Golden (Book 1 of the Golden Series)

Chapter 44

No one had bothered me; Scarlette had come in past and said hello but didn't stay for long, I suppose I wasn't much fun to be around and she had to look after Cole, who still hadn't woken up. They'd put him in a medically induced coma until his limbs had all healed, and apparently he was making a good recovery.

I suppose it pays to be a werewolf - you can recover from near death.

We round the corner and I see the mass of people outside standing around the large pyre.

I suppose some people weren't so lucky.

"Hey," Cam comes forward and hugs me, my body sighing as he does, "You look brilliant, she would have loved it. Both of you."

I smile at his words, grateful for him being there considering the location and how uncomfortable it made him to be surrounded by the pack.

Chuckling I run my fingers over the material of his tie, shaking my head. It's made of a multicoloured fabric and is probably the ugliest tie I have ever seen, hands down.

Cam follows my eyes and joins in the laughter, straightening it up dramatically.

"She bought this for me, I'll have you know, and yes it definitely is the ugliest thing you've ever seen."

"You can say that again," Kristie chimes in, shoving Cam, before wrapping her arm around me and pulling me towards the back patio, "Now let's do this while our hearts aren't so heavy and we're making fun of her fashion sense or I'm not going to be able to do it."

I nod in agreement and take Cam's hand as we leave the house, my stomach curling as we head towards the people.

There were a lot of people here that I didn't recognise - ones that were clearly from the pack but others that seemed to feel just as out of place as I. A group of woman over to one side caught my attention - their clothes were even more floral than my own and their hair had flowers braided through it as though they were living plants. They were beautiful, even when they were watching the wolves around them with hesitant eyes.

"This way," Cam nudges me, motioning to the front of the crowd and I swallow the nerves that are building in me.

As we move through people they bow their heads to me, a sign of respect - Cam had told me. I appreciated that they were not coming up to me or giving me condolences, I don't think I could have handled it right now.

When we get to the front of the crowd Cam hesitates beside me and before I can be confused as to why my skin pricks and my heart begins racing.

Trent.

He's standing in front of me talking to Scarlette, his jaw clenched and his mouth moving rapidly. I can see the tension in his shoulders increase when my breath catches in my throat and he quickly turns around, looking right at me, relief seeming to pass through him.

The relief halts when his eyes glance down at my hand in Cam's but he doesn't say anything and just smiles at me as I approach him, holding on tight to my two best friends.

Had it been three days since I had seen him? It felt like a lifetime to me, and it seems to be the same for him. His eyes look tired, despite the bright orange tie that he wears and it's like he's aged ten years in the days we've been separated.

He looks as bad as I feel.

"Elle," he nods, giving a once over of my outfit and his fingers careful touch the material, rubbing it between his fingers, "It's almost cruel to put something as simple as a rose next to something as beautiful as you."

It's either his words or the sad smile that accompanies them that make my heart flutter, but either way, my legs shake a little and I have to stop myself from reaching out and touching him.