Luna of Mine (14 page)

Alina felt slightly
better, but regardless of how the separation was hurting her, her
pride was keeping her from admitting it to him.

Her mother must have seen
something in her face because she added, “When something that
starts out as a necessary action goes on for too long, it becomes a
prison not only for the one the action is directed towards but also
for the one who instigated it in the first place.”

“
So you
are saying I should talk to him,” Alina said with an exaggerated
sigh.

“
Stop
acting like I am telling you to cut off your fingers and cook them
in a pie,” Georgeta snorted. “He is just a man, honey. They make
mistakes just like you and me.”

“
Are you
admitting that you have made mistakes, Mother?” Alina
teased.

“
I have
no idea what you are talking about, daughter. Now go find that
arrogant mate of yours and bring him to heel.”

Alina laughed. “Can I tell
him you said that?”

“I think
you will find him in your usual spot,” her mother answered before
leaving her standing at the clothes line.

Alina watched her mother
scurry off, looking all too pleased with herself. It was when she
considered her mother’s words,
find him in
your usual spot,
that she realized that
Georgeta had just played her like the Pied Piper. She shook her
head as she hung the shirt back up that she had just taken down.
The smile that threatened to break across her lips finally broke
lose when she imagined Vasile going to her mother for help. That
must have been something to see.

Alina took her time as she
walked towards her favorite spot by the river. Her thoughts were
going a hundred miles a minute as she went over and over what she
wanted to say and how to say it. But the minute she saw him
standing there, his broad shoulders pulled back and his narrow
waist tapering down to strong powerful legs, all coherent thoughts
were gone. The wind blew through his hair as he stared at the
running water. His arms were folded across his broad chest, and his
handsome face was narrowed in a frown. It irked her that even
frowning he was still the most handsome creature she had ever seen.
She hoped that she would go unnoticed so she could just watch him,
but werewolves were not easy to sneak up on. The incredible hearing
kept a lot of mischief at bay in their world.

“
I did
not know if you would come.” His deep voice carried over the sound
of the rippling water and rustling wind. He did not turn to face
her, just continued to stare at the river.

“I am not sure why I did,”
she admitted. “I am still mad and hurt.”

He turned then to look
down at her. His features had softened and the frown was gone now,
replaced by a tenderness that made her breath catch.

“
I would
sooner cut off my own arm and feed it to the dogs than hurt you.
That was never my intention, Mina.” His voice rang with
sincerity.

She nodded. “I do not
think your were trying to hurt me, and I know my father would never
intentionally hurt me either. Regardless of either of your intents,
your words and actions are what matter not your
intentions.”

“I agree
with you and that is why I am asking for your forgiveness.”

Vasile’s words were then
followed by an action that shocked Alina. He knelt down on one knee
before her. Her mouth dropped open, not for the same reason a human
woman would think. She knew he was not proposing marriage. That was
not their custom. Her mouth dropped open because an Alpha, a
dominant, was kneeling before her. He was submitting himself
to
her
, something
that Alpha’s never did to anyone.

She was speechless. All
she could do was stare at the man before her on his knee looking at
her with such devotion that she thought her heart would
burst.

“
Can you
forgive me, Alina?” he asked again.

“I already have,” she
admitted.

His head tilted slightly
and she saw the flash of his wolf behind his eyes. “Then why is our
bond still closed?”

She started to step back
but he placed his hands on either side of her hips and held her in
place. The warmth from his palms penetrated her through the
material of her clothes, and she wanted to sink into him and allow
it to warm all the cold places inside of her.

“Mina,” he murmured drawing
her attention away from his touch.

“
I
wanted to open it back. Last night all I could think about was how
you will be leaving soon, and I knew that there was no way I could
let you leave before I opened it. But…,” she
paused.

“
But
what?” he breathed out.

“
Now I
wonder if it would be less painful if we did not have any contact
at all while we are apart and you are off being Alpha, and I am
stuck here being me. Maybe….”

“
NO.”
His voice was firm as he interrupted her and stood quickly to his
feet. “It would not be less painful, Alina. Has it been pain free
for you the past few days? Even with us only feet apart, has it
been painless?”

“It has not,” she
admitted.

“It has been hell,” he
growled as he turned away from her. He began pacing and she
imagined had he been in his wolf form the fur on the back of his
neck would have been standing on end. “Even now, standing this
close to you, with the bond closed I feel as though we are miles
apart.”

“
I do
not understand how having the bond open when we cannot even touch
will matter. How is that going to take away the torture of being
apart from each other?” she snapped back. “Maybe I do not want to
talk to you if I cannot see you. Maybe not being able to touch you
will be easier if I cannot hear you either.”

“
Open
the bond, Alina,” Vasile rumbled at her. His words were slow and
sounded calm, but she knew better.

She simply stared at him.
As his eyes began to glow, she realized maybe staring down an
already upset Alpha was not the wisest thing she had ever
done.

His jaw clenched but he
did not raise his voice. “Please, open it.”

It was the
please
and the way he
said it that finally had her caving. She mentally watched the walls
crash down as she opened the mate bond between them. She heard him
gasp and felt her own gasp as their emotions crashed into one
another. Volatile would be putting it mildly. She felt everything
he had been feeling: anger, hurt, fear, worry, and pain. All of it
rolled through her, mixing with her own emotions. But even in the
midst of the chaos, it was right.

“
What do
you feel?”
Vasile’s voice brushed through
her mind.

Her first inclination was
to list off all of the emotions, but then she felt something else
entirely. Her eyes widened as she looked at where he stood at least
ten feet from her, and yet she could feel his hand on her face. She
could feel his breath on her neck and the warmth of his body as
though he were standing only inches from her.

“
How?”
she murmured breathlessly as she felt his fingertips skitter across
the back of her neck.

“
You
asked what good it would be to be able to hear me but not feel me.
I am showing you that the bond is more than just being able to
speak to one another through a mental pipeline. It is a connection,
a very important connection. Our wolves crave touch, crave each
other, and when we are a part, it is one way for the wolf to cope
with the distance.”

Alina was trying to listen
to him but his touch and scent were all around her, and she was
consumed by it. Her eyes fluttered closed as she opened all of
herself up. For three days she had not allowed herself to be near
him, had not allowed herself the comfort of his presence, and now
she was drenched in him. Her wolf wanted to wiggle in delight under
the attention of their mate. She wanted to roll and play and never
be parted from him again. Alina wanted the same thing.

“
I am
always with you, Mina, as you are always with
me.”

“
It is
not the same.”
What she was going to say
next was cut off when she felt his arms wrap around her. Her eyes
snapped open and she realized that this time it really was him. He
pulled her tightly against him, his hand stroking down her hair.
His lips were close to her ear, and she could hear him whispering
to her words of love and understanding.

“
I know
it is not the same. I wish that I could give you what you want,
what I want, but we will have to be patient.” He pulled back to
look at her. His thumbs brushed softly across her cheeks, wiping
away tears she had not realized she had shed. “It breaks my heart
to see you sad,” he told her gently.

“
It
breaks my heart to know you are leaving, so we are even.” Alina’s
lips twitched when he chuckled at her petulance. His arms tightened
slightly and her skin heated as she realized that they were alone
and being quite affectionate. It was extremely unfitting and if her
father happened upon them, she knew she would die of
embarrassment.

“Mina
that does not quite apply the same way for us as it does for a
single female and single male,” he told her obviously catching her
thoughts.

“We are single,” she
pointed out.

He shook his head. “No, we
are not,” he said pointedly. “We are mated; we just have not bonded
yet. As long as I do not steal your virtue, I am within my rights
to hold you and to perhaps even steal a kiss. The impropriety
happens when a male and female not meant for one another
fraternize. That my love would be extremely
inappropriate.”

Before she could stop it,
her mind jumped to the night Serghei had kissed her. Vasile dropped
his arms immediately and stepped away from her. The rejection hurt,
but she could not blame him. She would not want to see another
female kissing him either.

“
I am
not rejecting you, Mina.” The low growl deep in his throat and the
glowing eyes showed her how close his wolf was to the surface. “I
was afraid I would hurt you. Apparently my wolf and I are in
agreement that hearing about the kiss and seeing it are two very
different things. It is a good thing I did not see it in your
thoughts while I was near the pup. I would have injured him. That
he would be so disrespectful as to put his mouth on yours.” His
snarl was menacing and Alina found herself taking a step
back.

She watched him for
several minutes as he regained his control and then a thought
occurred to her. “Why have you not kissed me?” She felt a wave of
desire hit her that had her stumbling, and her eyes widened as she
met his still glowing gaze.

“
Because
you are not of age, my love, and a kiss is not all I would want.
Let us leave it there for now.” She could tell he was embarrassed,
which was an odd thing to witness as Vasile was always so sure of
himself. But if he did not want to talk about it, then she would
not push him.

“
I want
to ask you something, but I do not want to incite your wrath,” he
says, effectively changing the subject.

“
Then I
guess you should choose your words wisely.” Alina’s brow rose as
she looked up at him, and she liked seeing the shocked look on his
face at her boldness.

He cleared his throat
before he finally asked. “About your markings?” He paused obviously
waiting to see if she was going to snarl at him as she had the
other night. She simply stared at him the way her father had done
so many times to her when she had to ask him difficult questions.
“I should never have asked to see them in front of your father, or
anyone for that matter. They are a very private matter between a
female and her mate. I disrespected you, and for that I owe amends.
What can I do to show my remorse for disrespecting my mate
thus?”

Alina felt her mouth drop
open and quickly snapped it shut. She had not been expecting his
words. Initially, as soon as he said the word markings, she assumed
he was going to ask her if they had appeared. But once again Vasile
Lupei surprised her. She stared into his blue eyes as she
considered his request and felt her heart speed up as she realized
what she wanted him to do.

“
A
kiss,” she breathed out before she lost her nerve. “I want a kiss
from my mate for disrespecting me.” She could tell that he had not
been expecting her answer. Apparently they were both good at
surprising the other. His eyes never left hers as he took slow
measured steps until he was standing inches from her. Alina tilted
her head back to look up at him and tried to keep her breathing
even. As his arms came around her, one hand gripped the back of her
neck while the other wrapped around her small waist pulling her
close against him. He tilted her head back even further, and as his
head lowered her eyes fluttered closed. Her lips parted slightly as
she waited to taste him. The taste never came. His head continued
to lower until his lips were next to her ear with his warm breath
blowing the tendrils of her hair around and warming her
skin.