Vivienne's POV:
"As we lay this wolf to rest, let his spirit be set free to run with Luna. May he find happiness in the great beyond."
Alpha Brendon's words spoke over our silence.
The funeral was being held at the pack house. With Brendon leading us like a pastor. He was standing on a podium. Brendon was in front of us all, face forward. We were in the ball room. Which is a room we host formal gathering in. My brother Innath's funeral was being held to honor his attempt to get information to us. It's believed he would have warned us about Lamia and explained how Emmett joined sides with Lamia. Thankfully I was already on a journey spiritually and got the information to Brendon. The full moon is tomorrow night and we will run in honor of his (and Donovan's) death.
Tomorrow we will hold Donovan's funeral.
The lingering emotions of his death left the pack uneasy. They were in shame of themselves for believing such a great man could be accused of treason. Brendon briefed the pack that Donovan was accused falsely. We weren't sure about telling them Niall's treason... But, we cleared it off so that there wouldn't be any confusion later at war.
My mother was left in tears as she sat in the front row. My father- for once was holding her and trying to calm her down. She loved us all like her own babies. She raised most of us up from toddlers. I was sitting behind her.
Church-style benches were lined up. Something we used for big gatherings like this. The windows were stained glass with wolf and forest print colored on. It shined shadows into the ball room and made the funeral so much more special. Innath couldn't have a better place for a viewing. I loved the ball room thanks to the architect and thought placed into the room. Which was designed by Benjamin Sawyer. Who is Emmett's father. He's the pack's architect and builds/designs everyone's home or business building. He went to school especially for the task. His wife is Evelyn, the library's keeper. I don't know much else about her. But they had Emmett and his twin sisters Mia and Ava. Luckily, I don't have to inform them I killed... Emmett.
My mother, Romona, was such a beautiful woman. She cared about all of us and I couldn't pick a better companion for my father. She is his anchor. After Mal's mom died they began seeing each other. They were like Quinn and Joker's romance. He would go to her about his problems and she would try to fix them. Of course, they're not in an abusive relationship. They've been together for eighteen years. She's the only mother we know.
I don't know much about Calix's past. Who our mothers were? Is a mystery in itself. But, I heard a few rumors floating around about Marime.
Innath's birth mother was Marime Alcroft. Calix- after two bad relationships fell deep into alcohol and drugs. He was trying to kill himself by abusing them. That's where he met a low life omega from this pack, Marime. She wasn't even a servant at the pack house. She lived on the streets and sold my father drugs. They done them together and one night she died from a drug overdose. Calix was left with one more baby to raise.
My father at the time of knowing her had no intentions of getting her pregnant but she had other thoughts at the time. She tricked him at the beginning and Innath was born from a woman's evil doings. Innath was never loved by our father but he wasn't abandoned to the streets. My father's -love- life was long and harsh before Romona.
The rumors told me, Innath was the third born. And, the two women before Innath's mom were dead. Their death must have sent my father into a spiraling depression. Because, Marime was the worst of the mothers.
The pack was all here for us.
I mean, the pack's doctor and the boarder control lead both lost a son. They would be here for them even in hail. Innath was an important pack member and his funeral was full of people who loved him and had stories to share. There was no judgment but pure pity for us came from the pack. Our family very well could be half the cause of the trouble happening in the pack...
It's surprising we're not being kicked out. After-all... a lot of the pack's troubles were because of my family. The only one of my siblings able to be here was Nena. We sat side- by side as I looked at Brendon. I didn't want to stand beside him. I wanted to be in the crowd and off eye line. I didn't want anyone accusing me of bringing trouble home to this pack.
It all started when I got here.
I've been a bad omen this whole time.
A wolf's funeral consisted of burning the corpse to bones and then the family would shift and bury their loved one in the 'garden'. A bone burial ground in the field of lost loved ones. It's said every wolf is buried there since the two packs merged. Fang's bones might be there. We would burn Innath and run him to the burial grounds during the full moon. It's a high honor to do things like this in that time. This was the last viewing of Innath before we burn the body. It's a last pay of respect.
Innath died a warrior. A loyal wolf to our pack. He will be accepted into Luna's pack in the after life and will get to stay there for as long as he wants. If he had died a rogue, he would have seen the other side- a side no wolf wants to end up on. Wolves don't like to speak about what waits for a rogue in the after life...
A werewolf, is born. Our bloodline can be traced back to a curse bestowed upon our breed. The story goes, Luna the moon goddess was once a human. She fell in love with a wolf and their love was forbidden. So she followed the wolf to a spring where she tried the water. It bestowed the curse of the wolf onto her. They call it the mother spring of all wolves. She couldn't handle the transformation and died while turning into a wolf.
But, her love for the wolf was so strong she could not bare to leave him even in death. Her loved moved the goddess of Fate and she was gifted fifty lives to live amongst the mortals. After her last she would then after spend her afterlife with her children and their children and their children's children. She's the mother of all wolves. Somewhere in all our blood, she lives there. And, when she disowns you she takes the curse with her.
There are other darker texts in the libraries. Luna the moon goddess, didn't love one man in her fifty lives. She had many lovers. Amongst them were men who drunk from the same spring. But, they weren't as fortunate as Luna. They didn't die- or live. They stayed in the inbetween. They were stuck with rogue-like traits. Always hungry, always hunting, always causing trouble, and always spreading the curse onto others.
They were dangerous because they could kill vampires with single bites or turn humans into werewolves... They became the bad traits mixed into all packs today. The reason we don't let humans into our towns. The reason why we are so territorial. The reason why some of us crack and loose ourselves.
The moon goddess was all things pure and innocent. She is love. She is hope.
She's the reason we have something after death. She brought us comfort to something so harsh. She is our goddess. We worship her as the moon because she is the light to our darkness. Life after death.
Nena grabbed my hand and squeezed it. We were listening to people speak up now about how good Innath was around the pack. Small side stories to reminisce. I looked at her as I took her hand in both mine and gave it a kiss. She's such a good younger sister. She doesn't deserve to see this happening. I need to protect her.
"Do you think Cole is okay?" Nena asked me softly as she looked me directly in the eyes. Oh, that's right. They were twins. She must really miss him and feel worried.
"I saw him alive with Cole before I escaped," I told her quietly. "They're both alive."
"I'm worried they're going to end up like Innath," she mumbled.
"Niall is with them. I'm sure he'll try to prevent their deaths."
"Why would he care? He abandoned all of us. They're no different. They could already be dead." I shushed her and glanced over my shoulder at peering eyes. There was a quite a few pack members trying to listen into our conversation.
"Because despite everything I want to believed he looks out for family."
Our conversation was interrupted by the room falling silent. My father stood up as he looked at Brendon with thankful eyes. I tuned out as my father began to thank everyone. He took Romona with him. Something as a small sign he needed her by his side. She was his strong walking stick. They were so in love. So strong for each other. They were the best and I want that for myself. They're not soul mates but they're so right for one another.