(Lily POV) Today is my 14th birthday. There will not be birthday cake, singing, or a party. Instead, we are attending a funeral. My sister's funeral, to be exact. Before my sister... died... we had a large party planned for me. I normally do not have a big party, but 14th birthdays are a really
(James POV) I watch sadly as the casket is carried from the temple to the burial grounds. It is a cold October day, and the gray sky and drizzly weather adds to the overall somber atmosphere. I cannot help but be impressed at how quickly the pack was able to pull everything together for Stephani
(Lily POV) I am barely 14 years old, and so I have not been to very many funerals. I did not know all the rituals involved, and I did not know how long it takes to go through them all. The funeral began at 2:00 PM, so I had anticipated that the ceremony and rituals would be done or at least mostl
(6 years later) (Lily POV) Six years have now passed since that fateful day that Stephanie died. I wish that I could say that life has moved on, and that we have found good in the bad... but for the most part, it isn't true. Stephanie is just as much a part of this pack today as she was before s
(James POV) Tomorrow will mark six years since Stephanie died. Everything and nothing has changed. I still think of Stephanie every single day. Her beautiful smile. Her laugh. The kindness that she showed to pack members. The passion that she showed for her luna training. Stephanie would hav
(Lily POV) I arrive back at the pack around 9:00 p.m. on the night before Stephanie’s sixth death anniversary. When I pull up to the border gates, I am directed to park my car and exit my vehicle. The three male guards at the border gates —Marcus, Joey, and Aiden—ask me for my name, which makes m
(Lily POV) I watch as my father parks his SUV car and gets out. I can tell that he is annoyed to be called to the border at this time of night. “What seems to be the issue?” my father asks the three guards after he enters the check-in station building. His tone is gruff, annoyed, and consistent
(Lily POV) The rest of the drive to the pack house was eerily silent. After my father and I arrived at the pack house, my father quickly exited the vehicle and headed to his office, leaving me on my own. I timidly and cautiously entered the beta suite, but I was relieved to find that my mother