“I understand,” Georgeta said as she nodded and tears began to stream down her cheeks, her bloodshot eyes boring a hole into the Fae. “I do not like it, but I understand.”

“Have faith in your creator, Georgeta. She created Alina just as she did Vasile and she created them for each other. Perhaps, she has a plan?” Peri smiled gently at her.

“Thank you for your time, Perizada. Try not to stay away too long, alright?”

Peri nodded. “I assure you, I will keep watch. This news has captured my attention, and I imagine that I will need to pay Vasile a visit before too long.”

“How many in Vasile’s pack have expressed to you their concern regarding the Alpha pair’s death?” Emilian asked the group that sat before him. He had sent out his most trusted pack mates that were in agreement that the Eastern Romania pack needed new blood, as well as new leadership. They were tired of being the lower ranking wolves in their own pack and willing to do what was necessary to ensure they moved up in their world.

“So far we’ve got about seven-to-ten wolves per village that are willing to voice their opinion out loud,” Ivan answered. “I have a feeling that there are more who believe that the deaths were suspicious but do not want to say anything against their Alpha.”

Emilian nodded. “The more submissive wolves will not speak up. We must seek out the more dominant ones.”

“How goes the search for the bodies?” Marian asked.

The Western Romania pack Beta growled. “Too slow for my own liking. I have no idea where that mongrel buried his parents.”

“Must we have the bodies?” Izabela, Ivan’s mate, asked.

“We cannot just go around accusing the Alpha of the Eastern Romania pack of something as grotesque as this without proof,” Emilian said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Do you think his pack will listen to us after we have desecrated the graves of their beloved Alpha and his mate?” Izabela’s brow rose. “There will be many who care not what you find because they will be so blinded by their anger over the atrocity that you were willing to commit.”

“Once they get past the shock of it, they will realize the greater atrocity is that they were lied to by their Alpha for centuries, and their son has continued that deception. The greater evil will win out. Betrayal from me is expected; betrayal from their own will be enough to wipe out what I did.”

“And if it is not?” Her eyes narrowed on him.

“Then I suppose I had better kill Vasile quickly so that it matters not about their anger. The one who defeats an Alpha takes his place. I do not care how we get to the outcome just so long as it is the same―the Lupei dynasty crumbling down around the last heir of their bloodline.” Emilian clapped his hands together as he stood prompting the others to stand as well. “Now the time for talk is over. Tonight we go hunting and we will not stop until we have the bodies of the dead Alphas.”

Romanian Proverb #11

Pui migdale în nasul porcului si el spune cã e o ghindã.

Honey is not for the ass' mouth.

“May I speak with you?”

Vasile looked up from his desk to see his third standing in the door of his office. He motioned for Ion to enter. It was the first person he had seen in more than a week not because they did not seek him out but because he had commanded that no one was to disturb him. Nine days ago he had awoken in the middle of the night gasping for breath and sweating as though he had been running through the very depths of hell as a sense of loss engulfed him. His first reaction had been to reach for her but she wanted space and he wanted to give it to her. He had felt her reaching through their bond, and several times he had nearly responded, but the selfish part in him, the part was hurt by her words, kept him from doing so. More and more he had sought out solitude, needing the quiet undisturbed time to consider all the things that needed to be done to help restore his pack to a thriving, healthy one. And even with all of that time, he was still unable to concentrate long enough to come up with a plan that did not include running back to his mate and taking her for his own. Needless to say, as his third walked in, he was not greeted with a warm welcome.

“There are rumors that someone in the Western pack is stirring up trouble in the villages,” Ion began without preamble. He was not one for small talk, and that was something Vasile had always appreciated about him.

“What kind of trouble?” Vasile asked.

“They are questioning the events of the Alpha’s deaths. They think something is amiss.”

Vasile tossed down the parchment he had been looking over and stood from his chair. He rubbed his eyes and then pinched the bridge of his nose trying to will away the headache that had been beating the inside of his skull like a relentless drum. When he finally looked back up at Ion his brow drew together as he saw the concerned look on his face.

“Are you alright, Alpha?” Ion asked him.

“Aside from dealing with my parents' death and the mess my father left the pack in, I am as good as can be expected.”

Ion took a deep breath seeming to consider whether or not he should ask the next questions. “What of your mate? How are you handling the separation?”

“My mate?” Vasile’s eyes narrowed. “She is fine. Why, have you heard something?” He was suddenly a lot more alert as he considered the idea that something had happened to her. He was sure he would have felt her panic, and just as he started to open the bond, Ion answered.

“No, nothing has happened. But being separated from your mate is difficult, especially when you haven’t completed the bonding ceremony.”

Vasile let out a resigned sigh. He knew by the look in Ion’s eyes that he was not going to let it go. “I am having trouble concentrating.”

“Perhaps, you should go visit her,” he suggested.

Vasile shook his head. “I have things that need to be taken care of here and she is with her family. She is safe.”

“She may be safe, Alpha, but being safe and being well are not the same thing.”

Before Vasile could respond his office door flew open, the sound of the solid wood bouncing off of the stone wall reverberated across the room as Nicu and Alin rushed in. Both warriors’ eyes were wide, and slightly wild.

“What is going on?” Vasile asked. It was then that he heard the mounting rumble of a crowd and then yells beyond his window. He turned to go and look out but stopped at the sound of Nicu’s voice.