IVY
Days passed, but I still couldn’t accept the reality that my mother was gone. No matter how much I tried to convince myself, the truth refused to sink in. The world felt quieter now, too still, as if even the air mourned her absence.
Uncle Amos had come to mourn with me, his presence filling the silent corners of this place. I had arranged for her body to be transported back to the Risemoon Pack. That was where she belonged.
"But Risemoon has fallen," Uncle Amos said when I told him. "What dignity would it be if she were buried there?"
His words struck me like a dull blade. I turned toward the window, staring at my reflection; black hair that fell across silver eyes drained of emotion. I barely recognized the woman looking back. Her shoulders carried too much weight, her gaze holl
