“I will begin with the year I met him; it was 1800,” she began. “I lived on a farm in the hillsides of the Transylvania Mountains with my parents. My village was called Solca. We were a poor outer Provence of the Eastern Romanian pack. My father was not dominant enough to be in the Alpha’s top group, so he fought only when called upon. The rest of the time he was a blacksmith.”
“Alina, it is time for bed.” Alina heard her mother’s warm voice from where she lay in the forest only meters from her home. Fifteen years old and her mother still felt the need to treat her like a child. She endured it because she did live in their home, ate their food, and used their things, but she was more than ready to find her mate so she could have a home of her own to tend and pups of her own to put to bed. Her mother, of course, reminded her constantly that she was not of age, and even if she did find her mate, he could not claim her―not yet. Most girls if they found their mates young would be claimed at eighteen, but her father had said that was still too young, especially if her mate was a dominate. He told her twenty was the magic number. When she was confident in who she was as a female and could hold her ground with a dominant, then she would be ready for her true mate.
Her mother’s voice rang out again. She could have predicted it down to the second when she would begin calling for her. But for some reason that night she was reluctant to return home. As she lay on the plush vegetation that so readily welcomed her and stared up at the bright moon in all its glory, she felt a pull to stay, to wait. She felt a whisper on the wind as it tickled her skin and caressed her hair. Her eyes widened in anticipation because she knew something was coming and not just for anyone but for her. Whether it would be that night, or another, she knew that something great was in store for her.
Alina’s friends and even her own mother had always said she spent too much time with her head up in the clouds. Her grandmother used to joke that for a village girl her shoes were much too clean. She would just laugh them off and continued on her own way, because there was no way to explain to someone else that you knew you were meant for greatness. She wasn’t arrogant, just sure of her future, even though she wasn’t sure how it would all come about. She understood perfectly well how haughty that sounded, but she also trusted the Great Luna, her Creator, and she would never forget the day that she showed herself to Alina only a few months earlier.
Alina had wandered out further away from her home than usual and ended up in a field in the forest. The Great Luna’s glory and her goodness had been enough to drive Alina to her knees, and yet she had helped her up from the ground, and with a touch of her hand, her clothes and shoes were as clean as if they’d never seen a minutes worth of dirt. She had looked Alina in the eye and said, “Be ready child. The one I have for you comes with much darkness and much baggage, and he will need your goodness. For without you, his darkness will rule and he will destroy the Canis lupis race. Be strong. I will never leave you or forsake you. You only have to ask and I will be there. This task I have given to you because you are his other half. You are his light and he is your gravity. He will keep you planted on the ground when need be, but he will also raise you up when it is safe.”
Alina closed her eyes at the memory of the Great Luna telling her about her mate. She had thought that meant that her mate would be showing up within a matter of days, but now, several months later, still nothing. She tried not to grow bitter as she heard of others finding their own true mates, but she wasn’t about to lie and pretend it was easy. She wanted to be a mate; she wanted to be something to her male that no other could be. But waiting never had been her strong suit.
She laid there for several more minutes until finally she heard her mother’s footsteps and knew she would have to go. She stood up and brushed off her dress and looked up at the moon. “Same time tomorrow?” No, she didn’t expect the moon to answer back, but then, she was a werewolf, anything was possible.
Romanian Proverb # 2
Nu haina îl face pe om.
“Clothes do not make the man.”
“It’s been less than a century since I lost my brother,” Vasile said as he paced the large room that had been his father’s meeting hall. “How am I to deal with the loss of my parents, my Alpha, so soon after such a tragedy? To think, three members of the same bloodline are gone, within a century of one another, and this after my parents survived the 1712 werewolf wars, not to mention the loss of our last gypsy healer.”
Anghel walked further into the room as he watched the son of one of his oldest friends begin the grieving process. Stefan and Daciana Lupei had been two of the most loyal friends he had ever known. Being Alphas of separate packs had never hindered their relationship. Though he was the Alpha of the Western Romanian pack and Vasile now the Alpha of the Eastern Romanian pack, it did not change how he felt for the son of his old friend. He ached for him. He hurt with him and he knew there were no words that could heal him. Maybe time would heal but even that would be only a salve to the wound, not a cure.
“You will deal with it because you must,” Anghel finally spoke, his deep voice resonating against the stone walls. “You are Alpha now; you are no pup. You are a century old and you know what it means to be Alpha and I don’t remind you of that because I care little for your pain. I remind you of that because there will be some who see your position as weak. They will think you an easy target, and when that happens they will do something foolish.”
Vasile snarled. He didn’t want to hear it, though he knew it was true. His father’s pack for the most part was united, but there were always one or two upstarts who thought they could run things better. There were always a couple who thought they should be the leaders, but they didn’t understand if you were meant to lead it wasn’t something you grumbled about it late at night in the local pub. If you were meant to lead, then you led because the wolf inside of you refused to follow. Vasile knew he was a leader not just by birthright but by the wolf that lived inside of him. His wolf bowed only to his father, and that was only out of respect. He could have beaten Stefan in a challenge years ago, but he would not disrespect his father or mother in such a way. And now here he was, Alpha of the Eastern Pack, only a few short years later. He didn’t have to worry about whether he might one day have to convince his wolf not to challenge his Alpha, because his Alpha was dead.
“You must nip any notion of a mutiny in the bud, Vasile,” Anghel urged. “You must reassure your pack that though their Alphas have gone on to be with the Great Luna, the Eastern Romanian pack is still strong and has a new Alpha, just as powerful as the old one.”
“I know you are right, and I trust you just as my father did. I am still just trying to get my head around the fact that they are gone.”
Anghel nodded. “It was unexpected to say the least. May I ask how it happened?”
Vasile’s shoulders tensed. This was the part that he dreaded. This was what he did not want anyone to know because he did not want them to think any less of his father or his mother. “Do you want the official story or the one my father would have you know because of your friendship?”
When Anghel simply gave him a pointed look he continued. “You have heard that old wolves can sometimes become crazed?”
Anghel’s brow furrowed and he nodded slowly. “But that usually happens to unmated males not ones who have found their true mates.”
Vasile’s eyes slowly met the Western Romanian pack Alpha’s. The next words were ones that had not been uttered since his father had spoken them to him nearly eighty years ago and told him never to tell anyone. “My mother, Daciana, was not my father’s true mate.”
Anghel’s eyes narrow and his brow furrowed. “They were mated for a very long time. How can this be? And what about your father’s markings? They changed; I saw them before he was mated and after.” Anghel said as his eyes widened.
Vasile motioned for him to take a seat at the table that dominated the center of the room. He pulled out a chair and sat next to him angling his body so that he was
facing him. “I need your word that you will never share this with anyone.”
Anghel nodded once.
“My father had the rare fortune of meeting his true mate when they were very young, too young to fulfill the Blood Rites or the bond. It was a time when humans were superstitious and Canis lupis had to be very careful about who they befriended outside of the pack. My father’s true mate trusted the wrong person and paid for it with her life. Since they were not yet bonded, he survived.”
“What about your mother? Didn’t she worry she would find her true mate and have to leave your father?” Anghel asked.
Vasile chuckled. “Why do you think my father kept her so close to his side and so close to home all of the time? They loved each other, make no mistake about that. And I believe my mother kept my father sane far longer than ever would have been possible, although I think the guilt he had for keeping her from her true mate ate away at him over time and probably contributed to his madness. He knew the fate to which he was condemning Daciana’s true mate, but he loved her and when a wolf decides something belongs to him he does not easily let it go.
“As for his markings, you know that he did not announce his mating until after the trip that he took supposedly in search of mate. My mother was already here. The trip was just a guise used to travel to the sea to meet with a band of pirates. He knew of the custom they practiced called tattooing, one that could place permanent markings on the skin. He decided that to keep up the appearance of having found his mate, he would have his marks altered artificially. Since the females marks are never seen by anyone other than her mate, it was not important that Daciana obtain markings.”
Anghel shook his head and closed his eyes as he let Vasile’s words sink into him. “What he did was proof that he was already showing signs of madness: to take another’s mate as his own, to alter his marks unnaturally, and to bear a child with her?”
Vasile nodded. “I know but he ruled his pack fairly and none could challenge him and win. For all intents and purposes he did as he was called to as an Alpha. He guided, loved, shepherded, and kept order over his pack. My mother supported him as best she could. Even though she wasn’t his true mate, she was an Alpha in her own right. Had she not been a dominant female the farce never would have held up.”
“Your mother didn’t have to die, did she, Vasile?” Anghel asked unnecessarily. He knew the answer, but he felt like it needed to be spoken aloud.
Vasile’s shoulder hunched forward as he felt the weight of her loss. “No, but they wanted to keep up the charade of their status. She was willing to die to protect my place as Alpha, and she truly didn’t want to live without my father. She loved him, maybe not in a way possible between true mates, but in her own way, she loved him.”
“That is so much for one man to carry.”
Vasile nodded. “Maybe, but it is my burden and one that I cannot share with the pack—ever. They would see my father’s actions as weak and his dishonesty with them about his mate traitorous. And then they would question my integrity and my loyalty to the pack. They might even take it as far as to say that Alphas must bear their markings, even the female, for all the pack to see as proof of their mating, and that would not be wise.”
Anghel shifted restlessly in his chair as he considered the quandary Vasile now found himself in. “If you are to be Alpha, and be obeyed completely, you must demand their fealty. You must command their submission and the only way to do that is to be present. You will need to go out and visit the villages of pack members. You need to make yourself known, and you need to squelch any rumors about your parents’ death and reveal the truth.” Vasile started to interrupt but Anghel held up his hand to stop him. “I do not mean the real truth. I mean the truth that you will tell your top four, and their mates as well. By now, even the furthest pack members will be feeling the loss of their Alphas. They will need reassurance that the pack is safe and intact. They will need contact with you, the heart of their pack, and they will need to see confidence in your eyes. That is where they will find their comfort and stability.”
Vasile rubbed his face as he let out a long sigh. Already the difficulties of what was ahead weighed heavily on him. “The pack is scattered. My father’s hold was strong enough to keep them united even as they sought out new land and territories. As we’ve thrived in the absence of war we have grown through matings. There have even been a couple births, and without a healer that is a miracle in and of itself. It will take time to reach them all if I am to visit every village.”
“Rumors of your visits will spread quickly. You know as well as I do that male wolves gossip worse than any of the females.”
Vasiles’ lips turned up ever so slightly at the older wolf’s words. “That is true enough. I need to meet with my father’s…,” he paused and then corrected himself, “with my top males. I will leave my second, Alin, here in charge and take my third and fourth with me.”
“That is wise,” Anghel agreed. “Have you thought about your mate?”
Vasile’s head snapped up. “What do you mean have I thought about her? I have yet to find her. How am I to think of her?”
“I mean have you thought about searching for her, actively, instead of just hoping that the Fates grace you with their favor. You need a mate. She will make you stronger, not to mention give you the ability to produce an heir. You know that proven virility is seen as a strength by the males. It will make them less likely to challenge you.”
“So while I’m out reassuring the pack you want me to be hunting as well?” Vasile’s eyes began to glow as he considered the idea of actually finding her, his true mate. He had not entirely been telling the truth when he claimed that he could not possibly be thinking of her since he had yet to find her. There wasn’t a second in any day that he did not think of her. He wondered what she would look like. Would she have long hair or did she keep it shorter? Was she tall and lithe, or short and curvy in all the right places? Would her eyes sparkle when she laughed? On and on the questions bombarded his mind. In truth he was desperate for her. Whoever she was, he needed her, wanted her, and prayed the Great Luna would show him mercy and lead him to her.
“I heard from your father that you are the most patient hunter in your pack. He said that when you hunt as your wolf, you somehow allow the animal more control without losing yourself. Maybe you should try to stir your wolf’s patience while in your human form?”
“I have a feeling that this hunt will not provoke the same kind of patience in him as the hunt for a kill does. My wolf is restless for his mate. The darkness inside of me gains more ground every day, and now I have no family left to keep my wolf in check. I almost pity the female who gets stuck with me.”
Romanian Proverb # 3
Nu te juca cu coada ursului.
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
It was in the heat of the afternoon that Alina felt the ache, the emptiness left from the loss. It was like a hole had been carved into her heart and a chunk of it removed. She gasped from the pain as she fell forward over the table where she had been kneading dough for the evening meal. She knew what it was immediately because she had been taught as a child the strength of the bond between Alpha and pack. She felt the tears on her cheeks before she even realized she was crying. This hurt far worse than she had imagined it would.
“Alina!” She heard her mother’s voice coming from outside. She hurried to the door, clutching onto anything she could for support.
“Mother, are you alright?” Alina asked as she saw her mother doubled over in a similar position.
“The Alphas,” her mother breathed out. “They are gone.”
Alina’s head turned at the sound of a low growl just as her father came around the corner of their small home. He had phased into his wolf form because the need to protect his own was stronger than his ability to keep the man in control.
“Mother, is he okay?” Alina asked her mom, knowing they could use their bond to communicate.
> Her mother nodded but didn’t answer. She was breathing hard and the tight features of her face testified to the extreme discomfort that she was experiencing.
“How long will this last?” Alina asked desperate for a reprieve.
“As long as it takes for the entire pack to know,” her mother answered.
That was not the answer Alina had been looking for. Theirs was a large pack. The reigning Alpha and his mate had been good leaders, strong and fair, and the pack had prospered because of it. She clenched her teeth together in an attempt to keep the pain at bay and walked out to help her mother up. Her father was staring a hole into his mate, and Alina knew he did not like seeing her on the ground, vulnerable. They tripped and stumbled their way into their home, and Alina helped her mother into one of two chairs that occupied the small living space. There was nothing left to do but wait. Alina was not good at waiting. Her father took up sentry at the door, small growls escaping his throat occasionally. He never moved; he endured his pain in stillness and silence as he protected his mate and daughter―from what she did not know.