DARK CLOUDS

ZEDANE

The rain is cascading down the roof in strong pellets. A storm that marks the grief that has settled over the pack since the news a week ago.

“Alpha,” Tunil, my second in command and best friend, calls my attention from the door.

I turn to face him. “What do you want?”

He eyes me up and down. “You might want to put that attitude aside for a while. Everyone is grieving and you don't get to be the one who takes his out on everyone else.”

I would have his tongue out by now if he wasn't my best friend, and right.

“What do you want?” This time my voice is darker and has dropped several degrees.

“The funeral rites are about to start. We cannot keep waiting on the rain to let up, so we made a makeshift shelter to hold the fire.”

I cock my head, looking at him but somehow unseeing. “We will wait.”

“Alpha, we…”

“I said we will wait!” I thunder.

He squares his shoulders and shifts from pack subordinate to friend. “I already told you that we cannot keep waiting. It's been a whole week. An entire week and Elma's been lying there waiting for the perfect moment.”

“Lunil.” I warn.

He scoffs. “Oh, cut if off Zedane. Am I supposed to be scared of that tone? You and I both know that I could hurt you just as badly as you could hurt me, so let's not go there.”

I slant him a dark glance, my fists folding to hold back the rage. “Leave.”

“You're the Alpha and should be present at the ceremony. In fact, it wouldn't hold without you.” He lets his gaze hold mine for a long time before he speaks again. “Don't let your pack down.”

He turns and walks out of the room after the last words and I keep glaring at the spot where he was standing just now.

After a while I feel the anger start to filter out of my system. It's not him I should be angry with, it's the moon goddess and her twisted mind.

I walk out of my chamber and head out to the pack cemetery where I know the ceremony was scheduled to hold.

The room is buzzing with sad energy. One that threatens to leave the inhabitants of this space grief-scented at the end of the day.

I step into the open space and everywhere goes quiet. I don't pay them any attention, though. I continue to walk forward until my feet reaches the pyre that was set up for her.

Her twin pups are brought forward and the maiden holding them has no idea what to do with them. Normally, the pack's Luna is supposed to stand beside the Alpha during rites like these, holding unto whatever family is left behind.

I see Lunil move away from the pyre and towards the back of the room from my peripheral. I know exactly what he is about to do.

“Lunil!” I call. I don't bother to turn around to face him though.

The already still room, stills even further. “Yes Alpha,” he answers.

“Let her be. I will do it.”

I ignore the gasps that ring out and open my arms for the maiden to place the pups in each one.

I don't say a word throughout the ceremony. I just clutch onto Elma's pups and grind my teeth in anger. My mind explodes in vapid thoughts as soon as the rituals are finalized and fire is set to Elma's lifeless body.

What the hell?! Elma was okay, she was in perfect health and now what? We have to try raising two pups that lost both their parents to the cruel hands of fate.

That never ends well. More times than not, it produces an army of rogues. Wolves who are mercenaries instead of protectors and would do anything to ensure that they don't take orders from anyone.

I turn around and walk away with the cubs as soon as the last one of the ambers catches on fire.

Someone screams in the distance and I stop in my tracks. A maiden is racing towards the cemetery with tears licking her skin.

“What is wrong?” I ask as she falls down in front of me, still crying.

“We just… we…” She hiccups as she tries to give an answer through her sobs.

“Speak!” I command.

She looks up at me. “Alpha, Juna is… Juna is… Juna is dead. She… she… passed away while giving birth to her pups.”

“Pups?” I ask.

It seems like my brain is processing the information one at a time, but the most pressing issue here is the fact that my pack has lost two mothers in the space of a week and the coincidence is not lost on me.

The maiden nods her head. “Two. She had twin pups.”

My eyes lock on Kiena's from across the room and I hold her gaze, anger and bitterness running wild in my system.

“Here. Have the pups fed and cared for. I have something important to attend to.”

The maiden who brought the pups for their mother's funeral takes them from my arms and bows.

I look at the one at my feet. “Clean her up and have her prepared for her funeral rights, after Sybil has checked her of course. We need to know the cause of these occurrences.”

“Yes, Alpha.” She bows and turns away from me, going back in the direction she came.

I walk away from the cemetery and grab Kiena's hand on my way by. She gasps at the force with which I'm holding onto her but doesn't complain.

Good. I'm not in the mood for it anyway.

We make it to the manor in quick strides and I continue to pull her along until we get to a lonely hallway.

“Let go of me, you're hurting me!”

I don't respond. I instead continue to pull her along with me as we walk in the direction of my chamber.

She tries to pull her hand away from mine. “Stop it. You're hurting me.”

I ignore her again and this time she screams at me, planting her feet on the ground to stop herself from following behind me.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Leave me alone!”

I spin around to face her. “That's exactly what I want to know. What the hell is wrong with you, Kiena?”