Just One Drop

He'd felt that if he didn't get her things and her scent from their room he was going to kill someone, no doubt about it. One of those pups would have died that night. Thankfully, they had been somewhat intelligent and immediately submitted. When Decebel questioned them about how they had gotten Jennifer's things they had told him about how a suitcase had fallen out of a window from the mansion. Being stupid twenty somethings, they saw women's lingerie and just had to check it out…. Stupid young wolves.

Decebel had somewhat calmed down before he returned the suitcase to Jennifer's room, but he hadn't really been prepared to run into her. He had to say, though, that seeing her alone – or without other males around her, rather – calmed his wolf down immensely. It was something else he didn't want to examine. After all, why should she calm his wolf? There were no mating signs.

The Beta let out a low growl as he entered his room and headed for the shower. He had to stop thinking about her, it was only ticking him off. He called the twenty somethings stupid, but at the moment he made them look like geniuses.

Decebel walked into Vasile's office. A large screen had been set up for the video conference with the other pack Alphas. Vasile was sitting at his desk and Fane and Skender were sitting directly in front of the screen.

"Fane, what time did Sorin say he would be returning with the girls?" Vasile asked his son.

Decebel watched curiously as Fane's head snapped up. "He didn't," he ground out.

"Well, what club did they say they were going to?" Vasile continued, very obviously ignoring Fane's irritation.

"They didn't say."

Decebel smelled the lie Fane had just spoken and that was enough to tell him something was going on.

"Excuse me, Alpha, but when you say Sorin and the girls, do you mean -"

Vasile cut him off before he could finish. "Jen, Jacque, and Sally, of course."

Decebel felt his wolf perking up and had he been in wolf form his hackles would have risen. "You say they went to a club?"

"Yes. Sorin said they came to him and begged him to take them out for a girls' night. Something about getting Jen and Sally hooked up with – I think they used the words 'hot Romanian mojo', or some nonsense.” Vasile rolled his eyes. “You know how those three talk. It's like a foreign language all on its own."

Decebel had stopped listening after the words “hooked up,” and before he realized what he was doing he was headed for the exit.

"Decebel, stop." Vasile's voice dripped with authority and Decebel had no choice but to freeze. His Alpha had given an order and used his power. Decebel could not disobey.

"Alpha, you have to know those three are going to get themselves into some sort of trouble. They are like magnets for mayhem," Decebel tried to reason with his Alpha. He felt Vasile's power ease up and he was able to turn and face the other wolves. He made eye contact with Fane and growled. "You knew this was their plan and still you let your mate go?"

Fane chuckled. "Wait until you have a mate, brother, then tell me how you let her do things or don't let her do things, and while you're sharing I'll laugh as you are pulling her shoe out of your ass."

Decebel was not amused, and even though he understood that being mates was a partnership there had to be times when, as her protector, you had to put your foot down.

"Sorin will watch the girls and keep them safe. I have complete confidence in him," Vasile placated. "If after the conference with the Alphas you still feel the need to go corral them then you have my blessing, and my sympathy."

Decebel relented and took a seat in one of the chairs next to the couch. Just as he sat down the screen lit up and there were four men each in their own little square looking back at them. Decebel was quite surprised to see Dillon Jacobs, Jacque's father, among them.

"Did you know he would be in on this?" Decebel whispered to Fane.

Fane shook his head. "I'm as clueless as you."

Vasile walked from around his desk and stood behind the couch. He was Alpha and he would not sit in the presence of another Alpha, even if over a computer screen.

"Dillon, how are you doing?" Vasile asked Jacque's father.

"I'm doing well, Vasile. Thank you for asking." Dillon looked at Fane. "Fane, how are you and your new mate?"

"We are doing very good," Fane told him. Neither Fane, Vasile, or Dillon mentioned that Fane's new mate was Dillon's daughter. If the other Alphas did not know, it wasn't something they could potentially use against Dillon's or Vasile's pack. Though it was a sad way to live, packs could be very volatile between one another. Wolves were cunning and always looking for a way to have the upper hand.

"I would like to introduce the members of my pack that are present," Vasile told the Alphas.

Pointing to each wolf as he spoke, he announced, "This is Decebel, my Beta." Decebel gave a single nod in acknowledgment of the other Alphas. Not disrespectful, but neither was he conceding their dominance over him. Truth be known, Decebel could be Alpha of his own pack – he was more than dominant enough. But events in his life and his loyalty to Vasile had shaped his choices, leading him to where he was now.

"This is Fane, my son and heir," Vasile continued. "And this is Skender. He is among my top four wolves."

When Vasile finished his introductions then each man on the screen introduced himself. There was Dragomir from Hungary, Thad from Serbia, Victor from Bulgaria, and Dillon from the United States.

Introductions complete, Vasile and his wolves waited for one of the four Alphas to explain why they had called a conference.

"I realize it is not common practice for us to meet this way, Vasile, but the other Alphas and I are concerned about the continuation of our species," Dragomir explained. "You see, it has been over a decade since any of my wolves have found a mate. It has been half a decade since any children have been born. We are becoming a dying species."

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Vasile took a step forward, arms crossed, and looked at each Alpha briefly before he spoke. "You have obviously come up with some sort of plan if you have called this meeting. What is this plan to help our species survive?"

This time it was Thad who spoke up. "After discussing it with Dragomir I decided to do some digging into our pack archives and see if there was any documentation that might help." Thad's words began to pick up speed as he shared what he had discovered.