Once Upon a Wolf

Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

I crossed my arms as I followed a few pack members to the ritual. The forest laid under the silver glow of the waning moon, a tranquil but haunting scene. My fingers tidied my black dress that hung just above my knees after almost tripping over a tree's root. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to wear heels walking in the middle of the forest? But this was a funeral I was supposed to be attending.

The hushed wolves dripped with melancholy. Their heads bowed with drooped shoulders as they journeyed to the clearing.

I spotted Willow and her mate, Clarke, a short distance in front. His left arm draped around her slouched shoulders. Beside them walked Alice. Her hands wrapped around Brett's left biceps. His face unreadable, as always. Alice and I weren't the same. I couldn't help but think she avoided me like a stranger. She turned her head to whisper in Brett's ear and glanced behind at me. She jerked up a brief smile but looked away. I winced. I felt the urge to run up and join her. To talk to her since we couldn't all day. But my wolf inside prevented it — holding me back. I suppose it was a good thing. 

She didn't try... why should I, either? The realization added to the somber moment. It felt like another death... a death of a friendship.

I hugged myself tighter as I walked alone.

By the time I reached the secluded clearing, it was crowded with the wolves of the Moonstone pack. I stayed behind in the shadows, feeling completely odd amongst them during their time of grief.

In the centre of the clearing, a makeshift altar had been created. A circle of stones surrounded a small pyre, upon which rested the body of Alpha Lincoln, who had succumbed to a long and painful illness. His massive form was still and peaceful, shrouded in a cloak woven from leaves and wildflowers. The pack members circled around the fallen alpha; their heads bowed in respect with doleful eyes. I watched the strange ritual with curiosity, something I've never witnessed before.

The twins stood beside Faye, protecting and comforting their mother, who had lost her mate. Her eyes swollen from all the tears she shed. I breathed in deep as my eyes drifted to Maddox next to them. Even in his grief, he looked striking. His eyes serious and face hard like stone with Savina close behind him, resting her hand against his mid-back that made my upper lip curl. I could see his shoulders turn rigid as he moved forward with a determined step to the middle of the clearing. Thank goodness Savina stayed in her spot. It would've annoyed the wolf out of me if she stepped up with him like a dutiful girlfriend. For all I knew, she was his. I shook my head at the absurd thought. All eyes turned to Maddox in the woeful silence.

His eyes, sharp blue that masked pain, scanned the gathered Moonstone pack. I stared at Maddox, holding it together. He was next in line to be alpha, and he had a duty to fulfil. A responsibility he had to uphold.

He spoke and everyone listened, including me.

"We gather tonight beneath the watchful eye of the moon, as we have for countless generations, to honor one of our own," he began, his voice commanding, carrying over the solemn silence that enveloped the clearing. "To bid farewell to our beloved Alpha Lincoln... My father."

I could see him swallow thickly. It was a strange feeling. It was like I could somehow feel his pain as if it were my own. I shimmied the oddness away. This abrupt tugging feeling towards him was getting weird.

"He was a leader of strength and wisdom, a guardian of our pack's traditions and values. His courage in the face of battles and his unwavering dedication to our kind will forever go down in history." Maddox's severe gaze landed on me through the crowd, and my heart suddenly stood still while the wolves around the circle nodded in agreement. His left eye twitched, and I blinked away.