Chapter 42 - Flames and Fated Bonds
1097 Words
*Elara – pov*
The ceremony took place at sunset.
Airena said wolves preferred twilight rituals.
“The veil is thinner then,” she explained softly while helping me place the final flowers across the wooden pyre.
I didn’t ask what veil she meant.
I was beginning to understand this world had layers I couldn’t yet fully comprehend.
Raiden stayed close behind me the entire afternoon.
Silent.
Steady.
His hand occasionally brushed my back like he was reassuring himself I was still standing.
His touch grounded me.
The pyre stood near the lake surrounded by towering trees swaying gently in the autumn wind. Airena and I layered fresh white flowers between the wood while Claire helped quietly beside us.
My parents looked peaceful.
Together.
Just like they always were in life.
Dad’s hand rested near Mom’s.
And suddenly, the grief hit differently. Not violent this time. Tender.
I swallowed hard and stepped closer while Airena placed a lit torch into my hands.
“The fire returns them to the Moon Goddess,” she said quietly. “And frees their spirits from this earth.”
My fingers tightened around the torch.
I looked at them one last time.
These two people who chose me.
Loved me.
Protected me.
Even from a world I never knew existed.
Emotion clogged thickly in my throat.
Airena touched my shoulder gently.
“Speak to them.”
My voice shook when I finally did.
“Thank you.”
The words felt painfully small.
But they were true.
“Thank you for choosing me.”
“For loving me.”
“For being my parents in every way that mattered.”
Tears burned my eyes again.
“I hope you knew how much I loved you too.”
The wind stirred softly around us.
Adira pressed close inside me quietly.
They know.
Airena nodded slightly for me to continue.
I closed my eyes briefly before whispering the old sendoff she taught me earlier.
“May the moon guide your spirits gently.”
“May the stars light your path.”
“May love carry you where grief no longer follows.”
Then slowly I lowered the torch.
The fire caught slowly at first, then all at once.
Golden flames climbed toward the darkening sky while heat rolled across my skin.
I stood there long after the fire roared fully alive.
Watching.
Mourning.
Letting go.
Strangely, as the flames rose, the crushing pressure inside my chest eased slightly.
It would never be gone, but it felt lighter. Like some part of my grief finally moved instead of remaining trapped inside me.
I inhaled deeply.
For the first time since their deaths, I could breathe properly again.
Adira stirred sharply.
Someone is coming.
I turned instinctively.
A woman approached slowly through the trees.
She did not look old at all, but she felt ancient in a mythical way.
That was the first thought that struck me.
Power rolled off her in quiet controlled waves unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
Beautiful dark hair streaked lightly with silver.
Sharp green eyes identical to Airena’s.
Elegant flowing black clothing moving softly in the wind.
Despite looking perhaps forty, I felt centuries in her presence.
Airena immediately straightened beside me.
“My mother.”
The woman stopped several feet away watching me carefully.
Not coldly.
She looked almost emotional.
“My name is Melione,” she said softly.
Her voice held strange warmth.
Like hearing a song you somehow already knew.
Adira stepped forward immediately inside me.
We’re safe with her.
That surprised me.
Because Adira trusted almost nobody at face value.
Melione’s gaze lingered on me with unsettling intensity before she finally spoke again.
“You look so much like her.”
The words sent chills down my spine.
Before I could ask Melione looked toward Raiden, Rafe and Jake.
“I need privacy with Elara.”
Raiden immediately stiffened beside me.
“No.”
Protective Alpha mode.
I nearly rolled my eyes. After the havoc my emotions have caused, people should be protected from me. Not me from them.
Melione didn’t even seem remotely intimidated.
“She is perfectly safe with me.”
Raiden’s jaw tightened.
“You expect me to just leave her alone with a stranger?”
Something unreadable flickered across Melione’s face then.
Sadness maybe.
“She is not alone.”
Silence stretched heavily.
Then Adira nudged softly inside me.
We can trust her.
I touched Raiden’s arm gently.
“It’s okay.”
His eyes searched mine immediately.
Uneasy.
Protective.
Reluctant.
Finally he exhaled sharply.
“We’ll be nearby.”
Melione nodded once while I gave him a reassuring smile.
Then she turned toward the estate.
“The house needs cleansing before I will enter.”
---
The cleansing took nearly an hour.
Melione moved through the estate grounds with calm precision while teaching me old witch cleansing rites.
Burning herbs.
Moonwater.
At one point she pressed her hand against the front doorway and silver-green magic spread softly across the wood.
The entire house seemed to exhale.
I frowned slightly.
“You can feel that too?”
Melione glanced toward me carefully.
“Yes.”
The heaviness lingering inside Rosewood slowly lifted with every room we cleansed.
We could never erase the sadness but we could soothe it.
By the time we finally entered the house, it felt peaceful again.
Warm.
Like home.
As though the walls themselves stopped grieving and welcomed back the occupants in the house.
I stood quietly in the entrance hall absorbing the change when suddenly, the front doors opened.
Raiden entered first followed by Jake and Rafe carrying supplies from town.
Raiden’s eyes immediately found me.
Always me.
Relief softened his features instantly. He walked straight up to me and took me in his arms. His lips brushed over mine, soft at first and then more urgent like he has been starving for my kisses for weeks.
The air changed somewhat.
“Get a room” Jake muttered from somewhere.
Rafe froze.
Completely.
His bag dropped hard onto the floor.
Claire looked up from where she sat cross-legged on the staircase eating stolen pastries.
“What?”
Rafe stared at her like the world physically stopped turning.
Oh.
Oh no.
Adira perked up instantly.
This is going to be epic!
Claire frowned slowly.
“Why is the giant scary one staring at me like that?”
Rafe looked horrified.
Awestruck.
Completely wrecked.
Jake burst out laughing first.
Raiden closed his eyes briefly like he already knew exactly what happened.
And then—
Rafe whispered one stunned word.
“Mate.”
- Writer
