I Dare You

three

IT WAS HARD to stop Pete from sobbing. He was upset about our father leaving, everyone could feel his loss. All morning there had been nothing but talk of my fathers betrayal. He left his pack. An Alpha leaving his pack was unheard of and no one knew what to do. I was furious with him.

How could he do this today of all days? Today should be about her, but instead of mourning the loss of their Luna, my mother, they're mourning the loss of the betrayer.

I look forward without shedding a single tear for him or my mother. My hair has been tamed and held back by a headband that matches the itchy black fabric of my dress. Pete stands next to me in his dark suit, holding my hand. Someone had tried to brush through his golden hair, the same golden hair of my mothers, but gave up and left it as it was. His blue eyes are puffy and pink, and his tears have not had a chance to dry on his round face because more keep flowing down it. Uncle Leo stands off to the side, fixing the poinsettias nervously as the rest of the pack files into the room.

They sit in stiff chairs that have been positioned in rows with a single aisle in the middle. All of the chairs sit facing us and as the pack starts to fill them, I grow increasingly uncomfortable at the amount of eyes on me. I recognize some of the people as they walk in, but most of them are strangers. Being the Alphas kid, not many people would have approached me in fear that they would say or do something wrong and be punished.

I notice that Gregory Porter enters and walks his family to the very first row, sitting down in the chair that makes him directly in front of me. He takes a puff of his cigar and then rests his hand on his knee. Gregory Porter had just joined our pack not that long ago. I heard my father tell my mother that he used to be an Alpha, but his pack had been killed while he was away with his wife. His wife sat beside him, but the two didn't seem to match. Her long reddish hair encircled her round face, and her eyes were too kind to be the eyes of Gregory Porters wife. Their sons, on the other hand, look very much like their father except for one who more closely resembled his mother. The three of them sit in the uncomfortable chairs and stare at Peter and I annoyed. I can tell that they're all of different ages, but the oldest one stares at me a bit too hard.

I don't have time to scowl at him because Uncle Leo steps up in front of me, breaking my eye contact.

"Welcome everyone. I would like to thank you all for coming to mourn my late sister and give your condolences to my niece and nephew. I'm sure you've all heard by now that my brother-in-law, our Alpha, has left. And as much as that saddens me, we do not have to worry. Our very loyal and capable Beta will be stepping up and taking his rightful place as our Alpha." Uncle Leo announces this to the entire congregation of people.

I think my jaw drops to the floor when I hear this. Gregory Porter cannot be our new Alpha. I take a step forward to protest this, but Pete's small hand yanks me back. Gregory Porter stands from his seat and walks up to Uncle Leo.

"Thank you Leopold." Uncle Leo retreats back to where he was before he shared this terrible news. Gregory Porter puffs on his cigar once more before speaking. "I would like to give my sympathies to the children for the loss of their parents. Losing ones family is so very difficult. As your new Alpha I will make it my priority to ensure that no one else will lose their family before their time."

The pack applauds him and some even stand to cheer for him. Did they all forget what today was originally about? How quickly they forgot about all of the amazingly generous things my mother did for each and every one of them. Just because my father leaves and betrays all of us, does not make my mother any less of who she was.

"Calm down." Pete whispers. "You're growling."

"I would like for all of us to have a moment of silence for the late Luna Evelyn." Gregory sighs and bows his head. The pack follows his lead. A second later he snaps his head up and claps his hands, gaining everyone's attention. "Now, I would love if we could all gather at my house to celebrate my new position as your Alpha."

And just like that my mothers funeral is over.

•••

Uncle Leo takes Peter and I to the celebratory picnic at the Porters house.

"I don't see why we have to come." I fold my arms across my chest.

"Because Cleo, our Alpha invited us. Not coming would have been a sign of disrespect." Uncle Leo explains.

"It's not like he has shown any signs of respect today." I mumble.

Pete grabs my hand and gives me a small smile. "Everything's going to be okay Cleo."

I nod as we walk through the front door and enter the state of chaos this party is in. Uncle Leo quickly separates from us, having 'grown up things to discuss'. I lose Pete once he spots the dessert table and I find myself all alone, standing up against the wall wishing I could go home. I open my eyes a few moments later only to be met by a pair of green ones.

I jump back, hitting my head on the wall I was already very close to. The boy laughs at me, which only makes me more upset.

"Can I help you with something?" I ask him as I rub soothing circles on the bump.

"Why were you just standing here with your eyes closed?" He leans up against the wall. I recognize him as the boy from earlier who wouldn't stop staring at me. He's taller than I am and has the same soft features of his mother. His reddish brown hair falls across his forehead, just touching his eyelashes a little to the point where he wouldn't notice it.

"I don't want to be here." I cross my arms across my chest again, staring back at him.

"So why are you here?" He challenges.

"I didn't really have much say in the matter."

"You could always go play with your friends." He smiles a little. "Unless your baby brother is your only friend. And if that's the case, which I think it is, you should probably just grab a cupcake and walk yourself home."

I push off the wall and walk past him, knocking my shoulder into him hard as I pass. I don't stop at the dessert table like he suggested.

"See you around Cupcake." He yells at me as I walk out the front door.

•••

Unfortunately for me, Uncle Leo was talking to some of the men outside on the front lawn and spotted me leaving the house. He quickly caught up to me and dragged me back inside, keeping an arm around me so that I could not escape again.