Marked by The Rogue

Chapter 2 – The Pyre's Flame

Thalia’s POV

The clearing was silent as I stepped into it. The air was thick with the weight of grief, the pack standing in quiet reverence around the sacred ground. Their faces were solemn, eyes heavy with the loss they hadn’t fully understood. None of them knew the truth. None of them knew that how Raze had die, that Kaedin had marked me, or that I had watched our Alpha slip into death while his body was still warm.

But tonight, I would stand before them as their Luna—whether I was ready or not.

Nyra walked beside me, her presence a silent strength I desperately needed. Her honey-blonde curls hung loose around her shoulders, her eyes bloodshot from days of sleepless nights beside me. She had been my rock since the moment I woke in the infirmary, and I didn’t think I could face the pack without her at my side.

The flames from the pyres were reflected in her eyes, their light flickering like the faint embers of our lost lives. It was almost cruel, this ritual. This purging of the dead. For the pack. For Raze.

I didn’t know if I could ever truly let go. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.

Ahead, the ceremonial pyre had been built in the center of the sacred clearing. It was a towering structure of darkened wood, surrounded by the mourners who would see our Alpha and Beta off in the most respectful way possible—by sending them to the afterlife with fire and smoke. The flames licked at the sky, and I could feel the heat of them, the fire pressing against my skin like it wanted to consume me, too.

I stopped a few steps before the pyres, my legs almost refusing to move as the finality of the moment closed in on me. This would be my first act as Luna. My first moment of leading the pack after Raze’s death. But could I do it? Could I stand tall in front of them and speak when everything inside me felt like it was shattering?

“Thalia.”

Liam’s voice broke through my turmoil, deep and steady, pulling me back to the present. His broad frame towered over me, his dark brows furrowed with concern, but his gaze was full of quiet respect. He had always been loyal to Raze. He had been the one to help Raze when he needed support, the one to protect the pack after Raze fell. Now, with Raze gone, he looked to me.

“I’m ready,” I whispered, although my heart pounded so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it.

Liam nodded and turned toward the pyre. I followed, with Nyra beside me, as the pack parted to make way. The flames crackled, dancing as if they were alive, their orange light casting long shadows on the ground. The air was thick with a scent I had never quite gotten used to—the smell of burning wood, but with an undertone of something… heavier. A mix of smoke and something sweeter, something bitter.

Death.

It was always different when it was personal. When it was someone you loved.

I inhaled sharply, the air burning my lungs, but I forced myself to keep moving. I couldn’t stop now. The pack was waiting. They needed their Luna.

At the center of the clearing, a stone altar had been placed. Raze’s body lay upon it, wrapped in white cloth, his features peaceful in a way that almost made me forget what had happened. I could still remember the way he had looked when I found him—broken and bleeding, eyes staring into nothing. I had been helpless then, but I wasn’t helpless now. I wasn’t broken.

Not anymore.

I stood tall, my spine straight, my chest high, even though my heart felt like it would burst out of my ribcage. I couldn’t let the pack see my fear. They needed to believe in me, in my strength.

“Tonight,” I began, my voice a little shaky at first but firming with each word, “we honor Alpha Raze. Our leader, our protector. He fought until his last breath to defend this pack, and we will carry his memory with us always. But tonight is not just a time of mourning. It is a time to remember what he stood for. He wanted Silvermist to remain strong. To thrive. We will thrive—for him.”

My voice rang in the night air, and the pack, who had been murmuring in soft voices, fell silent. All eyes were on me. It was different now. They were waiting for me.

I continued, my words becoming more confident, more sure of the path I was now walking. “And we honor Beta Rowan. He gave his life in defense of this pack, too. His courage and loyalty will live on in each of us.”

I could feel the weight of their eyes on me, their hope, their pain. They were entrusting me with something that felt too large to bear. But I couldn’t back down now. Not when they needed me. Not when Raze would have expected me to lead.

I raised my hand to the sky, my fingers stretching toward the stars, toward the moon that had witnessed so much of our lives, both good and bad. The flames on the pyres flickered in response, as if they knew the moment we were in. As if they, too, felt the gravity of it all.

The pack followed my lead, their voices rising in a chant. A song of remembrance. A prayer to the ancestors.

The flames leaped higher, snapping and crackling as they consumed the bodies of our fallen. Raze and Rowan’s forms were swallowed by the fire, their souls sent into the afterlife. The heat from the flames was intense, and I couldn’t help but feel it, deep inside my chest. The burn. The scar that would never fade.

“We carry you with us, Alpha. Beta,” I whispered to the flames, my heart breaking all over again. “We carry your legacy forward.”

My eyes closed for a moment, and the sound of the pack chanting filled my ears. The heat from the pyre seared into my skin, and I allowed myself to feel the loss. To mourn, just for a moment.

But then I remembered what Nyra had told me. I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t a victim. I was Luna now. And I had a duty.

I opened my eyes.

“I will lead,” I declared, louder now, the words echoing in the night. “For Raze. For Rowan. For Silvermist. We will stand united, and we will protect this pack. No one will tear us apart.”

The pack’s voices rose in response, and the fire crackled louder. It felt like the land itself had taken a breath, as if the earth had acknowledged my words, my promise.

Tonight, I was Luna.

I couldn’t bring Raze back. I couldn’t undo what had been done. But I could honor his legacy. I could stand strong for the pack. And I would.

As the flames flickered and the stars shone above us, I felt the weight of the future settle into my bones.

And I knew, for better or worse, my journey had only just begun.