Fane, Skender, Dillon, and Boain pulled up next to the large crowd in two black Hummers and two vans.
"Excellent." Jacque smiled as she watched the four males climb out of the vehicles.
Decebel waved over the Alphas from the other three packs.
"Each of you take a vehicle and begin transporting your packs down to the village. See if you can find a place large enough for all of us – or a couple places, if that's the best we can do. Dillon, you take a vehicle as well and get your pack down the mountain." The Hungarian and Bulgarian Alphas nodded and walked off, shouting orders to their packs, as Dillon began hollering orders to his pack.
Decebel turned to Sorin. "Get Vasile and Alina in the vehicle first. Then the females, with one male to each vehicle. Have Dorin drive. The rest of the males will stay here with me and wait for their return."
"I'm on it." Sorin nodded and then turned to Skender. "Help me with Vasile and Alina. I'm not sure that they are quite ready to walk on their own. Don't assist Vasile unless absolutely necessary. He won't want to appear weak."
"I want to stay with Fane," Jacque told Decebel.
"With all due respect, Jacque, you do not outrank me yet," Decebel told her firmly.
Fane pulled Jacque to the side. "You must go, love. Take care of the females while my mother is weak."
Jacque pursed her lips together as her eyes narrowed. "If you let something happen to yourself I'm going to be pissed. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Fane smiled as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I consider myself warned. Know that those feelings go both ways, Luna. Take care of yourself."
Jacque wrapped her arms around Fane's neck, pulling him tight. "I love you," she whispered in his mind.
"That's good to hear, because I plan to keep you around for quite some time," Fane teased, trying to keep the moment light.
Jacque stuck her tongue out at him as they separated. Fane winked at her, praying they would be safe as she headed toward the Hummer and climbed in behind Sally.
Decebel, Fane, and Costin watched as the four vehicles, packed beyond capacity, headed down the mountain.
Decebel felt a chill run through him as the temperature seemed to drop unnaturally. He glanced in the direction of the burning mansion. His brow furrowed as he remembered how he had watched the fire engulf and devour the structure.
Definitely not natural, he thought.
"Sorin." Decebel called to his pack mate. "You're older than I am." Sorin nodded in agreement. "What do you know of dark magic?"
Sorin's face paled as he looked just to the right of his Beta's eyes, so not to challenge him.
"It comes from witches." Sorin voice was strained.
"I thought those were just tales," Decebel commented, remembering the stories other pack mates would share. It was a lot like telling ghost stories, only the ghosts were witches who could curse you to have three eyeballs or no tongue.
"There is always some truth in fables," Sorin told him.
Costin and Fane were now listening intently.
"Why do you want to know about witches and dark magic?" Fane asked Decebel.
"There was something behind that fire. I could feel it, like oil running over my skin. It was greasy and thick."
Fane nodded. "I agree that something was in the air. Something evil."
"There hasn't been a documented witch in centuries." Sorin was shaking his head. "And even when there were witches, it was – is – forbidden for packs to employ them or seek out their help."
"Well, it's pretty obvious that Thad isn't really into obeying pack law. He did attempt to kill our Alpha and my mate, after all," Decebel ground out.
The wolves waiting for the vehicles to return huddled with their pack mates, seeking comfort from one another. Decebel felt the chill again. Something was wrong.
Something was coming.
"I want Vasile's spawn crushed into nothing." Thad paced in the woods a mile behind the burning mansion. "Just a pup and he's found his mate. I've been waiting centuries!"
Thad turned to look at the woman who was holding her hands toward the fire, muttering under her breath. Desdemona – or Mona, for short – was an extremely powerful witch. A witch that his pack had employed for several centuries. She was the epitome of evil. Even her name—Desdemona—meant “of the devil,” testified to the darkness of her soul. Thad watched and waited as she continued to bring the mansion to the ground.
Suddenly she dropped her arms and turned to face him, piercing him with her eyes, one blue, one black – both filled with malice. She had long hair, black as night with one strip of white near her face. Aside from the freaky eyes, she was a beautiful woman – a beautiful woman who would cut your heart out and feed it to the wolves if you crossed her.
"I've told you before, Thad, I cannot kill from a distance without the lifeblood of the one you want dead." She sounded exasperated, as if talking to an annoying child.
"What can you do to him? Surely a witch four centuries old can do something," Thad taunted.
"Watch yourself, wolf," Mona hissed. "I work for you, but I will not be disrespected."
"My apologies." Thad bowed his head and knew his words and posture had placated her.
"So you're pissed because he has a mate at such a young age?" she asked.
"Pissed is putting it mildly. If you can't kill him, take her away from him."
Mona walked a slow circle around Thad, arms folded across her chest as she flipped through the curses in her mind. Thad watched as a grin – so wicked it could cause demons from hell to cower – spread across her evil, albeit beautiful, face.
"I have just the curse to take care of our little wolf pup." Mona rubbed her hands together as her eyes began to glow," Nutrea uitat, cherished forgotten, a curse that will remove his treasured memories and return him to the worst day he's ever lived through."
"What if the worst day he's ever lived through was while he was with the half-breed?" Thad questioned.
"She is his most treasured memory. She will be wiped from his mind because she trumps everything. So with her gone, his mind will return to a time before he met his mate that was horrific for him," Mona explained, but the tone of her voice made it clear that she didn't like having to do so.
"Now, I need you to keep silent." She glared at Thad until he raised his arms in surrender and stepped back, leaning up against a tree.
Mona turned toward the mansion again and began to seek out the life forces of those near. She could feel a strong pull just beyond the mansion. The packs, she decided. They had run the opposite direction and were waiting. She smiled to herself. Witches had been wiped from the minds of the Canis lupis long ago. The wolves feared the magic and tried to ignore it, thinking it would just go away.
We are not so easily forgotten, she thought. I will remind you wolves who wields the power and to whom you should bow.
As she focused on the power of the wolves she began to chant.
"Earth, water, wind and fire,
Heed my words, fulfill my desire.
Find the one whose name is Fane,
Seek him out, make your claim.
Bind his memories, treasured few,
Take him back to feel the pain anew.
In his mind, mysteries uncovered,
Rip out the mate he has discovered.
Earth, water, wind and fire,
Hear me now, do as I desire."
Mona continued to focus, waiting for her spell to hit its target.
"Did it work?" Thad asked impatiently.
"Shh!" Mona growled. "I will feel it when it hits him."
Seconds ticked by. The wind began to pick up and Mona's hair started to whip around her face. Her eyes glowed and darkness seemed to wrap her in a cloak, caressing her, embracing her as a lover. She closed her eyes once more as a crash of thunder echoed across the sky. Then she let out a skin-crawling growl.
"It didn't work? What happened? Speak, witch!" Thad snarled.
"Hi
s Beta protected him." Mona spoke through gritted teeth. "Somehow he heard the spell in the wind. He shouldn't have been able to."
"What are you going to do now? Can you send another spell to Fane?"
"Damn wolves." Mona turned on Thad. "There are laws that bind our magic. We can't just do whatever we want, wolf. The curse hit the Beta instead. You said he was mated?"
"Yes, but I tried to have his mate killed. I don't know if she is indeed dead but I don't think so. From the way he spoke in those last few moments in the mansion, she was still alive but injured."
"So you want the Beta's mate dead as well? Damn wolf. Do you want all of their mates killed?"
Thad growled at her.
Mona shook her head. "Just hold on."
She began to think aloud, working through the possibilities. "Now the Beta no longer remembers his mate. Right about now, he should be awakening. He will remember the worst day of his life and will think that today is that day. I can't curse Fane now. Even I don’t have the power to maintain two curses such as this. Damn the laws fate has bound me with. I could curse the Beta again to make sure his mate is never found..." She tapped her lip with her long fingernail. "Hmm. That has possibilities. If the Beta couldn't find his mate, then the Alpha would assign his most trusted to the hunt. That would leave them exposed, vulnerable." Mona smiled and turned back to Thad. "The Beta will be the only wolf able to find his mate," she announced.
"How is that going to help?" Thad's brow furrowed.
"He won't remember who she is, dummy," she told him, waiting for him to get the obviousness of the situation.
"So?" Thad shrugged.
Mona groaned. "Are you kidding me? The universe wasted a perfectly good amount of energy on your life," she mumbled. "As her mate, he would be able to use their bond to find her. If he doesn't remember her, he doesn't even remember her scent. Even if he can still hear her through the bond, he won't trust the voice. He doesn't know he's met his mate."
Thad made an “oh” motion with his mouth.
"We don't have to worry about the bond. Though I'm convinced they are mates, there were no mating signs," he told her.
"Excellent. So the only wolf who can find her can't remember her." Mona wiped her hands together as if to clean dirt off them. "That takes care of one mate."
"What of the others?" Thad asked.
"Vasile will have his most trusted wolves looking for the Beta's mate. That means they will be out from under the protection of the pack. Susceptible. It will give me time to work on some special spells for our little prince." She grinned wickedly.
Thad shivered. "You give me the creeps sometimes."
"That's too bad. I was going for warm fuzzies with all the cursing and killing." Mona waved him off. "Give me the name of the Beta and his mate and then be quiet."
"Decebel and Jen," Thad told her as he resumed his position against a tree.
Once again, Mona reached out for the life force. Specifically, she sought out the one full of confusion. As soon as she felt him, his strife, confusion, pain, and anger rolled over her.
"There you are, little wolf," she muttered. Focused on the Beta, she began.
"Earth, water, wind and fire,
Heed me now, fulfill my desire.
Follow the curse given this day,
Continue to bind with what I say.
Decebel, Beta, Mate to Jen,
Though he is, strong as ten,
Unravel what their fate has wove,
Should he seek her, let him rove.
No bond will master what I've wrought,
No mate he'll find if she's sought.
Earth, water, wind and fire,
Go now, fulfill my desire.”
Evil smiles stretched across Mona's and Thad's lips when moments later they heard a howl so full of pain it made the hairs on their arms stand up.
Chapter 3
Decebel closed his eyes and tried to tune out the pack mates around him. There was something on the wind – like a whisper. Using his wolf's hearing, he listened intently.
There.
There it was – a chant of some sort. The only words he could decipher were something like, “binding memories,” and then he heard Fane's name. At that moment, Decebel felt his wolf push forward, a primal need to protect their Prince propelling him ahead. Thunder rolled across the sky. Before his human mind could even think, Decebel leaped in front of Fane. A supernatural bolt of light hit Decebel in the chest.
Darkness consumed him. The lights went out.
Fane watched as his Beta, who had just jumped in front of him, fell to the ground. Sorin, Fane, and Skender all took up defensive positions, looking into the dark night, searching for the enemy.
"Sorin, what happened to him?" Fane called out.
"Dark magic," Sorin growled. "He's been hit with a curse."
"What kind of curse?"
"We won't know until he wakes." Sorin looked back to Costin, who growled as he watched his Beta unconscious on the ground. "Costin, take Skender's position. Skender, Boain, and Fane – surround Decebel. He might wake up feral and need to be subdued. Fane, as Vasile's heir you can draw on his power, just as Decebel can. Do it if he's uncontrollable. We cannot have a feral wolf of his strength running around."
The men moved to follow Sorin's orders, glad to have a job to do as their wolves were pushing to take action.
Just as Decebel began to move another flash of light hit his chest, pushing him back into the ground. The entire pack, as well as members of the three packs left waiting, began to snarl and growl.
"Hold your phase!" Sorin growled as he began to see his pack mates' claws and canines descend.
The night became quiet but for the steady growls. Each wolf was standing alert, ready for anything that might come at them.
Several minutes passed and Decebel began to stir again. Fane and Skender helped him sit up. Suddenly his head snapped around and the wolves saw his glowing eyes and long canines. He lifted his eyes to the sky and let out a tormented howl. The powerful, audible grief that filled the night pulled every wolf to their knees. Howls ripped from their chests and they mourned with the Beta, even though they didn't know why.
The howl died and Decebel rose into a crouch. "Cosmina!" He snarled. He looked at Skender, then to Sorin. "Unde este sora mea? Am privit-o cum moare. Am ținut-o în brațe acum câteva moment. (Where is my sister? I watched her die. I held her in my arms moments ago.)"
Sorin looked at Decebel, his brow furrowed as he tried to understand what the Beta was saying.
"Why is he asking about his sister?" Fane asked.
Decebel growled at him. Sorin stepped in front of Fane, instinctive for him to protect the wolf who had been his charge for so long.
"Ce știi despre sora mea, lupușor? (What do you know of my sister, pup?)” he growled at Fane. His eyes continued to glow.
Fane's wolf – being a dominant as well – pushed forward to meet the challenge. His eyes began to glow also. A low growl rumbled in his chest.
"Fane, he is still your Beta," Sorin reminded him.
Fane closed his eyes and drew his wolf back. Taking slow, deep breaths, he calmed the beast that demanded he prove his strength.
Sorin, avoiding direct eye contact, continued to look Decebel's way. "Decebel, do you understand what I'm saying to you?" he asked in English.
It was obvious that something had happened to Decebel's memory.
Decebel narrowed his eyes at Sorin. "Yes, I understand you," he forced out.
Finally, he stood, body tense, legs spread wide, ready for action. "I ask you again, Sorin, where is my sister? Who the hell are all these other wolves?"
Sorin relaxed his stance, trying to let Decebel see that he was not challenging him.
"It's been a century since your sister died."
Decebel snarled and, moving quicker than the eye could follow, grabbed Sorin by the throat. "You lie! I know what just happened. I feel the pain of it coursing through my veins even now
. WHERE IS SHE!"
Sorin held up his hand to call down the wolves that were easing forward to defend him.
"Decebel, you know me. We are pack mates. Would I lie to you?"
Decebel listened to Sorin as he held the wolf's gaze, searching for any deceit. Finally he dropped him and stepped back.
Sorin caught himself before he crumpled to the ground. Straightening his clothes, he spoke earnestly, but calmly.
"Decebel, I think you've been cursed. The year is 2010. We've been attacked by the Serbian Alpha and we think he is using a witch. Two powerful lights hit you in the chest and knocked you out. We don't know what the curses are, but we have a gypsy healer who might be able to figure it out."
Decebel swung around, slamming Sorin with his amber eyes. "Gypsy healer? Since when do we have a gypsy healer?"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you. It's not 1910, it's 2010. One hundred years have passed since Cosmina's death."
"How can that be?" Decebel asked, not speaking to any one person. "And yet, even as I stand here, memories fill my mind that could only be after her time. I know the things that existed in 1910." He began to pace as he tried to work out the confusion that muddled his thoughts. "But I also know of all the things that have been created since. Why do I feel like today is the day she died? Every single raw emotion; every jolt of pain; every lethal streak of anger. I feel those as if it had just happened."
No one responded to Decebel's monologue, watching him with wary eyes.
"Our ride's here," Costin spoke up, and everyone turned to watch the two Hummers and two vans pull up.
Sorin looked back at Decebel to see his reaction. After hearing him say he had memories of things that had happened after Cosmina's death, Sorin was unsure what things would be new to him. But Decebel didn't act surprised or confused by the modern vehicles.
Sorin stepped closer to his Beta as the other wolves began to pile into the cars.
"I know you are confused and hurting, but you've trusted me since we were pups. Please trust me now. I can take you to Vasile and Alina."