Luna of Mine (24 page)

“What about Vasile’s
parents?” Alina asked. “Does it really matter if they indeed did
lie to the pack about being true mates?”

Her mother let out a long
breath and leaned back in the chair she occupied. “It should not.
Unfortunately, the sins of the parents often haunt the child or
children left behind. There will be some who will want to see
Vasile endure the punishment for their deceit because Stefan and
Daciana cannot.”

“That is preposterous,”
Alina huffed.

“While we agree with you,
more than likely the majority will not feel as we do,” Petre
explained.

“
What
will happen to Vasile?” Alina did not try to hide the worry and
fear that boiled up inside of her. He was hers, and she was stuck
there unable to help―unable to ensure that he was
well.

“
He
could be challenged by other males for position of Alpha, or he
could be usurped by the Beta who brought all of this out to light.
If the majority agrees with the Beta, Vasile would have to step
down.”

“
He
would never do that,” Alina shook her head adamantly.

“
No, I
have a feeling the only way Vasile would willingly step down is if
there are lives in danger. He will not sacrifice others for his
place.”

When night fell and
Alina’s parents had retired to their room, she still sat where they
had spent most of the day pondering what was happening in their
pack. A single candle burned casting soft shadows that hopped
around the room onto the walls. She watched the dancing images
without really seeing them. Her mind was focused solely on her
mate. Her mind was as open as she could possibly make it, hoping
that he would reach out to her. And as if he had heard her,
suddenly, he was there.

“
Mina.”
His voice was rough with
emotion and she could tell how hard he was fighting to keep them
under control.

“
Are you
alright?”
she asked him, but what she
wanted to say was how much she missed him, how sorry she was, and
that she had not understood what she had been
asking.

“I am so much better now
that I hear your voice and feel you in my mind.”

She waited because she
knew he wanted to say more, and she did not want to interrupt
him.

“
I do
not know if you can ever forgive me for how I have behaved. I let
my pride blind me and instead of thinking about how you felt and
what you needed, I only thought of myself. I am so very sorry,
beloved.”

Alina’s heart was beating
so hard she could hear it. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she
let the love he was pushing through their bond wrap around her and
reassure her that he wanted her, that he missed her, and when she
looked deeper into his mind, she could see how broken he truly was
over his actions. Maybe she should have be angry after the months
of silence, but she did not want to waste another second being
upset over something that could not be changed. It would not be the
last mistake she or he made in their relationship; she did not see
the point of dwelling on it.

“
I
forgive you, Vasile. I will always forgive you because my love for
you is unconditional.”
Relief flooded
through the bond. He had been afraid that he had gone too far, that
he had lost her.
“You cannot lose me. I
belong with you and because of that I cannot belong anywhere
else.”

“
I do
not deserve you, Mina, but I praise the Great Luna that she gave me
you.”
She felt his fingertips on her face,
and her eyes fluttered closed under the assault on her senses. If
only he was there, really touching her she would finally feel
whole.

“
It is
going to be awhile before that can happen,”
he told her, obviously picking up on her
thoughts.

Her eyes snapped open; his
touch was forgotten as she remembered the fear and worry from the
day.
“Why? What is going on? Are you
alright?

“
I am
fine, love. It is you that I am worried about.”

For the next half hour he
told her all that had happened. How Emilian had brought his parents
bodies to the courtyard, bared his mother’s marks for all to see,
and used what Stefan and Daciana had done as a means to get the
pack to question Vasile’s honesty and ability to lead.

“
I would
not step down; I would not leave if there were not lives at
stake.”
He sounded as though he was trying
convince himself as well as her.

“Where are you going to
go?”

“
For the
moment I am going to give Emilian’s hunters a chase they will not
soon forget. He has declared that I cannot live; I am too much of a
threat to him. And since dying is not on my agenda at this time, I
have to make sure that he does not succeed. Then I will have to
work in secret to find those in the pack who still support me as
Alpha. With numbers behind me, my chances of victory
increase.”

“
You
could not defeat him in a challenge?”
Alina asked.

“
I could
defeat him; of that I have no doubt. But I am not foolish enough to
believe that he would fight fair. The vulnerable in the pack still
need protection. Just like he did at the castle, he will attempt to
control me through others.”

She understood his
reasons, but that did not make it any easier to accept that he
would not only have to leave but that he would running for his life
as well.

“
Not
running, Mina, simply avoiding,”
he
teased. How she had missed his teasing. But in the next instant,
his lightheartedness was gone, and she felt something much heavier
coming through the bond.

“
We must
be very careful now. Until you bear my marks, those who support
Emilian will not believe you are my true mate. And if I claim you
now, you will be in great peril. I cannot let them believe that you
are any more to me than another female in the pack.
Because of that I have to stay away from you.
Please do not be upset. My wolf is howling with rage at the idea of
leaving you behind, but I honestly think it is the best way to
protect you right now.”

“
You
will keep the bond open?”
She hoped that
he didn’t hear the fear in her voice as she thought about losing
contact with him again.

“
Never
again will I close the bond, Luna.
All that I am is
yours. I am going to need your strength, and I am going to need to
know that you are safe.
I do not know how
long this will take, but please know I am coming back. I will
always come for you.”

“
I
believe you. Please be careful. I know you are Alpha, and your
drive to protect those under your care is paramount, but please
consider how I will feel if you make reckless choices and are taken
from me forever. I love you. I am not ready to lose you
again.”

She felt his lips on her
forehead, and then she felt his words sear themselves into her
heart.
“There is no other before you, Luna
of Mine. You will always come first. When I consider my words, my
deeds, my emotions, or my health, you are always at the forefront
of my mind. I want a life with you, Alina. I want to complete the
Blood Rites. I want to share with you all the joys and pleasures
that come with being bonded true mates. I want to see you glowing
with the radiance of being with child, my child, and then I want to
watch our child grow up with you by my side. You have nothing to
fear because I will not let anyone or anything stand between me and
the life I want with you. I adore you, Mina. I treasure the gift
that you are, and I love you with every fiber of my
being.”

“
Thank
you,”
was all she could manage to reply
because of the emotions overwhelming her.

“
Get
some rest, love. I will be right here on the other side of our
bond, and I will never fail to answer your call.”

Alina lay down, feeling a
measure of peace that she had not felt in months. There was still
fear, but it was for a different reason. She feared for her pack
and what the future would hold with someone other than Vasile as
Alpha. She feared for Vasile, that Emilian would succeed in taking
her mate’s life. She knew that she was going to have to take all of
her fear and stuff it away deep inside of her. If she was indeed
going to be the female Alpha of their pack one day, then she would
have to learn to endure difficult things with grace and dignity and
confidence. She might be only sixteen, but she was not helpless.
She could fight; she was fast especially in her wolf form, and when
it came to protecting those she loved, she was quickly finding that
she could be as ruthless as she needed to be.

V
asile kept his mind open and their bond firmly in place as he
felt his mate drift off to sleep. His wolf was practically clawing
to get out, to run to her, and to wrap himself around her and never
let her go. He had not realized just how much the wolf, as well as
the man, had missed her. But the man knew that going to her would
only endanger her. For now he would have to stay away.

He, Ion, Nicu, and Alin
were in their wolf forms running, putting as much distance between
themselves and the Romanian pack territory as they could. After the
confrontation in the courtyard, they had all gathered the bare
minimum of their belongings. They carried one pack a piece clutched
in their powerful jaws with a single set of clothing to adorn
themselves once they returned to their human forms.

Before they had left,
Vasile had pulled Louise aside and asked him to ensure that his
parents bodies were returned to their resting place. He would have
rather stayed and handled this task himself, but with the lives of
the females in the hands of Emilian, he would have to let go of the
emotional attachment he had to what was left of his parents. Their
bodies had merely been a vessel for their souls. Without that, they
were just empty husks. Thinking of them in that way was the only
way he had been able to walk away from them.

Vasile had decided that
the best way to thwart Emilian’s wolves would be to go somewhere
that they would not be allowed entrance even if they could find it.
It would take several days to get to the furthest veil to Farie
that he knew of and that was if they did not stop to sleep, which
they did not. They hunted when they were hungry, stopped to drink
from any water they came upon, and then kept on running. He knew
that he was probably pushing the others too hard with the speed at
which he demanded they go, but his wolf was relentless with the
need to get the three males who had committed themselves to him to
safety.

Night had fallen on the
third day of their journey when they finally made it to the veil,
nestled into the mountain directly behind a waterfall that poured
off of the side of the cliff. The veil could only be located by
those who knew it was there. Untrained eyes would look right over,
even gazing directly at it. Vasile phased and dressed quickly. He
waited as the others followed suit and once they were dressed he
walked towards the waterfall. Vasile stood on the bank of the small
river into which the waterfall crashed. He narrowed his eyes and
looked closely until he saw the slight shift in the air that told
him the veil was indeed present.

“
Perizada, high fae, council member, ambassador, and protector
of the gypsy healers, I seek an audience with you,” Vasile called
out his deep voice bouncing off of the large tree trunks
surrounding them. He was surprised when they did not have to wait
long for a response.

The fae he had called
stepped through the veil into their realm, and though it had been a
long time since he had seen her, she looked exactly the same. She
was beautiful, graceful, and captivating in the way that only fae
could be. And yet for him, she did not hold a candle to his
mate.

“
I have
been expecting you, Vasile, Alpha to the Eastern Romania pack, mate
to Alina Sala, and from what I understand as dominant and dumb as
ever.”

Vasile’s lips twitched with
the urge to smile. He had always liked this fae, even though she
tended to be abrasive and at times quite obnoxious. “As fascinating
as I am sure the tale behind that declaration is, I would be much
obliged if you would permit us entry into your realm before we
talk. It is a matter of life and death, in particular
my
death.”

She crossed her arms in
front of her chest and cleared her throat. “Very well, because I am
quite intrigued over the many happenings that seem to be plaguing
your territory, I will allow you to cross the veil. From there I
make no promises, only that I will listen to your
story.”

Vasile nodded. “Fair
enough.” He followed her as she turned and walked back towards the
veil. Though she walked on the water completely dry, Vasile and his
wolves were soaked from the thighs down as they waded through to
the waterfall. Yet, they stepped into the waterfall and emerged on
the other side in a wooded field, completely dry.