Meeting In The Middle

Funeral Starts At 4

It's almost 2 when Fern and I get back to the pack grounds. The ceremony is already being set up, two coffins lying side by side.

I have to concentrate on keeping the tears in. Alex and Keith, both heroes of my time, both of their deaths trails back to me. I shield my eyes from the coffins for now and grip the shopping back tightly in my hand and stride into the front door, heart beating fast.

Fern watches me with concern as I sniffle at my door.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" She seems unconvinced. I nod and back away into my room before giving her a quick hug.

"I just need some time alone to think. And prepare a speech." I say to her, then shut the door. Now that I'm alone in an empty space, I feel so empty. Now I am drowning in my thoughts, too much space to contain them. I sigh and open the shopping bag. The faster I get dressed, the more time I have for my speech.

The minutes tick by and I dreaded the speech more and more. I couldn't do this. I settle into the black dress and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My raven black locks hang down and my sharp eyeliner makes me look smarter than I actually am. Time flies and suddenly I was up on the stage.

Both heroic wolves were both amazing friends of mine that will forever live in my heart. I might have not made much conversation with them but they both have a special place in my heart. It also brings me to the guilty truth that both deaths had something to do with me. If it wasn't for me leading the SkyLiners pack here, none of this would've happened. I am truly sorry to the grief it has caused to the members of this loving pack and as
your Luna, I feel the need to apologize. Thank you.

Somehow, I managed to make it through without choking on my tears. The crowd is silent when I finish. Then someone yells out "We love you, Luna!" "It wasn't your fault!" "We are here to protect you!" "They sacrificed for the better of the pack!"

I feel overwhelmed with the comments and I look over the pack in a daze. I realize how much of a role model I am to these people. Anything I say can influence them. "Thank you." I repeat into the microphone and step down from the stage to the waiting Ryder. He wraps me in his arms and calms me down. More people step up to voice their connections with the two amazing wolves. I couldn't seem to concentrate on any of the speeches anymore. I catch Dylan in the audience but he doesn't look at me. He looks down the entire time in shame on his crutches.

It was a blur of rituals and I am back in Ryder's room sobbing hard into his T-shirt like I did this morning. He comforted me and assures that everything is fine.

"Princess, you have to move on. They're gone." Ryder whispers to me. "Let it go. I'm sure they wouldn't want you to feel guilt for the rest of your life!"

He might be right but I can't find it within me to agree with him. I quiet down and fall asleep on his warm chest.

When I wake up, the bed is empty. I shiver and slip out of bed, confused. Ryder never leaves me in the morning. I always wake up next to a beating heart, the first thing I hear in the morning.

I peek out the door and wince at the blinding light. The hallway lights are lit by the large windows on the wall. I step out cautiously and wander down the hall. I am decently dressed in jeans and a loose shirt I stole from Ryder's closet. It smelled like him. I wrap my arms around myself and head down to my room.

I enter and quietly shut the door behind me. The darkness enveloped me and I don't bother to open the curtains. I sneak into my bed, hiding under the covers. After a while of sitting in silence, I couldn't bear it anymore. I grab a sweater from my closet hooks and put it on.

I walk as slow as I could possibly walk. I drag my feet as I try to get to get to my destination. Dylan's hospital room. I dreaded it because I didn't know what to say to him. I just needed to make sure everything was okay between us. I wanted to talk to him. Even though we both got hurt by each other, we still loved each other at once. That was all we needed as an excuse to mend our broken friendship.

I seemed to reach his room in no time.

I push open the door and close it quietly behind me. I walk slowly to the chair beside his bed. He peeks at me with one open eye.

"Hey Rose." He mumbles.
"Hey." I say. "When are you getting out from the hospital room?"
"Hopefully sometime tomorrow." Dylan forces a smile. "Then I'll have to deal with making new friends."
"You're good at making friends." I tell him.

He shakes his head. "Took me a long time to fit in while I was in the other pack."

"I don't believe it."

"You know I only got popular there because of the girls. They only liked me for my looks." He says, avoiding my eyes. I reach for his hand and he doesn't try to pull away.

"You're worth so much more." I bite my lip. "The people here will love you."

He shrugs and lies his head back on the pillow.

"I'll let you get some rest." I look at his tired face. I stand up and turn to leave.

"Thanks for everything, Rosella." He says with sincerity.

I give him one last smile and leave the room to be greeted by a smirking Ryder. I raise an eyebrow at his content expression. He holds up two tickets in my face and I am left with my mouth hanging open.

I snatch the tickets away from his hand and take a closer look in disbelief.

"No way!" I'm lightheaded at the news. I leap into his arms and laugh with joy. He holds me with his strong and firm arms.

"Yes, Princess. I'm taking you to Italy."