Irene's POV
I stood by the coffin, my fingers brushing the polished wood as if my touch could seep through and reach him, my father, my Alpha, the only constant pillar I had ever known. The candles flickered faintly, shadows dancing across the carved markings on the wood, and I couldn’t breathe. Not properly. It felt like my lungs were collapsing inside my chest, forcing me to draw in shallow, ragged breaths as I stared at the stillness that no one could reverse.
He was gone. Truly gone.
I had cried until there was no strength left in my body, until my throat was hoarse and dry, until my eyes burned from the endless flood of tears. People whispered behind me, offering condolences, offering sympathy, offering questions I didn’t care to answer. I didn’t want their pity. I didn’t want thei
