Chapter 55: 56: The Mourning Run

ALEX

My father died two days ago.

And now everything feels…

~Empty.~

I sit beside my mother as she looks through a catalog of caskets.

It’s one of the last details we need to decide on before the funeral tonight.

“The mahogany is very nice…,” she says somberly. “That should be sufficient.”

“Mahogany it is,” I tell the mortician, and he responds with a formal bow.

We’ve been making funeral arrangements nonstop for the past two days.

My mother’s going through it like a machine, making decisions in a snap and keeping her emotions in check…

~At least in front of everyone else.~

She did cry on my shoulder for a few minutes this morning, but she quickly composed herself so as not to “put a damper on our lovely breakfast,” as she put it.

How the hell she’s holding it together is beyond me.

I know from experience that a broken mating bond feels like a piece of yourself has died too.

For some reason, I haven’t cried yet.

~My father is gone forever, and I haven’t cried.~

~What’s wrong with me?~

“Alright,” my mother says as if mentally checking off a box, “flowers…”

“Mom,” I say, “do you need to step away from this for a while? I can—”

“No,” she stops me. “I need to do this.”

I nod resolutely as we hear a knock on the door.

“Hi,” Ariel’s sweet voice comes through the cracked door.

“Come in, dear,” my mother says.

Ariel enters holding two mugs of tea.

“Chamomile,” she says as she sets them down in front of us. Ariel meets my gaze, her sunflower eyes full of empathy. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asks.

“Oh, no, but thank you,” my mom says. “I’ve almost got all these details taken care of. Why don’t you take Alex to get some fresh air?”

“I’m fine right here, Mom.”

“I’ve got this, Alex,” she says as she pats my knee. “Go. Please. At least for a walk around the palace grounds.”

“If you need anything—”

“I know, dear,” she says, turning back to the mortician as if she doesn’t want to hear another word. Ariel smiles softly and takes my hand.

ARIEL

Leaves crunch under our feet with each step as Alex and I walk hand in hand through one of the many courtyards of the palace.

The sun is setting.

I look toward the Temple of the Moon Goddess and see Royal Pack members placing flowers and offerings at the steps in honor of their deceased former king.

“How are you doing?” I ask Alex. He’s been exceptionally quiet the past couple of days.

“Fine.”

“It might help if you talk about it.”

“I don’t really have anything to say.”

We wander toward the forest, and Alex sits down at the tree line. I can’t read his expression. He’s simply blank.

We sit in silence for several long moments before I speak again.

“I know you feel like you have to be strong,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “But…you don’t have to hold it together in front of me. If you want to—”

“Ariel, can we not?”

I suppress a sigh. I feel useless.

~What good is having healing powers if I can’t take away my own mate’s pain?~

When I glance over, Alex is giving me a look.

“What?” I ask.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t blame yourself for me feeling shitty.”

“I can’t help it,” I say. “I want to be there for you, but I don’t know how…”

He only nods.

“I just… I hope you know you can talk to me,” I say. “Or cry in front of me. Or anything.”

Alex stares ahead into the woods. The sun has gone down completely, and the light is quickly fading from the dark blue sky.

“I’m scared,” he says finally.

“Scared of what?”

“I’m scared I’ll be a terrible king without my dad around to give advice. I’m completely on my own now.”

I gently take his hand and bring it up to my mouth, kissing it tenderly. “You’re not on your own.”

He looks at me, and a tiny smile forms on his face.

I take his hand and stand up, trying to pull him to his feet. “Come on,” I say, taking a defensive pose.

“What are you doing?” Alex says, looking confused.

“Spar with me.”

“Ariel, I’m not fighting you.”

“It’ll help you blow off some steam.” I put my fists up.

Alex lets out a small laugh, but he shakes his head no.

“I’m serious! This might be just what the doctor ordered.”

Finally, Alex stands.

He half-heartedly throws a slow, clumsy jab, and I block it.

“Oh, come on,” I say. “You won’t hurt me. You know I can kick your ass anyway!”

This gets a full laugh, and Alex goes on the offensive.

I lunge in with a couple of jabs myself, testing him out.

He blocks them and tries to do a leg sweep, but I jump back.

He closes in, actually getting into it now, and I go for his shoulders to try to take him down.

He counters by pulling me into him and spinning me around so that I’m almost in a headlock.

But not for long.

I grab hold of his forearm and quickly throw Alex over my shoulder. But he keeps hold of me and takes me down with him.

We’re on the grass now, and I roll on top of him, pinning his wrists above his head.

He uses his legs to push me off of him, and within a few seconds, he’s on top of me, my arms held down by my sides.

We’re both breathing heavily, and I stop struggling underneath him.

He meets my eyes and leans down so that his face is inches from mine.

“Run with me?” he asks.

“Always.”

In seconds, Alex is ripping through his clothes as he shifts into his wolf, running for the forest.

I shift too, and in no time, I’m running after him.

His wolf is bigger, but I’m fast; I quickly catch up and give a little nip at his heels.

Alex’s wolf lets out a growl, but it’s not angry.

We’re now running side by side through the forest. Autumn trees pass us by in a haze of dark reds, oranges, and yellows.

Finally, we approach a clearing, and Alex comes to a stop.

It’s night now, and the full moon casts her light down through the tops of the trees.

Alex’s wolf throws back his head and lets out a sorrowful howl.

And another.

He howls again and again, each one more painful than the last.

My wolf nuzzles her nose into our mate’s chest, and soon his bones are cracking and contorting as he shifts back to his human form and lets out more guttural cries.

Under the moonlight, Alex’s cries turn into rasping sobs. I shift back to my human form and wrap my arms around him, holding him tight.

He collapses down on his side, weeping, and I lie down behind him, pulling his back flush against my breasts.

Kissing him gently over and over, I hold him closer, trying to make him feel as safe in my arms as I always do in his.

MARIUS

Amy’s long, white-blonde hair tickles my forearm as she presses her head into the crook of my neck.

Ever since I came back to the Royal Pack, Amy and I have been acting like I’ve been gone for years—never leaving each other’s sight.

We’re lying naked in her bed after our second round of lovemaking tonight, staring at each other.

The former king’s death has left such a mark on the palace that everyone’s been feeling a little more mortal these past couple days.

Apparently for Amy, the easiest tactic to forget about the death that awaits us all is to fuck as much as possible.

~And I’m certainly not complaining.~

“Angel?”

She still calls me by my nickname.

I don’t mind it. I still don’t remember who or what Marius was.

“Hmm?”

“Are you afraid of dying?”

“I think everyone is at least a little afraid of the unknown,” I say. “But I also think that life is best when we stop worrying and just focus on what makes us happy.”

“I think so too.” She nods, looking contemplative.

“What’s going through that crazy head of yours?” I tease.

“I used to fantasize about meeting my destined mate. How it would happen, what he would look like. I thought it would happen immediately.”

She lets out a laugh before continuing. “I literally spent my eighteenth birthday cruising all over town trying to scent him out…but nothing ever came of it. Then my nineteenth birthday came and went…”

A small frown crosses her face.

“And my twentieth. I went to singles bars, that mating weekend Maria threw, and had more shitty dates with guys online than I care to admit. I was starting to think there was no one out there for me.”

“And now?” I ask, feeling as if my heart is growing in size.

“Now I realize how stupid it all was. Finding my destined mate shouldn’t have been my goal. I should have just focused on what makes me happy.”

She’s quiet for several seconds before going on.

“Angel... Marius. You make me happy. I feel more alive with you than I’ve ever felt before. And I don’t want to miss out on something good—something right in front of me—by chasing some stupid fantasy.

“I mean, not that you aren’t a total fucking fantasy, I mean ~look at you~.” She giggles. “But I’m... I’m…”

She trails off, and I’m waiting in anticipation for her to finish her sentence.

“I’m pretty sure I’m completely and totally in love with you,” she says finally.

A smile spreads across my face.

I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to.

“Amy, I love you too.”

She lets out a relieved sigh. “Really?”

“Really, really,” I respond.

“I was afraid you’d just think I was being dumb.”

“I would never think that about you.”

“But...,” she continues, “I’m not your destined mate. Are you okay with that? I mean—Goddess, I’m not trying to say we should get mated or anything—”

She’s beautiful even when she’s rambling.

I stop her words with a kiss.

When I pull away, I say, “Destined mates or not, Amy, finding you was a miracle for me. I’m not about to let that go.”

Amy sits up and begins to straddle me.

“What are you doing?”

“Round three?” she asks, looking like a mischievous nymph.

~That smile will be the end of me.~

I let out a laugh.

“I mean... if you’re too tired of course...,” she teases.

“Of you? Not by a long shot!” I grab her hips and roll us over so that I’m on top of her as she giggles.

ARIEL

Alex and I lie side by side on the forest floor.

Our only warmth is the body heat we share. Our bare skin casts off an ethereal glow under the moonlight.

I breathe in his safe, familiar scent of amber and pine, feeling the soft rise and fall of his chest.

Alex has fallen into a peaceful sleep, but for some reason I can’t seem to relax.

It might just be nervousness—the funeral is in a couple of hours...

But it feels like something else.

A ball of anxiety, rising in my stomach. ~But why is it there?~

The Silver Soldier’s dead.

Xavi’s safe and with his family.

~What the hell is there to worry about?~

I hear the silvery voice of the Goddess faintly echoing in my head.

~“Ariel,”~ she says quickly.

She sounds...

~Worried.~

~“I must warn you that there is still danger ahead. I do not know what Fate has planned, but be on guard, my child.”~

I sit up quickly, feeling the anxiety flood through my body.

I’ve never heard Selene sound like that before.

What the hell would it take for a ~Goddess~ to sound scared?

I quietly call out to her for an explanation, but of course...

All I get is silence.