Her mother’s voice rang out again. She could have predicted it down to the second when she would begin calling for her. But for some reason that night she was reluctant to return home. As she lay on the plush vegetation that so readily welcomed her and stared up at the bright moon in all its glory, she felt a pull to stay, to wait. She felt a whisper on the wind as it tickled her skin and caressed her hair. Her eyes widened in anticipation because she knew something was coming and not just for anyone but for her. Whether it would be that night, or another, she knew that something great was in store for her.

Alina’s friends and even her own mother had always said she spent too much time with her head up in the clouds.  Her grandmother used to joke that for a village girl her shoes were much too clean. She would just laugh them off and continued on her own way, because there was no way to explain to someone else that you knew you were meant for greatness. She wasn’t arrogant, just sure of her future, even though she wasn’t sure how it would all come about. She understood perfectly well how haughty that sounded, but she also trusted the Great Luna, her Creator, and she would never forget the day that she showed herself to Alina only a few months earlier.

Alina had wandered out further away from her home than usual and ended up in a field in the forest. The Great Luna’s glory and her goodness had been enough to drive Alina to her knees, and yet she had helped her up from the ground, and with a touch of her hand, her clothes and shoes were as clean as if they’d never seen a minutes worth of dirt. She had looked Alina in the eye and said, “Be ready child. The one I have for you comes with much darkness and much baggage, and he will need your goodness. For without you, his darkness will rule and he will destroy the Canis lupis race. Be strong. I will never leave you or forsake you. You only have to ask and I will be there. This task I have given to you because you are his other half. You are his light and he is your gravity. He will keep you planted on the ground when need be, but he will also raise you up when it is safe.”

Alina closed her eyes at the memory of the Great Luna telling her about her mate. She had thought that meant that her mate would be showing up within a matter of days, but now, several months later, still nothing. She tried not to grow bitter as she heard of others finding their own true mates, but she wasn’t about to lie and pretend it was easy. She wanted to be a mate; she wanted to be something to her male that no other could be. But waiting never had been her strong suit.

She laid there for several more minutes until finally she heard her mother’s footsteps and knew she would have to go. She stood up and brushed off her dress and looked up at the moon. “Same time tomorrow?” No, she didn’t expect the moon to answer back, but then, she was a werewolf, anything was possible.

Romanian Proverb # 2

Nu haina îl face pe om.

Clothes donot make the man.

“It’s been less than a century since I lost my brother,” Vasile said as he paced the large room that had been his father’s meeting hall. “How am I to deal with the loss of my parents, my Alpha, so soon after such a tragedy? To think, three members of the same bloodline are gone, within a century of one another, and this after my parents survived the 1712 werewolf wars, not to mention the loss of our last gypsy healer.”

Anghel walked further into the room as he watched the son of one of his oldest friends begin the grieving process. Stefan and Daciana Lupei had been two of the most loyal friends he had ever known. Being Alphas of separate packs had never hindered their relationship. Though he was the Alpha of the Western Romanian pack and Vasile now the Alpha of the Eastern Romanian pack, it did not change how he felt for the son of his old friend. He ached for him. He hurt with him and he knew there were no words that could heal him. Maybe time would heal but even that would be only a salve to the wound, not a cure.

“You will deal with it because you must,” Anghel finally spoke, his deep voice resonating against the stone walls. “You are Alpha now; you are no pup. You are a century old and you know what it means to be Alpha and I don’t remind you of that because I care little for your pain. I remind you of that because there will be some who see your position as weak. They will think you an easy target, and when that happens they will do something foolish.”

Vasile snarled. He didn’t want to hear it, though he knew it was true. His father’s pack for the most part was united, but there were always one or two upstarts who thought they could run things better. There were always a couple who thought they should be the leaders, but they didn’t understand if you were meant to lead it wasn’t something you grumbled about it late at night in the local pub. If you were meant to lead, then you led because the wolf inside of you refused to follow. Vasile knew he was a leader not just by birthright but by the wolf that lived inside of him. His wolf bowed only to his father, and that was only out of respect. He could have beaten Stefan in a challenge years ago, but he would not disrespect his father or mother in such a way. And now here he was, Alpha of the Eastern Pack, only a few short years later. He didn’t have to worry about whether he might one day have to convince his wolf not to challenge his Alpha, because his Alpha was dead.

“You must nip any notion of a mutiny in the bud, Vasile,” Anghel urged. “You must reassure your pack that though their Alphas have gone on to be with the Great Luna, the Eastern Romanian pack is still strong and has a new Alpha, just as powerful as the old one.”

“I know you are right, and I trust you just as my father did. I am still just trying to get my head around the fact that they are gone.”