Chapter 84

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Everything was black. Black banners hung from the packhouse walls and throughout the streets. Black ribbons were tied around the old trees. Even the wolves moved quietly today. The sadness in the air felt as thick as smoke; he whole pack had come to say goodbye to Alpha King Garrett.

My father was waiting for us in the center of the grounds. He lay on the pyre, wrapped in white cloth.

Inside me, Asher was losing it. “ We should have been there, ” he growled.

The guilt tasted bitter in my throat, and I couldn’t get rid of it.

We didn’t use coffins. Wolves don’t belong in boxes; we belong to the earth and the fire. The pyre was built high

with wood and sage against the old stone altar.

The line of people never seemed to end. One by one, they stepped up to the wood to pay their final respects and

ay their last goodbyes.

I watched the warriors who had fought beside him and the children who thought he was a god. Every single one of

hem looked lost in the dark.

Liam stood next to me. He hadn’t said a word in an hour.

Then, Meredyth stepped forward. My mother looked like a ghost draped in black silk. She didn’t look like a Luna. Queen anymore. She looked like a shadow.

She climbed the stone steps, her movements slow and shaky. When she finally reached the pyre, she reached out. Her fingers shook as she pressed her palm against the white cloth over my father’s chest.

And then, she came apart.

A sound ripped out of her – a raw, jagged noise that didn’t sound like a woman at all. It sounded like something

> eing torn in two.

It wasn’t a cry. It wasn’t a scream.

It was a mate’s grief.

It felt like something being torn out by the roots. The bond between them was dead.

My mother collapsed against the wood. She grabbed the burial cloth tightly, as if she could pull him back to life

with her own hands.

“ No … ” she sobbed, her voice small and broken. “ No, no, no … ”

The pack began to howl.

It started low, a hum in the dirt, before rising into an ocean of sound that hit the sky.

-1 – AL

59 pm

Watching her made me feel empty, like – something had been ripped out of my chest. Inside, Asher was silent. No prowling, no moving around. Just nothing. That emptiness felt even worse than the anger.

The priestess walked up slowly – with the torch.

“ It is time, my Queen. ”

My mother stared at the blue flame for a long time. When she finally reached for it, her hands were trembling so

ard I thought the torch would hit the grass. She turned to my father one last time, her fingers grazing the cloth

ver his face.

“ Wait for me, ” she whispered.

Something inside me simply gave way.

She lowered the torch. The pyre caught instantly. Blue flames roared toward the black sky, sending sparks into he air like dying stars.

The pack’s howling grew louder, more desperate. Beside me, Liam finally went down. He dropped to one knee, his ody vibrating with a jagged sound that tore out of his throat. I grabbed his shoulder, my fingers digging in to keep im from falling apart completely.

And then it hit me. This wasn’t just the funeral of a King. This was the death of the man who held our family

ogether.

Meredyth tried to lunge into the fire. Warriors rushed forward, catching her as she fought them with a strength

he shouldn’t have had.

“ Let me go! ” she screamed, her voice cracking. “ LET ME GO TO HIM! ”

Then – warm fingers slid into my hand.

mily.

I hadn’t even felt her move. She stood there in her black mourning clothes, the fire refleeting in her eyes. She queezed my hand, her grip steady and firm.

Through the bond, I didn’t feel pity. I didn’t feel her fear. I felt strength. It was a quiet, solid force that kept me on my feet when the ground wanted to swallow me.

I looked down at her. And for one terrifying second, I understood why the elders were already talking about

rowns.

Because even here, surrounded by ash and death, she was the only thing in this world that felt alive.

The flames burned long after the howling stopped.

One by one, the pack members left.

The doctors had to sedate Meredith after she tried to jump into the fire. Even with the drugs, she kept whispering

5:59 pm

my father’s name. It was like she thought he would disappear if she stopped saying it.

made four elite guards take her back to the pack house. I was worried about what she would do to herself.

“ Stay outside her door all night and day,” I ordered. “ No exceptions. ”

The guards nodded and drove away.

Then I turned and looked for her.

Emily was standing alone near the trees. The blue light from the dying fire hit her black dress and white hair. She ooked unreal. She looked like the Moon Goddess herself had just stepped out of the woods.

When she saw me, her face softened. “ What is it? ” she asked.

“ We need to talk. ”

Something in my tone made her stand taller.

We walked deep into the forest.

I stopped by an old cedar tree. For a second, the words wouldn’t come. This felt wrong.

My father was still ash and smoke behind us, and here I was, about to change her life forever.

Emily waited. My beautiful little wolf. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the grit and the cold.

“ You know what happens now, ” I said.

She watched me closely. “ Because your father is gone

I nodded. “ The title passes to me. ” The words tasted like lead. I didn’t want the power – not like this. “ I can’t be Alpha King alone. The territories need a Luna beside their King. ”

I saw the moment she understood. I hated this. I hated the timing and the pressure. I hated that duty was rashing into our grief.

r

“ Emily … I need you to understand something. I’m not asking you because of polities, ” I said, stepping closer. And I never wanted to ask you like this. My father’s funeral isn’t even over, and the elders are already demanding

rowns and ceremonies. ”

I felt a flash of teeth – gritting anger. “ They look at you and see a way to keep the packs in line. They see a future una Queen in you. ”

“ And what do you see? ” she asked softly.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a cold hand. You. Only you.

I took her hand. “ I see the woman I can’t survive losing. ”

I leaned forward until our foreheads touched. “ I would wait if I could, ” I whispered. “ I would give you years if the

world let me. ”

5:59 pm

Asher moved inside me, heavy and certain. “ OURS. ”

“ But it won’t, ” I said.

I pulled back just enough to took into her eyes. I asked the one question that scared me more than any war.

“ Will you stand beside me as my Luna … and become the Luna Queen of all the packs? ”

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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.