“I’m not sure exactly, but I know who does.”
Jeff pulled out his phone and flipped through his contacts until he found the name he was looking for. Vasile. He dialed and waited for the line to connect.
It was only two rings before his call was answered.
“Hello?” A deep voice answered from the other end.
“This is Jeff Stone of the Coldspring pack and I’m calling to speak with Vasile.”
There was a pause on the line, some scuffling, and then a new voice came on.
“This is Skender, I’m Vasile’s fourth. Vasile is a little tied up at the moment. Is his regarding the call of the packs?” Skender asked.
Jeff let out a deep breath. “Yeah, about that, what exactly does it mean?”
“The moon stone is the way the Great Luna calls the wolves to her. We are being summoned to come.”
“Come where?” Jeff asked.
“Close your eyes, Jeff Stone, of the Coldspring pack and focus.” Skender’s voice was deep and soft as he spoke to the Alpha.
Jeff closed his eyes and listened. He felt it deep in his soul and could hear her voice like a gentle whisper of wind against his flesh.
“Carpathian Mountains,” Jeff muttered under his breath.
“Very good,” Skender answered. “Your pack is young and you wouldn’t have known what to do, but the others will know. If she is calling them to the Carpathian Mountains then they need permission to be in Vasile’s territory, which means you will come to the pack mansion.” Skender gave Jeff the information that he would need to get to the Romanian pack headquarters and then explained the rest of what it meant to be called.
“The moon stone isn’t just a call to gather,” Skender said. “It is a call to arms. There is a threat to her creation and she is rallying the troops, so to speak. Obviously, you can’t bring your entire pack. There are twelve packs in various places around the world and to have them all together in one place, would be not be wise. So, you are to bring yourself and your top three. You may bring your mate as well, but the top three must leave their mates with your pack. This is not a vacation, Alpha.” Skender’s voice grew more serious. “There are things going on of which you are unaware, but you will be soon enough. Get on the first plane here. Do not waste time.” There was a pause and then in a formal tone Skender spoke. “For the pack.”
“For the pack,” Jeff answered, automatically.
Jeff ended the call with Skender, and then looked over to his Beta and the other two at the top of his pack.
“We’re going to Romania. Get packed. I’ll explain on the way.”
Q
Denver, Colorado
Dillon stood next to his assistant Colin, along with his Beta, Lee, and his other top two wolves. Dalton, and Aidan. They were just about to board the plane when they felt it.
“Wadim said this would come,” Dillon explained, softly.
Lee looked over to his Alpha; the line of his mouth was tight giving his face a severe appearance.
“We’ve never been called before Dillon, in fact, though we’ve learned about the moon stone in our history, it’s never been used.”
“Well, it’s being used now,” Aidan spoke up and though he was usually the most light hearted of Dillon's wolves, tonight, with the call of the moon and the information Dillon had shared, he was as focused and intense as his pack mates.
As their ticket numbers were called to board the plane, Dillon looked each of his wolves in their eyes, waiting as one by one they lowered them.
“Remember what I told you. We were created for such a time as this. The Great Luna needs us, our pack mates need us, the world needs us, and so we go.”
They spoke as one, when they answered their Alpha.
“For the pack.”
Q
Vratsa Province, Bulgaria
“They’re all coming.” Wadim stood next to Skender, peering out into the crisp spring afternoon. Winter continued to hang on like a claw, refusing to relent to Spring, whose time had already come.
“They should begin arriving with in a few days,” Skender answered.
“What the hell are we going to do if Vasile and the others aren’t back by then?”
Skender looked over at the historian, and longtime friend. He chuckled briefly at the shirt Wadim wore, it said: Save a garden, eat a rabbit. Then the smile faded as his eyes met Wadim’s.
“We fight.” Skender’s words reverberated in the quiet room. “And we have to assume they won’t be. We must prepare for the worst.”