Peri and Lucian were closest to the door, and beside them stood Nissa, Disir, Gwen, and Dain, the other high fae council members. Fane hadn’t noticed that they’d flashed to the mansion until Peri had spoken to them as they entered the front door.
Peri stood straight, her shoulders pulled back and her chin raised as her gaze roamed the room. Fane wondered if she was thinking about the many times she’d met his father and his pack in this office. Was she remembering the heated words, the tears that had been shed, and the laughter that once filled the space? Her eyes snapped to his, and he appreciated that he saw no pity there. All he saw was a loss that matched his own. She tilted her head slightly, and he reciprocated the gesture.
Lucian bowed his head as if in prayer. Fane wondered what his uncle felt. He’d been in a situation before when he thought he’d never see his brother again, when Lucian had been locked in the Dark Forest. He had experienced the loss already, and now he was reliving it, only this time it was truly final.
The door to the office opened, and Rachel and Gavril stepped in. The final members of the inner circle of the group who protected the Romania pack, and the rest of the world, when it needed protection.
“Drake is doing well. He and Bethany are both sorry they could not attend,” Rachel said as she and her mate stepped farther into the room. “They mentioned that the Great Luna visited them last night, but they didn’t elaborate. They said they wanted to speak with you and Jacque after you’d had time to rest.”
“Thank you, Rachel,” Fane said, and he could hear the gruff emotion in his voice. “I appreciate you taking time to check on them. I’m sure you and your mate are exhausted.”
Rachel smiled warmly. “It’s what pack does.”
Fane’s lips lifted slightly. “Yes, it is.”
Fane glanced over to see Jen had moved to the other end of the couch where Wadim and Zara sat. She’d handed Thia’s sleeping form to Decebel and then sat with her elbows on her knees and her face resting in her hands. Her shoulders shook, and Fane heard Jen sniffle.
Jacque quickly handed Slate to Fane and hurried over to her best friend’s side. Sally still held Titus, but she looked at Jen, and deep love shone in her eyes. Jen was their solid rock. She was the one who held a vampire head up in front of a room full of supernaturals and declared she would have the head of every evil being that stood against them. Yet here she was in front of their group, unable to hold it together.
Jacque wrapped her arms around her best friend and pulled her in close. Jen went willingly and, to Fane’s shock, the usually thick-skinned female fell apart.
“I know this is ridiculous,” Jen sobbed, “but it bloody hurts. And I will not stand here and pretend that I didn’t just leave my heart out on a damn two-century-old battlefield while I watched the people I love leave us forever.”
“Nobody expects you to pretend anything, Jen,” Jacque said gently. “If you need to cry, then dammit, you cry. If you need to scream and curse, do it. We aren’t going anywhere, unless you want us to.”
“I want things to go back to the way they were,” she said through heavy tears. “I want Vasile to be here leaning on his desk with his worried brow and strong-as-hell shoulders. And I want Alina at his side, giving us all strength when we’re scared out of our minds. I want your mom to not have lost another man she loves and once again have to bear the burden of being a single parent, because being the single monarch of an entire kingdom is like being a single parent of two hundred people.”
Jacque glanced up at Fane, and her eyes filled with tears. His wolf didn’t enjoy seeing her in pain, and he knew it would be a long time until that pain lessened. They each carried a raw wound, and once healed, he knew it would likely reopen many times when memories surfaced.
“I want those things, too.” Jacque’s guilt at the admission rushed through their bond like a tidal wave of shame.
“I do not begrudge your desire to have my parents back, Luna,” Fane told her.
“I have no doubts concerning you, Fane. You’re going to be an amazing alpha. I miss them.”
“I know, love. I miss them, too.”
Jen continued to cry as Jacque held her. Decebel looked like he wanted to push Fane’s mate away and pick Jen up, but he seemed to understand that his female needed her friend.
“We are all hurting,” Fane said as he stood up straighter. “And it will be a hell of a long time before that pain eases. But we will get through this, just like we’ve gotten through all the hell we’ve faced in the past. This won’t destroy us unless we let it. And if we do that, we disgrace my parents’ memory and teachings.” He let his eyes meet the eyes of each person in the room. With every glance, the eyes of the others dropped to the floor. Not even Peri held his stare. “We will take the time the Great Luna has offered us to grieve, and we will do just that. We will mourn, lament, ache for our loss, and yes, probably cuss our current situation. But when it’s time, we will pick our asses up off the floor, and we will be ready to face those who think to stand against the Great Luna. We will not let our losses keep us from doing what is right.
“There’s more to talk about, but I’ve decided tonight is not the night. Go home, or go to your suites and rest. Take comfort in the arms of your mates. Hold your
