POV: Alex
The grave looked peaceful. Beneath the tall pines, bathed in soft silver light, Aretha’s final resting place seemed untouched by everything that had gone wrong. The marble headstone gleamed faintly, engraved with her name, the pack crest, and the words she once told me to remember:
“Loyalty first, love second. Always.”
I crouched beside the grave, brushing pine needles from the stone.
My coat was damp at the knees, but I didn’t move. Didn’t care.
"Aretha," I said quietly. "I don’t know what I’m doing anymore."
The wind stirred the trees, and the forest seemed to hush around me.
"I tried to hold it together after you died. For the pack. For the council. But truth is… I’m still bleeding.”
I exhaled slowly.
“There’s a woman in my territory. I don’t know what to call her. A
