After the formalities were complete Vasile released the pack to go on the first full pack hunt in many years. He waited as people gradually left the room. Once there were only a few left milling about, he noticed Georgeta and Petre still standing in the same spot they had occupied while he had addressed the crowd. He could see the frustration in Petre’s face and the anger in Georgeta’s and knew a confrontation was unavoidable. He stepped off the platform and walked towards them, his shoulders pulled back and his head held high. He would not act ashamed. He was Alpha and he had only done what his mate had asked of him; how could they be upset with him?

“Alpha.” Petre bared his neck as he addressed him and Georgeta did the same although she did not address him verbally. She did, however, continue to glare at him, being careful not to meet his eyes.

“I appreciate you coming all this way to honor my father and mother,” Vasile told them cordially. The lack of emotion in his voice did not go un-noticed by his mate’s fuming mother.

“Are you not even going to ask about her?” She finally spoke to him.

Vasile’s jaw clenched at the accusation in her voice. “How is Alina?”

“She is unwell. She has not eaten in five days; I can barely get water in her. She has nightmares when she sleeps, if she sleeps. She is a shell of the woman she was only a week ago,” she finished, short of breath from her tirade. Describing his mate’s condition did nothing to calm her down.

“Is it an illness?” he asked again with the monotone voice.

This time, to his surprise, Petre let out a low growl. Vasile did not take his eyes off the bigger threat―the woman who was on the verge of killing him.

“Are you truly that dense or are you just acting like a spoiled brat?” she snapped at him. “You know what the distance, the separation without the bond to connect you, is doing to her. You who are supposed to be her protector. . . .” Her words dripped with accusation as her sharp gaze bore into him. “What kind of male allows his mate to suffer when he can do something about it?”

“She chose this,” Vasile snarled, his careful control cracking ever so slightly.

“She made a mistake,” Georgetta argued. “She is young no matter how mature she acts. The emotions that come with a true mate are overwhelming to those who are centuries old, and she is a mere sixteen summers. Can you not understand how it might scare her to feel so much so quickly? Did you stop to think that maybe she was worried that you would not be able to do what you must if you were dealing with her pain? We do not agree with her request to put space, as she called it, between you but we understand why she did it. I would think that a man of your character would not be so quick to judge.” She paused and rubbed her face. The evidence of the strain of seeing herdaughter in such turmoil was written across her brow. “Have you never made a mistake and hurt someone you cared about?” This time her eyes did meet his, and to his surprise she held his stare though he could tell by the shaking of her body that it took great effort. “If this is how you are going to treat her when she falters, then you do not deserve her.”

Vasile was left standing speechless as he watched the mother of his mate storm from the room. Petre gave him one last look that made it very clear that he agreed with his mate and then turned to follow her.

“Do I want to know what that was about?” Anghel asked from a few feet behind him. Vasile had forgotten the Western Romania Alpha and his mate were still there. He had been too focused on the irate female that had been thoroughly putting him in his place.

“It is not something I want to discuss right now.” He looked over his shoulder at the pair and gave them as convincing a smile as he could. “I need to run with the pack. You are welcome to join us, but I will not be offended if you do not.”

“We should be getting back,” Anghel said though his steady gaze made it clear that he would not let the scene he had just witnessed go. “I will not pretend that I know what is going on. However, because I dearly loved your father and I do not want to see you endure what he did, I will share some advice that you may choose to heed or not. It is not wise to ignore your fate. You have seen firsthand how easily our supposedly long lives can be taken. Why waste any moment away from the one who makes you whole? Do not let pride feed the darkness in you. There is a point of no return. There is a place that even she cannot help.”

Alina pulled the door open to her parent’s cottage to find Sisily standing there. Her face was drawn up into a cautious smile, but when her eyes took in the girl before her it fell away.

“You are getting worse,” she said as she quickly stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

Alina turned and took one of the two seats in the tiny living room that doubled as a bedroom for her. She closed her eyes as she laid her head back against the chair and let out a deep sigh. “It is my fault; why should I not suffer? Why should he not punish me for hurting him?”

Sisily made a coughing sound. “Are you serious right now? The girl I have known my whole life would never believe such a horrid thing. Your mate should never punish you, Alina. If Vasile is ignoring you because he wants you to hurt, then I hope that you will march up to his castle and flog him with a dead chicken.”

Alina’s lips twitched at her friend’s ridiculous scenario. “I am sure he would find me quite mature if I flogged him with dead fowl.”

“Maturity is over esteemed,” Sisily muttered petulantly.