Luna of Mine (33 page)

“
There
are dominants who have no control over their wolves. Four years
under the leadership of a wolf who was not able to make them submit
has allowed their wolves to run wild. They will try to bait you
into a fight. Do not let them.” He pushed his power over them,
commanding their wolves’ submission and obedience and every pack
member present bared their neck to him.

“
Vasile,” Sevren, one of the younger males, addressed him. “It
is an honor to call you Alpha and an honor to support you as you
fight. We thank you, because we know you are fighting for
us.”

Alina’s heart swelled as
all of the wolves nodded and spoke up their agreement. Whether they
knew it or not, her mate had needed to hear that. She would have to
remember to thank the young wolf for being brave enough to speak
up. They started off again with Vasile and Alina at the front of
the group. Nicu, Alin, and Ion followed closely behind and then the
rest behind them.

She held tight to Vasile’s
hand as they entered the castle grounds and took in the chaos that
surrounded them. Alina had known that the dominants were out of
control, but she had not realized that it had gotten this bad.
There were wolves who could not even hold their human form
completely. Their hands were paws, and their faces were partially
phased. Some had tails; some had all their human form but were
covered in their wolf fur. Testosterone was thick in the air along
with the smell of rage, envy, and even fear. She looked up at
Vasile to see his reaction and was not surprised to see anger, but
beneath that there was sorrow. The majority of these males had been
his pack mates. They had sworn fealty to him, trusting him to help
them keep their beast in check.

“
So many will have to die today, all because
Emilian did not care that he could not make them submit. He left
them to their own devices and abandoned them to the beast that,
without their mate or an Alpha, will destroy them and all those
around them.”
Vasile’s voice had
taken on the calm, collected tone that many had mistaken for
passivity. Those who made that mistake had paid the price for their
foolishness. Those who knew him as Alpha understood that when
Vasile was calm, blood would spill, and no mercy would be
given.

Romanian Proverb #
20

Ce ti-e scris în frunte
ti-e pus!

He that is born to be
hanged shall never be drowned
. 

V
asile motioned for Ion and Nicu to step forward and then
looked down at his mate. “Do not leave their side for any reason.
Promise me this. I will not be able to focus on my fight if I am
worried for you.”

“
I give
you my word,” she answered. He could see in her eyes how
desperately she wanted to stay with him, but he could not risk
being distracted or giving Emilian and Serghei the opportunity to
use her against him. He had no doubt in Ion and Nicu’s ability to
protect her. They were both more dominant than any of the other
males present besides himself. Vasile leaned down and pressed a
firm kiss to her lips. He decided that if that was the last thing
he tasted on this earth then he could die a happy man.

“I love you,” she whispered
against his mouth.

“
And I am
so unworthy of that love, but I will take it and cherish it
always.” With one last kiss he spoke through their bond.
“I love you.”

Vasile walked away leaving
Alin to take over. It was time to get his mind fully focused on the
task at hand. His wolf was eager for the battles ahead of them and
was in no way intimidated by any of the males present. He was not
sure if his wolf was overconfident or if he truly was just that
dominant. He headed towards the front of the castle where there was
a large gathering of males. As he got closer he saw that Emilian
was actually helping direct the contenders to where they should go.
When the Alpha looked up and met Vasile’s eyes only to quickly
shift his gaze away, he realized that Emilian was not helping for
the sake of helping. He had simply been waiting around so that he
could see Vasile the moment he arrived.

Serghei stepped up next to
Emilian and raised his hands to draw the attention of the males.
“The first three challenges are already decided. Those wanting to
challenge the winners will need to go and stand next to the
fighting circle of your choice. You lose a challenge either by
submitting or death. Submissions will be allowed until the final
three challenges. At that point, victory must come at the death of
the defeated wolf.”

Vasile took one last look
at the Emilian and then marched off to the grounds where the
matches would be taking place. It was not difficult to locate. The
cheering and snarls led him straight to the south side of the
castle where three large areas roughly twenty feet apart from each
other had been marked around into designated fighting areas. Two of
the fights were already in progress and the third one was just
beginning. He walked slowly around the three circles, watching each
male battling to move onto the next round. They were in their human
forms though they could phase at any time; it was up to them. He
watched the way they moved and watched which way their eyes shifted
just before they would strike. He took note of the tells that most
warriors did not even know they had. Some would grit their teeth
just before a lunge or punch while others would flex a muscle in
his chest or neck. It was usually something they were totally
oblivious to, and yet they did it every time they started their
attack. This would be the only round where he would get to study
his opponents because once he entered into a challenge he would
stay there until he lost, which was an unacceptable
outcome.

Each of the rounds
finished quickly and all of them in submissions. That at least told
Vasile that there were some who still had control. The defeated
wolves each drug themselves from the circles while the victors
called out their next opponent. That was when he heard his
name.

“I call
Vasile Lupei!”

Vasile turned in the
direction of the shout and saw a large man standing in the furthest
circle from him. He nodded to the wolf acknowledging his acceptance
of the challenge and headed towards him. He stepped just outside
the circle because he knew once he crossed over the line the battle
would begin.

“I would like to know the
name of the man who challenges me,” he told the wolf that he did
not recognize.

“I am Ivan, Emilian’s
Beta.”

Vasile was surprised that
Emilian would allow his Beta to fight the one wolf he wanted dead
so badly. He figured that Emilian would want to kill him by his own
hand. Without another word Vasile stepped into the circle and
towards the destiny of his life with Alina and their pack. The next
hours or days would determine whether he was truly capable of being
their Alpha. It would reveal whether he was worthy of such an
honor. There were so many things that he was unsure of, but one
thing that rang true was that he knew that his heart beat, his
blood flowed, and his lungs breathed for two reasons―to love his
mate and to lead his pack. He was destined to be Alpha and not just
any Alpha, but one that would eventually see their entire race
reunited. If he was asked how he knew such a thing he would not
have an answer. As the first charge was made Vasile side stepped
his opponent and turned with lightning fast speed bringing his
elbow down on the wolf’s neck just as he passed him. Vasile heard
the crunch of bone. He had broken the man’s neck, but it was not a
killing blow. He looked down at Ivan who bared his neck to
him.

“
Do you
submit?” he asked him.

The man would have nodded
had he been capable, but no matter, Vasile could see the defeat in
his eyes. Vasile looked up and motioned for some of his wolves who
had been watching to help the wounded man from the circle. He
turned in a slow circle, taking in the crowd around him, waiting to
see who would speak up next. He would only call out two men, but
protocol demanded everyone must be challenged according to their
rank. It would be a long while until he could call out Serghei and
Emilian’s names.

Finally the next wolf
stepped forward. Vasile knew this man and hated that he now had to
fight him, all because his wolf was out of control.
So be it
, he thought as
the man attacked.

One after the other Vasile
took down his challengers. Each of them submitted to him once he
had incapacitated them. He had not kept count of how many there had
been, but it seemed they were now becoming less willing to
challenge him. Night was beginning to fall and he was waiting on
the next wolf to step forward.

“
You are
fighting well, Alpha mine.”
His mate’s
voice was like cleansing rain as her love poured into his thoughts.
She did not say more and he knew it was because she did not want to
distract him but just having that little connection renewed his
strength. That was why having a mate made a male stronger. Her
light, her love gave him something unmated males did not have―the
ability to control the wolf and focus his deadly rage. Concentrated
rage was much more powerful than out of control
chaos.

The challenges continued.
More wolves stepped forward and each one fell at his feet. Night
enveloped them, rain poured over them, and still they fought.
Vasile and his wolf were merged as one utilizing the other’s
strengths, working in harmony in a way they never had. He was
tired, but he was far from weak or impaired in any way. For the
first time since his parents’ death, he truly felt like the Alpha
he had been born to be.

It was well into the second
day when he noticed only six wolves remained left to challenge him.
These, of course, were the most dominant of the traitorous wolves,
two of which were Serghi and Emilian. From here on out, the
challenges would be either submission
or
death. Vasile fought in one
circle while Serghei and his opponent occupied the next, and past
them in the furthest circle, Emilian engaged his
opponent.

Vasile could tell a marked
difference in the wolf he faced now compared to the wolves he had
fought earlier. This wolf’s skill was much more honed and he was
faster. Regardless, he was still no match for the Alpha. In less
than fifteen minutes, the wolf was on his back
conceding.

Vasile’s muscles shook
with exhaustion and sweat coated his skin. His breathing was faster
than usual but he was not yet winded. He had only minor slashes on
his skin, most of which were already healing. Other than being
tired, he was more than ready to take on his next rival. Serghei’s
voice ringing in his head had him smiling. The wait was over, and
justice was about to be served.

A
lina’s stomach twisted as she heard the voice that she truly
never wanted to hear again.

“Vasile
Lupei, I challenge you.”

She looked over from where
she and her two guards stood. Ion had managed to secure her some
crates to stand on so that she could see because they were not
about to let her get any closer. Serghei stood at the edge of the
circle that Vasile occupied. He looked tired, and blood ran down
his arms and legs from the wounds others had managed to inflict.
Her mate, on the other hand, looked as though he could fight
another day and night without stopping for a rest. He truly amazed
her.

She watched as Vasile held
up his hand to stop Serghei from entering the circle, and then his
voice rang out strong and powerful. “Serghei, son of Sain and
Theris, brother of Sisily, I sentence you to death. You need to
know that whether or not you enter this circle you will die by my
hand. For the murder of my mate’s parents and for the violation
that you inflicted on her body and mind, I will rip you limb from
limb.” He lifted his hand and motioned for the wolf to step in, to
accept his fate.

“
And if
I kill you?” Serghei asked, still on the outside of the
circle.

“Then hell has frozen
over.”

Alina’s lips turned up
slightly at her mate’s reply, but the smile faded as soon as
Serghei moved forward. Vasile struck hard and fast. He leapt across
the circle closing the distance between them and raked his claws
down Serghei’s face. Deep gashes immediately began to gush blood,
and one split his left eye, rendering it useless. Serghei staggered
but quickly recovered and darted towards Vasile attempting to run
his own claws across the larger wolf’s abdomen. Alina was surprised
at how quick Serghei was. Both men were utilizing their wolf’s
assets without fully phasing; their punches and kicks much quicker
and more powerful than that of a human. They circled one another
and Serghei managed to land a couple of blows to Vasile’s face and
one to his stomach, but neither seemed to slow Vasile down. The
longer the fight went on the more focused he became. Meanwhile
Serghei appeared to become sloppier with each blow exchanged. His
movements were jerky and inaccurate. It was during one of those
uncoordinated punches that Vasile made his move. He grabbed
Serghei’s arm and turned quickly moving behind the wolf and
bringing the arm with him. There was an audible pop and then a
shout of pain from the man held in Vasile’s deadly hands. The rage
in Vasile’s eyes would have any smart wolf backing down, and the
power rolling off of him in waves was making it hard for everyone
to breathe. With a loud snarl, he jerked Serghei’s arm and ripped
it from the wolf’s body.