“How are you doing?” Vasile asked, concern filling his voice and eyes.
Jacque hadn’t answered right away. She’d weighed his words carefully because he wouldn’t have come simply to see her unless he’d wanted a genuine answer. This was not only an alpha concerned for a pack member, but a father concerned for a daughter. “I’m alright. I have my moments, ya know?”
Vasile nodded. “Being a new parent is scary. But the way in which you and Fane entered into parenthood … Well, it’s a bit different than the average person. You might be supernatural, but you aren’t invincible. It’s okay not to be okay.”
Jacque breathed in a shuddering breath and was shocked when he leaned across the table and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I guess I am a bit overwhelmed,” she admitted.
“I would be concerned about you if you weren’t,” he said. “I remember when Fane was born.” A smile lit up his face. “Alina was amazing with him, while I was a mess—worried that I was going to drop him or forget to feed him. I wasn’t sure how to balance my roles of alpha, husband, and father. Overwhelmed is a very good word for it.”
“But you managed,” Jacque said, not surprised because it seemed everything Vasile did, he did well.
“I made mistakes.” He chuckled. “And you will, too, as will Fane. You will learn from those mistakes. You will have to ask your child for forgiveness if those mistakes are a grievance against them, but then you keep moving forward. Don’t get stuck in a cycle of regret and fear because of the mistake, worried that you will make another.
“You have to keep living. We get one life. Thankfully, it is the only life that will be filled with pain, sorrow, and regret, as our next life, with our Creator, will be filled with only joy. But, in this life, we try and live every day realizing that it might be our last. Tomorrow is not promised to us. Every breath you take is one that could be your last. So with every breath, use your words to build up, and use your muscles and body to offer comfort, love, and support. With every breath, speak truth to drown out the lies. With every breath, fight for what is good, right, and pure.”
“Do you ever get tired?” Jacque asked, awed by his fierce determination to always do the right thing.
“All the time. But I ask the Great Luna for strength. She has not failed me, nor will she. She will not fail you. All you have to do is ask.” He paused and tilted his head in that wolf way, the same way Fane did when he was about to ask a question. “There is something more. What is it, heart of my son, mother of my grandchild? What troubles you?”
Jacque wanted to curse his perceptiveness. But instead, she sighed and decided to answer because she knew he would simply sit there patiently and wait. “Could she have made a mistake?”
He frowned. “The Great Luna?”
Jacque nodded. “I mean, Fane said I was made for him and he for me. That she made us true mates. But what if she got it wrong? I’m terrified that I’m not going to be strong enough to be the mom that Slate needs, not in this world. Being human was dangerous enough, but Vasile, this is a whole different level of danger. He’s only a baby and I’m a half-a-werewolf chick who has nearly died one too many times already. How can—”
“Stop. The Great Luna does not make mistakes. Fane is yours as you are his, and neither of you is perfect, nor are you perfect together. But you are one. Two halves of a whole. That’s the first truth. The second is that the Great Luna gave you Slate. He was destined to be your child before you’d ever met Fane. His life was planned, and you are the mother who was chosen for him. The Great Luna will equip you to be what he needs. The third truth, she gave you a pack. We will stand with you, beside you, or behind you if you need to be held up. You are never alone in this. Always look to the truth when you are bombarded by discouraging thoughts. Tell me a truth, Jacquelyn.”
“Fane loves me,” she said immediately.
Vasile smiled. “That he does. Another.”
“I’m supposed to be in this pack.”
“Without a doubt. Another.”
Jacque stared into the eyes of the Romania alpha and felt the pack cord that connected her to him and Alina. It was as if Vasile was magnifying it, drawing her attention to it. “You and Alina love me, very much.”
His eyes were glassy with unshed tears as he gently patted her cheek. “As if you were our own, and not just because you’re the true mate to our son. You are pack, Jacquelyn. You are mine and Alina’s daughter, and you will always have us to give you anything you need.”
Jacque sucked in a breath as she pulled away from the memory, realizing she hadn’t been breathing, and she was very close to passing out. It was a precious memory she’d held close to her heart. No matter what any girl without a father says, there is a part of her that longs for the love of a father. And Vasile had given it to her with such openness.
“Luna.”Fane’s voice filled her mind.“It’s okay, beloved. It’s okay to hurt. I’ve got you, just like you’ve got me, I’ve got you.”
“I’m not okay, wolf-man,”she whispered through their bond.“I’m not okay.”
“You don’t have to be.”She felt his lips against her forehead. His voice sounded calm, but he couldn’t keep his true emotions hidden. He was holding it together for her.
“Tell me it’s going to be fine. Even if it’s a bloody lie, just tell me everything will be fine,”Jacque begged as she held Slate tighter.
“I will never lie to you, Jacquelyn. I love you too much.”
“Damn you and your love,”she said with half a sob and half a laugh.
“Don’t try to hide from me.”His voice turned stern.“You don’t bear this pain by yourself, understand?”
She nodded.“I’m sorry. I just didn't want to make things harder for you.”
“Ce am facut vreodata ca sa te merit,” he said.
