head and then continued, “Then it’s because of her wolf. She’s grieving the loss of her alphas. The bond between the alpha pair and the pack is as unique as the bond between true mates, though different, of course. Every member of the pack will grieve differently. You are pack, but you don’t have a wolf inside of you that is attached to its pack leaders.” He paused and seemed to look Adam over again. “But you do have that bond with your mate, and you are taking on the physical weight of her mourning. I didn’t notice it yesterday. But it’s more than that,” Lucian said softly, mostly to himself it seemed.
“I didn’t either,” Decebel admitted. As beta, he should have realized something was wrong. Over the past few months, the majority of the pack that didn’t live in the mansion had stayed in their own homes. Fane and Jacque had met with every pack member, checking on them, ensuring they were dealing with their grief in a healthy manner, especially for their wolves. Even now, Decebel could feel the bond to his new alpha. Fane loved their pack. He always had. Vasile had taught him from a very young age what it meant to be the alpha.
Since Fane had taken on the pack bonds, there had been a steady pulse of power being sent out through the bond to every wolf in their pack. As Decebel stared at Adam, he wondered if maybe the bond between him and Fane was different, perhaps not quite as strong because what tied Adam to the pack was Crina. There was no beast in Adam to be connected to Fane’s wolf. “Lucian,” he said, turning to look at him. “How is Peri doing?”
“She has good days and bad,” Lucian admitted.
“And you, your wolf?” Decebel asked.
“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.
“Can he help 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