CHANCE
Chance didn't know most of the people who's names were on the plaques. He had heard the names, maybe even met them, but he didn't know them.

Chance put his arm around his sister, tucking her to his side. "I'm so sorry, sis. I know how hard this is for you." He gulped. What was he supposed to say?

Four plaques were on four different little stick boats, covered in flowers and empty vials filled with notes that would never be opened— last words you didn't get to say to the people who died.

Seymour Hall. Chleo Queens. Constance Dawn. And Becker Reinhart.

Chance knew more people than just that had died. Too many to count. An unnamed amount of people from other packs, other groups. Chance looked over at his sister, who was staring at Constance's plaque.

He barely knew who that was.

It was a small funeral. And it wasn't even really a funeral. Is was more of a wakening. All of these people would have their own private funeral at another time. From what he had heard, Constance Dawn has already had her funeral. He wondered what she did to make people say her full name every time they talked about her, like she was famous. Perhaps, in this world, she was. Chance hadn't been there long enough to know.

"I ruined her last days with her best friends." Kate whispered. "I was there and I shouldn't have been." She wasn't crying but Chance knew she wanted too.

Chance shook his head. "Sis, I don't grasp the whole "mate" thing, but I'm sure she wanted Arlis happy. And he's happy with you. That's what important. She died knowing her friend would be happy. And that's not such a bad way to go out."

That sounded terrible. He didn't word that right. Chance internally groaned. Why was this so hard? It shouldn't of been this hard. He has never been around a lot of death. His grandparents, well or so he thought, had died when he was too young to remember. His parents were only child's so he never went through the passing of an Aunt. He... never really experienced death. Now that it had taken people away from somewhere he cared about— Kate— he wasn't sure how to handle it.

Someone came up to stand next to them, Arlis. Arlis was okay, Chance guessed. There were worse people out there for his sister to love. At least he had money and power. Chance rolled his eyes to himself. And he loved her. Which Chance thought was important too.

As long as he never hurt her.

Chance wouldn't admit it out loud, but he trusted Arlis not to. He didn't say the same for any other boy Kate dated.

"He's right," Arlis said. "She did like you, Kate. She just had internal problems and couldn't show love or affection very well." he sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

Chance chuckled. "I must have that too. I can't seem to keep a girlfriend."

Arlis looked over at him and narrowed his eyes. "Chance, I am being serious. Constance grew up brutally, ruefully. Her father did terrible things to her, she killed her husband on her wedding night. I've only heard her say the word "love" once. She had trouble showing affection, because she didn't get a lot of it until me and Becker." He choked on Becker's name. Another one of the fallen.

Chance's smile dropped when Arlis had began speaking. He sighed. He was always messing up like that, misreading things. How was he supposed to know Arlis was being serious? Nobody he knew went through enough trauma to be mentally unstable. People joked about that in high school.

This wasn't high school.

Chance nodded to them and walked over to his mother, who was having a conversation with Iris. Iris seemed nice compared to everyone else.

"Mom?" Chance whispered.

His mom looked over at him and gave him a soft smile. "Sorry, Iris." She flashed a smile to the woman. "What's up, honey?"

Chance shrugged and stood there. "I think I'm going to—"

He stopped.

He stopped moving, stopped breathing, he couldn't even blink. What was happening to him? Chance looked around the funeral until he spotted a girl with bright brown eyes. Her dark hair was in little ringlets that went down to her shoulders.

She was looking right back at him, and he didn't know why but she was the woman Chance was going to marry.

"Chance?" His mom asked.

Chance shook his head and faced his mom. "I think— I think I'm going to go home." He said. "To the cabin I'm staying at, I mean." His plan was going to go home with his mom but now that he had seen this beautiful creature... he was staying here for the rest of her life. "If I can... find my way there."

Iris chuckled. "I'm sure my daughter can help you there. It's really hard for her to be here, considering... she's not exactly over her last brother leaving her. None of us are." Iris closed her eyes as a tear or two fell down her face.

Linda brought her into a hug, running her hand up and down Iris's back.

"Vera!" Iris yelled.

The girl Chance had been watching— snapped out of her daze and walked their way. She was even more gorgeous up close. Her skin was dark, matching the color to the scent of Mother Nature herself. She had one dimple in her left cheek, and her nose was small and dainty.

Vera.

"Yes, mom?" She stood next to Chance and he caught a whiff of watermelon lemonade, making him slouch and daydreamingly stare at her.

Iris looked at him. "Nuh uh, you don't flirt with my daughter. She's waiting for her mate. And so help me son, I'll—"

"Mom!" Vera groaned. "What did you need me for?" She asked.

Mate. That's what Kate and Arlis were, right? Was that what Vera was to him? Is this what that felt like? No wonder Kate stayed with Arlis.

"Can you escort Chance here, home?" Iris asked, unaware that Vera very much was Chance's supposed mate.

Vera smirked and Chance felt his feet lift off the ground and take him to Cloud 9. "I think I can do that."

She locked her arm with Chance's and he couldn't help but look down at her, star struck by her small grin. "Vera."

He felt her shiver and he smiled to himself.

"Chance, right?" She asked and Chancebnodded. "Kate's older brother?"

"Yeah." But he wasn't registering the conversation.

"So you're... my mate. Awful timing." She looked up at him and Chance nearly had to stop and take a breather— she stripped the air from his lungs.

"I'm not sure what a mate is but I really hope I'm yours." He laughed. It sounded stupid. He sounded stupid. He was usually suave with the ladies and here he was, tripping over Vera.

She rose an eyebrow up. "You don't know what a mate is?" She asked.

Chance shrugged. "What Kate and Arlis are, right?"

She sighed but her grin didn't leave her face. "This is going to be fun. Do you know what a Mark is?" She was being flirtatious, Chance saw it in her eyes.

He shook his head. "Nope." He said, popping the "p."

She smirked at him, looking behind her before she started jogging a little bit. "I'll show you."

Iris grabbed Chance's arm. Chance's mom began laughing wildly, shaking her head, the the point of leaning down and gasping for breath.

Iris's eyes melted the inside of Chance's head. This was Vera's mother. This was Arlis's adopted mother.

"So help me God, I was not counting on this today," Iris let go of his arm and then waved him off. "Just, just, just go, I can't even..." she trailed off, enough words were said.

Chance followed Vera away from the two women, realizing that she could show him anything, small or big, as long as he was with her.

ARLIS
Four, that's how many people he loved he was sending down the river. Three, that's how many best friends Arlis lost. Two, how many shots of vodka he poured into a vial and placed on Constance's boat. One, how many times Arlis had cried at the funeral.

"I can't believe they're really gone." Arlis sighed. He held Kate's hand. She made him feel a little better but... it wasn't same as all three of them laying on a bed and falling asleep together, all three of them waking up and talking when one of them had a nightmare.

It wasn't the same as posing for hours and hours while Picasso painted them, trying hard to keep a straight face while they each tried to find ticklish spots on each other.

It wasn't... them.

Chleo wasn't there to hand him a chocolate bar and pound his back. Seymour wasn't there to tell him the redundant saying he just loved spewing. Becker wasn't there to make him laugh until his stomach hurt. As much as he thought he hated it, he knew he'd miss Constance's little bitter comments about him.

He wouldn't cry again. He had cried too much since that day. He looked down at Kate, who was definitely pregnant. She hadn't realized it yet, but Arlis could smell and hear whatever Demon spawn Angel Kate was going to have.

Becker would have wanted to hold the baby far too much. Becker loved babies. And Chleo would babysit. Constance would secretly want it named after her, probably go as far as holding it hostage until Kate and him agreed to it. She secretly liked babies.

Arlis wiped his eyes and turned away from the boats. He couldn't stand to look at them anymore. Kate put her hand on his shoulder and kissed his back. "Arlis?" She asked, her voice soft. "Do you want to go home?"

He cleared his throat. "If anyone has any last minute last words they'd like to put in the vials and onto the boats, I'd see to it that you do so quickly." He had to be strong. For his family, for his mate and eventual first blood child, for his pack.

Lily ran up to them and quietly pushed Arlis over to put a vial on Becker's boat. Arlis chuckled softly. He still had family here.

Kate was way too young for Lily, more like a sister, but bonds were weird that way. Wherever you fit, you went. No questions asked.

Becker's boat had a mini raft next to it. There wasn't enough room for all the vials he was getting.

"A thank you," Lily said solemnly. She looked at Kate and Arlis and nodded her head.

Her and Jake were still staying with Kate and Arlis, more full time than what they were. Gracie was too, but she was partly the heart of the pack and too many people Arlis was close to wanted to take her for a night or two— Arlis's siblings and mother specifically.

Arlis wanted Everly to be there, and the other Dawns, but they were all busy. The Dawns had their own day or two of mourning and then it was back to Hunting. The world wouldn't wait for them to catch up, Arlis understood. He had tons of paper work on his desk and calls from other Packs. Konrad was dead, but little factions of vampires or witches still believed the lies he had told them. People demanded answers.

He couldn't care less. Not yet.

Arlis looked at the boats and set them on the river. A little bit away, four men stood with flaming arrows on bows.

This wasn't a traditional funeral. They hadn't ever done this before. But Arlis knew Becker and Constance, they wouldn't want something big. They'd like this.

"Now we can go home." Arlis walked with Kate, a hand on her stomach.

Yes, she wasn't Becker and Constance. She would never replace Becker or Constance. But she was his, and he was hers. They were one and yet they were two— souls meant to follow each other until the ends of the Earth. Shoot, if Arlis had to, he'd jump off the edge just to save her.

Becker and Constance would hate him for being as depressed as he was. He couldn't blame them.

"You surely love my non-existent, abs." Kate laughed, trying to cheer Arlis up. "Keep staring at them I might think you're weird."

It worked. Arlis smirked at her, letting the thoughts of Becker and Constance slide away with their boats.

He had put alcohol on Constance's boat. He sent a little apology note to Seymour's. On Chloe's was a gift Arlis had planned for him for when he became Beta— dog tags that said Beta Chleo Queens on them. And on Becker's he set two small diamonds, remembering Christmas. And now it was time to let go.

"You'll know why in a bit." Arlis laughed out, his pace speeding up so he was a little in front of her.

Kate glared at him playfully. "What do you mean?" She asked, the two walking back to their house. The sun was setting off in the distance, casting warm hues across the melting snow.

Arlis didn't answer her.

Kate playfully shoved him forward. Arlis stumbles but continued to laugh. "Arlis!? What do you mean?" She giggled.

Arlis stopped to turn around and kiss her forehead. In return, she slapped his arm. "Arlis!"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "You'll just have to find out in a month or two when you start showing." And he wouldn't forget the look on her face when realization dawned.

Her eyes lit up, excited but also scared. Her mouth has dropped, angry but content. So many emotions were written on just her face.

Arlis couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he told her he wanted enough kids to start a small army.

"Claire. If it's a girl." She said, startling me. I walked with her, watching her feet.

"Family tradition— you're named after the Barron grandparents if you're the first born of that gender. Dalia, after our grandma Dalia. Arlis after... my grandfather." I winced. "We can break it but—"

"Reigns and... Rebeckah? Right?" She skipped a couple steps, her hair falling freely. Arlis loves watching her be— content. And right now he knew she was nervous, he was nervous as hell, but she was happy. And that made him happy.

He nodded. "Reigns and Rebeckah."

"We could call her Beck." She smiled, and Arlis knew what she was thinking. "Short for Rebeckah of course but— I mean we could name her Reigna or him Rebeck. Is that weird? That's kind of—"

He pulled her into a kiss and leaned his forehead against hers after a moment. "I want to go home. With you. Mom is going to be upset when she realizes I left early and I want to be far away from her war path." He brushes his thumb over her face. They were okay, they were going to be okay.

She nodded quietly. "I love you." She breathed out. "I'm so sorry... about everything."

He closed his eyes, setting a hand on her stomach again. "Becker would want me to be happy. And Constance would too. With you. Don't apologize. The only one who needs to apologize is me." He didn't want to talk about this anymore. He just wanted it to go away. Eventually it would catch up to him again, just like his parents' death did. But right now he needed to shove it down.

"Why should you be apologizing?" She asked, almost madly. "You didn't do anything."

"Because. If it's a girl and we name her Rebeckah, Connie is going to be pissed Becker has our kid slightly named after him while she doesn't. And when I eventually see her again— I need a good apology." Kate halfway cried through her laughter. He wiped her tears away, and he knew he'd do that every time she cried.

"I love you too." He picked her up bridal style, smiling widely.

"Arlis!" She yelled. "Put me down."

He shook his head. "Never." And that was that. She was never leaving his arms.