IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THE TEARS TO STOP.
And when it did stop it was because there were no more tears in me.
"Weslyn?"
I whispered in a broken voice. "Y-yes?"
"Here... Weslyn."
A shirt was draped onto my body.
Blayze.
I had forgotten that he was beside me.
And when I looked up at the forest around me I realised that the members of the Pack had also arrived there by that time.
And with the Pack I recognised the familiar faces.
Bryan held Martyn, in his arms, as tears trickled from their eyes. Bryanna, too, was in tears, as she stared at me.
And West watched Mary.
She was wounded.
She had started to heal but she was wounded.
And she was wounded because I attacked her.
I took a breath.
"Luis." I turned to him. "Could you take her to a cell in the House?"
"I have a request. I wouldn't ask if it was for me, but... The request I have is for my father."
I looked at her but didn't respond.
She continued.
"Could you please send him off? A Ceremony where Martyn or his Soulmate send off his Soul."
"I can't send him off."
It was Martyn.
Her, now, silver eyes shifted onto her brother.
"Martyn... I know that you hate me. And it's alright. It's alright that you hate me. But... Please. Please don't hate our father."
"I don't hate him." He hesitated. "But the things he did were wrong. They were wrong. The things he did to you. And..." His fingers interlaced with those of Bryan. "The things he did to us. And so, while I don't hate him, I can't forgive him and I don't love him. And, if I don't love him, I can't send him off."
Her eyes averted from his eyes.
"I understand."
"And... I, too, understand."
"Really?"
" I understand why you did what you did. Love... Your love for our father. I can't forgive you. And what you did was wrong. But... I understand your love. And I understand why you did what you did."
"Martyn," she murmured. "Thank you, Martyn."
And with that, Luis and other members of the Pack approached and took her by the arm, before leading her to the Pack House.
And, as they did, I sensed the pain - I could feel it consume and tear through me.
But I also sensed it through the pain.
Warmth.
A warmth that emanated from his body which remained in the grass.
It was his warmth.
It was the same warmth that was in his smile. It was the same warmth I sensed when we touched. It was the same warmth that was in his voice.
I stared at him.
"Weslyn?"
It was Martyn, but I could not answer, as I stared at Liam.
"What is it, Weslyn?"
I lowered myself before his body.
"His... I feel his warmth."
I continued to watch Liam, as Martyn dropped onto the grass and hugged me, with tears that seeped from his eyes.
"He's dead. Weslyn... He's dead."
"But... I feel his warmth."
"It's his Soul."
I pulled away from Martyn.
"That is why we have the ceremony. The Soul transcends the forms of a Gray Wolf... The Human form and the Wolf form. And, the Soul transcends these forms, because of the Soulmate Bond. That is why we send off the Soul of a Gray Wolf... That is why we have the Ceremony." He paused. "A ceremony where you send off his Soul."
"And what if I don't want to send him off?"
He softened at that.
"Then, his Soul will be in Gray Valley, forever."
"Forever?"
"His Soul. And that is all... Weslyn. He's dead. And his Soul will be all that there is of him."
"And his warmth?"
"His warmth and the bond between you would consume you until you are dead."
"How would it consume me?"
"The Soulmate Bond. It would call out to you... Because his Soul needs and wants to be with your Soul."
And that was when I knew how the bond would consume me.
My mother.
She did not have the Ceremony to send off the Soul of my father.
And so, she could feel the Soulmate Bond call out to her. It would call out and call out and call out to her. And she could feel it consume her.
That was why she killed herself.
Would it be the same, for me, if I did not send off his Soul?
A familiar voice caught my attention.
"Alpha, she's in a cell."
"Thank you, Luis."
He hesitated.
"What is it?"
He looked towards the forest. "He wishes to see you, Alpha."
I turned and looked in that direction and watched as he approached.
Lucian Bronze.
"I'm sorry, Lucian."
"Why?"
"I was the reason your Pack was in this War."
"Alpha Grayson... We were the reason we were in this War and for our downfall."
I watched as he lowered his head to me.
"No," I told him. "Please, raise your head, Lucian. I'm not your Alpha."
He paused and then, gave me a smile.
"No, but you saved my Pack."
What?
I looked at him in confusion.
"You returned to the Caves, after I took Blayze, to summon the Angel and Wolf Guardian. And... You made a promise. A promise that saved my Pack."
"I... To be honest, I didn't do it for your Pack, Lucian, I did it for Blayze and..." I glanced over at Bryan and Anna. "My family."
"But what you did saved them."
I hesitated. "Yes... It did."
"And that promise... It was a promise to unite all Werewolves into one pack: Gray Wolves and Brown Wolves."
I nodded.
"It would be my honour, to do what I can, to help you uphold that promise."
What could Lucian do to uphold the promise I made?
He lowered himself to the ground.
"I, Lucian Bronze, give my position as Alpha of the Brown Wolves to you, Alpha Weslyn Grayson."
"I can't allow you to do that."
He stared at me. "Why?"
"I don't know what I would do as repayment."
"Repayment?" He asked. "Your repayment, for my help, would be to protect the Brown Wolves, as your own."
"I..."
I was uncomfortable.
Yes... I was an Alpha. And yes, I had made a promise, to unite Werewolves. Yes... To be made the Alpha of the Brown Wolves did help me in the promise I made.
But... Did I deserve it?
The thought made me uncomfortable.
"Alpha Grayson?" Lucian prompted.
And though it made me uncomfortable I realised that I needed his help to uphold my promise.
"Thank you, Alpha Bronze."
"I'm not an Alpha. I'm Lucian Bronze of the Luna Pack."
He arose from the ground.
"Could I have your permission to go, to the Caves, and help the wounded Pack members, Alpha?"
"Yes, of course you have my permission, Lucian."
"I will go with him."
It was Anna.
"Thank you, Anna." I turned to the pack. "And to those, who are not wounded and can help, please go with Lucian." I noticed Luis approach me. "But, if you're wounded, please, take rest. Thank you, Luis."
I watched Lucian walk, into the forest, with members of the Pack, behind him.
And then, I sensed Blayze beside me.
He hoisted Liam into his arms with a disturbed expression on his face.
"It's over," he whispered. "It's over, Weslyn."
He had not realised what I had realised.
It wasn't over.