Thad made an “oh” motion with his mouth.
"We don't have to worry about the bond. Though I'm convinced they are mates, there were no mating signs," he told her.
"Excellent. So the only wolf who can find her can't remember her." Mona wiped her hands together as if to clean dirt off them. "That takes care of one mate."
"What of the others?" Thad asked.
"Vasile will have his most trusted wolves looking for the Beta's mate. That means they will be out from under the protection of the pack. Susceptible. It will give me time to work on some special spells for our little prince." She grinned wickedly.
Thad shivered. "You give me the creeps sometimes."
"That's too bad. I was going for warm fuzzies with all the cursing and killing." Mona waved him off. "Give me the name of the Beta and his mate and then be quiet."
"Decebel and Jen," Thad told her as he resumed his position against a tree.
Once again, Mona reached out for the life force. Specifically, she sought out the one full of confusion. As soon as she felt him, his strife, confusion, pain, and anger rolled over her.
"There you are, little wolf," she muttered. Focused on the Beta, she began.
"Earth, water, wind and fire,
Heed me now, fulfill my desire.
Follow the curse given this day,
Continue to bind with what I say.
Decebel, Beta, Mate to Jen,
Though he is, strong as ten,
Unravel what their fate has wove,
Should he seek her, let him rove.
No bond will master what I've wrought,
No mate he'll find if she's sought.
Earth, water, wind and fire,
Go now, fulfill my desire.”
Evil smiles stretched across Mona's and Thad's lips when moments later they heard a howl so full of pain it made the hairs on their arms stand up.
Chapter 3
Decebel closed his eyes and tried to tune out the pack mates around him. There was something on the wind – like a whisper. Using his wolf's hearing, he listened intently.
There.
There it was – a chant of some sort. The only words he could decipher were something like, “binding memories,” and then he heard Fane's name. At that moment, Decebel felt his wolf push forward, a primal need to protect their Prince propelling him ahead. Thunder rolled across the sky. Before his human mind could even think, Decebel leaped in front of Fane. A supernatural bolt of light hit Decebel in the chest.
Darkness consumed him. The lights went out.
Fane watched as his Beta, who had just jumped in front of him, fell to the ground. Sorin, Fane, and Skender all took up defensive positions, looking into the dark night, searching for the enemy.
"Sorin, what happened to him?" Fane called out.