“I hope that I can live a life worthy of your loyalty,” he told them as he motioned for them to stand and then once again headed for the door. “We know who our enemy is. We know what he wants. Let us not keep him waiting any longer.”
Ion followed behind Vasile watching his Alpha closely for any sign that the separation from his mate would interfere with his ability to fight because there was definitely a fight ahead of them. And more than likely lives were about to be lost.
Vasile pushed apart the doors of the castle that opened into the courtyard. The voices that had been calling out, yelling and growling, suddenly stopped, and the entire area was plunged into near silence. Only the sound of the wind whispering through the leaves and the occasional chirp of a bird could be heard. He stepped out onto the highest step that allowed him to look out at everyone and scanned the crowd slowly until his eyes landed on Emilian. The Beta stood directly in front of the two coffins where his parents lay. His relaxed shoulders, loose stance, and the slight smirk on his lips told Vasile that the Beta knew there was nothing Vasile could say to salvage the situation. Then the Beta shifted his position and Vasile saw his mother’s back, bare for all to see all and completely free of any markings. Any sense of staying calm fled. How dare this male think he could violate his mother’s resting place, not matter what the reason? How dare he think to shame him, as if he did not feel enough shame without someone rubbing his face in the choice his parents made―wrong or right. Nicu, Ion, and Alin must have felt the shift in his emotions because they were suddenly standing at the ready next to him.
“What have….” Those were the only two words Emilian got out before Vasile lunged. His fist connected with Emilian’s face with satisfying crunch.
He did not let go completely; he could not. He was pretty sure that if he ever let his wolf lose, especially after having been so long separated from Alina, he would never regain control of him. He heard the yells and snarls around him, and yet he continued to hit Emilian in the face. The Beta seemed to gather himself after the surprise of being attacked and then began his own assault on Vasile. The first punch that met his cheek stung, but it only served to enrage his wolf and the man further. He felt the wolf in him stirring, pushing to take over more and more of the fight. His focus was so centered on the Beta that he barely noticed the fighting going on around him.
He spared a quick glance and saw Ion and Nicu move past him, each engaging other wolves he didn’t immediately recognize in that moment. He knew they could hold their own, and so he continued to keep all of his attention on his opponent. He did not know how long they fought. He felt blood spilling from various lacerations on his face and felt the exhaustion in his muscles, but still he continued to meet Emilian punch for punch. Not until there was a loud whistle did Vasile finally relent and step back just as Emilian did as well.
The smirk that was still on the Beta’s face told Vasile that he had somehow been out maneuvered. Vasile looked up at the faces around him and saw the shock and fear and worry in his pack mates' faces. Then he noticed that there were at least seven unmated females, some still underage, surrounded by Emilian’s men. “I did not want to have to do this, but then I knew you would not walk away quietly no matter what your pack wanted. Leave willingly and I will let these females live,” he said and motioned to where the women stood. “Continue to fight and you will watch them die…slowly.”
Vasile growled as he met the Beta’s eyes. Emilian could not hold the gaze for more than a few seconds before he looked away. Vasile then turned to the crowd. “This is what you want?” He motioned to Emilian and then his men. “This is the kind of leader you want, a tyrant? One who cares only for his own skin?”
“We want an honest one,” a female called out.
Vasile shook his head and looked back at Emilian. “You are lucky I do not kill you for the disrespect you have shown my parents, especially my mother. I will step down because I will not have their deaths on my hands, but know that this is not over. You will not hold this pack; you are not capable.” Vasile growled.
“Maybe,” Emilian said as he spit blood from his mouth. “But then I was capable enough to take it from you. Was I not? There is a lot to say for resourcefulness, Vasile. That is a lesson you have yet to learn.”
“Does your Alpha know what you have done?” he asked the Beta, not having to even raise his voice because of the stifling silence. “Does he know that you took information that was not yours to take and then used it for your own selfish gain? Does he know you betrayed him?”
“The strong survive, Vasile Lupei. I am simply doing what it takes to survive and to ensure that this pack survives. Your father’s treachery has left this pack in shambles. I did what was necessary.”
Vasile nodded slowly. “Perhaps, you are correct, but only a fool thinks that how he obtains his victory does not matter.”
“YOUR PARENTS LIED ABOUT THEIR BOND!” Emilian suddenly snarled, interrupting the Alpha and causing those around him to jump. “What does it matter how I become the new Alpha? What matters is that the treachery that has been brought to light in your bloodline be brought to an end. You see the lies do not always end with the ones who started them, sometimes they follow all those in the bloodline.” Emilian paused and turned to look at the crowd. “Is it true Vasile Lupei that you have found your true mate? You found her in a village on the furthest outskirts of your territory and yet failed to tell anyone in your pack?” There were gasps in all direction from the members of his pack as they stared up at him in shock.
A low growl started in Vasile’s chest. “I have no mate.” It killed Vasile to deny Alina but if it kept her safe, then he would deny her to his dying breath. “If I had a mate I would have shouted it at the top my lungs, I would have recognized it for the blessing that it was, and she would be standing beside me now. Who gave you such information?”
“You went and visited all of the villages in your territory.”
Vasile nodded, waiting for him to go on.
“In the last village, Solca, the one Petre Sala oversees, did you not claim his daughter as your true mate? Did you not threaten a male who had supposedly kissed her, telling him you would cut off his hands if he ever touched another female?”
Vasile’s rage was growing as he began to put the puzzle pieces into place. Serghei had been in on the plot before him. He had told Emilian what he knew, and sadly enough it was a brilliant plan on the young male’s part. Alina bore no marks nor had Vasile’s changed. There was no way the pack would believe she belonged to him. “No,” he answered finally. “The information you received has been…distorted.”
“So you now deny that she is your true mate,” a new voice called out from the back of the crowd which was parting to let the male through.
Vasile recognized the young male to be none other than Serghei. He barely held himself in check to keep from ripping the male’s head from his body.
“Until I leave this castle for the final time, or I am slain where I stand, I am your Alpha.” He met the male's gaze and Serghei dropped his eyes immediately. “You will speak to me with respect or I will show you why I am Alpha and you are not.”
“Forgive me, Alpha,” the male bit out as he bared his neck. “I would like to know why you are now denying that you claimed Alina Sala as your mate when you so adamantly claimed that she belonged to you while you were in our village?”
Vasile felt something twist inside of him at the sound of her name. He missed her, missed her like he would miss his own heart if it was ripped from his chest. To have her spoken about as though she was just some female, not important to him nor under his protection any longer, was causing his wolf to pace restlessly.
“It is obvious from the anger in your voice that you have feelings for this female,” Vasile began, his voice was even despite the turmoil brewing inside of him. “Is she your true mate?” For some reason asking Serghei if Alina Sala was his made Vasile want to rip the young male's head off. But the show had to be con
vincing. Vasile had to show everyone here that he truly did not believe Alina was his. Emilian knew that Vasile would be stronger with his true mate. If Emilian thought for one second that Alina truly was his mate, he would hunt her down and kill her just to keep Vasile from bonding with her, denying Vasile her strength. The need pulsing inside of him to rip Serghei limb from limb was surprising to him in its fury. Maybe the madness from being without his true mate was already catching up with him. Even though he was only a century old, maybe all the loss he had suffered had caused the darkness in him to move more quickly than in other males.
“She is not of age yet and so the mating signs have not appeared,” Serghei dodged.
“Does she love you?” Vasile did not know what prompted him to ask that question, but he felt sick at even the remote possibility of his Mina loving that mongrel.
Sergehi stood straighter, raising his head but not looking Vasile in the eyes. “She will.”
“What difference does that make?” Emilian snarled. Vasile’s attention was drawn away from the young male back to the larger threat. “Are you claiming someone, Vasile, just as your father did, that does not belong to you?” There was a rumble of agreement across the crowd and nods to go with it, but still no one met his gaze.
“My father is dead and his deeds died with him!” Vasile suddenly yelled out. He stepped back so that he could see his pack, could look at each of them and gauge their reactions. “I am not my father. I will make mistakes but they will not be the same ones he made. I am telling you that this female is free and clear of me. I am not taking any female as my own that does not bear my marks. I would never disrespect a woman in such a way, or her future true mate.”
“Can you prove she is your mate?” Louis, one of the males he had stayed with when visiting the villages, asked ignoring all that Vasile had just said.
“Why should I have to prove it if I am not claiming her?” he countered.
“Would you be willing to let a select group of pack members chosen by the pack see your mate’s markings once you find her?” Anton, another male asked.
“You would really ask such a thing of your Alpha?” Ion growled at the man.
Vasile held a hand up to stop his third from saying more. “I would never allow another to see my mate’s markings, just as no male here would allow such a thing.”
Louise stepped forward. He held no threat in his countenance, but neither did he bare his throat in submission. “We trusted your father and mother. We loved them as our Alpha pair, and for a very long time they performed their role as required. But this is too much Vasile. Even you must see how hard this is for our pack to accept. To lie about something so very vital to our species, how do we get past that? How do we trust you?”
Vasile shook his head. “I do not know.” His answer was as honest as he knew how to be. He truly did not know how to move forward. For most of his life he had felt sure of things, and now everything including himself seemed broken beyond repair.
“Then maybe it is time to let someone else lead.” Louis’s words were not said out of anger or hate. Vasile could tell the man truly wanted what was best for the pack. Vasile could respect that but he did not agree with it.
“All in favor of me stepping aside?” He waited to see how many hands would raise. Slowly one by one the air was filled not everyone but as good as.
“And who will lead you?” Alin asked the pack not wanting to let them assume Emilian should take over but wanting to see if the Beta would actually claim it as his own place.
Emilian stepped forward, his shoulders pulled back, and his head held high, though he still would not look Vasile in the eyes. “I believe this would be considered the same as a challenge. I brought to light the treachery. You are stepping down because of it, therefore, I will take your place as Alpha.”
“This is what you want?” Vasile asked looking to Louis who seemed to have taken the place as spokesperson for the pack.
Louise motioned for Vasile to step aside and then leaned his head in close for him to hear. “Most of the pack does not even know yet, Vasile. They are going to need reassurance that things are going to change. Maybe the best way to accomplish this is have you step aside for a time. Not for good,” he quickly followed. “I do not think Emilian is the answer, but I think the pack needs time to heal, and you are simply a reminder of what caused the wound.”
Vasile motioned for Ion, Alin, and Nicu to back down and they did so reluctantly.
“I will give you an hour to get what you need out and leave.” He stepped close to Vasile, leaning in and speaking very low. “Then I will give you a day’s head start before I start pursuing you.” Emilian’s eyes narrowed. “I might have said I would let the females live, but I never said I would spare your life. I cannot let you live, Vasile.”
Vasile actually chuckled. “You treachery knows no bounds, Emilian. Of course you cannot let me live. You will never be able to hold onto this pack while I still draw breath, and until I am dead you will constantly be looking over your shoulder wondering when I will be coming for you. You will be sleeping with one eye open, and peace will forever allude you because you know deep in your soul that your life is already forfeited. It was lost the minute you threatened the lives of the precious females.”
Vasile looked one more time at his pack―the pack his father had loved despite his failings and the pack that Vasile still loved despite their decision now. “Things will get worse before they get better. I am stepping back now to protect you, but I will not stay gone. I am still and will always be your Alpha until the breath is ripped from my body one final time.”
He motioned for his top three to follow him and headed back into the castle for the last time in how long he did not know. He had always believed that there was a time for everything. A time for war, a time for peace, a time to stand up and speak out, and a time to step back and wait. He would step back but he would not wait idly by. There was still work to do and still things he could take care of until the time was right for him to strike and take back what was his.
Romanian Proverb #13
Nu încap douã sãbii într-o teacã.
When two ride on one horse, one must sit behind.
“I think Serghei has lost his mind,” Alina told her parents as she sat in their small living room holding a cup of tea her mother had made. “He was going on about showing me that Vasile was a liar, and he tried to take me with him—by force.”
“Serghei has let his feelings for you remove his good sense. He is too young to be a male who has struggled over the years wrestling with the darkness and is getting desperate for a mate, but that is exactly how he is acting.” Her father’s brow furrowed as he considered the young male’s action.
“What about Vasile’s parents?” Alina asked. “Does it really matter if they indeed did lie to the pack about being true mates?”
Her mother let out a long breath and leaned back in the chair she occupied. “It should not. Unfortunately, the sins of the parents often haunt the child or children left behind. There will be some who will want to see Vasile endure the punishment for their deceit because Stefan and Daciana cannot.”
“That is preposterous,” Alina huffed.
“While we agree with you, more than likely the majority will not feel as we do,” Petre explained.
“What will happen to Vasile?” Alina did not try to hide the worry and fear that boiled up inside of her. He was hers, and she was stuck there unable to help―unable to ensure that he was well.
“He could be challenged by other males for position of Alpha, or he could be usurped by the Beta who brought all of this out to light. If the majority agrees with the Beta, Vasile would have to step down.”
“He would never do that,” Alina shook her head adamantly.
“No, I have a feeling the only way Vasile would willingly step down is if there are lives in danger. He will not sacrifice others for his place.”
When night fell and Alina’s parents had retired
to their room, she still sat where they had spent most of the day pondering what was happening in their pack. A single candle burned casting soft shadows that hopped around the room onto the walls. She watched the dancing images without really seeing them. Her mind was focused solely on her mate. Her mind was as open as she could possibly make it, hoping that he would reach out to her. And as if he had heard her, suddenly, he was there.
“Mina.” His voice was rough with emotion and she could tell how hard he was fighting to keep them under control.
“Are you alright?” she asked him, but what she wanted to say was how much she missed him, how sorry she was, and that she had not understood what she had been asking.
“I am so much better now that I hear your voice and feel you in my mind.”
She waited because she knew he wanted to say more, and she did not want to interrupt him.
“I do not know if you can ever forgive me for how I have behaved. I let my pride blind me and instead of thinking about how you felt and what you needed, I only thought of myself. I am so very sorry, beloved.”
Alina’s heart was beating so hard she could hear it. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she let the love he was pushing through their bond wrap around her and reassure her that he wanted her, that he missed her, and when she looked deeper into his mind, she could see how broken he truly was over his actions. Maybe she should have be angry after the months of silence, but she did not want to waste another second being upset over something that could not be changed. It would not be the last mistake she or he made in their relationship; she did not see the point of dwelling on it.
“I forgive you, Vasile. I will always forgive you because my love for you is unconditional.” Relief flooded through the bond. He had been afraid that he had gone too far, that he had lost her. “You cannot lose me. I belong with you and because of that I cannot belong anywhere else.”