him, waited to see if she would defend the male as a lover, and waited to see if she would rip his heart from his chest.
She took a step towards him, and then another, and another until he could feel her breath on the skin of his arms that were folded against his chest. Her eyes did not waver as she kept her shoulders pulled back wearing the confidence of a female twice her age. Her hand reached up and she laid it softly on his arm as her eyes implored him. “Can we step outside, please?”
He wanted to give her what she wanted. He wanted to sweep her off of her feet and get her as far from the room full of males as he could. Instead he shook his head. “Explain this to me.” He held up the now crumpled blouse.
“I gave it to him to give to his sister. She had asked to borrow it.”
“Where was his sister at the time?”
“She was still at the pack gathering. Serghei….”
Vasile growled. He did not like Serghei's name on her lips.
She paused pointedly as if to say are you finished. He lifted a brow at her. “He walked me home to make sure I got there alright.”
“You were alone with him?”
“Do we have to do this here?” she asked as she rubbed her forehead and pushed stray strands of hair away.
“We are not leaving this home until I determine whether or not to kill this pup.”
Her eyes widened. “You would kill him?”
“He kissed you.” Vasile’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Did he touch you?”
“Unless you can tell me a way to kiss without touching, then yes, he touched me and kissed me.” She was getting irritated with him, and under different circumstances he would have thought it cute.
“Did he put his hands on your body?” he rephrased bluntly.
“No.”
“Why did he kiss you if he was not your mate?”
“He was convinced that because of how he felt for me, we had to be true mates, and maybe the signs just were delayed.”
“Did you feel the same?” He was not real sure he wanted to know the answer to that, and he was purposefully staying out of her mind because if he got a glimpse of her memory of that kiss he would kill Serghei right there, right then without so much as blinking.
“No, I told him that I thought of him as a brother. He was my friend―nothing more.”
The next questions had Vasile nearly phasing. He knew his eyes were glowing a blue by that promised violence. “You have never been in his bed?”
“What!” Her head whipped around to look at the kneeling male in question.
“Do not look at him,” Vasile rumbled.
“Why would you ask me if I have been in his bed?” She was angry now. She looked fierce, and it made his wolf want to pant at her feet.
“Because your blouse was in his bed.” Vasile spoke very deliberately and watched as her face morphed into one of utter shock and embarrassment. She had not known about the blouse; he could breathe somewhat easier.
When she looked back up at him, his gut clenched at the tears welling up in her steel grey eyes. “Can we please go? I really need to go.” Her voice trembled slightly with the need to cry.
He reached for her and to his relief she came willingly into his arms. He looked at Ion and Nicu. “Have him strip his bed and burn the sheets and burn the blouse along with them.” Then he looked at Theris. “I will replace them. But I cannot have another man rolling around in my mate’s scent.”
“Of course not, Alpha.” Theris smiled but the simmering anger was just below the surface.
Vasile looked down at Serghei who still knelt with his head down. He forced the young man’s head up simply with his will and held his stare. “It is understood in our race that unmated males do not touch females other than their family. If she is not your female, then she is someone else’s, and what right do you have to disrespect his mate in such a way? I am not going to kill you, though I have every right to. For my mate’s sake, I will show mercy because I believe it would hurt her if I ended your life. But if I hear of you touching another female that is not yours, I will cut off your hands.” He started towards the door with Alina tucked under his arm but paused and glanced back over his shoulder. “Sain and Theris, thank you for your hospitality. I appreciate it.” His voice was cool and calm as if he had not just threatened to remove their young wolf’s appendages.
Once he was outside, he turned her and pressed his face into her neck. His. She was his and only he should be allowed to bask in her intoxicating scent.
“Vasile,” she said his name tentatively. “Are you alright?”
He shook his head and answered honestly. “I am not sure at the moment.” They stood there a few minutes longer before he released her and took her hand. “Perhaps, we should talk.”
Alina could still feel the tension in his hand as he held hers. She knew that his wolf was very close to the surface, but at the moment she could do nothing to soothe him. She was mortified. Her mate had found her clothing in another man’s bed. She could understand his anger. Her stomach rolled at the idea of Vasile’s clothes in another female’s bed. The look on his face when he had asked her about the blouse was one of not only anger but incredible hurt as well. She never wanted to see that look on his face, and she especially did not want to be the cause of it. She led him to the spot that Sisily and she had claimed many years ago. Vasile sat down in front of a tree and pulled her down so that she was sitting in front of him with her back against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist pulling her tightly against him. It was terribly improper, but she did not care. She needed to be held and not just by anyone. She needed to be held by him.
She leaned her head back on his shoulder so that his mouth was next to her ear. She shuddered as his warm breath caressed her skin as he spoke.
“I nearly killed him when I found your blouse in his bed,” he confessed. “I have never wanted to rip a man to shreds more than I ever had in that moment.”
“I am sorry,” she started.
“Not your fault,” he interrupted her and pressed his hands flat against her stomach squeezing her reassuringly. He kissed the side of her neck, and when he pulled away quickly, she could tell that he was trying to control himself, and she knew it was because of her age. Why did he have to find me before I was of age, she thought.
“Can I ask you a question?” Her voice came out more breathless than she expected.
“Anything,” he whispered.
“How come you do not lose control? You seem so calm even though I can see contained anger.”
He chuckled. “I have a feeling my control is going to be tested again and again when it comes to you.” He let go of her and reached up to undo the braid she had put in her hair. She bit down on her bottom lip to keep from groaning as he began running his fingers through her hair, and then he moved it out of the way over her shoulder. “If I do not keep a tight grasp on my wolf, on his rage, it would be very bad, for a lot of people. If I turned him lose, I do not think I could ever regain control of him. And now with you, his rage has reached a whole new level. He wants you, now. Wants to take you and make you ours so you can never leave us.”
“And what about you?”
“I agree with him, but I am a tad less barbaric. And I also understand that your age is of consequence.”
She smiled at that, mainly because he seemed quite barbaric to her.
“What about you?” His words came out hesitantly, as if he was unsure of himself.
“Me?”
“How do you and your wolf feel about us?”
“Scared, unsure, excited, inadequate, confused, hopeful, afraid…should I go on?”
“If it will make you feel better to get it all out, then yes keep going. I can feel all of those things in you through our bond, but sometimes words are needed,” he paused and seemed to be thinking about something. “Why are you scared and afraid?” he finally asked.
She tried to close her mind and tried to think of something―anything that would keep him from seeing the answers to those questions. This was the topic she had hoped would not come up right away. But then she knew that his first thought would be to protect her, so if she was afraid he wanted to know what caused her fear so he could kill it. Unfortunately, the only thing that would eliminate this fear was time.
“Do not do that, Mina. Do not shut me out.” His voice was low and hypnotic. She wondered if he was putting any of his power in it to influence her, but she really did not think he would ever take her free will from her.
“We are taught about true mates from childhood all the way up until our coming of age,” she finally began. “It is explained in a hundred different ways, and yet even with all of that, it does not prepare you for what it is really like when you finally meet your true mate. My wolf recognizes you, feels that you are our other half. The woman in me feels like I should not want you so desperately, so quickly, as though I am losing myself to you.”
“I do not want you to feel that way,” he interrupted quickly. “It is different for a male. My soul is shrouded in darkness. It eats away inside of me and every day I wonder how much longer I can hold on before I give into it. For us, finding our true mate is like the first ray of sunshine that bursts through the blackness of night promising a bright, hopeful day. There is no doubt and no hesitancy and maybe that is because our wolves have more control over us than your wolves do.”
He gently took hold of her shoulders and turned her until she was sitting facing him. She adjusted her dress and folded her hands in her lap. Alina knew she could look him in the eyes, but regardless of her ability to do so, it did not make it easy.
“I hear what you are saying, Alina, and it is important to me, but you still have not told me why you are afraid.”
She felt his fingers under her chin as he raised her face to look at him. She growled in frustration at her cowardice behavior. All she was doing was confirming what her father said to be true―she was not ready to be mated to such a dominate male.
“I know that I cannot go with you when you leave our village to return to you castle. I know that you cannot stay here because you are the Alpha, and you have to oversee the entire pack. I understand the reasons that I cannot go with you, and I know they are valid but it does not make it any easier to deal with the reality of not being with you. Regardless of my doubts, or confusion, I know we are true mates. For the first time in my life, I am afraid of losing someone I care about. I am afraid you will realize that I am not your equal, and you will find yourself wanting one of the females who have been raised in a class more similar to yours.” Once she had the words out, she could breathe again. As she had been speaking, the walls she had tried to put up in her mind slowly fell away. She was bare before him, and it was terrifying.
He was not saying anything, simply staring at her, and that was beginning to make her worry. Had her insecurities once again just proven how childish she still was? Had her words finally made him see that she could not possibly be what he needed?
“Stop.” He spoke firmly but not unkindly. “I understand your fears and they do not make you childish. Yes, Mina, you are young, but you are far from a child. You are correct, however, I cannot claim you yet. You are not of age and it would be selfish of me to expect you to take on the responsibilities and the challenges of being mated not only that but mated to an Alpha. You said you are turning sixteen very soon, which means eighteen is only two years away. Two years is a blink of the eye in our long lives.”
Alina’s eyes darted away from his the second he said eighteen. He did not know that two years was not all he would be waiting, but he was about to.
Vasile’s eyes narrowed on his mate as he watched her shut down once again. She looked anywhere but at him. It was not long until he had his answer. It moved swiftly through her thoughts, and then was gone as she attempted to conceal it. “He expects me to wait until you are twenty to bond with you?” Once again he felt his ire rising. It was beginning to get on his nerves how little control he had around her. He could only imagine what it must be like for her.
“Yes,” she said nothing more. What could she say, he thought. At this point it was not her decision. She was still under the care of her parents, and she was not of age, essentially she had no say in her future, not yet.
He started to stand up, biting back the growl in his chest. “I need to have a discussion with your father, now.” Her hand on his leg froze him in place. He had a feeling her touch would be doing that a lot to him.
“Maybe you should cool off a bit before you go all Alpha on him,” she suggested attempting to pull him back down.
“I do not want to cool down. I want your father to know that I will claim you the second you turn eighteen.” He stood all the way up brushing his trousers off and then helped Alina to her feet.
“Have you considered that maybe trying to reason with him would get you further than just commanding him?”
“No.” He grabbed her hand and began walking in long, purposeful strides.
“Do you not want to try to see his side of it, so maybe then you could formulate a more convincing argument for why you want to claim me at eighteen?”
“No.”
“Could you possibly walk any faster because I really prefer to be drug by my arm instead of using my feet?”
Vasile immediately stopped and looked down at her. She was breathless from trying to keep up with him and her face was flushed. What a caring mate he was turning out to be. Maybe it was not only Alina that was not ready to be mated. Perhaps, he had some things to learn as well. He considered it for several breaths. No, I’m ready, he told himself. He was just under a lot of stress at the moment, and his emotions were running on overload. That was all. If he could take her home with him, know she was safe, and know she was marked as his, then he would be calmer, and less brash.
“I am not used to asking. I command and it happens. That is what I know. And when it comes to you, I do not feel I should have to ask. I should, however, pay more attention to how my anger affects you,” he admitted.
“I am fine,” she answered curtly and started forward again.
Vasile pulled her gently to a halt and tugged her arm to get her to look at him. “I am sorry. I should be more careful of you.”
“I am not breakable, Vasile.”
He stepped up to her and took her face gently in his palm, being careful not to lean to close because he knew he would kiss her. “You do not have to be breakable to be damaged.” They stared at one another, lost in the connection that they shared only with each other. He could have stood there all day just to get to touch her, to be close to her, and have her undivided attention. He made himself step back and drop his hand. Turning them in the direction of her home once again he said, “I am calmer. Now, I will talk to your father.”
“Are you going to listen to what he has to say?”
Vasile huffed. “No. Being calmer does not mean I am more tolerant.”