“I think that sometimes, because we are so long lived, we forget we are all appointed an end to this life. My wolf and I have come to a place of peace about my brother’s death and the death of his mate. I will miss them, of course. But my main focus now is my mate and this pack. Peri doesn’t naturally turn to me for comfort or affection, but we’re working on that. Though she’s seen it with her own eyes and knows how vital touch is to our wolves, she sometimes has to be reminded.”
“How do you remind her?” Adam asked.
Lucian’s lips lifted in a crooked smile. “I bite her.”
Decebel nodded. “Good advice. But be warned, it could go one of two ways. She either submits, or she throws things at you.”
The fae looked more confused. Decebel sighed. It was hard to explain the nature of the dynamics of a true mate pair when both weren’t wolves. “Adam, can you flash and bring Fane here?” he asked the fae.
“Canhehelp her?” Adam asked as he lowered his head.
Decebel walked over to the fae and placed his hand on Adam’s shoulder. He squeezed tight so Adam would look at him. When he had the fae’s full attention, it was his wolf who spoke. “It does not make you any less of a mate to ask for help from your alpha. It makes you a wise mate.”
Adam shook his head. He seemed to wrestle with the wolf’s words. “I’m not a wolf. Am I enough for her? Because standing on this side of the supernatural line, I feel completely out of my depth.”
“You are her true mate, made for her and she for you. That doesn’t mean there won’t be times when you both need help. Jen has spent a lot of time with Jacque. Their bond has changed since Jacque has become the alpha female. She can give my mate something I cannot. That doesn’t make me any less essential to her,” Decebel explained, hoping he was getting through to Adam. It was obvious, now that the fae had removed his mask, that the man was hurting deeply.
“I’ll get Fane,” Adam said. Decebel dropped his arm, and the fae disappeared a second later.
“B, you okay?”Jen asked, her worry coming loud and clear through their bond.
“I’m fine, baby. We’ll talk later.”
There was a pause and then she said,“Okay. Love you.”
“And I you.”
Adam, Fane, and Costin appeared a minute later. Decebel wasn’t surprised that Fane had brought his third. Costin, though young, had been through a ton of stuff most older wolves had not. He had plenty of wisdom when it came to pack dynamics.
“Tell them what you told us,” Decebel said to Adam.
By the time Adam was finished telling Fane and Costin how Crina was doing, he was sitting on the ground with his knees bent and his forearms resting on them. He was a mate who had no idea how to help his female, and it was tearing him up inside. Decebel and the three other males squatted down next to Adam. They had all been in his shoes at one time or another. The fae male would have to learn thatthiswas the purpose of the pack.
*****
Jacque had been watching Crina all day, so muchsothat she was beginning to feel like a creeper. But the new alpha female couldn’t help it. She could tell a member of her pack was struggling. Yesterday, Crina had seemed a little off, but Jacque had assumed theshe-wolf’s mood had something to do with Adam’s shower comment. Today, however, Jacque could feel pain and confusion coming from Crina through the pack bond. Jacque wondered if this is what Alina had experienced.How had she dealt with it?The emotional strain must have been enormous. For centuries, Alina had borne all the fears, concerns, and worries of her pack. How had she managed her own emotions through all that?Great Luna, help me.
Jacque glanced at Sally. She made a motion with her head toward Crina. Thenshe tried out thetighter bond she seem to have gained with Jen and Sally since taking on the alpha female role. She found she was able to send her thoughts about Crina to Sally.
The healer walked over to her and knelt down to grab a strand of lights. She leaned close to Jacque. “Something is seriously wrong,” Sally whispered.
“So, I’m not the only one who’s noticed?”
“I brushed up against her earlier and might have accidentally performed a little healer magic, just checking her out, making sure everything is okay,”Sally said, not looking the least bit guilty. “It’s bad, Jac. Her mind is nothing but confusion and chaos. Whatever she’s dealing with, it’s eating her alive.”
Jacque took a deep breath. “Not on my watch.” She walked over to where Crina stood. The woman was attempting to untangle a strand of lights that Jacque was sure she’d been working on for the better part of an hour.
“Crina,” Jacque said gently but firmly. Now she could see theshe-wolf’s hands were trembling. Jacque reached out and placed herownhands over Crina’s. “I’m not Alina. I know that. But you are my friend. I love you. We’re pack mates,and we don’t have to deal with things alone.” Jacque didn’t know how the woman would respond.Will she think I’m too forward? Will she think I’m trying to take Alina’s place? Jacque knew she could never do that, and she wouldn’tattempt it. All Jacque could do was try to be the best alpha female she possibly could. And that started with showing her female pack mates she cared, that she hurt when they hurt.
Crina dropped the lights and turned her hands to grab onto Jacque’s. She squeezed so tightly it actually hurt Jacque’s fingers, but she didn’t care. Crina’s head slowly rose until she looked directly into Jacque’s eyes. The new alpha saw her pack mate’s eyes were filled with tears.
Jacque immediately pulled her into a hug. “Whatever it is, we can deal with it together,” she whispered as she held Crina and let the woman cry. Jacque knew sometimes a good, hard cry was necessary in order to begin the healing process. She’d done it countless times herself. A minute later, Sally and Zara appeared on either side of Crina and wrapped their arms around her, too. Jacque felt Sally’s magic as the healer pushed her light and peace into their suffering pack mate.
Eventually, Crina’s tears slowed. She released Jacque and patted both Zara’s and Sally’s hands. Then she wiped her face and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”
Sally took Crina’s hand and pulled her over to the couch. They’d been decorating the largest living area in the mansion all day. It wasn’t until Sally had been cursing a blue streak over a set of her own tangled lights that Jacque wondered why the hell they were doing all this work when Peri, Elle, or even Adam could decorate this whole place with a snap of their fingers. She’d called Jen on her cell phone, but her BFF had been conveniently unavailable. Jacque had left a not-so-nice message, then called Peri. The fae had said one word—"No”—and then hung up on her.
“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to,” Sally said as she sat beside Crina. Jacque sat on her other side, while Zara sat on the floor, her legs bent and crossed at the ankles. The healer’s eyes were filled with sadness as she looked at Crina. “We can just sit with you. These stupid lights are enough to make anyone cry.”
