Warmth ✔

Chapter 35

I turn around and head towards my desired destination. After knocking at the front door, Daniel answers with a smile. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Alarick."

I enter the pack house. As soon as I see Alarick, I approach him and hug him tightly.

Alarick is surprised by my sudden gesture so it takes him a few seconds to hug me back. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm just glad to have you in my life," I say.

"I feel the same way about you," he replies.

When we pull away, he questions again, "Is everything alright?"

"Charles didn't tell you?"

"What was I supposed to tell?" Charles asks when he enters the living room along with Daniel.

"You didn't tell him about Ciara?" I turn to him.

"It wasn't my story to tell," he answers.

"What happened to Ciara?" Alarick questions.

"She visited her mate's grave," I start and tell them everything from the scratch. When I finish, I look at Charles and ask, "What happened at the cemetery?

Charles' Point Of View

After meeting Chriselda, I head inside the cemetery. I go to Rebecca's grave and pay her a visit. I sit beside her grave and place my hand on the grave as if placing my hand on her cheek. I start talking to her. When I close my eyes, the breeze surrounding me feels like Rebecca is embracing me. I feel at peace. When I'm content with my visit, I get up and head towards where Ciara is.

Ciara is lying on the grave with her back towards me. I look at the gravestone. The grave belongs to a person named Trey. What is Ciara's relationship with Trey?

Before I can think further, Ciara slowly sits up and turns to me. Her state shocks me. Her eyes are red with dry tears on her face. She looks devastated.

"Chriselda sent you here, right?" She questions. Before I can reply, she says, "I know that she sent you to check up on me. You should go. I don't need a babysitter."

"But you might need a friend," I say. "The person you are crying for must've held an important position in your life."

"Yeah, he did. But it's unfortunate because I came to know that just today."

"What do you mean?" I ask in confusion.

"The person lying in this grave is Trey, my mate."

Mate? Did Ciara have a mate? I look at the gravestone. The year in which Trey died is the same year when Chriselda's pack was attacked. Did Trey die in the battle?

I process Ciara's words. She came to know about her mate just today. I mentally do the calculations. When the Silver Moonstone battle happened, Ciara was a teenager so there was no way for her to know who her mate was.

Ciara's voice breaks my train of thoughts as she says, "Charles, go. I need to be alone."

"No, you don't. I can't leave you alone in this state."

"I just want to be alone with my mate. Is it such a hard thing to ask for? Even my friend and family left me so that I can have some privacy. Why are you bothering yourself with my misery? You are neither my friend or my family. You are just someone that I know. You don't need to worry about me."

"I know what you're going through."

"No, you don't know what I'm going through! Have you lost your mate?"

"Yes, I have," I say softly.

She pauses after hearing me. She calms down and stares at me, speechless.

After a few minutes, she says, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's not your fault," I start. "I came here the visit my mate. On the way, I met Chriselda and she told me to check up on you. And that's what I'm doing. I know the pain you are going through because I've gone through the same pain myself. I know what it feels like when you lose your mate. I know in what condition you are. And I won't leave you like this. So, if you want to talk to someone and share your pain, I am here."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your mate?" Ciara asks carefully.

And I tell her.

She listens to me with a look of sympathy and understanding. When I'm done, she asks, "How do you feel without her?"

"Empty," I say without missing a beat. "It feels like there's a hole in my heart. It feels like my life is pointless without her."

Ciara gives me a half-smile. "When I came to know about my mate's death, I was feeling something which I couldn't describe. Only after you pointed it out, that I came to know what I was feeling was emptiness and hopelessness."

I don't know what to say to her to console her so I stay silent.

After a few minutes, she speaks up, "How did you deal with the pain?"

I recall how I dealt with Rebecca's death. "After her death, I buried myself in work. I was trying to make the cure for wolfsbane. That kept me busy."

"And what did you do when you weren't making the cure?"

"I used to lie on my bed with my eyes closed and I used to remember all the memories with Rebecca."

Ciara gives out a bitter laugh as a tear escapes her eye. "I can't even remember my memories with Trey because I don't have any. I'm so unfortunate."

And she starts crying again.

I sit beside her and place my hand on her shoulder. She leans her head on my shoulder and weeps. I let her cry with the hope that crying may help her release her pain.

Chriselda's Point Of View

"After she had cried her heart out, we got up and left the cemetery," Charles finishes.

I wipe my tears away after hearing what my friend is going through. I face Charles and give him a smile. "Thank you for being there for her."

He nods.

"What should I do to help her?" I ask him.

"You can try distracting her from the pain she's feeling. You should try to occupy her mind with something else. For me, that something else was finding the cure for wolfsbane."

I think about it. What could I do to distract Ciara from her present situation? I think for a minute. When an idea strikes my mind, I smile to myself. This idea will surely work.

After bidding goodbye, I quickly head to Ciara's house. After entering her room, I find her staring at Trey's photo.

Upon my arrival, she looks up.

"Would you like to go on a road trip?" I ask.