Daughter of the moon

Chapter 2: Funeral

Cedric

I still can't believe he is gone. I didn't think anyone, or anything could kill him. Alex should have been there. The fool… He was just too afraid of losing her. Now she's lost him and it’s killing her. I can feel the sadness coming off of her in waves. She tries to hide it, but I've known the girl since she was a small child. Since the first time she knocked Elric flat on his behind. That very same day he said he was going to marry her. He was so young then… But, when he got that look in his eye, I knew he meant it.

The drive is longer than expected. The rain keeps coming down, even harder than before; I know the reason is because of Alex, even the sky feels her loss. Sometimes I wonder if she even knows the limits to her abilities. The only good thing to come from any of this is that bastard Abigor never got the chance to get near her. Or their children.

4 months ago 

"CEDRIC!" Elric called for me outside of my tent before entering. It makes me smile knowing that after all this time, he knows he is always welcomed to just walk right in, though there were a few times I'm sure he wished he hadn't. He quickly hugged me with a worried look on his face. He started explaining how he was visited by Selene, Alex's birth mother. "She said she ‘came with a warning.’ That if we both go into battle then either one or both of us will die!" He paced the room nervously, flashes of the young wolf I knew so long ago beginning to resurface. 

“Come now, Alex, die? Elric we have seen that woman pierced with a blade though her chest. There isn't a weapon forged on Earth that can kill her. Hell even you are becoming harder to injure”

 ‘I mean the girl is half God half something else entirely.’ I think to myself but knowing it wouldnt calm his mind any. 

“Yes but she can be wounded, if Abigor finds out who she is he can use her for her abilities. Alive or dead they can use her, our children-.” worry plastered on his face with the thought of what could happen to them.  

"I just couldn't risk telling her, Cedric. She would have come along anyway. She's just so f*****g stubborn!" He sighs and shakes his head, smiling a little, seemingly conceding a thought to himself. “But that’s why I love her...”

I smile back at him, attempting to calm his nerves. "Well, maybe, Selene is wrong. She's been wrong before, hasn't she? We all know fate isn't always a straight line." 

Oh, how I wished I would have been right…

Present

As we slowly make the drive to the funeral pyre, I wonder how much stronger the children will be than Elric. Will Oliver's fur start to turn and change like his father's? Will he have the same strength Alex blessed her husband with? Will he do what his father wouldn't and take over his grandfather's pack lands?

“One can only hope,” my wolf mumbles, sulking there inside me. 

Zuri and I have discussed at length about asking Alex to move to our territory with the kids. Just for a while at least, or forever if she so chooses. I know moving with the children so soon after the loss of their father would be sudden. Especially for the older ones… but she needs support, and this pack offers little of it. The only reason Alex was allowed to stay was because of her bond with Elric. They think that because she is “wolf-less” it means that she is weak, even though she has proven otherwise, time and time again. Hopefully my beautiful Zuri can convince her, she has that way about her.  

20 years ago

"That girl sure is special," Zuri remarked, while we watched a very young Alex put her future husband Elric into a compression lock chokehold, triumphantly smiling as he finally, begrudgingly, tapped out. 

"She is quite skillful for one so young," she continued. "What do you know about her," she asked, smiling that knowing smile.

"Her parents are warriors; she's been practicing with them since she was a toddler. She skipped three class grades, which is why she and Elric are in the same class group and takes extra advanced courses. There are a lot of people looking forward to seeing what her wolf will look like. They think she has been blessed by Selene, the Moon Goddess. She’s even helped Elric get caught up with the rest of his peers," I explain, while looking back at them and smiling. Alex managed to hog-tie Elric with his own belt and was drawing whiskers on his face with a marker she found in his pocket.

"Hey now," I yell at her, "don't write on his face like that!" 

"Yes," Zuri says while stepping up next to me, laughing at them. "Try the clown face instead, darling; it's much more appropriate." 

We finally pulled into the funeral ground. The crowd was massive. Thankfully, it looked like they were smart enough to put a covering over the pyre before the rain. I step out and make my way over to Zuri's door, umbrella in hand, opening the door for her to make sure she doesn't get doused by the rain. I watch as she steps out of the vehicle; her soft, deep, umber-colored skin glowing, even in this weather. She lifts her head and looks at me with the same light brown eyes I fell in love with so many years ago, those green flecks dancing inside her eyes like small fireflies. Even after all this time all she has to do is look at me with that smile and I’d be a groveling sap for her. She smiles and takes my arm as I help her down from our SUV. I'm so glad she was kept safe in all of this. 

I hand off the umbrella to her as I turn to help Alex get her children out of the car. Reaching for little Lena, my wife, helps me to make sure she doesn't get wet. Oliver holds the umbrella over his mom and baby sister Maya. As soon as Alex steps foot out of the vehicle the rain slows down, becoming lighter, as if it has accepted that we have arrived and so has she. 

Trudging up the concrete walkway to Elric’s pyre, we walk by the other families saying goodbye to the ones they have lost. Around us are fields and trees, while the walkway branches off to the different areas to place the dead. Our senses are assaulted with the different offerings to the Moon Goddess and the god Hermes who has guided the lost to the afterlife.  When we made it to his pyre, I noticed it was the simplest of all, Elric's body is covered in blue cloth instead of white, though his weapons, oddly enough, were not displayed around him. I guess if anyone were to know what her husband needed in the next life it would be her. 

Alex and the children place their offerings around Elric's body. Oliver takes his time laying the last of the sapphire lilies around his father's head and places his forehead to his father's covered face. He stays there a moment, then tells his father in a long-dead wolfen tongue he would always keep their promise. I smile to myself, hearing the sounds the young pup makes. Elric managed to learn something after all…

As custom, Alex must be last out of us all to say her goodbyes and be the one to light his pyre. Hundreds of people came to pay their respect; all of them with a peculiar, almost confused look on their face at how simple his pyre is, and its lack of extravagance, for someone who killed our enemy and stopped their suffering. Some people even walked by and had to be redirected back. 

As the time to light the pyre arrives, the rain completely stops. The moon shines through the clouds, surprisingly full. The last stragglers have come by to pay their respects. When the moon is close to reaching its apex, Alpha Caleb finally makes his appearance. It didn't go unnoticed by me that he did not pay his respects. It made my blood boil. He begins to speak to the gathering, but I don’t listen. I care not for the words of cowards and Caleb is a coward. While we fought at the head of our packs… while Elric fought to stop Abigor… “Alpha” Caleb—coward that he is, fought in the back, away from the main battle, slaughtering those already defeated and barely able to stand. My blood boils at the thought, but the time to address this is not now… Oh, but when that time comes…

Alex and her children don't seem to be paying Caleb any attention; she lost respect for him, way before learning of his deeds. There is still a massive crater in the fields from the day Elric had died that her and Oliver went to train; she lost all of her self-control, the moment she felt Elric's death. That on its own is a significant reason for Zuri and I to want to take her with us. Proof of her birthright is starting to make itself known. Alex was never one to hide things concerning her lineage, but she doesn't unnecessarily boast about it either. She is smart enough to realize that such actions could put a target on her family's back. 

Alex slowly steps up to the pyre, still ignoring the words of that buffoon, with all his bluster and grandstanding, attempting to appeal to those who still haven’t learned of his treachery; she places her hand upon his heart and touches her forehead to his. She whispers to him in a language I do not understand, kisses him on the forehead and steps back. When she looks up her eyes have changed, they are glowing, all four of their eyes are glowing, not as brightly but glowing, just the same. The pyre burst into flames, engulfing Elric in bright blue-white flames. Zuri leaves my side to stand beside her friend. She takes a hold of Alex's hand and places her head on her shoulder. Alex and her children's eyes return to normal as they all stare at Elric’s pyre. 

Hours go by, people are starting to leave and I decide to take a sleeping Lena and Maya back to the vehicle with me as Zuri, Oliver, and Alex stay and watch till the last of the embers burn. Once there and the little ones are settled in their seats, I decide to check in with my son Reuben, who chose to stay behind and make sure repairs to the pack lands were staying on task. Reuben—goddess, love that boy—is my first natural born son. Though I loved Elric as my own, Reuben, my eldest, is my pride and joy followed by his younger brother Tiegan. For a while I didn't think he would step up to be the next alpha of our pack. Even with the war going on, he just kept slacking off. I admit I was ashamed of his behavior, especially towards women.  The past few weeks though he has been slowly trying to prove himself. I call Reuben but it goes straight to voicemail. I try again and on the 4th ring he finally answers.

“Heeeeyyy, dad. Sorry about missing your call. I was in a meeting.”

 “Not likely,” my wolf says to me. He hasn't said much since Elric's death. Lately, he just stays in the very back of my mind. Mourning the loss of his adopted pup.

“How is the new construction coming along at our East border,” I ask him. "Slowly,” he responds. “We had some setbacks since the material that was shipped to us wasn't in full order. The contractor said that everything has been on back-order "

"s**t," I say in anger. "s**t!" I turn around to see Maya awake in her little car seat mirror, her little face alight with glee at the new word she just learned. My eyes go wide with horror.  "OH, PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT; YOUR MOTHER WILL LIGHT ME ON FIRE!"

"s**t! s**t! s**t!" Maya keeps repeating herself while giggling like the traitor she is.

“Dad,” my son calls for me from the phone. “Are you there?” I try to block out Maya and her now ever excessive need to have my existence removed from this Earth.

“Yeah, son,” I reply, realizing my time on this earth is dwindling with every passing second. “I'm here. Until the material we need arrives, we need to put out extra patrols around the border, and make sure funds are getting transferred so we can pay them. Also, make sure the cooks in the main house are making meals for the lookouts while they're out on duty."

“ Already on it. I even have a sign up sheet for those who want to volunteer their extra time.” Surprised about his initiative I momentarily am at a lost of words. But only a moment. 

“Great job son.”

“ Hey dad? How is she?” 

“Pretending like she’s holding it together. “

“Have you talked to her about coming here?”

“Your mother is going to in the morning. It's getting too late tonight.” I look at the clock on the radio to see it's nearly 3am.   I look up to see Zuri and Oliver making their way back toward the vehicle and end the call with Reuben so I can help them into the vehicle. 

 "Where's Alex?" I ask as I open the door for Zuri.

 "She said to go ahead and head back to the SUV," Oliver replies. "Alpha Caleb wanted to speak with her about something he said was important."

"s**t," Maya says excitedly, loving the fact she has learned a new word. Zuri glares at me, knowing full well the little one learned it from me, while Oliver points and laughs at my expense. I playfully growl at the boy and ruffle his hair. “Get in and get situated,” I say to him as he fixes his messed-up hair before climbing back into the vehicle. I look over at the dark-skinned goddess standing before me, her eyes glinting in the light, her luscious lips closed together and upturned—I notice too late that she’s still glaring at me, so I hang my head in shame. "Why don't you go rescue Alpha Caleb before he bites off more than he can chew with Alex?” Her words come across as a command more than a question and I immediately do as I'm told, knowing full well Zuri is the only one who can save me from being beaten by an already increasingly furious Alex. 

I take my time looking around the funeral grounds doing what I can to search for her. She’s nowhere near her husband’s remains and seemingly gone from the vicinity. Suddenly, I hear a small commotion and I search in the direction of the noise. “There she is,” my wolf says. I feel his fur beginning to raise in anger and I suddenly clench my fist, realizing now what he’s seeing. She has Caleb by the scruff of his neck holding him down on the ground. The anger spilling out of her is making the air hard to breathe. “You ever threaten to keep ANY of my children from me again, this pack will be looking for a new Alpha.” She leans down close to Caleb and tightens her grip then asks quietly, “Are we clear?" The way she said it… We wolves can smell fear in a man. Taste the change in the atmosphere. Hear tones no human could dream of imagining… Yet when she spoke, I needed none of those senses to know those last three words were filled with a murderous intent as clear and evident as the air we breathe to live. 

As I make my way closer to her, she looks up at me and I see that her eyes are yet again glowing. She stands with the man still in her grasp then simply discards him, tossing him aside like a crumpled piece of paper. However, paper would have the decency to roll away quietly, unlike this whimpering scamp. He stands, completely disheveled and hunched over and stumbles away, looking back only momentarily to see me then turns to get away, attempting to pick up the pace. She straightens her dress, dusting off some dirt and ash that have made their way onto her clothing. After she gathers herself and wipes blood from the corner of her mouth gives a small sad smile to me. “Shall we head back?” 

"Did he hi—DID YOU HIT HER!?" My wolf, now fully enraged, attempts to break through as I bellow out to Caleb in the distance. He’s now attempting to run, but his movements are clumsy, labored. “Perfect.” I start stalking forward instinctively as mine and my wolf’s mind become one, but Alex grabs me by the arm and forces me to walk with her. I hear Alex’s voice speaking to me, but my wolf has resorted to barking incessantly and incoherently. It’s too loud in my head to make sense of anything, but I feel us separating. 

Moments later, I’ve calmed, though my wolf is still almost visibly upset. “How dare he, Cedric? HOW DARE HE??” I feel him pacing around in my mind still ready to fight, but I have to reign him in. He just wants to protect our family… Of course, if there was anyone on this plane who understood him, it was me. “It’s okay… It’s okay,” I tell him, attempting to calm him. “Alex can handle herself better than most of us. s**t, probably better than ALL of us. Combined. That girl knows what she’s doing. She can take it. But Caleb… That will be the last time he draws breath in her direction. I’ll make sure of it myself.” 

As we approach the car, she stops me and looks at me with a concerned expression that quickly morphs to a look of… I can’t place it. It’s as if she’s contemplating on what to say next. “Let's just talk when we get back home,” she finally says looking far too exhausted, then finishes walking back to the car. For a moment, I considered staying back to catch Caleb’s scent and challenge him and finally rid him of his pathetic existence and his pack of his worthless, tyrannical policies. s**t, little Oliver would do a better job NOW as an Alpha than Caleb has in his entire reign as pack leader. “Few would mourn his loss…”

As soon as we arrived at the house Alex told the elder children  to get ready for bed. Little Maya was already passed out from the car ride, so her mother just stripped and changed her, leaving her little chubby body exposed to squeezes and snuggles. Something Zuri and I took complete advantage of. My wolf momentarily forgetting  about wanting to go on his murderous rampage. 

Oh, how we wished we could have had more pups, but two was plenty for Zuri and I; though we both love our adoptive grandchildren, we can't wait to see our other two sons have children of their own. Rueben has yet to find his mate and Teigan is still not old enough. We had such a hard time conceiving Rueben, we never thought we would get another, yet almost 20 years later we got our wish to be parents again. 

While the two elder children were up in their rooms, Alex quickly and quietly told us what happened when she was with Caleb. "He asked me to leave the pack." She pauses a moment to give us time to process what was said. "He wants me to leave the pack and to leave Ollie and Lena behind. He claims I have no right to them." Her face is like stone. Expressionless. It sent a fear through my being I didn't know I had in me… Then, I glanced over at my wife. The same cold stare. I’d never seen it before. I look at her tightly curled, silky black hair and can almost see it waving in a wind that isn’t blowing in the room. I feel an invisible cold flame lick at my already darkened skin. Zuri will need time to collect herself after this conversation. When she gets this upset, her abilities tend to flare up. Though she can ease the suffering of those who are dying she can also cause the people around her excruciating pain. No physical  damage is ever done, but if you stand too close, you will wish you were in a burning building. That fire is much more merciful.

“This is why you don't mess with a mother and her pups,” my wolf says to me, coming from his hiding place, having returned to his sullener state. “Tell her to come with us,” he continues. “I don't want to lose any more of them. I will destroy this pack myself if anything happens to them.” His anger causes the hairs on my arms to stand, and I reach over instinctively to soothe his spirit and reassure him. ‘Don’t worry,’ I respond. ‘I’ll help.’

After a moment, I finally say, “Then you're moving to our territory. Elric had spoken to me about it about a year ago. He was tired of dealing with Caleb and his lack of leadership.” “We spoke about it too,” She replies. “He wanted to build a house close to the lake. His floor plans are still on his desk...” Her voice trails off at the last part before her eyes slowly make their way to the office door.

“We can still build it,” Zuri interjects. “Of course, that’s if you want. You can stay in the main house, or even stay in our house, with us." 

“I want what he wants,” she says shortly, even almost absentmindedly. “I want us to be in the house he wanted us to have.” Her stone face begins to crack as her eyes seemingly begin to well up with tears.

Oliver, who we didn't see standing at the bottom of the stairs breaks our collective focus on the moment. “What if Alpha Caleb tries to force us to stay?” The worried look on his face hurts my wolf, but we silently agree to keep our composure for the young pup’s sake.

“How much did you hear?” Alex, having regained her mental fortitude seemingly from simply hearing his voice, looks at him calmly, but with a slight look of concern. Though he knows that Lena is adopted, they never told him that Alex was not the one who birthed him.

“Does he have the power to force us to stay?” Oliver's expression makes my wolf even more upset as I calmly cover my clenched fist with my other hand. 

“Caleb will die for this,” my wolf tells me, his anger filling my head, making it almost hard to think.

‘Calm down… s**t,’ I tell him, as I attempt to regain my senses. ‘I see you're going through the next stages of grief.’ 

“We need to find him,” he says trying to force himself out. “I will have his blood between my teeth. I will tear his life from his—"

‘What are you, a vampire or a wolf? Besides, what would we do with pack lands we can't afford to keep? Or finance?’

“Give it to Rueben as a test. He has yet to find his mate and he is getting older. He needs land of his own.”

I return from my thoughts and run my hand on the marble kitchen counter-top, enjoying the coolness of it against my hand, then look Oliver in his eyes as a man. “If that—If Caleb tries to force you and your family to stay, then I'll challenge him… or your mother will kill him.” I stare into the pup’s eyes, never breaking contact, so he understands the gravity of the situation. “It’s unfortunate, but those are our only two choices concerning that man, should he choose to go that route.” I see his face falter momentarily, but he keeps his composure.  

After a moment, he turns to his mother and says as calmly as possible, “I don't want him to die…” Her face returns to stone and she looks at her son, studying his expression, thinking of a way to answer what might be inevitable. “Okay,” she nods. “Then if he comes, I won't kill him. I promise.” Her voice tells a soothing tale… Her eyes, however, scream one full of horror and hatred.

If Alex gets to Caleb before me and my wolf do, he will wish for death much sooner than Alex will intend. She will see his anguish because she is causing it. She will understand his misery because it is her will. And knowing her, she will hear his prayers… and she will not answer.

Oliver smiles, unwittingly accepting his mother’s answer, not knowing that the fate his current alpha will face is one of dread and utter dismay if he even thinks about trying to hold him and his sister here.

After putting the children to bed and making plans on how long it will take to pack everything up, and where we are going to move it, we set things in motion. I called my beta Staton and had him get movers ready with at least 2 large trucks. The plan will be each adult and Oliver would take a room to pack things in boxes, leaving the younger two children to sleep while the movers take the boxes to the trucks. Overall it should take us one full day to load everything and then take shifts on the drive to my lands. We don't want to risk Caleb coming after them, so Alex will have them break the bonds of their pack as soon as we go right over the territory line. 

We finally make our way to our rooms. Exhaustion claiming us all.  Zuri lays her head on my chest nuzzling her face into me. “ These past two weeks I kept expecting him to show up.” Zuri sniffles. Her composure finally cracking. “ I kept expecting him to just walk though our front door smiling like every other time, asking what smells so good, or whats for dinner.” Her tears are warm on my chest and  all I can do for her is hold her and let her let it all out. 

“I know he wasn't biologically mine but he was still my boy. Someone killed our boy Cedric. A-And his wife, his mate, Alexandra is in so much pain.” She lifts her head up to stare at me, I raise up and wipe her tears away.

“Ssshhh.” I pull her towards me and lay us both back down. “ We’ll get through this.” I tell her over and over. I rub my hands up and down her back letting her take comfort in me before her breathing slows and she is fast asleep.

Before I shut my eyes and allow sleep to claim me as well, I feel a strong familiar presence and see the glowing light of the moon, knowing her mother is here to watch over us while we sleep.