Luna of Mine (31 page)

“
So you
killed her parents, and you might have killed her as well?”
Emilian’s enraged voice carried through the balcony doors.

“
She had
markings, and since no male in the village had claimed her, there
was only one explanation. Vasile was indeed her true mate. I
thought you did not want their bond completed because it would make
him stronger.” Serghei’s voice had Nicu biting back a growl.

“We could have used her as
leverage to draw him out you imbecile,” Emilian paused. “Do you
know if he came for her?”

“I left as soon as her
parents were dead.”

“
Whether
she is alive or dead is of no consequence now. Vasile is smart, but
his anger will make him act quickly. Take four wolves with you back
to the village. Do not let yourself be known, and see what you can
find out. Do not engage him in any way if you see him,” the Alpha
warned. The low guttural growl made it clear that there would be
dire consequences if Serghei disobeyed.

Nicu did not wait around
to hear more. He had to get back to the village and warn Vasile. He
dropped back to the ground and turned for the cover of the forest.
He let his wolf take over and ran as hard as he could, knowing he
had to beat Serghei and the other wolves. He would not stop until
he was standing in front of his Alpha.

E
milian paced the library, finally alone after dealing with
the idiot pup who had been so stupid as to leave Vasile’s mate
behind. She would have been the perfect bait. But he could not
dwell on it; other plans would have to be made to deal with the
former Alpha. The problem was so many of the dominant wolves were
out of control that getting them to fight for him might prove
difficult.

He rolled over possible
solutions in his mind. Finally, like the breaking of the dawn, one
came to the forefront. It just might work, he thought to himself.
He would announce a pack tournament, non-lethal of course. Since so
many young wolves were vying for higher ranks in the pack, the
dominants would flock to the competition, including Serghei. Then
he would openly invite the winner to challenge him for the title of
Alpha, removing all doubts about who should lead the pack. Because
of Vasile’s dominance, every wolf present would want to challenge
him. He did not think that even one such as Vasile could
continually best every wolf in the pack. Whoever was left standing
would have to immediately fight him for the Alpha title or risk
being forever labeled inferior by his pack mates. No matter who was
left standing, they wouldn’t have enough strength left defeat him,
especially since he didn’t plan on fighting fair.

Romanian Proverb #
19

Vorba dulce mult
aduce.

Good words cost nothing and
are worth much
.

“
I
will not hide,” Vasile said calmly
after hearing the news Nicu had returned with. He was done hiding.
He looked at the faces of the group of males that had gathered with
him in the meeting hall. More had been added to their numbers, and
there were well over thirty wolves willing to fight alongside
him.

Alin stepped into the room
looking grim. “Well, it is too late to attempt to conceal ourselves
regardless; Serghei is here.”

Vasile nodded. “Then let
us not keep him waiting.” He walked through the men who parted for
him making a way toward the door.

“You are either brave or an
even bigger fool than I had first thought to show your face here,”
Vasile said as he stepped outside. Dawn was breaking through the
darkness of night and the sky was quickly becoming
lighter.

“
No more
a fool than you, Vasile,” Serghei practically spit his name.
“Emilian is not the only wolf who wants you
dead.”

“I do not fear death, not
anymore,” he said with a confidence that had Serghei taking a step
back.

“If I could I would fight
you right here, right now,” the young wolf snarled.

“
What’s
stopping—” Vasile was interrupted by another small group of wolves.
They walked out of the forest and headed straight up to Vasile and
Serghei. “You will get your chance, Serghei,” the leader of the
group told him and then looked at the rest of the wolves present.
His eyes did not linger long on Vasile and they did not meet his
face. “Emilian has commanded us to spread the word. There will be a
dominance challenge at the castle. Any male may enter, including
you two. The winner will be the undisputed Alpha of the Eastern
Romanian Pack. Starting tomorrow at noon, the challenge will begin.
The format will be ‘king of the mountain.’ Three matches will begin
simultaneously. The first six wolves to step forward will be paired
up and will fight. The winner of each challenge will then have to
accept the next wolf who wishes to fight, and so it will continue
until only three remain, then two, and then one. There will be no
breaks, not even for sleep. It is not only a challenge of skill but
of endurance as well.”

“
I don’t
like this. Emilian would never willingly compromise his position.
He has something up his sleeve,” Vasile said.

The wolf smirked. “Afraid
you cannot compete?”

“
Where
is the honor in winning a fight by trickery?” he
challenged.

“The honor is simply in
winning, not in the manner it took to get there.”

Vasile shook his head. A
small laugh of disgust rumbling from his chest. “Alright, if that
is how Emilian is going to do this, so be it. I am sure he wants to
know if I will be there. You can assure him my face will be the
last thing he sees on this earth.”

“You have to get through
all of us, including me,” Serghei spoke up.

Vasile glanced at the wolf
who had hurt his mate. “You are no more than an irritating fly, and
all it will take to stop your buzzing is a single swat. If you
expect me to fear you, then you are delusional.” He walked away,
giving the group his back, making it perfectly clear that he did
not consider any of them a threat.

A
lina melted into the arms that wrapped around her from
behind. Vasile’s large chest pressed firmly against her back. He
pressed his lips to her hair, and his chest rumbled contentedly as
he breathed her in.

“
How are
you?” he asked as she stared into the water of the river. He had
led her to her spot after dealing with the males, and as they
walked he explained what was going to happen. She did not like it,
but she had to accept it. Her mate was a dominant and an Alpha and
fighting would always be a part of his life.

“I am surviving,” she said
honestly.

“Do you
feel well enough to take a short walk?”

Her interest peaked at the
hopefulness in his voice. Alina turned her head and looked up at
him. “I will go anywhere with you.”

His full lips stretched
into a breathtaking smile, and she wished with every cell in her
body that he would kiss her. But he did not. He released her and
then took her hand, leading her along the river following it deeper
into the trees.

They walked in silence;
the sounds of the world around them were the only sounds. At least
fifteen minutes later the trees parted, and they walked out into a
clearing where a small barn had been built. She looked over at
Vasile curiously but he simply smiled and continued forward. Once
they reached the doors he stopped and turned to her.

“
While
we were apart, there was not a second that I did not think of you.
I longed for the day when we would be bound to one another for
eternity. In that time I thought a lot about our bonding ceremony,
our Blood Rites, and the things I wanted to say and give you. I
came across this beautiful creature during my exile, and I
immediately knew she was meant for you. This is my gift to you, to
show you that I can provide for you. I will protect you and I will
strive to bring joy to your life.” He opened the door before she
could respond and standing there just on the other side was a
beautiful sable mare with a dark chocolate mane and tail. She was
so beautiful and without a doubt cost a fortune. She had never
owned a horse; they had never been able to afford one. She felt
tears welling up in her eyes as she reached up and stroked the
animals soft nose to which the horse responded by stepping closer
to Alina and lowering her head.

“
She is
magnificent, Vasile,” she said still looking at the horse. “Thank
you, I will treasure her.”

“
I am
glad that you are pleased. What will you call her?” he
asked.

Alina smiled. “Cosmina,
because she is a beauty.”

He took her hand then,
drawing her attention from Cosmina. “I have something else for
you.”

She looked down and saw
that he held his signet ring, the one that identified him as
royalty and as the member of a long line of Alphas.

“
It is
yours because you belong by my side. You are the woman who will
bear the next child to carry on this lineage. To me, you are more
than royal, you are my Luna. Your sway over me is complete and
absolute. No other will come before you. You have captured me,
heart, body, mind and spirit; I am yours.” He took her hand and
slipped it onto her ring finger and somehow it fit her perfectly.
He felt her curiosity and smiled. “I had a cantankerous fae work
some magic on it so it would fit,” he explained.

Alina held her hand up to
examine the ring more closely. Her eyes narrowed as she took in its
every detail.
It had an oval-shaped face
and on that face was a grid of four diamonds. In each diamond there
was a symbol. The top left was a crown; the top right was a wolf;
the bottom left, a sword; and the bottom right, a full
moon.

Vasile placed a hand on her waist
pulling her closer as she continued to look at the beautiful gift.
“The crown represents the royal lineage, the wolf of course is in
honor of the gift the Great Luna bestowed upon us, the sword is to
testify that as the Alpha family we are the sword of justice
keeping the discipline among the pack, and the moon is to
acknowledge the importance of the females in the pack. You, Luna of
mine, like the moon, can change the tide. The peace and light you
bring to me as Alpha can alter how I might respond to a situation.
In short, you make me better.” His breath was whisper soft on her
face when he spoke again. “Look at me, Mina.”

She did and then shivered at the
glowing eyes staring back at her. His mood had shifted from gentle
and loving to passionate and needy. Alina felt his desire rushing
into her through the bond and she gasped at the force behind it.
His hand reached up and cupped her face. It was surprisingly gentle
considering the intensity of his emotions.

“
I cannot wait any longer,”
he murmured.

“
For what?” Her voice came
out as a breathy moan.

“
To taste your
lips.”

He lowered his head and Alina’s heart
sped up as she realized he was finally, finally, going to kiss her.
She fought the urge to grab his head and crush their mouths
together. It was a battle she was going to lose if he did not
hurry. He stopped just short of their lips touching. She could feel
his warm, sweet breath flowing out of his lungs, and she breathed
him in, wanting any part of him she could have. He hovered there,
his body pressed to hers, his hand spread across her back holding
her tight while the other stroked her cheek lovingly with his
thumb. Alina wanted to growl for him to do it already. She could
not take it any longer.