Abraxas

The funeral was not something that I wanted to attend. Death is inevitable. If you want to say goodbye, beside the coffin is not the place to do that. Funerals are not personal. They are a gimmick for those that believe the person is going to a better place.

Neah clings to Dane. His hand firmly clasped around hers as she leaned against him. She didn’t seem to know what to expect. Her eyes continually moved between the coffins and Dane. Maybe she had never attended one before.

Death didn’t mean everyone got a funeral and in my opinion, Jenson definitely didn’t deserve one. Not after the shit he pulled.

The area is packed. Mostly Wolves who stood shoulder to shoulder.

The Lycans kept their distance. This didn’t have anything to do with them and they were probably happy to not be involved.

Damien stands on the other side of Dane. He hadn’t said much since earlier. His soul is full of confusion and frustration, so I find myself waiting and watching. Wondering when he will finally tip back over into the Rogue life. That was why I was really here.

I had expected him to lose it when Dane left to find Neah. But he had just stood in one spot, watching the blood weep out of Raven’s body.

Dane clears his throat and mutters a few words. He asks if anyone has anything to say and everyone’s eyes shift to Damien. They expected him to talk about his mate, to say a few heartfelt words. He gives Dane the tiniest of head shakes, barely visible to the human eye.

The coffins are lowered into the grounds, right next to their parents. Though if Dane had any sense after what had happened, he should have burned the bodies.

As they start taking it in turns to toss some dirt on top of the coffins, I catch Madison’s strong jasmine scent. It invades my head so quickly it hurts. Glancing over my shoulder, I see her standing not too far away. Her hands are jammed into her pockets as she toes a stone on the ground. Her chestnut eyes flicker to me before she looks away again. At least she had stopped overreacting to my presence.

Well, today at least. Her emotions are more erratic than a pregnant woman who is hungry.

Her eyes snap up to mine again, she thought I had looked away. They open wider as she realises she had been caught. A pink tinge rises up her neck, quickly spreading up her whiter than white face.

She frantically looks around, but unless she runs into the forest, there is nowhere to hide on this side of the pack.

Slipping away from the funeral, I stride past her and head into the forest before she gives herself away to the entire pack.

Just as I expected, she follows me, “What are you doing Madison?” I demand when we are completely out of sight.

“I wanted to tell you that I’m not scared of you anymore!”

“Is that right?” I try not to laugh, wondering how long she had been building up the courage to tell me that. “Dane is out there, burying his siblings and you want to tell me you are no longer scared?”

“Yes!” She mutters confidently

“So you don’t plan on hurling yourself into another fire anytime soon?”

She drops her gaze to the forest floor and shakes her head. “It hurts.” She whispers. She wasn’t talking about the fire.

“You’re letting yourself get wrapped up in this idea of yours.”

“It’s not an idea and you know that. I just want to know why you haven’t rejected me?”

I don’t answer her as she shifts her

weight from one foot to the other. She had asked me several times now and as much as I denied being mated to her, I could never answer I her question. Why didn’t I just say those words? She would be free to

be mated to someone else.

I feel sick at the thought of another man touching her. It was bad enough the mark from Enzo still hovered on her neck.

“What do you want from me, Madison?”

“I don’t know. You are in my head constantly.” She frowns. “And not in a good way!”

I cock a brow at her. “I shouldn’t be. I’m a Hunter.”

She leans back against a tree, folding her arms up under her

breasts and looks away from mol. I

“I’ve dealt with shitty men for years. You are not the first.”

“And if I remember correctly, I put a bullet in one of them. So what’s changed? Where has this new found confidence come from?”

She scowls, “Why do you feel the need to mock me?”

I keep my thoughts to myself

“Do you think that’s her game? She makes us suffer to see if we can handle it.”

“Who?”

“The Moon goddess obviously.”

“I don’t think the Moon Goddess has any control over your life. In fact I don’t believe in her.”

Her jaw drops, “You don’t? You are a Wolf.”

I shake my head at her. “I believe in higher powers, but not her. If it were her, don’t you think it’s sick that she forces her own creations to fight against each other? Nah, this stinks fight between higher powers.”

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