I circle around the school building a few times, watching the throng of wolves gathered. It seems that every wolf has turned up to pay their respects to Lucas. My heart swells at the sight. Most of the members of my pack are in their human forms but I see a few who have already changed. Once the ceremony has finished, every wolf will raise their head to the sky and howl, each voice adding a note to the song, bidding Lucas farewell. It’s a beautiful but sad time and I’m just thankful that we don’t have to do it too often.
I set my sights on a flat portion of the roof that will give me a good view of the ceremony. While I’m sure that the pack would prefer that I go down and walk amongst them, I just can’t bring myself to do it. So I decide to remain a coward and watch from a distance.
I aim for the roof and land carefully; or at least I try to. I land with too much force and do my best to keep on my feet. Instead I crash and roll several times, the air forces its way out of my lungs and the world spins quickly. The next thing I know I’m upside down with my talons dangling in front of my face.
I quickly roll myself over and climb to my feet, ruffling my feathers in annoyance. Guess I’ve got to work on my landing. Can’t be seen crashing every time I attempt to land. I can just imagine my friends laughing as I crash into a tree or a wall. Supporting each other so they don’t fall over with laughter, they would eventually recover enough to ask me if I was alright. No doubt my response would be enough to set them off again and then I’d have to endure a seemingly endless number of days filled with friendly banter.
I hop over to the edge of the roof and peer over. I spot Mark instantly. He is wearing a black suit with a white shirt. The suit jacket is unbuttoned and the top buttons of the shirt are undone. The sun shines brightly and I guess that it must be some time in the early afternoon. Perhaps one or two O’clock.
It surprises me how good he looks in a suit. So smart and radiating absolute authority. He raises his hands in the air and I can almost see the energy emanating from of him and over all of the wolves. The quite chatter between the wolves dies down instantly and everyone’s eyes settle on him. I find my own eyes being drawn to his face as his power washes over me.
“We have all gathered here together in order to pay our final respects to one of our own. As you all know, Lucas Greymane lost his life while defending this pack. He died doing his duty and fulfilled the promise he made when he became my third. We have lost one of our best fighters and we shall mourn his loss for many years to come.”
There is a murmur of agreement amongst the wolves but they quickly become silent again as Mark continues to speak. “I could probably stand here all day and tell you all stories about Lucas but I shall leave that honour to his closest friends.”
The crowd part and a small group of people come forward. Harley and Alex walk close together; seemingly supporting each other as they hobble along. Skylar walks just behind them and looks as though she is about to collapse. Yale limps along beside her with his arm draped over her shoulder and looks as though his entire body weight is leaned on Skylar.
He looks dreadful; his eyes so bloodshot that I can see them from here and supporting massive black bags under them. His face is drawn tight over his skin and his cheekbones are clearly visible. He looks as though he will simply collapse if Skylar loses her grip on him. Starr follows close behind with her eyes on the ground.
They head towards Mark and exchange a few words. I strain my ears but can’t pick up anything they say. After their short conversation, both Mark and Harley glance at the woods with a worried look on their faces and I know instantly what they were discussing. Me.
I had hoped that my absence wouldn’t be noticed, though I’m not surprised that it is. I just can’t bring myself to fly down there among the other wolves who no doubt bare resentment and possibly even hatred towards me. While I’m sure I can handle those looks from my pack I know that receiving those looks from my friends will kill me. I know they’ll do their best to hide their feelings from me but I already know the way they feel.

YOU ARE READING
Howling Fury (Book 1) (Being Edited)
WerewolfAfter witnessing her parents death, Ester Flinch is left alone in a world she is yet to understand. After years of living on the street, she is taken in by a kind-hearted alpha; who also happens to be a teacher at a werewolf school. Ester attends th...