“Our souls are bound. It is a gift from the Creator that we get to say goodbye, at least for a time. One day, you will join me in the afterlife. It is also so that I can give my power to you. You are my successor. I am honored to pass my reign on to you—my precious one, queen of my heart. Our people will need you to be their queen.”
Lilly shook her head as tears rushed down her cheeks. Her voice broke as she said, “I don’t want it. Not without you.”
“That’s not how it works. Nothing happens by chance, Lilly. You were not accidentally lost from the sprites. You didn’t just happen to grow up in the human realm. You did not meet Dillon and have a child together by some weird accident. Your daughter didn’t end up the true mate of aCanis lupusbecause he happened to move in across the street from her. And you didn’t become my mate because I selfishly took you.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle, though it was through tears as pain filled her. Hehadselfishly taken her, and she wouldn’t change it for anything.
“You were meant to be with me. You were meant to stand beside me. Now you are meant to be queen. Look at me, my sweet, strong Lilly.”
She lifted her eyes to meet his. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. She felt his warmth, his breath on her face. It was a blessing, and yet it was cruel. She couldn’t keep him.
“Lilly Pierce, member of the healer sprites, mother to Jacquelyn Lupei, grandmother of Slate Lupei, and my soulmate, I pass to you my power, my memories, the history of our people, and the authority and responsibility that comes with my title.”
His hands cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away her tears as he spoke.
“Even as I speak these words, my will resonates through the hearts and minds of every member of our race. Hear me now, all who belong to our kingdom. As is my right as king, I give over my reign to my bride. She is and will be, until her time to follow me comes, the Warlock Queen.”
A flood of power hit Lilly in the chest, and had Cypher not been holding onto her, she would have fallen backward. But his hands remained firmly pressed to the sides of her face. She felt his magic flowing inside of her like electricity running through veins.
“I love you,”Cypher said, his forehead still pressed to hers.
“I love you,” she whispered back. A second later, he was gone, and she was left with his empty body, the pressure of a kingdom, the worry for her daughter and grandson, and a broken heart.
Chapter 15
“These things have not been hidden from me. I see you. I hear you. You have not been forgotten.” ~The Great Luna
Fane saw Decebel fall. At the same time, his own legs gave out. The young alpha’s knees hit the floor, but Fane didn’t feel the pain that should have radiated up his body. He didn’t notice that he’d fallen forward, his arms instinctively dropping, his hands slamming down to catch his body. Instead, he felt something inside of him being ripped open. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments tore apart as though someone had reached into his chest, grasped hold of his heart, and then wrenched it from his body. The woven cord, once strong and vibrant, that held him to the alpha pair—his parents—was gone. That could only mean one thing. His parents were… He didn’t let himself finish the thought.
He could hear voices around him, but they faded into the background. In the forefront was his wolf, howling mournfully for his leader, while his human voice joined with his cries, lamenting the loss of the people who brought him into the world. Fane shook his head. It couldn’t be true. There was no way they were gone.
Without any conscious decision on his behalf, Fane scanned the room, searching for Jacquelyn. His breath came out in raspy pants, and his mind automatically focused on one thing: his female. He needed her. Fane needed his mate. Then he heard her voice.
“Fane, I’m here. I’m here,”she repeated over and over, and he could feel her arms around him. Though he knew the feeling was simply a sensation coming through their bond, it was the only thing holding him in place, keeping his wolf from losing complete control. She grounded him. He was the lightning, and she was the rod that pulled him to her so that everything around him stayed safe.
“Don’t let go.”He could hear the shakiness of his own voice.“Just don’t let go.”
“Never,”she whispered into his mind.
He could feel her own pain because she loved Vasile and Alina as if they were her parents, too. Fane should be comforting her, but he felt as though his entire body had cracks all through it, like glass that had been dropped but hadn’t shattered completely. He was sure if he took his focus off of Jacquelyn’s voice, scent, touch, and taste for even an instant that he would come apart, but unlike the shattering of the glass, it would be as if a bomb had been placed inside of the cracked glass. When it exploded, the shards would cut into anyone near him.
“It’s okay to let me be strong for you,”his mate said.“We’re in this together, Fane. We’re a team. What one goes through, the other does as well. We can take turns being strong for one another.”
“First, I lost you and Slate,”he said, his voice rough with emotion,“and now I’ve lost my parents. My alphas. How much can a man lose before he loses himself?”
“I will never let that happen,”she said fiercely.“You are mine, and I don’t let go of those who belong to me. I won’t let go of Vasile and Alina.”Her voice faltered for a moment, but when she continued, it was filled with the incredible strength he knew she was capable of.“I will hold on to them in the memories I have of them, and the memories of everyone their lives touched. I will hold on to them through the child they created who grew into the man I love. I will hold on to them by telling our son all about the incredible legacy his grandparents left for him. I will hold on to them because they aren’t gone, Fane. They’re here in every fiber of this pack that they led with love, respect, and sacrifice.”
She was right, his incredible mate. She’d been through hell and back since meeting him, and yet she still amazed him with her ability to find the good in every situation.“Where do I go from here?”He didn’t know if he was asking her or himself. He didn’t have time to wait for an answer because there was another jolt of pain inside of him, and then the cord that had held him to his alpha’s was suddenly there again, only it wasn’t attached to his parents. It was thicker and had strands flowing from him in every direction. He followed the path of one of the cords and could feel the power in it. He recognized the magic as Decebel’s. One branched off of that one and went to Jen, and then an even smaller one flowed to Thia. Then he followed another and knew instantly that it was Costin and Sally, with Titus attached to her. Next was Sorin, and attached to his cord was Elle. There were countless bonds all leading to the main one, tethered in his soul, right next to his bond with his true mate.
“Fane?”Jacquelyn said softly.“I feel our bond, but I also feel a whole hell of a lot more than just ours.”She paused and he felt realization hit her.“I think you just got your answer about where you go from here. Prince of the Romania wolves. Your father has passed his crown to you. You’re the new alpha.”
* * *
Decebel knewbefore he’d collapsed what had happened. He knew the second he felt the connection to Vasile and Alina vanish. His friend, a father figure, and alpha was gone, along with his remarkable mate. He’d only recently agreed to return to the beta position and unite the Romania and Serbia packs. But even when he’d been alpha of his own pack, he’d always looked to Vasile for advice and wisdom. He trusted the man more than any other person besides his Jennifer. He trusted Vasile more than he trusted himself. The only thing worse than losing Vasile and Alina was when he’d thought he’d lost his mate. Even the loss of his sister, though devastating, hadn't felt like this.
“Dec, I feel like my insides have just been ripped out of me.”Jen’s voice filled his mind.“Does this mean what I think it means?”
“Vasile and Alina have fallen.”He confirmed the thoughts he could hear through their bond.
