Chapter 12

(Kaeleigh’s POV)

Nobody was up when I finally got home. Which was good. I was sweaty and exhausted and really didn’t want to answer any questions or cause any problems. I grabbed a quick shower and slipped into my room clean and fresh but still a little shaken. Was Chase really willing to go so far as to have men try to drag me into a car? If so, then he really was just like all the other Alphas. I normally hated moving, but this was the first time I would be happy to leave a place, and all its mess, behind.

I slipped into bed and quickly fell asleep with thoughts of Alphas chasing me again. Soon enough, the familiar recurring dream started up. I was five years old, and I was terrified, running through the dark woods…

My eyes flew open to full daylight, with the image of Jonathan’s dead eyes staring at me, accusing me of being the reason his life was cut short. I looked up at the black dress hanging up on the outside of my closet and felt a tear prickle my eye. Today of all days, my guilt would be worse. Jonathan should have been taking over from his father as the Alpha of our pack. But, because of me, not only were we territoryless, but we were also Alphaless too. Today was the day we buried Ezra. Or scattered his ashes, at least. Elaina had said the other day that she and Jeremy would go over to the old territory and scatter his remains there. Then we would leave this place behind and start fresh in a new town.

I sighed and pulled myself out of bed and headed out into the main apartment. It was silent apart from Tatum sitting in front of the full-length windows. From the initial looks of it, she was meditating, like she did every morning. But I could tell by the way she stiffened slightly that she was aware that I was there. I headed into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the bowl before quietly making my way back to my room. I spent the next hour or so getting ready and was just applying the last of the very light makeup, which the only purpose was to hide the red under my eyes from the crying I had done in the shower, when Tatum knocked on my door. 

“Hey,” she said as she opened it. She was wearing a similar black dress to me. Hers was full length while mine stopped at the knee, but both were simple black with a black lace overlay. Her beautiful blond hair was in a simple half up ponytail and her makeup was also simple. 

“Hi,” I said quietly.

“Mum has already gone ahead,” she said, “She wants me, you and Luke to meet her there.” I nodded in agreement and stood up.

“How are you doing?” I asked, and she smiled a weak smile. 

“I don’t know, to be honest, I just feel kind of numb.” I pulled her into a hug and she held on tight. We stood there for a few minutes, just hugging. Eventually, I pulled away as there was a knock at my open door. I looked up to see Luke standing there looking awkward.

“Hey,” I said, and he smiled.

“Are we ready to go?” he asked, and we both nodded. I gave him a quick hug, and we all made our way down to the underground garage. We chose to take my car, although Luke said he wanted to drive. I sat in the front next to him, and Tatum climbed silently into the back.

The drive to the crematorium was short and quiet, and when we arrived, I exited the car and walked behind the twins as we made our way to the service. The attendants were a mix of werewolves and humans, some in the know, but some not. As we walked up to the crematorium where the service was to be held, people would stop us all and offer condolences. To the outside world, Alpha Ezra and my father were brothers, which explained why Ezra and Elaina had taken custody of me when my parents had died. It wasn’t entirely incorrect. A pack is a family, after all. 

I saw Beta Jeremy first, along with his wife Jade. Jade had been one of the humans living on the pack lands and had lost her husband and mate during the attack. The pair had grown close in their mutual grief and had fallen in love. They had been married fifteen years and had three beautiful children, all human too. Beta Jeremy saw me and pulled me into a hug. 

“He’s with Jonathan, Hayley, and your parents now,” he said. “He can finally tell them how proud he is of them and how much of an amazing woman you have grown into.”  

I could only nod and hug him tighter as I tried to hold back the tears. I released him and moved to gently hug Jade too before moving aside to allow the twins to greet Beta, Jeremy and Jade. 

It was then that I saw Elaina. Even in her grief, she looked beautiful, wearing a tailored black dress and simple black heels. Her almost white blond hair was loose around her shoulders and her blue eyes sparkled from unshed tears. She looked so fragile. I wanted to rush to her and protect her from the pain that I could only imagine she was feeling. As my father was originally the Gamma, it was his job to protect the Luna and Alpha Pups, a role that would normally be passed on to the Gamma’s son. I knew I wasn’t a male wolf, and didn’t even have access to my wolf, but I trained to ensure that I could take the position when the time came. As Tatum and Luke, the Alpha and Luna’s children, were born human, then technically the responsibility didn’t cover them, but that wasn’t going to stop me. 

Even though I couldn’t talk to my wolf, I still had all the other abilities that came with being a werewolf. I healed quickly and had the strength and speed to match any other wolf. And I was damn sure that I was going to use it for good. 

Luna Elaina saw me and smiled, and as I went over to her, she pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry my Luna,” I whispered. She pulled away and shook her head. 

“You don’t need to call me that anymore.” She smiled at me.

“What?” I was confused. 

“My dear, sweet Kaeleigh,” she said. “I am no longer Luna of this pack. Right now, other than you and Jeremy, there isn’t really a pack left."

I was shocked. I knew that as a human,she technically couldn’t hold the title any more but she had been my Luna and caregiver all my life and I wasn’t going to accept anything else.

“I don’t care about the rules,” I said defiantly. She laughed, although it was a sad laugh. 

“Oh Kaeleigh, you beautiful girl, if only you knew.” She pulled me into a hug and whispered, “It has and always will be a pleasure to serve you.” Then she released me and immediately stepped into Beta Jeremy’s arms. 

I stood there, shocked. What did she mean? Serve me? It was surely the other way around. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Jade looking at me.

“It’s time,” she said, and I nodded before following her into the service. 

I was sitting in the front row between Beta Jeremy and Tatum. Luke sat on the other side of his sister with his arm protectively around his twin and his other hand holding his mum’s hand at the end. I listened to the officiant as he talked about the sorrow of death and the joy of life and all the things they always say. He talked about Alpha Ezra’s passion for hiking and love of nature, which ignited a soft ripple of chuckles from the werewolves in the room. He then went on to talk about family. 

“And survived by his wife Elaina, and two remaining children Luke and Tatum and as he now joins his eldest son Jonathan and sister Hayley and brother Robert, who were tragically lost some years ago.” I couldn’t help the sob that escaped my mouth at the mention of them, and Beta Jeremy pulled me into another hug as I quietly sobbed into his jacket. 

***

After the service ended, we held a small intimate wake at a small venue on the outskirts of the city. This was strictly wolves and those who knew about us only. This was our chance to celebrate his life. I was sitting on the grass outside in the back that opened onto the woods and listened to the stories from Alpha Ezra’ youth, told by Beta Jeremy and others who had been around. Other than our ranked members, there were only two other surviving pack members, Jason and Lily Pitts, brother and sister who had stayed with us until they had both found mates in other packs. It was normal for the female to join the male’s pack, but Jason had also requested to join his mate’s pack too, due to too many painful memories. Alpha Ezra had allowed the request, although both were back today with their mates. 

There was an assortment of wolves from the surrounding packs here to show respect. Everyone knew the history of the attack and I think they felt sorry for what we had become. It was just a shame that no one seemed to know which pack it was that had launched the attack. It was customary for the attending wolves to go for a run in remembrance, something I wasn’t looking forward to. No one other than our pack knew that I couldn’t shift, and I didn’t really want them finding out. 

Slowly the wolves drifted towards the woods to strip out of their clothes and shift and to enjoy the run and I started to feel nervous. I stood there with the intention of slipping away unnoticed when my way into the bar was blocked by a medium set man with dark chestnut hair and brown eyes that edged into gold. He was very handsome for an older wolf and I could tell from the power radiating from him that he was of Alpha blood. I was immediately on edge as I recognised his scent immediately. I could tell that this wasn’t just any Alpha but Alpha Daniel Stone of the Dark Moon pack, and Chase’s father. 

He smiled at me warmly. 

“Surely you won’t be missing the run, my dear?” he asked with a curious expression on his face. 

“I, erm… I...“ I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t want to appear disrespectful to my Alpha’s memory but knew I wasn’t going to be shifting. I glanced longingly at the woods where I would give anything to be able to shift and run. 

Before I could say anything else, Elaina came up beside me and greeted the man. “Alpha Stone,” she said with a smile

“Kaeleigh has had a difficult day,” my mum explained. “Today’s events have brought up too many memories from the past” “

“Kaeleigh?” he asked, “Kaeleigh Buckley?” and I nodded. I knew by now that he would probably have known who I was from his son. I was just hoping that he didn’t spill the beans to Elaina. He looked at me for another minute and then smiled.   

“Of course Luna Elaina,” he said, nodding. “How insensitive of me.” He smiled at me once more, before nodding again and excusing himself into the woods. I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Elaina for coming to my rescue before excusing myself and heading back home. I wanted to put this awful day behind me and get on with my life. 

***

I had just slipped into a short pj set after a shower and was combing my wet hair when Elaina knocked on my bedroom door. “Kaeleigh, are you awake?” 

I sat on my bed. “Yeah, what’s up?” She poked her head into the door. 

“Could you come out into the living room a moment? Jeremy and I need to speak with you?”

I looked at the clock and the digital display read 11:24pm. Why would we be needed at this time? 

“Ok,” I said. “Give me a few moments to put on something decent.” 

She smiled, although she had a worried look on her face as she closed the door. 

I hunted for a pair of jeans and a top and quickly pulled them on. I headed out into the living room and immediately felt the power in the room. The first thing I saw was Jeremy and Elaina standing by the sofa. I gave them a curious look as I walked further into the room, and then the familiar scent hit me and I felt my stomach flip in fear.

I rounded the corner and saw, sitting at the dining table, Alpha Daniel Stone of the Dark Moon pack and standing behind him, was a tall muscular blond man who bore a striking resemblance to Jensen, and felt like a strong Beta rank even from here. At the other side, watching me with an intense look that I couldn’t avoid, was Chase.