Burying a Family

UNKNOWN

When Leslie spotted her son returning with Estella on his back, she breathed a sigh of relief and mind-linked Howie to let him know everything was okay.

She took the little girl inside, watching as Max slipped behind a tree to shift back.

The moment she realized Estella was missing, fear had gripped her. The little human was in their care for now and was unfamiliar with their territory.

Plus, it was getting late. If the child wandered into the woods, she could easily get lost. Leslie had tried to reach Max first, but she’d been blocked.

Blocked. Max never blocked the mind-link in case someone needed him.

But now, he was the one in need, and no one could help him. Least of all Leslie, if she’d managed to push him away like that…

She’d searched high and low, but there was no sign of Estella for over an hour. Leslie had been genuinely worried that something bad had happened to her.

Now, the sweet child was sleeping peacefully in her arms after a good meal.

Leslie tucked the girl into her son’s bed, letting her sleep in his clothes. She could try on the new clothes tomorrow.

She was heading downstairs when Max mind-linked her. ~“I’m going to sleep in Dad’s study,”~ he told her.

~“I’ll get it ready for you.”~

They didn’t speak again that night. The funeral for Estella’s family was scheduled for the next day.

It was going to be a somber affair, and Leslie didn’t want to think about what would happen when it was time for the girl to leave.

If Estella could find her son in an unfamiliar place, as Max had told her, then she was already bonded to him in some way.

MAX

After I brought Estella home, I headed straight to the study to sleep. Thankfully, my mom didn’t try to talk to me. She just made up the couch for me.

I heard them whispering with my dad as I drifted off, but I didn’t pay much attention.

The last time I had, it only brought up unpleasant thoughts, and I already had too many of those.

The Moon Goddess was adamant about not giving me another chance. It was fair of her. Two mates were more than enough.

But, to be honest, she hadn’t made the best choices with either of them.

Even if she couldn’t predict that the first one would turn out to be sickly, she should have known better than to pair me with a child. And I should have known better than to beg for something I didn’t truly want.

I couldn’t make sense of it.

What was wrong with me? I thought being in love was out of the question for me.

But in just one day, I’d grown so attached to a little girl that it physically hurt to know I’d soon have to let her go.

If she wasn’t my mate, would it be so hard to part ways? Probably not, but I knew I’d still care.

I was tossing and turning on the couch, half asleep, when I heard the door open. I could smell her again but pretended to be asleep and tried to stay still.

How on earth did she know where to find me? It’s not like we gave her a tour of the house.

She was panting slightly as she tried to climb in next to me. When she managed to, she gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek and snuggled into my chest. She instantly relaxed and fell asleep.

Soon, I did the same.

We were woken up by my dad, who didn’t seem surprised to see us sleeping together. He didn’t comment on it, just told us that breakfast was ready.

“I’m not hungry,” Estella said quietly.

Of course, she wasn’t. Her entire family was going to be buried today, and my mom had mentioned it before asking about breakfast.

She was subtle about it, but Estella wasn’t fooled. It was then that I realized she hadn’t cried yet. She’d been eerily quiet since we found her.

She was still in shock, but I was worried that at the funeral, everything would finally hit her.

And how were we supposed to tell her that she had to go live in an orphanage the day after tomorrow?

Just thinking about letting her go made my wolf howl in despair. But it was clear we had to follow human laws until we found a solution.

The Moon Goddess had promised me the bond would strengthen over time, so I was supposed to keep her close. I’d figure things out, right?

A few minutes after my mom took Estella to get her dressed for the funeral, Officer Palmer arrived with a woman.

She introduced herself as the social worker who would check on Estella during her short stay here. I saw her quietly inspecting our house, and in the end, she gave a nod of approval.

I faintly heard my dad asking if they’d found any of Estella’s relatives.

Officer Palmer looked disappointed. “Her mother grew up in foster care, sir, so she has no one on that side.”

“What about her father’s family?” my dad pressed.

“Not much luck there either. Her grandparents on her father’s side have been dead for some years now.”

“Didn’t her dad have siblings?” I asked, curious for the first time.

“Yes, James Graham had two siblings. A sister named Estella, who died at twenty, and a brother Julian who lives in Australia with his family.”

It was wrong of me to hope that she was truly alone in this world, so I could have a chance to keep her, but I did.

My reasoning was that if no one claimed her custody, we could adopt her.

“We’re trying to locate her uncle,” the officer continued, oblivious to my thoughts, “but no one knows his exact whereabouts.

“From what we know, Julian wasn’t on speaking terms with his late brother.”

Just then, my mom came down, holding Estella’s hand. The child was dressed in a dark-blue dress, her face blank.

She gently pulled her hand from my mom’s grasp and came to hold mine. And so, we left.

UNKNOWN

Leslie had chosen a blue outfit for the little girl, the closest color to black she could find, and led her downstairs.

The house was filled with people.

The policeman who had questioned her the day before was sitting on the couch, deep in conversation with Max’s dad. A woman she didn’t recognize was watching them, her eyes darting around the room.

Max was standing across the room, looking at her with a sad expression. She didn’t understand why he looked so sad. She walked over to him and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

He squeezed back, his eyes filled with worry. He was such an odd boy, but she felt comfortable around him. His absence seemed to amplify the sadness.

As they climbed into the car, she began to feel anxious. She had never been to a funeral before. The drive to the cemetery was shorter than she had anticipated.

The priest was already there, his black robes making him look like a giant bird.

She recognized a few faces from her neighborhood, but their names escaped her. As soon as she saw the four open graves, nothing else seemed to matter.

Fear washed over her. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to be anywhere near those gaping holes in the ground.

Still clutching Max’s hand, she began to back away.

He turned to look at her, his feet planted firmly on the ground. She tried to pull him away with her, but he wouldn’t budge.

Why wouldn’t he follow her? She wanted to leave this place. She didn’t like it at all. Couldn’t he understand?

She tried to pull her hand free from his so she could run away, but he held on tight.

Max took her other hand, and she felt a surge of desperation and anger. She was so angry that she started kicking him, trying to make him let her go.

But he didn’t react. He took her kicks without flinching, but she knew they must hurt.

She kept kicking his legs, determined not to stop until he let her go. He tried to calm her down, but that only made her angrier, and she kicked harder.

The others just stood there, watching with sympathetic expressions. She didn’t want their pity. She just wanted to leave.

The unfamiliar woman from the house approached them, but when Max shot her a cold look, she quickly backed away.

He then gave Estella’s hands a firm shake, surprising her into stillness.

Without letting go of her hands, he knelt down and pulled her into his arms. He smelled so good… so familiar. His scent reminded her of her mother’s laundry.

She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling defeated as she breathed in his comforting smell.

“I don’t want to go. Please, Max,” she whispered. “I don’t want to go.”

He let go of her hands, but she wasn’t free. He held her close, and she placed her hands on his chest, feeling his uneven breaths.

He pulled her closer, speaking to her in a soft voice.

“I know you don’t want to go, and if it were up to me, I wouldn’t make you. But you have to be brave, sweetheart. Braver than you already are.

“We have to go in. If you don’t want to see…”

“I don’t…,” she mumbled.

“Then I won’t let you,” he promised.

Estella felt a wave of relief and thanked him with a soft kiss on the cheek. A few moments later, she was lifted off the ground and held tightly in Max’s arms, her eyes squeezed shut.

He carried her into the cemetery, and the service began.

As he had promised, she didn’t see any of it.

She buried her face in Max’s shoulder, trying to focus on his comforting smell, but the priest’s mournful words still reached her ears.

Each word was a painful reminder that the people she loved were gone forever.

Her mom would never wake her up with a smile again. Her dad would never read her bedtime stories.

David would never tickle her again, and Mia would never braid her hair in those fancy styles she loved.

Suddenly, a heavy weight settled on her chest, making it hard to breathe. Her heart ached at the thought that they were really gone.

Her family. Her eyes stung with tears. She squirmed in Max’s arms, but he held her gently in place.

“Just a few more minutes, little one,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.

A few minutes, he had said, but it felt like an eternity. But eventually, it was over.

As Max began to walk away from the graves, Estella made the mistake of looking back.

The sight of the four freshly covered graves, flowers wilting on top of them, made her scream in despair. She bit down on Max’s shoulder to keep from shouting out loud.

He flinched but didn’t stop walking or loosen his grip on her.

She could faintly hear the sound of cars driving away, but they kept walking. They walked until she could hear birds chirping in the distance.

Why were they singing so happily when she was so heartbroken? Their cheerful songs were too much to bear.

She was gently set down against a tree. She opened her eyes to look at Max but quickly closed them again, blinded by the sunlight.

She felt a gentle touch on her cheek.

“I’m going to change into my wolf form, and we can run as much as you want. When you’re ready, tell me to go home. Okay?”

She nodded. He stood up and disappeared behind the tree.

It didn’t take long, and she did what she had done the night before at the lake. She found a sturdy rock and climbed onto his back.

This time, she was the one carrying his clothes.

She lay down on him, hugging his neck, careful not to choke him. His clothes were tucked beneath her.

She rubbed her cheek against the back of his head, feeling his fur tremble. It tickled, but she couldn’t bring herself to laugh. She just made herself comfortable on him.

He started running. Her eyes were closed. She didn’t know where they were going, and she didn’t care. She just wanted to let go. And she did.

At first, her tears fell silently. Then the pain became too much to bear in silence, and she cried out. She didn’t know how long she cried.

The harder she cried, the faster Max ran. The faster he ran, the lighter her heart felt, until the weight was almost gone.

And that’s when she asked him to take her home.

MAX

I hadn’t been to many funerals. The few I had attended didn’t really affect me, but I always felt a pang of sadness when a life was lost.

But Estella’s grief was different. I couldn’t fully understand her pain, but I felt it. It was as if her sorrow had seeped into my soul.

Maybe it was the mate bond, but I had a feeling I’d feel this way regardless.

Seeing her so upset was the hardest part. She had kicked me with surprising strength for such a small girl.

I didn’t mind, though. If kicking me could ease her pain, I’d let her do it until she was too tired to lift her foot.

But I knew that wasn’t the solution.

Despite hating myself for it, I convinced her to face this terrible reality. After all, suffering is a part of life, and no one can truly escape pain.

The bite on my shoulder came out of nowhere, and I almost lost my footing from the shock. But I quickly regained my balance, knowing I had to get her out of there.

I mind-linked my parents to distract the cop and the social worker, and I left, still holding her.

I knew I had to put her down to shift, but having her in my arms felt so right, and I didn’t want to let her go.

But I had to. I told her my plan, and she agreed, her beautiful eyes closed.

I knew she had opened them to look back after the funeral, and I knew the sight of the filled graves upset her.

I had just started running when I felt her warm tears on my fur. My heart clenched, and I sped up when I heard her whimper.

I wanted to howl, but I didn’t want to scare her. I ran with her for so long that I lost track of time.

When she finally stopped crying and whispered, “I’m ready, Max,” I immediately slowed down and headed back to my pack.

She loosened her grip on my neck and started to pet me between my ears. I growled in pleasure, and I felt her smile.

I knew she was thanking me for being there for her, and despite everything, her touch made me incredibly happy.

As we neared home, we heard strange sounds. Estella stirred, having heard them too.

It was a soft moaning sound that echoed through the trees, carried by the rustling leaves.

~Oh, shit!~ I thought, recognizing the sounds. Someone was having sex.

Normally, I would have recognized it sooner, having caused similar sounds myself, but my mind was slow with everything that was happening.

That’s my excuse for what happened next, and believe me, it’s a good one.

I was so shocked and eager to get Estella away from the scene that instead of avoiding it, I accidentally led us right into it.

The spot was perfect for lovers. It was secluded, peaceful, and hidden from prying eyes. Well, from most prying eyes.

The couple was in the middle of a passionate make-out session under a beautiful willow tree.

The guy was shirtless, his jeans hanging low on his hips. The girl’s legs were wrapped around him, her back against the tree.

She was half-naked, her blue dress bunched up at her waist. At least she still had her bra on.

The sight was a harsh reminder of what I couldn’t do with my mate for at least another ten years.

And in my current form, I couldn’t shield Estella from the scene.

I was sure she was feeling both confused and uncomfortable.

Yesterday, she’d had to trust two naked guys who turned out to be supernatural creatures, and today she was getting an unexpected sex education.

All this after losing and burying her family. If I were in my human form, I’d probably be blushing. She shifted nervously, then leaned down.

“What are they doing, Max?” she whispered.

She sounded more curious than shocked. I remembered my dad’s words:

~“Kids aren’t pretentious. They’re curious and eager to learn. They’re open-minded and innocent.”~

Estella was still waiting for an answer. Her whisper was enough to startle the couple, making them break their kiss and look at us.

I saw Patrick trying to cover the girl’s nudity while they both bowed their heads, their cheeks turning a deep shade of red.