Luna of Mine (21 page)

When she opened her eyes,
she attempted to call on her wolf in hopes that the animal would
finally answer her, but just as with her previous attempts, her
wolf ignored her, as if it was sleeping and refused to wake up. Her
wolf was angry that they had not pursued their mate. It felt like
Alina was giving up. But in reality, Alina was just at the place
where she desperately wanted Vasile to come back to her. She wanted
him to choose her without her having to beg it out of him. It was
the first time she could ever remember her wolf denying her help.
She started to let out an exasperated sigh but was cut off by the
large hand that covered her mouth.

S
ergehi felt the warmth of her breath on his hand as he
covered her mouth. He pulled her away from the tree further into
the forest. As he pulled her back against his chest holding her
tightly to him, he took a deep breath and nearly lost himself in
her familiar scent. She was beginning to struggle but stopped as
soon as she heard his voice and, no doubt, caught his own
scent.

“
Alina,”
he murmured into her neck as he continued to breathe her in. She
mumbled something against his hand, and he smiled as he imagined
her sharp tongue tearing into him because he had scared her.

“
You
cannot scream or run, alright?” he asked quietly. She nodded and he
slowly uncovered her mouth and loosened his arms around her. She
turned quickly and he saw the anger that danced like fire in her
eyes as she glared at him. It lasted only a second and then it was
gone.

“
What
are you doing out here?” she asked him, not even mentioning that he
had just nearly accosted her.

“What do you
mean?”

“
My
father said you were going with a group of the pack to accuse the
dead of lying.” Her voice was cool, devoid of any of the warmth he
was used to.

“
That is
why I came to talk to you,” he said as he tried to hold back the
excitement. He knew that Alina could not be meant for Vasile; he
knew that she was his and always had been. When Emilian had come
asking for volunteers to help find some bodies, and then informed
them that those bodies would give proof that Vasile was not fit to
be the Alpha of the Eastern pack, Sergehi had barely been able to
contain his shout of
count me
in.
Gradually, over the days of searching
the mountains, it became apparent which members of the pack truly
wanted Vasile out. Only then did Emilian began to reveal more
details of who they were looking for and why. Serghei could admit
that he felt a little sick when the Beta told him they were going
to be digging up his former Alphas’ bodies, but when he told him
what they would find, any misgivings fled. When the pack found out
their former Alphas were not true mates and had lied about it for
centuries, there would be no way any would believe Alina and Vasile
were mates, not without seeing the mating markings themselves.
Since Serghei hadn’t heard any rumors about the markings changing
on Vasile, then he knew the marks could not have appeared on Alina
yet either.

“Could you not just knock
on the door like a normal person?”

“I wanted to speak with you
without your father breathing down my neck,” he explained. She
seemed to take this explanation as satisfactory because she
motioned for him to continue.

“
Tonight
Emilian is going to reveal the truth of our former Alphas. Then it
will become clear for all to see that Vasile is not fit to lead our
pack.” He bounced on the balls of his feet as his adrenaline rushed
through his body. More than likely blood would flow tonight, and
his wolf was itching for a fight after having Vasile humiliate
him.

“
And
what truth is this Beta going to reveal?” she asked with a single
brow raised.

“
Stefan
and Daciana were never true mates. They lied. For all those years,
they lied to us.”

He could see her
struggling with the news as they all did when they first heard. It
was unfathomable that an Alpha pair would betray their pack in such
a way.

“
How can
Emilian possibly prove that? They are dead; they cannot argue
against his accusations,” she argued.

“
They
might not be able to argue with their mouths, but their bodies do
not lie.” He might have said this a little too smugly, because as
her eyes widened with shock, he instantly dreaded answering the
question she was bound to ask next.

“
What
about their bodies, Serghei? How could he know anything about their
bodies when they have been laid to rest?” she asked through
narrowed eyes, the cool indifference slipping away just a
little.

“
We dug
them up,” he answered, bristling at her sharp tone.

“You did what!” Her voice
pierced the quiet evening, bouncing off the trees and through the
air.

He slapped a hand over her
mouth to keep her from yelling out again and turned her quickly so
that her back was pressed to his chest again and she was
sufficiently subdued. He was so close to having what he wanted; he
could not let her ruin it. “We had to dig up their bodies to prove
that they were not mates. It is true, Alina. Daciana had no mating
marks, none, anywhere on her body. She did not belong to Stefan,
just as you do not belong to Vasile.”

S
erghei’s words were like a bucket of cold water being
splashed on her too hot skin. It awakened something inside of her
that had been slumbering for months now. The shock of what they had
done, how far they were willing to go to see Vasile brought to
heel, had awoken her sleeping wolf. She had to swallow back the
bile that threatened to rush up her throat as she replayed his
words over and over,
We dug them up; no
mating marks, none, anywhere on her body. You do not belong to
Vasile.
Had he lost his ever loving mind?
What was wrong with these people that they would dig up and then
defile the body of one who had done nothing but care for them,
sacrifice for them, and lead them?
Oh
Great Luna,
she thought,
he had gazed upon the body of his female Alpha,
as if he had the right to do such a thing, whether that body had
life running through it or not.

His breath on her neck
distracted her from the thoughts racing through her mind. His hand
was stifling over her mouth, and though she knew she could breathe
just fine through her nose, having her mouth covered so tightly
made her feel as though she could not get enough air. What was he
planning to do with her? How did she even fit into his and the
other wolves’ twisted scheme?

“
Do you
promise not to scream?” he asked her deliberately as if speaking to
a child. She fought the urge to bite into his hand and simply
nodded instead.

He removed his hand slowly
obviously worried that she would not keep her word, but when she
kept quiet, he stepped back allowing her a little room. She turned
to face him and tried to hide the panic from her face that was
bubbling in her blood. She needed to stay calm. If she got upset it
would only provoke his wolf, and that was the last thing she needed
in that moment.

“
What do
you mean I do not belong to Vasile?” she asked him the one question
that truly bothered her. Had Vasile been denying she was his mate
and if so to what end?

Serghei’s forehead wrinkled
as he narrowed his eyes at her. “I mean you are not his mate as he
claimed you to be. Are you really going to play dumb with me,
Alina? You do not bear his markings. He is doing exactly what his
father did, claiming someone who does not belong to him. And he had
the nerve to threaten
me
for saying that I thought we were true mates.
There is every much a possibility that you are mine as you being
his.”

“
I am
not playing dumb, Serghei, and I am not a piece of property. I do
not belong to anyone,” she snapped despite her earlier decision to
stay calm. “Perhaps, I do not have the markings yet because….” She
suddenly stopped talking as a thought occurred to her. Maybe Vasile
did not want anyone to know he had found his mate. What if he
thought she was in danger because she did not bear his markings
yet. Now that his parents’ lies had come to light, the pack members
would surely doubt the truth of his claim on her. Serghei waited
for her to finish her thought. She shook her head as if to clear it
and then finished with, “I am still not of age. Obviously, my
future has not been made clear yet, and I should not have to
explain myself to anyone.”

He shook his head after a
few moments and let out a quick breath. “Regardless, I need you to
come with me. I need you to see for yourself so that you will
understand just how far the Lupeis will go to protect themselves
instead of their pack.” He reached for her hand but she jerked it
back sidestepping him when he would have attempted to get closer to
her.

“
I am
not going anywhere with you, Serghei. My father and mother will be
the ones to decide when and if I need to know what is going on, if
there is anything in deed going on with the Alpha and his parents.”
She tried to sound confident and final. As she turned to head back
towards her home, she thought she just might have accomplished it
until, once again, a hand was covering her mouth and her body was
being drug against her will further into the
woods.

“
I am
sorry that you feel that way. I would have rather you had come with
me willingly, but if the only way I can get you to see that you
belong to me is by force then I will do it.” Before he could
completely lock her body against his, her wolf took over. She
phased in mid leap and ran for her parent’s home. She did not hear
his pursuit and assumed he would rather run like the coward he was
than face her father’s wrath at his impudence.

S
erghei backed away further into the darkness as he watched
Alina flee. She would no doubt inform her parents of everything he
had said, and now there would be no way they would let him near
her. That was alright for now, as long as Vasile could not get
anywhere near her either, and the pack would make sure of that.
There was no way they would allow him to claim her until she bore
his markings, and she would have to prove they were there by
showing someone. He turned away from the direction of her home,
stripped off his clothes, phased, and headed off at a run back
towards the pack castle. He wanted to confront Vasile. He wanted to
stir more doubt in the minds of his pack mates to ensure that
Vasile would no longer be trusted. An Alpha who did not have the
trust of his pack would not be able to control them, not unless he
was an incredibly dominant and strong leader. Serghei did not see
how anyone would be able to stay in control once they saw the
unearthed bodies of their parents. He picked up his pace as he
thought about the look on Vasile’s face when Emilian essentially
dethroned him. Serghei would need to hide Alina before that
happened. He could not run the risk of Vasile seeing her again.
Even though Serghei did not believe that Vasile was Alina’s true
mate, he was not stupid enough to tempt fate. If she was indeed his
true mate and they were allowed to complete the bond, it would only
strengthen him. If Serghei could ensure Vasile’s death before they
bonded, then Alina would be free to be his. The young wolf grinned
as he thought to himself not only did Vasile need to be dethroned
but he needed to be taken out of this life all together.

Romanian Proverb #12

Adevãrul înainte de
toate!

Speak the truth and shame
the devil.

E
milian stood in the courtyard of the Eastern Romania pack
castle surrounded by those who wanted an explanation. Some were
yelling at him and some were yelling for their Alpha to show
himself and speak up.

He turned to face the
crowd and held his arms in the air gesturing to them to quiet down.
“Your pack mates have called you here so that you may have the wool
that has been cast over your eyes removed.” His voice boomed across
the large area grabbing the attention of everyone present. “Your
former Alphas were not honest with you. They lived a lie and
because of that lie you all suffered the consequences. Though the
changes to your villages were gradual, there effects were no less
devastating than a tornado. Stefan left you to fend for yourselves
while he dealt with the madness of living without his true mate.”
Murmurs began to ripple across the group at his words, but still he
pressed on. “I have heard from the mouth of my Alpha, who was told
from the mouth of Vasile Lupei himself, that Stefan and Daciana
Lupei were not true mates!