Chapter Eighty-Three

Regan’s POV

No matter how eager I was to go home, I did not have it in me to deny Luke’s request to see his mate one more time before we went home.

After all, it was still on our path home and would cost us no major discomfort or set back.

That had been the right choice to make, for as we approached the entrance into the pack, a white cloth was spread across the entrance.

Seeing that could only mean one thing.

That Alpha Zolan of the Redclaw pack had passed into the world beyond.

Upon seeing this, Luke pushed his horse to go faster, disregarding the normal protocol and I did not have it in me to stop him.

I understood how he felt.

He had thought only of his mate.

I followed closely behind him, and once their pack warriors saw that the intruders were us, they did not make any further move to stop us.

I watched as Lady Zara come out of the pack house alongside other pack members.

Upon seeing Luke hastily dismounting from his horse, she ran towards him and straight into his arms.

He caught her around the waist before enveloping her in his arms.

As soon as his arms were around her, she dissolved into tears, holding onto his shirt for dear life.

I brought my horse to a stop and dismounted, staying in place to give them both the moment they needed.

I watched as Luke stroked her red hair, whispering words of comfort into her ear as he held her tightly to himself.

I knew in that moment that he would not be returning home with us.

As much as I wanted him to, it was clear to see that his mate needed him more. And she would need him by her side to go through all the rituals in burying her father.

And since her father was an Alpha, it would only take longer.

‘We will leave after paying our respects to Alpha Zolan’, I mind linked my warriors, not bothering to block Luke out since I wanted him to hear.

He looked at me from over his mate’s shoulder, his eyes already pleading.

‘You will remain with her for however long she needs’, I mind linked him. ‘You may come whenever you want’.

He gave a brief nod.

‘Thank you’, he said, as he held his mate tighter to himself.

When her sobs finally mellowed, I made my way over to them.

“Lady Zara”, I called gently to get her attention.

She took a moment to wipe at her tears and pull away from her mate’s arms before turning to me.

“Alpha Regan”, she greeted with a brief bow.

“I am sorry for your loss”, I said with a bow, meaning every word. “Your father was an honorable werewolf and a good Alpha”, I said. “May his memory live on in you”, I told her.

Tears gathered in her eyes but she stubbornly did not let it fall.

It brought me some form of relief to see that she was still strong enough to hold back her tears.

Her stubbornness meant she would be fine.

“Thank you, Alpha”, she said. “I am assuming you and your warriors will stay to pay your respects?” She asked, glancing back at my warriors.

I nodded. “I hope it will not cause you too much trouble?” I asked.

She shook her head almost immediately.

“It would be my pleasure”, she said, sniffing and wiping at her cheeks. “It will give me something to do to take my mind off my reality”, she said almost absent minded before turning to her mate.

“Will you be leaving with them?” She asked, her eyes already turn in sad and misty once more.

He shook his head, putting an arm around her waist to pull her close to him.

“I have permission from my Alpha to stay for as long as you need me and to only return home whenever I want”, he said with a smile at her.

I saw her lips curve into a pleased smile before she turned back to look at me.

“Thank you”, she said, her eyes conveying the truth of her gratitude.

I nodded in acceptance before she continued.

“I am sorry for keeping you away from your mate and pup for longer than you planned”, she said. “I know how eager you were to return home to them”, she said.

I smiled, knowing the truth of her words.

“As much as I would love to be with them soon”, I said. “You need us more”, I said.

Her eyes watered and this time, she did not stop the tears from falling.

“Thank you”, she said once more with a smile this time.

I returned her smile before she turned away.

“I will make sure your rooms are prepared for the ceremony tonight”, she said before turning around and walking away.

It was only after she said it that I remembered that it was the night of a full moon.

It was a known custom that Alphas can only be put to rest under the light of a full moon.

It seemed that we had arrived perfectly on time to bid Alpha Zolan a final farewell.

I mind linked my warriors to tell them to settle in before allowing myself to be led to the room I had occupied when I had last visited.

As soon as I settled in, I took out a paper to write to my mate about my delayed return, knowing that she would be just as disappointed as I was to have to be away from her for much longer.

I had just finished my letter to my mate when there was a knock on my room door.

“Enter”, I called out so that whoever was on the other side would hear, irrespective of if they had their werewolves hearing abilities or not.

Having had a mate without a wolf initially had taught me to think about such things.

My room door swung open to reveal Emry.

He slowly walked in, shutting the door behind him quietly.

“Is everything well?” I asked, knowing that he could have simply mind linked me if he wanted to tell me anything.

He shook his head but remained standing by the door, shuffling his weight between both his legs.

I sealed the letter to my mate and put it aside before turning my full attention to him.

“What is it, Pup?”

He slowly made his way over to me when I waved him over.

“It is nothing important, Alpha”, he said, coming to a stop a small distance from me.

“Then it should not be so hard for you to spit it out”, I said, softening my tone to encourage him to tell me what he wanted to.

“Well”, he said, clearly reluctant. “May I be excused from attending the ceremony for Alpha Zolan tonight?” He asked finally.

A frown came onto my face at his words.

“I am sure you have a good reason for making such a strange request”, I said, curious to know the reason behind his request.

He clearly hesitated again.

“I am not very much fond of the ceremony Alpha”, he said.

I watched him closely and took note of the way he played with his fingers nervously and the way he would not meet my eyes.

“Why should I agree to your request?” I asked him. “It is only proper that we e all be there to pay our respects to the late Alpja. Why should I permit your absence?” I asked.

I heard his heart begin to beat rapidly at the stern turn my voice had taken.

“And for your sake, you better tell me the truth”, I added in case he was tempted to lie out of fear.

His breath had started to come out in pants and his eyes grew wide in panic.

“Emry!” I called out, rising from my place and hastily making my way over to him to catch him before he could collapse.

As I held him in my arms, he continued to struggle to take in breath, his heart beating too fast for my comfort.

I knew what was happening to him.

It had happened to me a long time ago as well.

“Breathe”, I urged him, placing one hand on his chest and the other on his back and rubbing circles around them.

“Look at me”, I said, bringing a hand forward to turn his face to look at me.

Once his eyes focused on me again, I urged him.

“Breathe, Pup”, I ordered, using my authority as Alpha to get him to obey.

Slowly, he started to draw in breath, his heart beat calming after a while until he could finally breathe properly.

Still, I held him, until I was sure he was out of harm’s way before I lifted him into my arms and carried him over to my bed.

I placed him on the bed gently, touching his forehead to see if he was getting a fever and letting out a breath of relief when his temperature was normal.

I fetched a cup of water from the pitcher that was thoughtfully placed in my room before moving to make him sit up and drink from the cup.

Once he was done, I settled him back on the bed before sitting on it beside him.

“How do you feel?” I asked him.

He took a while to respond, probably both shocked and embarrassed about his earlier reactions.

“I am sorry Alpha…”, he was saying when I cut him off.

“That is not what I asked”, I told him before softening the tone of my voice. “There is nothing to be sorry for”, I said. “Or embarrassed about”, I added, knowing how he was probably feeling. “Even the greatest warriors have fears”, I told him. “And they quake at the mere thought of it”, I said.

He looked at me for a brief moment before finally speaking.

“My father”, he said, his voice low. “The last ceremony I attended was my father’s funeral”, he said. “I passed out before it was even half done”, he confided. “So I avoided funeral ceremonies ever since as they remind me of his”, he said, before looking away. “It is cowardly of me, I know”, he said. “But I cannot help it”.

“There is nothing cowardly about it”, I told him. “Everyone is a coward at the sight of their fears”, I said.

He tried to smile.

“Do I have your permission to be absent?” He asked, eyes sad.

I nodded.

“But if you ask me”, I added. “I would tell you that it is always easier to face your fears when there are people you trust around”, I told him. “It somehow provides the courage you need to overcome your fears”, I said. “Knowing you are not alone in it is always a huge relief”, I advised before patting his leg and standing to my feet.

“You may rest here for a while”, I said as I made my way to the door. “I will go and see if I am needed”, I said, giving him one last look before leaving.

Just as I had told Emry, I went about and helped with the preparations and set up for Alpha Zolan’s ceremony.

Luke and some of my warriors joined in to help as well. And when Luke asked them about Emry, having noticed his absence, I told him that the pup had been feeling unwell and I had sent him to rest.

He mentioned checking up on him later but I managed to convince him to focus on his mate instead.

He left us to be with her not too long after.

When finally, all was ready and the full Moon shone down in all its glory, we all gathered to put Alpha Zolan to rest.

Luke stayed by his mate’s side throughout the ceremony.

And I was not surprised in the least when, not even halfway into the ceremony, Emry joined us.

A proud smile came onto my lips as he came to stand beside me.

I had always known he was brave.