When My Alpha Received My Ashes

Ronan was already two hours late when he walked into Moonrest Funeral Home. The collar of his black shirt hung open. Some unfamiliar perfume had smothered the cedar scent I'd once loved most. My spirit stood beside the reception desk. My body had already been burned to ash, and yet for some reason, I was still here. "Tess's ashes." Ronan tapped the counter. "After all those calls, the least you can do is let me see them." An employee set a white ceramic urn in front of him. "Mr. Calder, these are your wife's ashes. Please sign for them." He didn't even look. He scrawled his signature. My name was printed on a label under the urn. Tess Calder. Five years ago, when I'd changed my name from Tess Mercer to Tess Calder in the mate registry, Ronan had held my hand and grinned like a kid who'd just been handed the whole world. Now he scraped his thumb across the label. "You're sure you didn't just burn some roadkill and put it in here to fool me?" The employee's expression shifted. "We confirmed her identity. The report's right here." Ronan gave a soft scoff. "Fine. I believe you." To my shame, I felt relieved. It was ridiculous. Even dead, all I'd wanted was for him to believe me, just once. Maybe he'd bury me at the edge of the woods, somewhere far from the Calder family cemetery. I didn't need a headstone. I only wanted him to never lock me away again. I'd just reached for the urn when his fingers opened. The urn shattered with a c***k that echoed through the lobby. White ash spilled across the floor. "Sorry." Ronan looked down, the hint of a smile actually touching his lips. "Lost my grip." Then he lifted his polished shoe and stepped on the ashes. He ground his heel slowly against the floor, working my remains into the seams between the black stone tiles. A tiny fragment rolled beside his foot. He stepped on that too. I threw myself down and tried to gather the ashes. My fingers passed straight through the floor. I couldn't save a thing. His shoe hovered right in front of my eyes. I froze. So even after death, a person could still feel cold. "Alpha!" The employee rushed over. "The Moon Goddess will punish you for this!" Ronan had already drawn his foot back. He wiped the top of his shoe with a tissue. "Tell Tess this little stunt of hers is almost clever." "But tomorrow's the anniversary of my mother's death. Tell that sinner to be at the cemetery on time and kneel until I'm satisfied." He tossed the tissue beside my ashes. "Otherwise, even if she really is lying in a coffin, I'll dig her out myself." I stared at the crumpled tissue and was suddenly grateful my body had burned all the way through. Otherwise, the scene would have been gruesome. Before the staff member could say anything else, his phone rang. When Ronan saw who was calling, the impatience between his brows faded.  The irritation on his face eased. "Daphne? What is it?" He turned and walked out. I wanted to stay, but the moment he moved too far away, my spirit got dragged helplessly after him. I passed through the door and tumbled into his passenger seat. That used to be my seat. He'd once kept mints in the glove compartment for me because he knew I got carsick. Now there was nothing in there but Daphne's lipstick. Daphne Calder was an orphan the Calder family had taken in. She was also the woman who'd once cornered me outside my clinic and told me an ordinary she-wolf with no bloodline to speak of could never deserve a future Alpha. Back then, Ronan had stepped in front of me and warned he'd banish her from his territory if she ever came near me again. Now he was gently promising to come get her right away. "Is Tess really dead?" she asked softly over the phone. "She'd never willingly leave me." "But what if she really is?" I instinctively turned to look at Ronan. The old Ronan—never mind death, even if I so much as scraped my finger, he would nervously take me to the hospital. He said he would protect me for a lifetime and never let me suffer the slightest injury. But now, "Then open the wine cellar. We'll celebrate for three days."