Alina woke with a start when she heard the door close. Her father was walking in on two feet and he looked more tired than usual. She took a deep breath and realized that the pain was gone. There was still a dull ache, but it was manageable.
“Where have you been?” she asked him as she stared at him closely trying to get a read on his mood. Her father could have been a gambler, could have played any game that required a blank face. He held his emotions in check better than anyone she had ever known.
“There was a village meeting. All the males were called on.”
She waited for more but he did not continue. She let out a huff. “Aaand,” she drew out the word hoping he would elaborate.
“News came in about an hour ago that the Alpha and his mate are indeed dead, and Stefan’s son, Vasile, is Alpha now. Rumor is that he will be making his way to each village.” His tone dripped with weariness as he looked for a small morsel to eat.
“Why is he going to the villages? Does that mean he will come here?” Alina’s voice rose with each question. “Does he have a true mate yet?”
“Hush, child,” her father admonished. “The better question is 'Why are you so interested in the new Alpha?'”
Alina felt her cheeks grow warm as her father scrutinized her face. Alina had met―okay not really met, more like seen from a distance―Vasile a few times over the years. The last time had been when she was thirteen. He was handsome, really handsome, with a muscular build, hair black as night, and eyes so blue she was sure that the Great Luna herself had dipped a paint brush into the sky and painted them to match. It had been two years. Since then she had matured quite a bit not only in physical attributes but emotionally as well. She knew the chances of a bond showing up before the age of eighteen were rare, but she felt so ready despite her age. True mate bonds were finicky things. Typically they did not show signs until the female was of age or able to conceive. The latter varied from female to female. Alina herself had been a late bloomer in that respect and had not had her first blood until a month after her fifteenth birthday, not that she was complaining. Other than being able to bond with her mate and bear a child, having a menses was not her favorite part of becoming a mature female.
So she was slightly enamored with him, big deal. So maybe she thought about it for days and weeks after each sighting; that is not unusual when a girl sees a handsome male. And maybe a few times she had tried his last name out with hers, imagined what his lips would taste like, and fantasized about having his pups. Okay, so maybe she was bordering on obsessed at that point. Well, her father did not have to know all that. She smiled up at him and asked, “It is important for us to know our Alpha, is it not?”
Her father narrowed his eyes at her, and she knew that she did not have near the ability to wipe her face clean like he did, but she was pretty good at it when she tried.
“It is,” he agreed. “It is also important for a female to find her true mate. You are one such female. It has been a few years since you have seen Vasile, has it not? You have matured quite a lot since then; perhaps your wolf is stirring and she feels something that you do not quite understand yet.”
“Are you implying that he could be my mate?” Alina whispered as if the walls had ears and could share secrets that were spoken within.
“Why? Is that so impossible? Mind you, Alpha or not, he still will not be claiming you until you turn twenty. Actually, I should be saying especially since he is an Alpha. You need to know who you are as woman, Alina. I do not want you to only find your identity in your mate. I want you to be confident because of who you are, not who you are mated to.”
Alina looked over at her sleeping mother and stood up to be closer to her father so they would not disturb her. She looked up at him meeting his eyes. “When you look at me do you see one worthy of royalty? He is of a royal bloodline, Father, and I am…,” she paused and looked down at her tattered dress and dirt covered shoes. “I am just this.”
She felt a finger under her chin as he raised her head until she was once again looking up at him. Her father was a handsome man, not in the same way that Vasile was, but handsome nonetheless.
His lips tightened, his eyes glowed ever so slightly, and there was a gravelly quality to his voice that only happened when his wolf was near the surface. “You are not defined by the clothes on your body, the shoes on your feet, or the money in your pocket. You are defined by the choices you make, the character that you choose to have, and the respect you show yourself and to those around you. Just because he is royalty does not mean he is worthy of you. This is exactly why I want you to wait. You have no reason to be ashamed. Listen to me now, daughter-of-mine.” He dropped his hand to her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “You are a female of worth. I know your character; I’ve seen the choices you have made and been on the receiving end of your respect. Even if he is your true mate, you make him work for it. When a male wolf in the wild finds a female he wants to take as a mate, that female does not bow her head and tuck her tail between her legs. She makes the male show her that he is strong, faithful and capable.
“When you do finally meet your true mate, do not dare tuck your tail and lower your head. You meet his gaze, you challenge his pursuit, and you make him prove it.”
Alina’s mouth had dropped open at her father’s words. He had never talked with her about finding her true mate; it was her mother who had always shared and ask questions. She honestly could not believe what she was hearing and it confused her.
“What about the mating signs? Is not that proof enough?” she asked.
“The mating signs simply reveal true mates to one another. They do not give either one the right to demand, or take, what is not freely given.”
That was news to Alina. She had been under the impression that once a male found his true mate nothing and no one would stand in his way of claiming her. She had indeed wondered just how her father was planning to tell her mate that he could not have her until she was twenty. Alina still was not satisfied. “What about dominant males? I thought they became possessive of their mates and would not allow anyone or anything to stand in their way. And won’t it be painful for us both if we don’t bond?”
“I am not saying that you will not ever bond. All I am saying is that things worth having usually come at a price. You need to decide what your price is. You are a dominant female, Alina, which means your mate will be extremely dominant. He will always cherish you, love you, and take care of you. But if you let him, he will rule you because he will think it is the best way to protect you, and above all else his need to protect his mate will always come first. It would be wise of you to set the tone of your mating by letting your future mate know that you will respect him, but you will demand the same respect.”
Alina watched her father quietly walk over to his own mate and pick her sleeping form up as effortlessly as if she was a child. He took his mate to the only room in the cottage and closed the door, leaving Alina with her thoughts.
Her price? she thought. What could she possibly expect from the male made for her? How could she demand his respect and expect he wait to complete the bond with her until she was sure he would treat her as his equal? Her father had given her some things to think about that she had never considered. Of course, he was a male so it made sense that he would know better than her mother how her mate would act and the best way for her to respond to him.
“My price,” she whispered into the empty room as she lay down on the bed in the far corner. Her eyes slowly closed and her mind drifted back to the first time she had ever seen Vasile. She had been in one of the larger market places close to the castle of Stefan and Daciana. She was all of twelve and it was the first time her mother and father had allowed her to accompany them. She bounced on eager feet as they walked through the crowds of people. The new scents in the air nearly overwhelmed her, and the chatter of the vendors trying to catch the attention of every passerby was like a swarm of bees swirling about her head. Her eyes never rested on on
e thing for too long because there was just too much to see. There seemed to be a vendor for everything she could imagine: colorful fabrics at one stand, fresh produce at another, jewelry, tack for horses, tools. Her father nudged her in the direction of a hut filled with all sorts of metal tools and even weapons. She had always thought it strange that they made weapons when they werewolves. Their very form was a weapon, but her father had said a good predator utilizes all of its options, and fighting in their human form was definitely an option and sometimes necessary.
“Petre.” A large man with shaggy black hair, brown eyes, and the beginning shadow of a beard walked from behind a curtain. “Georgeta, it’s so good to see you both.”
The use of her parent’s first names told her that they were good friends with this man. Alina stood silently to the right and behind her parents, looking around the small area at all of the treasures hanging and lying on shelves. It took her mother’s throat clearing to realize they had been speaking to her.
“This is our daughter, Alina.” Her father motioned for her to step forward.
“It is very nice to meet you, Miss Alina,” the large man said holding out his hand. She took the offered hand and watched as he leaned over and ever so lightly pressed a kiss to hers. She didn’t miss it when he took a long, deep breath as he leaned over her. He was handsome, but then most werewolves were. Still it did not stop her from politely but quickly pulling her hand away.
Her mother had explained that the older she grew, the more males would attempt to discover if she was their mate, even if she was not of age, though they would not take her before they were allowed. Alina had told her mother in no uncertain terms that if some random wolf came sniffing around her claiming that she was his, she would poke his eyes out. Her parents had both laughed at her, thinking her jesting, but she was dead serious, and if the man before her did not stop sniffing the air around her, she was going to make good on her threat.
“Cezar,” her father’s deep rumble and the loud clanking of the bag of metal works that he set on the counter in front of them had the man turning away from Alina, finally. “I’ve brought what you ordered.” Cezar went about inspecting the tools while her parents waited patiently.
Alina was not so patient. She walked to the edge of the hut to look out into the busy street. Dust rose in the air from all the shuffling feet and tickled her nose causing her to sneeze. The sneeze made her eyes water, and the dirt filled air only made her eyes tear up more. Because she had been attempting to wipe her eyes with her dress without showing anything that would be deemed inappropriate, she was bent over and had not noticed the person that had stopped next to her.
“Are you alright?” a kind, smooth voice asked.
Alina’s eyes suddenly became of little worry as she righted herself to see a tall man, wearing the crest of the Alpha on his arm, standing in front of her. He smiled down at her and handed her a swatch of fabric. “The air can get very thick during the busiest time of the day,” he told her.
She nodded and took the offered piece using it to quickly wipe away the moisture that had gathered in her eyes. Once she was not looking through a blur of tears, she could see that the man before her was attractive and had a kind smile. She heard shuffling behind him and watched as he looked over his shoulder and nodded his head. She followed his line of sight, and her mouth dropped open as she realized who stood some distance away, though close enough that she had no trouble identifying him.
From the black clothing, that only the royals wore, to the piercing blue eyes he was known for, Alina realized that she was seeing the Alpha’s son for the first time. He was talking with a vendor, an older woman, who, being a Canis lupis, must have been very old to appear anywhere over the age of thirty-five. He handed her some money. When she attempted to give him some of her produce, he shook his head and pressed a kiss to her hand. Her heart clenched at his generosity and the obvious affection the woman had in her eyes for Vasile. As he turned back in her direction, she saw his dazzling smile only for a minute, and then his face was back to its neutral state that every dominant male seemed to wear.
“Please keep that.” The man in front of her lightly touched the hand that held the cloth. She looked back at him, and it was an effort to turn her gaze away from Vasile. “I wouldn’t want you to endure any more discomfort from the crowded street.”
Alina smiled up at him. “Thank you.” She bowed her head and tilted it ever so slightly as to show that she knew he was dominant to her, but she did not belong to him and therefore would not fully bear her throat to him. He watched her for a second longer and then turned and walked towards Vasile, and, now that she wasn’t completely focused on the young heir, she saw that he and the other men were dressed in a similar fashion. Those must have been the Alpha’s top wolves. She would not call them guards because it would be perceived as a sign of weakness if Vasile walked through the market under the protection of others. He walked out in front, with one nearly walking even with him and the rest behind him, making them appear more like companions. The protective way in which he maneuvered his body in front of the men showed that he was the one doing the guarding. He was not weak and he need not hide behind any other.
Alina opened her eyes. She realized she was on the bed in the small home of her parents and no longer in the busy streets of the market staring after a future she could never have. She sat up and stretched her tired limbs, her vivid dreams having kept her from getting a good night sleep.
“I thought you might sleep the day away,” her mother’s voice came from the kitchen.
Alina walked into the small area and watched as Georgeta expertly twisted dough that would become the bread for their evening meal. Her hands were strong from long hours working. The skin, tough and callused, still looked young and beautiful but obviously the hands were of one who worked the land. Alina looked down at her own hands and realized that, though they were still soft, they were showing the beginning signs of the effects of hard labor, even on a werewolf.
“What is going through that busy head of yours?” her mother asked.
Alina lowered her hands and slipped them behind her back feeling as though she had been caught swiping a bite of pie before dinner.
“Father said the new Alpha is visiting the villages,” she answered nonchalantly. Her mother knew her better than that, not to mention had seen Alina’s reaction to the few times she had seen Vasile.
“You have changed much since the last time you saw him.”
“That is what your mate said,” Alina’s eyes sparkled with humor. “He seems to think that there is a possibility that Vasile could be my mate.”
“And what is so impossible about that? Although you are still young for the mating signs to appear, your sixteenth birthday is not too far off, so it is not an impossibility that he could be your mate or that the signs would begin to appear.”
“I am more likely to be the mate of that old mare in the field than the mate of a royal, let alone the Alpha of our pack. And for the signs to appear even before I am sixteen seems quite doubtful.” Alina stepped up to the front door. It was open, as usual during the summer months. Her mother loved the fresh air and the sounds of nature. Alina knew it called to her wolf, just as it did her own.
“It is not like you to be so unsure of yourself, of your worth, Alina,” Georgeta’s voice chided her softly. “Vasile would be a blessed wolf if he were to have the honor of you being his true mate.”
“You have to say that; you are my mother,” Alina sighed.
“Maybe.” She felt her mother's arm come around her shoulders and pull her close, the familiar scent of spices enveloping her. “Or maybe I am just the smartest female in all the land. Either way, I am right.”
Alina laughed. “And humble too.”
Weeks passed as Alina went about her usual routine. She laid out each evening in her field staring at the sky, dreaming of her future, wishing for the impossible. With every passing day she grew more and more anxious of the A
lpha’s arrival. Some nervous part of her did not want him to come and wished that he would just bypass them all together. But then another part of her, namely her wolf, waited with baited breath for him to arrive. She had thought one night that maybe he had not shown up thus far because he had found his true mate in one of the other villages. This had put her wolf in a rage that ended with her phasing, running, and hunting until the possessive jealousy had finally cooled. When Alina returned to her human form, she was shaken by the intense feelings her wolf had for Vasile, a man whom she had never even spoken with. Could it mean that he was indeed her mate, or did she just have an unhealthy fascination with what she could not have? Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do but wait.
A thought hit her suddenly just as she decided to let the worry go. “What if I really am his mate?” she spoke into the dark night. “What then?” The Great Luna’s words replayed in her mind. “Be ready, child, the one I have for you comes with much darkness, much baggage, and he will need your goodness. For without you, his darkness will rule and he will destroy the Canis lupis race.”
Alina sat up abruptly.Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest as moisture collected on her neck and in the palm of her hands. Vasile was bound to have baggage; he lost his brother and now his parents. She knew that the males of her race struggled with the darkness that their beast brought with them until their true mate filled them with their light. How much darkness would the deaths of three family members deposit in a man’s already dimming soul with no one to help him bear it? And an even better question, 'Was she ready to be a mate to one such as that?'
Romanian Proverb # 4