“We arranged everything as soon as we got off the phone with Cynthia. The other packs have been moved to the far side of the mansion, opposite all of the pack rooms. I can go back now and make sure all is clear,” Skender told her.

“Dillon you must go with Skender.”

Dillon started to argue, but Peri cut him off. “This is not the Vasile that you know. He will not care that you are an Alpha, or that you are Jacque’s father. Give them time to sort out the situation and once it’s safe you can see Jacque.”

Dillon did not look happy about it, but he refrained from growling.

Chapter 16

“We all have our dark secrets. The things we keep hidden in the shadows of the closet that we keep eight different types of locks on. We feel certain that if anyone knew those secrets then there would be no way we could be worthy of their love. We would be outcast. So, we hold tight to those secrets, letting them eat us like a disease, slowly devouring our self-confidence and sense of worth. The saddest part to all of this is that there is a simple cure for this disease; trust. Trust the ones you hold dearest to your heart to love you no matter what, for it is by that love that you are redeemable.” ~ Cynthia

Peri waited until the two males were out of sight before she turned back to the pack. She motioned, and slowly Vasile started towards her and the others fell in step behind him. They moved slowly, cautiously, their eyes darting around and their ears twitching. Peri felt like they were walking a tight rope and at any moment one of them was going to fall off, but instead of plummeting to their death they would cause someone else’s.

Peri glanced over at Adam once they had finally reached her. “How are you holding up, Adam?” The question held none of the usual snarkiness that was common from Peri, but showed true concern for her brethren.

Adam looked tired and tense. She could see that his fingers twitched with the need to reach out and touch Crina and it was killing him that he couldn’t.

“I’m dealing,” he finally told her.

“Good enough,” Peri nodded. She turned around and faced the pack mansion and, with a nod of finality, took a step forward. “Let’s do this,” she said and motioned for the others to follow.

When they reached the door Peri let out a deep breath and found that her hand was shaking. She snorted to herself. The unflappable Peri shaking in her boots¸ she thought. Without further hesitation, she pressed the latch on the door handle and pushed it open. She stepped inside and said a silent prayer. The mansion looked like a ghost town. The foyer was empty, as were the stairs, and the railing above that looked over the living area. She walked further in so that the wolves and Adam could come inside.

Vasile walked slowly into the mansion and it angered him that he was afraid to step into his own home. Not afraid for his life, but for the lives of others. Somewhere inside of him, he knew that things weren’t as dangerous as he thought it to be, but his wolf urged him to get away from the others. If they were alone with their mates, then they could relax, and think about the other imminent problems. They wouldn’t be worried about keeping others away from their mates. He sniffed around, his lips curled back at the unfamiliar scents, but then he caught the scent of his mate and knew that it was because this was a hallway that Alina walked daily. He followed it, not bothering to check to see if the Fae was following him so that she could open the door. Vasile reached their room and finally turned to see if he had been followed. Much to his relief, Peri was right behind him. She reached passed him to the door, turned the knob and pushed the door open. Vasile trotted inside and then pushed the door closed with his hind leg.

“You’re welcome,” Peri snapped. She turned and looked down the hall, watching as each mated pair stood in front of their rooms. Even Decibel, Jen, Costin, and Sally still had rooms in the mansion. She walked down the hall, one by one opening the doors. All except for Adam and Crina’s, he was able to handle that one on his own. Peri stood in the now empty hall, and for a single breath, she felt lost. She didn’t know what she should do, what her next move was to be. She knew that she couldn’t break Mona’s curse on her own. But, the curse would have to be broken if the women were ever to invite the touch of their mates. That left only one choice, and though she knew Vasile would likely not like it, he would just have to get over it if he wanted his mate healed.

Cynthia quickly phased back into her human form as she stood in Crina’s closet. They were close enough to the same size that she was able to borrow some clothes. She knew that she needed to move fast to get each of the women in dry clothes and warmed up. It was likely going to be an unpleasant experience as she dealt with the snarling mates, but then such was the life as a Canis lupus—never a dull moment. And, apparently never a moment when one’s life wasn’t in danger. She grabbed some loose yoga type pants and a t-shirt and made her way out of the closet to see Adam sitting in a chair next to the bed where Crina lay. The pain she saw on his face was heartbreaking. Cynthia could see that the Great Luna had not spared the bond between Fae and wolf; it was every bit as strong as between two wolves. She moved cautiously towards the bed, deciding it was best to treat Adam as she would a dominant mated wolf. He was just as deadly as the males of her race and very possessive.

“Adam,” she said softly. “I need to get her into dry clothes.”

Adam looked over at her. His eyes had the remnants of shed tears.

“I know you don’t want her to be touched, but it’s for her safety.” Cynthia continued to take slow steps towards the bed, bracing herself for an attack that could come at any moment. She felt encouraged when she made it to the bed safely, though Adams eyes never left her. She talked to Crina as she touched her, reassuring her that she wasn’t going to hurt her. It was a struggle as Crina fought her and Adam threatened her, but after nearly thirty minutes she finally had the she wolf in dry clothes. Cynthia made her way to the door only glancing back at the mated pair once. Adam was whispering to Crina and she had rolled towards the sound of his voice. It was a heart breaking sight.

Cynthia made her next stop Jen and Decebel’s room. She needed to see how Jen was doing and make sure there were no problems with their baby. She knocked on the door and heard a low growl. Decebel had apparently decided to stay in his wolf form, probably because it allowed him contact with his mate. She pushed the door open very slowly. “Decebel, it’s Cynthia,” she told him, unnecessarily, since he would recognize her scent. No lights had been turned on in the room, which wasn’t a concern for Cynthia because she could see just fine. However, it did make her feel better when facing an unstable wolf to have any and all shadows revealed by the light. So she flipped the switch and squinted briefly while her eyes adjusted. She saw that Decebel was curled up on the bed next to Jen who had her fists entangled tightly in his fur. Cynthia had decided that the best way to deal with Decebel was to be matter of fact. Leave no room for argument with him.