“He is a man of integrity,” he told her. “Just from what he said to us today in regards to the changes that will be made and the help he will be sending shows me his character. He will not go against my wishes, but then he might be stubborn enough to move the pack headquarters to our little village until he can claim her.”
“One thing I do know for certain, my love,” Georgeta said through a yawn. “He will not leave her until she opens their bond back up.”
Petre chuckled. “I do not think I have ever seen our Alina so angry as she was today. She was truly a sight to behold. If she had been holding a switch in her hand, I do believe she would have tanned his hide with it.”
“From what I understand, you both deserved tanned hides.”
“We might have been a tad inconsiderate of her desires,” he started but was interrupted by his mate.
“A tad inconsiderate? That is like saying when you phase to your wolf you are a tad hairy. I would caution you, mate, not to use those words when you apologize to your daughter for being a tad inconsiderate. I have a sneaky suspicion that if you do then she will give you a tad of her own mind.”
“We had good intentions, Georgeta,” Petre argued.
“Good intentions are about as useful as teats on a bull. They are there hanging out in all their glory without the ability to produce anything useful.”
Romanian Proverb # 8
Ce naste din pisicã soareci mãnâncã.
It must be a diamond that cuts a diamond.
“Alpha, not to cause offense,” Ion said from the seated position on the log, “but it has been three days since your female closed the bond, and she still has not spoken to you. Perhaps giving her some space should be considered.”
Vasile bit back the retort he wanted to fling at his third. He had no right to berate one of his own for being honest with him. It was true. Alina refused to speak to him not only that but she refused to even look at him. That, of course, was when he could even find her. She was very good at slipping past him when his attention was elsewhere. Ion was also correct in encouraging him to go home. There was much that needed to be dealt with now that he had spoken to the pack members, and he could not put it off for much longer.
“I am sending you and Nicu back,” he told them. He made a motion with his hand when they started to argue. “I need you to be my eyes and ears while I am absent. Even though we have had a good response from the pack, that does not mean that there are none who are unhappy. With the changing of the guard, so to speak, there are always a few who might attempt to take advantage of the upheaval that such a change brings. I need to be able to squelch any possible uprisings before they happen, and I cannot do that if I do not know about them.”
“How long until you follow?” Nicu asked.
Vasile ran his hand over his face and mentally noted that he needed to shave. He tried to think then of the last time he had taken a dip in the river and decided that the reason Alina was avoiding him was because of his lack of hygiene as of late. That reason was more tolerable than the truth. “A few more days and I will return,” he finally answered.
He watched as the two warriors phased and immediately headed off for home. Part of him truly wished he was going with them but not without his mate. He growled knowing that in a few days that is exactly what he would be doing. He had to mend what he had broken before then. Unfortunately, he did not have much, or any, experience in dealing with upset females.
“She still will not speak to you?” Petre asked as he walked over to the edge of the forest where Vasile stood.
“I do not really blame her. I did not consider her feelings when I started discussing her future with you. I was so concerned with you hearing what I had to say and submitting to me that I did not bother to hear what she had to say.”
Petre patted his back in a fatherly gesture, and Vasile swallowed down the pain at the reminder of the loss of his own father. “It will not be the first time you forget to consider her when you want so badly to protect her and keep her with you. The males of our race tend to have tunnel vision when it comes to our mates.”
“Do you have any advice?” Vasile asked with a desperation that he normally would not have shown to another male, but he could not hide it, not at this point. The chuckle that came from the other male did not incite a whole lot of confidence.
“Honestly, all you can do is apologize. Make sure she knows that you are sincere. They always know when you are just blowing smoke up their skirts.”
“Noted,” Vasile said with a slight smile. As Alina’s father walked away leaving him to his thoughts, he began to formulate a plan. It was a complete act of desperation. And if ever asked by any of his pack mates if it was true that he went crawling to his future mother-in-law to ask for help to get back in his mate’s good graces, he would deny it to his grave. It was probably a long shot anyway. He had a feeling that Alina inherited her stubbornness not just from her father.
Alina was struggling to stay away from him. Every time she saw him, even just out of the corner of her eye, she argued with her wolf not to run to him and tell him she was sorry for closing their bond. She had not done anything wrong, and yet she felt like she was the one being punished. She tried to just continue to go about her daily chores, though she did at times alter her route in order to avoid seeing him. The day before, she had met Sisily at their usual spot by the river and explained everything that had happened. It had made her mad all over again until Sisily started laughing over the lion-like roar that Vasile had let out. She told Alina that they actually heard it at her own house, which in turn made Alina laugh. It was much needed humor after several emotional days.
That morning she had a slight panic attack when she caught the two wolves that had been with Vasile leaving in their wolf forms heading back towards the main village and to the castle. From the side of the cottage, she had searched frantically for a sign of Vasile with the pair but then saw him standing with her father on the far edge of the forest. It was then that she realized there was no way she could let him leave without opening their bond back up. The separation already was like a knife in her chest with every breath. She could not continue on like this, and―even if she wanted to―her wolf was not going to put up with it much longer. She wanted the connection to their mate, and she was ready to make her human half submit to get it. It was the first time Alina could ever remember her wolf attempting to take control. Usually it was the other way around.
“How are you doing?” her mother asked as she joined her pulling down the dry clothes from the line.
She nearly laughed at the timing of the question. Just as she was about to cave, her mother comes to inquire of how she was holding out. Georgeta had actually agreed with Alina and told her that she needed to set the precedent now that she would not be dictated to and walked upon. Alphas were notorious for being over protective, especially of their mates. Her mom had explained that it was not that they meant to be disrespectful or thoughtless, they genuinely thought that whatever it was they were doing in order to protect their mate was the right thing, regardless of how their female felt.
“Honestly?” Alina asked.
“No, dear one, I would prefer you lie to me,” her mother retorted.
Alina grinned. “Perhaps you should spend time with Vasile so that he can see where I get my nerve from.”