Vasile was listening intently even as he reached out for his mate. “Mina, are you able to come to my office? We have a new dormant female who is going to need assistance.”

Her response was immediate. “I’m on my way, Alpha.”

He felt his gut clench at the pain that she tried to conceal from him. She was scared for their son and his mate. She was torn up because their new grandchild did not have his parents to hold him as he began his precious life. And she was tired and in need of rest, which she refused to accept.

His office door opened and Alina walked in briskly. Her eyes met his and softened just a bit.

“Alina,” Nissa’s voice drew her attention away from him. “I am assuming Vasile told you about our newest guest?”

Alina nodded. She stepped forward and held out her hand to the girl. “I am Alina, Alpha female of the Romania pack and mate to that brooding male over there.” She motioned to him with her head.

“I’m Zara,” the girl responded as she took Alina’s hand.

Alina smiled and genuine warmth and kindness came bursting through. Even with all the turmoil raining down on her, she had the ability to make a lost person feel found. “That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you,” Zara answered as her shoulders relaxed under Alina’s kind gaze.

“Nissa.” Alina looked at the high fae. “Thank you so much for bringing her here. Peri is in the garden room. I’m sure she would like to speak with you.”

Nissa nodded and then turned to Zara. “Trust them. They won’t hurt you. They will help you and they will take care of you. You aren’t alone anymore.” Then she was gone, flashing from the room.

Zara let out a sharp breath. “That’s still just so…weird.”

Vasile chuckled. “I’m sure there are a lot of things that are going to be weird to you. We weren’t introduced properly,” he said as he rose and walked around his desk. He stopped beside his mate when he saw the girl take a step back. She hadn’t seemed afraid of Nissa or Alina, but she was definitely afraid of him—interesting.

“I am Vasile, Alpha to the Romania pack, and—as Alina said—I am her mate. We will do everything we can to make this transition as painless as possible for you. I am very sorry that this was how you were introduced to our world.”

Zara didn’t appear to know how to respond so she simply nodded.

“I’m sure you want to get cleaned up and I imagine you are famished,” said Alina. “Please allow me to show you to a guest room and get you some clean clothes. After you’ve showered we can get you something to eat.” Alina smiled and motioned for her to follow. She glanced over her shoulder at Vasile and met his gaze. “I love you. Go visit your grandson.”

Vasile’s lips twitched at her order. “As you wish, beloved.”

He watched as the two females exited his office, leaving him alone once again. He’d seen his grandson a couple of times already, but he wasn’t as strong as his mate. Every time he looked down upon the child Fane and Jacque had brought into this world, all he saw was his inability to save the child’s parents. He saw a little one with a pain filled future as he grew up in a world without the guidance of his father or the unconditional love of his mother. When Vasile looked at his grandson, all he saw was his own failure to protect those who belonged to him.

Skender was a toddler compared to some of the supernatural beings that were gathered around him in the room. The Order of the Burning Claw, though covertly active, hadn’t convened an actual meeting of its members in centuries. Those patient immortals had been biding their time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. With the reappearance of the Gypsy Healers into their world, it was clear to the Order’s leaders that their long hoped for vision could finally come to fruition. If they could get a healer to join their ranks, then they would finally have a representing body from every one of the supernatural races. Well, not a witch, those had all been killed. Okay, so they didn’t have a troll or a pixie either, Skender thought. But with a healer they’d have every kind of supernatural that mattered, he amended to himself.

Ludcarab, the King of the elves and leader of the Order, stood at the center of the room and glanced around quickly, making eye contact with everyone. The room dropped into silence.

“We have been waiting so very long for this time—our time,” the King began. “With all of the key players finally falling into place, we will soon be able to reveal ourselves to the human world. No longer will we live in the shadows.” His voice began to grow, more power flowing out of him with each word. “No longer will we worry that we might be found out and then tortured or crucified for our…lack of humanity. We aren’t human! We are so much better. Each of our species has the ability to devour the human race, and yet those humans are the ones who rule the realm of the earth. Our magic is dying because we have to suppress it, to hide it from their world. No more. Very soon we will not just walk among them but we will rule them.”

The room erupted into clapping and shouts of agreement. Each of their faces was eager with the desire Ludcarab spoke of. Skender couldn’t deny that he too wanted to be free of his bonds. If he could walk among the humans, openly, he was convinced he could find his true mate more quickly. If his wolf was allowed to hunt, to roam wild and free, then it could hunt her. It could find her. After hearing about the vampire raids and the dormants that the vamps had taken captive over the years, Skender realized something. It suddenly occurred to him that if his pack didn’t have to hide, it could be actively seeking out dormants in the light of day, much like the vampires had done secretly. How many true mates were lying in wait in human homes, unaware of what they were or to whom they belonged? It was an opportunity he couldn’t pass by. Initially his journey to the United States had been because of the pull he felt. He was sure that his true mate was there and he’d set off to find her. But the Order had found him first.

Chapter 4

“Change is hard. The results of the change aren’t necessarily bad, but going through everything that must happen in order for the change to come about—that’s hard. And sometimes terrifying.” ~Bethany

Bethany stepped into the room after several minutes of giving herself a pep talk. Jen had gone in first, said some choice words to the caged werewolf, and then marched right back out muttering something about neutering fur balls and making Christmas ornaments out of chestnuts. Bethany didn’t have a clue what any of that meant, and her attention had been quickly drawn away from Jen’s retreat when a deep voice called her name.