Adam rolled his eyes at the nickname she had no doubt picked up from the American girls.
Peri left them staring after her as she headed once again into the Transylvanian Alps.
Chapter 7
“If you think the life of a Canis lupis historian is interesting, you would be wrong. No offense, but seriously? Sitting, waiting on your Alpha to send you data to archive gets old really quickly. Going through ancient archives and converting them to digital; format? Boring! Some days I think stabbing myself in the eye with a spoon would be more interesting, so you can imagine my excitement at having the Great Luna appear. I’ll remember next time not to get excited until after she tells me what she wants.” ~Wadim
Wadim laughed as he read the latest t-shirt his sister had sent to him. This one was probably not something to wear around the pups – not that there were any in their pack. He frowned at that thought.
“Historians do it over and over and over…” he read the shirt aloud, smiling at the slight jab she was adding to the sexual innuendo. They continually argued over the fact that history was doomed to repeat itself. Her argument was that people change and, therefore, history had to change. His argument was, “I’m the historian and I know more than you”. She always growled when he threw that one at her. He folded the shirt haphazardly and laid it on the end of his desk, amongst the many papers and files. He had been working on getting the most recent happenings of their pack into the database. Vasile had been adamant about recording the reappearance of the gypsy healers, and the dormants being mated to full-bloods. Wadim was trying to keep events up to date in the system and continue to work on finding archives that pertained to the current crisis. The older archives were still in paper form, which made the job very time-consuming. He was operating on very little sleep and knew that he needed rest. Having his eyes cross at the computer screen due to exhaustion wasn’t exactly conducive to accurate record keeping.
He checked his watch and saw that it was only 6pm. Bedtime or not, he was going to fall asleep at his desk or his bed, wherever he landed.
“The bed it is,” he spoke into the empty room, heading for his quarters.
He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Wadim knew that he was still asleep even as he sat up on the edge of his bed. Looking around, he realized he wasn’t in his room. The room he was in was illuminated with a soft light that seemed just bright enough to keep darkness dancing several feet away. He stood and turned in a circle, looking around him. The walls were stone grey and all around there were sconce lights. In between each sconce was a picture of a wolf, or group of wolves. Wadim could tell by the sheer size of them that they weren’t natural wolves. These were Canis lupis. There was a large, round, deep purple rug in the center of the room. A glass table was on the rug and around the table was various chairs, including a love seat and a chaise lounge.
He took a step forward, toward a white, wing-backed chair. The air rippled around him and caressed his face gently. He looked for a window or door, something that would have brought the breeze. He once again turned in a full circle. Standing behind him where the bed had been was a beautiful woman. She was tall and had long white hair that glowed with a soft halo of light. Her eyes were also white, no pupils, and seemed to glow with the same light. She had a straight nose and full, pink lips that were turned up in a soft smile. A shimmering cloak shifted from silver to purple with her movements.
Wadim watched in awe as she walked toward him, although with the grace that she moved it was more like gliding. He couldn’t look away as he waited for her to speak. When she finally did, her voice was a soothing balm that eased every worry and quieted every busy thought.
“Welcome, Wadim, keeper of the knowledge of the Romanian pack, child of mine.”
Wadim wasn’t sure if he should bow, kneel, or kiss her hand. He didn’t know the protocol for meeting the Great Luna, for he was sure that it was her that stood before him
“A simple ‘hello’ will do, keeper.” Her laugh was a musical chime that brought a smile to his face.
“You can read my mind?” He asked tentatively.
“Of course. I created you; I know everything about you,” she told him.
Wadim ran a hand across his face with a small groan. “Man, that cannot be good.”
Again with the musical laugh. “I have not brought you here to discuss your own life, Wadim. Not yet, anyway. There are bigger happenings going on in your world, bigger than any one being of any one species.”
She motioned for Wadim to take a seat and she took the one across from him.
“I have been petitioned by one of the great Fae, Perizada. She has come to me on behalf of the wolves, my wolves. How much do you know about the situation unfolding in your world?”
“I’ve been recording all the recent events but haven’t had much time to talk with Vasile. He's been helping Decebel get the Serbian pack reorganized.”
Wadim spoke of his pack as if she knew them; he figured she must since she was the one who created them.
“Much has happened since the battle between the witch and my wolves. Desdemona is on the move. She is seeking out an ancient evil horde to release on your realm and she has been pursuing the one being that has the knowledge to open the Veil in order to allow that evil to cross over. Now she has found him. As of right now he has not decided if he will help her. His heart is not yet consumed with evil. There is still good deep within him – good that needs just a tiny light to pierce through the darkness that is attempting to overshadow him.
“Desdemona holds a great temptation before him, though whether she can deliver what she promises has not yet been determined. Perizada of the Fae has been a great friend to my wolves and long continued the task I set before her. The others of her race have grown complacent and comfortable in the peace they have enjoyed for so long. I will not allow them to sit comfortably behind their Veil while the human realm is destroyed.”
Wadim listened attentively, feeling her passion and love for her creations, and even those that she did not create.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“I am going to stir things up a bit,” she answered, with what could only be described as a smile full of mischief. “I have decided that I can create a situation that will be good for all concerned. My wolves are dwindling in numbers due to the lack of true mates. This was of my own doing, for which I am truly sorry. When I saw the destruction they were bringing amongst themselves I made it very difficult to procreate and, over time, this has caused a population with too few females. The tide is turning. My wolves are beginning to gather themselves once again. The love of the half-blood mate of the prince, the fierce faithfulness of the dormant, and the pure heart of the healer are bringing a new era to the Canis lupis species. Because of this, I am going to help my wolves replenish their numbers. I will bless them with offspring that will bring joy to their packs and I will unite them with another supernatural species.” She paused as Wadim processed all that she was saying. “My wolves need mates. Since their creation I have only allowed them to mate within their own species. I cannot allow them to mate with full-blooded humans and form true mate bonds, of course, because the humans lack magic. However, I can make it possible for another magical species to become compatible.”
“Fae,” Wadim whispered in fascination.
“Correct, keeper. I will make the Fae compatible true mates to the Canis lupis. The bond will be no less intense than if it were two wolves. Their combined magic will create the bond between their souls. The mating between the two species will force the Fae to come out of hiding. Despite their laziness, they are still very loyal to their own kind and will not leave one to face peril on his or her own. I will start with two from your pack because of the faithfulness that the Romanian Alpha and his wolves have shown me. I want you to be the one to share this information with Vasile and Decebel. These two Alphas have proven their loyalty to their species and to me. They will determine who else deserves to know this information.”