Dante's heart is bleeding. Every breath takes an effort, the cry of his soul almost unbearable to handle. A crushed spirit beyond repair. He wishes for death so he can be with her. His true love. Now that she's gone, the torment will torture him every night until he ascends to the realm of the Moon Goddess.

My wolf watches him with wide eyes, hurting, unable to reach her mate. The fibers of his existence lie bare out in the open, his pain so palpable that it tears at her heartstrings. Though we are only feet apart, the distance grows with every blink of his eyes. He's building an impenetrable shield around her memory, a safe haven to escape to as the loneliness eats away at him. The pounding rain onto the barn roof promises new life to the charred land—for him, it's a mocking reminder of what he has lost.

When the barn door slides open, I raise my head. Luna Harla's frame tosses a long shadow against the moon. Smudges of dried tears mark her face. She has stained her hair the color of a midnight sky in sign of mourning, and her body is veiled in the long floating silver cloth of a death watcher.

She kneels beside me and I press my snout into her hand. She strokes my ears.

"You need to shift, Raelyn. I need to examine your arm."

I drop my chin onto the blanket with a whimper. The rain beats on the roof. When the pressing silence threatens to choke me, I finally stretch into my skins. The emotional bond with Dante remains just as strong and my mate mark burns hot against my neck. A few tears fall without prompting. When I hold up my arm, Harla peels away the makeshift bandage Millie had wrapped around it. The lint keeps sticking to the watery blisters and rips off my skin. Clenching my jaw is the only thing I can do to stifle a cry.

"This doesn't look good. It will scar, even if you heal mostly in your wolf form." Gentle fingers apply an ointment to the burned skin. "Let this soak in for a few minutes and then shift again. You can come into the house to sleep, if you'd like."

"I want to be on death watch."

"Impossible. You are neither their family nor an elder with the necessary training. The emotional bond will fail during the circle ritual."

"What about Dante? He deserves to say his proper goodbyes."

Her gaze drills into me for a long time before she sighs. "You are turning into a very strong female, Raelyn, but are you sure you are ready for your mate to commit himself to twelve moons of mourning? That's a big sacrifice to make. The spirits of the dead will be burned into his soul until they are finally released."

I can't hold her intense stare. "Lara was his true mate. It's only right."

"Okay, then I'll talk to my mate."

"And please tell him it would really mean a lot to me. I never got a chance to apologize for attacking her, so I would like to request this as my punishment."

A smile lights up her face. "They say that every dark moment gives rise to something good. Your actions today showed that you have fully embraced this pack. I'm very proud of you, Raelyn, and so is my mate. You will be a strong leader one day."

"Thank you, Luna."

"Now let me check on my son."

I hold her back before she can stand. "What happened to the little girl?"

"You mean Lara's little sister Phebe? She survived, but since I couldn't get her to shift, she fell into a coma. Only time will tell if she's able to recover."

More sadness overcomes me. What a horrible day for the pack. The Luna squeezes my good arm before checking on Dante. He lays still on the ground—if I couldn't feel our mate bond pounding in my veins, his body would be as dead as his soul. Agony seeps out of him with every breath, just to give way to new pain that keeps his heart weeping in silence.

The Luna strokes him, her soft words bouncing off his motionless body. When his pain threatens to crush me, I shift and trot over to the house. Hailey and Savannah are cuddled up on the couch together and stare into the roaring fire in the hearth with blind eyes. How different these flames are from those of this afternoon. One give comfort, the other destruction.

I don't stop but head up the stairs into my bedroom, stretching and shaking before lowering myself onto the carpet in front of the bed. Though Dante's sorrow still churns in my soul, the pain isn't as strong as it was in the barn. Giving into my exhaustion, my eyelids flutter. With a long exhale, I let go of the tension and drift into an uneasy sleep.

~~~~

They say that things usually look up in the morning, but when I awake, a deadly silence has settled over the house. After I shift, I get dressed before making my way downstairs. My wound is pounding and a sharp pain shoots up into my shoulder whenever I move my arm. With a groan, I heave myself onto the barstool. Millie, who is cooking something on the stove, doesn't even bother to turn around.

"Would you like something to eat?"

My stomach is in knots, though I should probably force something down. "Some toast, if that's okay."

"Of course." She finally turns around to face me. Exhaustion is edged in the lines around her eyes and her stare holds a disturbing blandness. She still produces a thin smile and points to a pile of bandages and ointments on the counter. "Luna Harla left this for you. We can change your bandage after you eat."

The bread seems to be toasting forever and every passing second adds to the uncomfortable silence.

"How is Bay?" I finally ask when the tension gets too much.

"Half of his face is disfigured, but the Luna hopes to keep scaring down to a minimum. She will collect more herbs and plants for ointments after today's death watch."

I drop my gaze and pretend to be busy with buttering my toast. "Do you know if Dante went with her?"

"He did."

The pressing silence continues as I nibble on my toast. She stirs the food in the pot without turning around. The subtle scent suggests that it could be collard greens that are known for their healing properties. Then again, it might just be stew for dinner. Deciding to abandon the last bite of my toast, I'm about to get up and escape to the outdoors when Jos materializes from the hallway.

I bite my lip to keep my goofy grin under control. "You're back." At least one good thing has come out of this misery.

"Yes, for now. My father wants to see you in his study."

My smile fades. From the sullen look on his face, it's not good. With slumped shoulders, I follow him, my mind feverishly trying to assess what I could've done wrong. It probably has to do with Bay. Since it was my idea to run into the burning house, he might blame me that a younger pack member ended up getting hurt.

The Alpha is seated behind his desk, glaring at a bunch of paperwork. A held breath escapes when I notice that Lance is not loitering in his usual spot. At least he can't rile the Alpha up and make matters worse.

"Raelyn, sit down." The Alpha points to the chair across from the desk, his smile as thin as Millie's earlier.

I tentatively lower myself onto the edge of the chair, well aware that Jos is standing behind me with his hands on the backrest.

"You wanted to see me?"

"I got a call from the lawyer. The court scheduled some type of emergency hearing in a little over an hour and I need you to go with me."

My eyebrow quirks. "Me?"

"Everyone else is busy and Jos will be coming, too."

"Okay, when do we leave?"

"In fifteen minutes. Can you be ready?"

That's enough time to change my bandage and swallow a truckload of painkillers in order to function. "Not a problem."

The blisters look a little better, though I can already tell that the scaring will be bad. Some of the skin looks dead. I hiss as Millie wraps a new bandage around my arm after applying tons of ointment.

Jos watches us, his jaw clenched. "Does it hurt a lot?"

I smile at him, though the pain makes it a little crooked. "I'll live."

"Raelyn has been very brave." With a fond glow in her eyes, Millie passes me the bottle with the painkillers. "Here. The Luna said to take two every four hours."

I drop two pills into my mouth and wash them down with a little bit of water. The medicine works fast and by the time I walk with Jos to the truck, the pain is manageable. When I'm about to climb onto the back, the Alpha shakes his head. "It's just us three today. Why don't you come and sit with us in the front?"

That's a first and will probably be a last. Jos opens the car door for me, insisting on helping me with my seatbelt. Then we are on our way. I'm sandwiched in the emergency seat behind the main row between a grungy sleeping bag on my right and a box with fishing gear to my left. Once we hit the first potholes, a rod keeps poking into my ribs and I actually regret that I didn't get to sit on the bed of the truck. Way more comfortable.

"So, Jos, have you heard any rumors about Kendrick Raynes and his pack when you were down in Mechanic Falls?" The Alpha glances at Jos when he doesn't respond.

"Everyone is scared, Dad. Cedar Raynes has taken over Quebec and word is that his fighters are scouting out territories to attack. We are one of the packs who shares a direct border. He might try to take us first."

"Yeah, that's Lance's worry. I'm thinking of increasing the border patrols, but everyone is either busy with the clean up or on death watch. I need to see how many fighters I can spare, especially since I also obligated myself to send a troop down to Raelyn's old pack." He gives me a crooked smile. "But enough of this type of pack business in front of a female. Let's just focus on this hearing and then get back home as fast as we can."

Nothing else is spoken during the entire trip and I find myself dozing off after we pass the fence and the road evens out. When Jos strokes me away, I rub my eyes. We are already at the courthouse.

Mr. Evans is waiting for us in front of the courtroom and tips his watch before ushering us through the doors. Seated at the table to the right at the end of the aisle is the mayor and several other men. They glare at us as we crowd around the table to the left. A few spectators have taken a seat in the audience. I recognize a couple of boys and the girl who was making fun of us at the store. The rest of the viewers have little tape recorders and notepads; I suspect they are members of the press

"All rise."

I jump to my feet. The judge sweeps in and waves his hand, which I take as permission to sit back down. Chair legs scratch over the hardwood floor before absolute silence settles over the courtroom.

The judge gazes at the other table over his reading glasses. "Mr. Martin, are you representing the town?"

A guy in a dark pinstripe suit jumps up. "I am, Your Honor."

"And I see, Mr. Evans entered an appearance for the respondents. Then let's proceed."

Pinstripe guy beams at the judge. "Your honor, it has come to my clients' attention that there was a huge blaze on the land which is subject to this petition. Half the forest burned down. This raises the need for an immediate injunction that will require the respondents to surrender the land on a temporary basis until we can have a full hearing."

"That's ridiculous." The Alpha's mumbled words fall in a moment of silence, causing everyone in the courtroom to turn and stare at us. When I catch a few smirks, my face stings with heat.

"Mr. Evans, please control your client. I will fine him if he speaks out of turn again."

Mr. Evans rises. "Understood, Your Honor. It won't happen again."

"What's your position on the injunction?"

"We oppose the injunction. The fire was on a completely different part of the property than the land in question and was contained quickly. The reason it even caused any damage was because the town's fire department abandoned the respondent."

"Your Honor, the fire trucks tried to reach the fire but couldn't get past the prison-like fence the respondent has erected around his property."

Mumble erupts and I block out the sounds around me when Mr. Evans passes me a note under the table. I glance at the Alpha and Jos, but they are paying close attention to the action at the other table. With trembling fingers, I unfold the note.

'Eric is waiting for you outside.'

I lean closer to Jos. "I have to use the bathroom."

"Now?"

"Yeah, I need to go badly." Without giving him a chance to respond, I get up and rush out of the courtroom. Eric has chosen a small bench under a window; when I drop into the seat next to him, his lips curl to the biggest smile.

"Hey."

I return the smile. "Hey."

"Sorry, but I really wanted to talk to you without your husband."

"Dante isn't here today. I came with my father-in-law and Dante's brother Jos."

I'm not even sure the words sink in. His gaze flicks around with panic as if he's expecting for someone to jump out and say "buh."

"Raelyn, what's going on?"

I frown. "What do you mean?"

He exhales through tight lips. "My dad thinks your husband is abusive."

"Excuse me?"

"He said your husband cut you short when you were trying to speak and after you guys left, he found blood on the carpet right under your chair."

Crap. "I cut my finger earlier in the day and the bandage must have come off."

"He said it was a lot of blood." Eric's focus shifts to the bandage around my arm. "And now you are hurt again. What happened?"

"I got burned in a fire."

"Oh, just like that?"

I let out a desperate breath. This conversation is definitely not going in the right direction. "Look, Eric, Dante isn't abusing me."

"Sorry, but I don't believe you." His gaze roams over my blouse and skirt. "And you are wearing these old clothes, I mean, that's totally not your style. Did you get mixed up in something?"

My laugh sounds phony. "I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

He sucks in a deep breath, pushing out the air in a way as if unsure whether to continue. "Raelyn, did you join a cult or some freaky church group?"

Oh. My. God. Not him, too. "No, Eric." When the courtroom door opens and Jos's blond mop appears, I shoot up from my seat. "I have to go."

"You know you can tell me anything. I won't judge."

The courtroom door closes behind Jos with a thud that magnifies as it carries along the quiet hallway. Jos's brows rise in question. Caught red-handed. I'm in so much trouble, it's not even funny.

I turn back to Eric. "There's nothing to tell."

"Are you sure? My dad and I talked it over and we can help you. My dad knows a really good divorce lawyer and if you need money. . ."

There's one thing that has been instilled in me since birth, and that is that I can never turn my back on my heritage. No matter how bad things get, we are still wolves who stick together when it comes to outsiders. Our true nature can never be revealed. Though I'm sure Eric means well, he is also a human. He could never understand.

"It's all good, Eric. I swear."

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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