Alina knew that he’d already gone to their room, right after Lilly had left. But he hadn’t gone inside. He’d simply stood outside their door, leaning with his back against the wall and crying at the sound of their voices. He was giving them their time as a family. He would give Alina her time and respect as the woman who’d carried their son for nine months, bore him, held him, and nursed him. Her mate was a man of high character with the ability to lead by serving. In this, he was serving her.
As Fane released her from the hug, he pulled back and looked at her. “Want to talk?”
She laughed through the tears. “That would be good.”
Fane looked over at Jacque and she smiled. “Please, go,” Jacque said. “I’m good; we’ll be here when you get back.”
He turned back to Alina and then led her from the room. They walked in silence, the sounds of their feet hitting the floor echoed off the walls. As they rounded the first corner, Alina knew he was taking her to the Serbian pack library. Usually, he would have taken her to the garden room, but at the moment the garden room didn’t hold the greatest memories.
He entered first, as was a custom of their species and she followed him. When they were both seated, Alina looked at her son, really looked at him. He had grown into a strong young man, with good character, compassion, and the ability to serve when needed. One day he would be a pack Alpha and he would be a great one.
“There is nothing,” she began, willing her voice to be steady, drawing on the calm, unwavering strength of her wolf, “in this world that a parent wants for their child more than to see them grow into healthy, vibrant, respectful, kind, loving, giving, and merciful adults. This world is filled with just the opposite and I can only hope that your father and I have taught you these things. But even if you had turned out to be a terrible person, if it meant you’d be alive, then I’d take you.” She let out a shuddering breath as she remembered his body, laying lifeless on a table. “There is nothing worse than a child dying before a parent. It isn’t right. Watching you, wondering if you would pull through, wondering what I would do if you didn’t, was the worst kind of torture. Without being too sappy” —she laughed and wiped from her eyes the tears that hadn’t fallen— “I just want you to know how much we love you, regardless of who you once were, who you now are, or who you will become. You will always be ours.”
Fane wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He whispered words to her in their native tongue and pulled her even tighter when a small sob finally broke through the armor she’d put in place.
“I couldn’t have asked for better parents,” he told her. “And you, mama, will always be mine. You will always be the first woman to have owned my heart. I know it must be hard to watch your only son leave your den for another and lose the bond we once had.”
She shook her head and pulled back to look at him. “No. We didn’t lose our bond, it simply changed. It morphed into what it is supposed to be when you find your true mate. Once upon a time, you looked up at me as if I was the most wonderful thing you’d ever seen. You raised your arms up to me so I would hold you close. You came to me for every injury, every victory, every joy, and every loss. And that was as it should be, but now…” She pulled out of his embrace completely and held one of his hands in both of hers. “Now you belong to another. You have a different bond. You go to her with open arms to offer comfort and love. You go to her for every injury, victory, joy, and loss. She is the one who should be the salve to your soul. And I am so very thankful that you have found her. Does it hurt to have our relationship as mother and son change? Yes. But is it worth it? To see my son love his mate just as I’ve been trying to teach you for all those years through the love I gave, freely, without expectations and unconditionally, it is more than worth it. It is incredible and no words can truly describe it.”
“Thank you,” Fane said simply.
“It has been my honor, Fane Lupei.” She stood, patting her thighs and letting out a quick breath. “I do believe you have a mate and new son, which I will be stealing away as soon as you offer, so you should get back.”
She hugged him but this time it didn’t feel like she was losing something. This time it felt as if she’d gained something. He was her son, but he was also her friend.
Now another young pack member crept into her mind. If only she could be so honored to be a mentor, a parent of sorts, to Zara, then Alina would be fulfilling her role as pack Alpha.
Alina watched him leave and felt some of the pain dissolve from her heart. She sat back down on the couch with an unbecoming plop for an Alpha female. Alina nearly laughed. It felt good to almost laugh. And then she did laugh because it was hilarious that she thought feeling like almost laughing was funny. Her daughter-in-law would say she’d fallen off the deep end. She might be right.
“The only place you are falling is into my arms.”She heard Vasile’s voice through their bond.
“My love, if that was your idea of a pick-up line, you should tuck your tail and head the other direction because that was just awful. Almost, Jen would say, creepy awful.”
He laughed and Alina felt his humor and it relaxed her even more.
“You’ve done your duties as Alpha and mother. Now come take care of your mate,”he growled at her. She knew he was teasing her—sort of.
“Sorry, Alpha, but I think I hear Thia calling my name. She obviously has need of her aunt.”
Vasile huffed, making her smile widen.
“And what of my need of you?” His voice came from behind her where he stood in the doorway.
She stood and slowly walked to him. He held the other half of her soul and that connection pulled her to him like the moon pulled the tide. Once she’d reached him, he didn’t hesitate. He wrapped a muscular arm around her waist and pulled her against him. After all the decades upon decades that they’d been mated, being in Vasile’s arms never got old.
He leaned down and pressed his mouth over the bite that marked her as his. He nipped it and then kissed the flesh. His mouth traveled up her neck and stopped right beside her ear. Vasile’s warm breath blew across her skin and Alina sucked in a sharp breath. After all the decades, he hadn’t lost his effect on her.
“I think little Thia can wait,” he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing lightly against her flesh.
Alina couldn’t think straight, not when he seduced her and made it very clear that he still wanted her after all these years.
“Thia can wait,” she heard herself agreeing.
Later she might be embarrassed by the fact that her mate had shut the door behind him, locked it, and then proceeded to finish what he’d started. Yes, later she might feel that way—much, much later.
Bethany walked slowly around the suite that Decebel had provided for her and Drake. Jen had led the couple through a maze of twisting hallways nearly twenty minutes ago, Drake holding her hand and grumbling the entire way. With a warning to Drake to steer clear of the rest of the pack, Jen had slammed the door on them and Bethany distinctly heard the wordsfleabagandneuterthrough the door as the blonde stomped away. Drake had told Bethany to make herself at home, muttered something about smelling like a mangy mutt, and headed through a doorway that she guessed led to the bedroom. She’d heard the shower come on and decided to explore the suite while no one was watching her every move—not that she minded Drake’s eyes on her, but it did make her feel a little self-conscious.
As she surveyed her surroundings, she could tell that no one lived in this suite. There was no warmth. No pictures adorned the walls. No little mementos decorated the end tables or shelves on the walls. No memories had been made in this place. As she stared at her sparse surroundings, her mind wandered, bringing her back for a fleeting instant to her own home. She could smell fresh bread baking and see pictures, drawn in crayon, stuck to a white refrigerator. Tears slid into her eyes as, for only a moment, Bethany remembered her own home. She reached out desperately, trying to catch hold of the memory—to feel again the warmth, the love from her family—but it was gone.
