WINTER FROST

CHAPTER 3: THE FUNERAL

RAVEN POV

I didn’t sleep.

Not really. I drifted in and out, stuck in that awful space where you’re not awake but not fully asleep either. My mind wouldn’t quiet down, and my body refused to relax. Every time I started to drift off, something would jolt me awake in the house settling, the wind outside, a lone wolf howling in the distance.

By the time a bit of gray light slipped through my curtains, I gave up. I grabbed my camera and slipped out before anyone else woke up.

The cold hit me like a slap. November in Alaska wasn't messing around. My breath came out in white clouds, and frost cracked under my boots as I followed the old path toward the woods.

I used to do this all the time and sneak out at dawn to take photos of anything I could find. The light. The trees. The wildlife. Colton used to tag along, carrying extra lenses and pretending he hated the cold even though he loved being out there with me.

I pushed the memory away and focused on my camera instead.

The morning light was perfectly soft and golden, making everything look magical. I took pictures of frost on leaves, a deer drinking from the creek, the mist hanging low over the water like it didn’t want to leave.

This, at least, made sense. This, I knew how to do.

I was crouched by the water, fixing my camera, when I felt it that prickling on the back of my neck that meant I wasn’t alone

I turned, already knowing who it was.

A huge gray wolf stood at the tree line, watching me. Even in wolf form, there was no mistaking him. Those ice blue eyes. The way he held himself. The quiet authority in every line of his body.

Colton.

We stared at each other for a long moment. I didn’t move. Barely even breathed. Just waited.

He could’ve walked away. Honestly, he probably should have. That would’ve been easier for both of us.

But he didn’t.

He came closer, step by cautious step, like I was something that might bolt if he moved too fast.

Maybe I was.

He stopped a few feet away close enough for me to see frost clinging to his fur and the small puffs of his breath in the cold morning air. Close enough for the bond between us to wake up, humming under my skin.

"Hi." I said quietly, feeling stupid. What do you say to your rejected mate who's currently in wolf form? 'Sorry I destroyed your life' seemed a bit heavy for 6 AM.

His ears twitched forward. He was listening.

“I’m not trying to step on your territory.” I added, because apparently I couldn’t stop talking. “I just needed some air. Some space.”

He sat down, curling his tail around his paws. Still watching me, calm and unreadable.

God, he was beautiful. He’d always been beautiful, but seven years had changed him. He looked bigger now. Stronger. There was a scar across his shoulder I didn’t remember. Maybe a fight. Maybe an accident. Either way, it was something that happened while I was gone.

Just one more thing I hadn't been there for.

“I’m sorry." I said before I could talk myself out of it. “About your dad, I mean, my dad. And about… this. I know you’d rather I wasn’t here.”

Something shifted in his expression. Hard to read a wolf’s face, but I’d known him my whole life. I’d seen him annoyed, playful, stubborn, protective. I’d seen him angry. I’d seen him happy.

This wasn’t any of those.

This looked like pain. Old pain he’d buried but never healed from.

“I’ll leave after the funeral." I added quietly. “I’ll come back for Skye’s wedding, then I’m out again. You won’t have to deal with me. I promise.”

He made a noise low and rough, somewhere between a growl and a whine. I had no idea what it meant.

Then he stood, gave me one last long look, and slipped back into the trees without a sound.

I sat by the creek for a while after he disappeared, the camera was forgotten in my lap. That was our first real moment in seven years, and we hadn’t said a single human word. Maybe that was easier. Maybe talking would’ve made everything worse.

By noon, the house was full. Pack members came with trays of food, casseroles, bread, dessert, enough to feed a small village. Wolves always showed up like that. Grief or celebration, it didn’t matter. They came as a pack.

Mom was in full Luna mode calm, steady, welcoming everyone with a strength that almost broke me. She’d spent decades standing beside Dad, leading this pack with him. Growing up, I’d sworn I’d never live a life like hers. Never fit myself into a role I didn’t choose.

But watching her now, I wondered if I’d misunderstood. She didn’t look trapped. She looked grounded. Certain. Like she’d built something that mattered.

And me? I’d spent seven years taking photos, changing time zones, never staying long enough to plant anything that could grow.

“Stop spiraling." Skye said, pushing a black dress into my hands. “Wear this. You can’t go like that.”

I glanced at my jeans and sweater. “What’s wrong with this?”

“For a hike? Nothing. For Dad’s funeral? Everything.” Her voice softened. “Please, Raven. Just… try. For Mom.”

So I changed. The dress was plain and black, nothing special, but it didn’t matter. Today wasn’t about me.

The ceremony was at the clearing we’d used for generations. By the time we got there, the place was full. Everyone stood in silence, dressed in black, waiting.

And at the front, near the platform where Dad’s body lay, stood Colton.

He looked… put together. Suit, tie, hair pulled back. Every inch the Alpha.

He was speaking with the elders, face calm and unreadable.

Then he looked up.

And he saw me.

Something flickered in his eyes too fast for me to read before he put the neutral expression back on. He gave me a small nod. Polite. Distant.

Like I was just another wolf in the crowd.

It shouldn’t have stung. I didn’t have the right to sting. But it did.

The ceremony began, and I forced myself to listen. Thomas, one of the elders who’d known my dad since forever, spoke about his life. His service. His loyalty. How he put the pack first in everything he did.

“Marcus Frost was a wolf of duty.” Thomas said. “A leader who protected us with strength and heart.”

People nodded along. Some cried.

And I stood there feeling like I didn’t belong. Like I’d given up my right to mourn him the day I walked away.

When it was my turn to speak, my stomach dropped. I hadn’t prepared anything. I didn’t even know where to start.

“I don’t have a speech.” I said, my voice feeling small. “I should. But I don’t.”

Rough start. Perfect.

“I know my dad and I struggled these last years.” I continued. “I made choices he didn’t agree with. Choices that hurt him.”

Mom let out a soft sound like she wanted to stop me, but I kept going.

“I left because I was scared. Scared I’d lose myself. Scared I’d become someone I didn’t want to be.” My eyes drifted toward Colton before I could stop them. He didn’t look up. “I wanted freedom so badly that I didn’t realize what I was losing.”

My throat tightened. “But I missed seven years with my dad. Years I can’t get back. Dinners. holidays. Quiet moments. Just… life.”

The clearing was so quiet I could hear the wind moving through the branches.

“He used to tell me a photo can capture a moment, but it can’t replace the moment.” I wiped my eyes. “I think I hid behind my camera. I think I ran from everything that scared me. And I lost time with him because of it.”

I looked at him my dad, wrapped in ceremonial cloth. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”

My voice broke, and Skye stepped up beside me, pulling me into her arms before my legs gave out.

I didn’t look at Colton when I went back to my place. I didn’t want to see if he felt anything at all. I didn’t want to see anything, either.

The ceremony went on. More memories. More songs. And finally, the pack shifted and howled together to send Dad off.

Everyone except me.

I stood in my black dress while three hundred wolves lifted their voices, and I felt exactly what I was a stranger in the place I’d once called home.

When it ended, people shifted back and came over with the usual things hugs, food, quiet questions about my travels that were really just polite ways of asking when I planned to leave again.

And honestly? I didn’t blame them. I wished I could leave too.

Colton stayed on the far side of the clearing, talking with pack members and very obviously avoiding me.

Fine. Good. That was what I wanted.

Liar, my wolf whispered.

“That was a beautiful speech." Someone said behind me.

I turned and saw a woman I didn’t recognize. Mid thirties. Pretty in that calm, effortless way some wolves had. Dark hair, kind eyes, neat clothes that made her look good even in the cold.

“Thank you." I said. “Sorry, have we met?”

“Not properly.” She gave me a gentle smile. “I’m Mara Chen. Pack healer.” She held out her hand, and I shook it without really thinking. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Something in her voice made me straighten a little. Not rude. Not fake. Just… cautious. Like she was watching me closely.

“All bad, I guess." I joked weakly.

“Not all.” Her eyes moved toward Colton, who was still surrounded by warriors. “Just… complicated.”

Oh.

“You’re the one who saved him.” I said quietly. “After I...after the rejection.”

Her face stayed neutral, but something shifted in her eyes. “I did what any healer would do. He was dying. I helped him survive.”

“Thank you." I said, though the words felt too small. “I didn’t know it could get that bad. I didn’t know rejection could—”

“Kill someone?” She finished, calm and honest. “It can. If the bond is strong enough. His was. Is.”

Was. Is. Present tense.

“He looks better now." I said.

“His body healed.” Mara finally looked straight at me, and I felt the weight behind her words. Not cruel, just real. “The rest took longer. And he’s still working through it.”

“Mara—”

“I’m not trying to guilt trip you." She said gently. “I’m just being honest. He’s a good man. A good Alpha. He deserves someone who won’t run when things get hard.”

The meaning settled between us. Clear. Heavy.

Someone who stayed.

Someone like her.

“I’m not here to—” I tried to explain, but she cut me off with a soft smile.

“I know. You’re leaving after this. Everyone knows.” She squeezed my shoulder, warm and kind in a way that made my throat tighten. “For what it’s worth, your speech took guts. Admitting you messed up isn’t easy.”

She walked away before I could respond.

And she walked straight to Colton.

He saw her and smiled. A real smile. I hadn’t seen him do that once since I got here. They talked quietly, her hand resting on his arm, his shoulders loose and relaxed like he trusted her completely.

They looked good together.

The sight made my stomach twist.

“That’s Mara.” Skye said, suddenly beside me again. “She and Colton are close. She’s been good for him.”

“Are they… together?” I asked, tryingnand failing to sound casual.

Skye raised a brow at me. “Would it matter if they were?”

“No." I lied. “Just asking.”

“They’re not." She said after a second. “But it’s not for lack of trying on her part. She’s in love with him. Everyone sees it. Everyone except Colton.”

Or he could see it and just didn't feel the same way. Because of the bond. The stupid, broken, rejected bond that apparently hadn't actually broken at all.

“I need air." I muttered, already heading toward the trees.

“Raven—”

“Just five minutes. Please.”

I didn’t wait for her answer. I just kept walking until the voices faded and I was alone in the woods, surrounded by snow, trees, and the sound of my own uneven breathing.