Chapter Two

I watched blankly as the casket lowered into the ground, Ben’s grasp on my hand had long turned it numb, and the world around me was a blur. Neither the pitiful looks nor tearful condolences of pack members and friends received any acknowledgement. 

Looking at the headstone to the right dated exactly a year prior, the picture somehow looked complete, they were back together, and not even death held the power to do them part. 

“He was an important member of this pack, we shall all miss him dearly. I am very sorry for your loss.” Lady Agatha caressed my cheek softly, giving me a soft smile before moving on to Ben. 

To them it was simply a loss, to us, our whole world had shifted and no matter how hard I tried, it seemed as if my future had vanished right before my eyes- I didn’t know how to live a life without my parents.

“Sophia, it’s time…” Luna Yasmin’s soft voice broke through my haze. 

“O- Okay.” I glanced at her briefly, but my eyes wouldn’t leave the scene before me. 

“We’ll give you a few minutes, we’ll be waiting in the car, okay?” she offered generously and despite my brain shouting at me not to take advantage of her kindness, my heart kept my legs firmly in place, “Ben, why don’t you join Alpha Oliver and me in the car and give your sister a moment to say goodbye?” 

“Pinky promise,” Ben whispered to himself and turned to Luna Yasmin, letting go of my hand as he did. The loss was like a bucket of cold water over me and an involuntary shiver ran down my spine making me want to grab hold of him again, but before I could their, fading footsteps met my ears. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to say goodbye to both of you, I’m sorry I wasn’t a better daughter, but I promise I’ll be a better sister. I’ll make you both proud. Goodbye Mum, goodbye, Dad.” 

The promise rang in my head alongside an unspoken one, the day I return will be the day I’ve fulfilled my promise. 

***

Jerking up into a sitting position, I brought my hand up to my chest to stop my heart from beating from my chest and shivered as cold sweat dripped down my back. The image of the dark forest and red eyes surrounding me was still vivid in my mind as I looked around the unfamiliar room of the pack house. 

Alpha Oliver and Luna Yasmin went out of their way to make sure Ben and I got rooms beside each other and I really appreciated it, but it wasn’t home and just as I sat there with my head on my knees, it occurred to me- this was my life now. 

A low knock sounded on the door making me gasp, who could be up at this time of night? I knew wolves were nocturnal, but since our human side is more dominant we have evolved into more diurnal creatures. 

“Who- who is it?” I swallowed, hoping I was only dreaming when the door pushed open slowly.

“Sissy?” Ben’s small voice caused me to sigh in relief. 

“Ben? Come here, why are you awake at this time?” I beckoned him towards the bed and pushed the comforter away for him to climb in. It was a tight fit with us side by side in the twin bed, but having him close brought me comfort. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” he mumbled, shuffling into my side. 

“That’s okay buddy, I couldn’t sleep either.” 

“Do you think they’ll meet wherever they are?” the question made my heart pang with sadness, but the answer to that was something I knew with certainty. 

“Yeah, wherever they are they’re definitely together.” I wasn’t sure how I knew, but the feeling swirled inside of me. Wherever they were, they are happy to be reunited. 

“Don’t worry Sissy, we are together too, I’ll take care of you.” my heart slowed for a second, his voice held so much conviction that I had no doubt he would do any and everything in his power to do just that. 

“We’ll take care of each other, Buddy.” I dropped a kiss on his head and laid my head against the headboard, there was no way I was getting any sleep tonight, but there was no reason he shouldn’t. Ben’s soft snores reached my ears only moments later and I chuckled soundlessly, I always envied how quickly he could fall asleep. 

The sound of crickets and an owl hooting in the distance kept me company as I replayed the week’s dreams- or nightmares in my mind like a movie. Looking around the room illuminated by the full moon shining through the window, I spotted my sketchbook perched on the nightstand and glanced back at Ben who was fast asleep against my side before reaching for the book. 

With only the guidance of my memory and the moonlit night I put the pencil to paper hoping to make sense of the images in my mind and by the time the sky turned golden, pages and pages of drawings filled the book and when Ben shuffled beside me, I was finishing up my last drawing. 

“Sissy?” The old nickname brought a smile to my face, his voice was still hoarse from sleep and his eyes blinked to get used to the light. 

“Hey Buddy, did you sleep okay?” With his mouth wide open in a yawn he nodded and I chuckled. 

“Just don’t swallow me.” Ben rolled his eyes at my joke and glanced at the unfinished drawing. 

“That’s cool. I’m going to brush my teeth now.” Before I could react he was out the door, leaving me gaping after him, I’ll never get used to that kid’s energy. The clock on my nightstand suddenly blared my alarm chime, indicating it was time to get ready for school so instead of finishing my drawing I shut the book and climbed out of bed. 

***

Walking through the hallway at school, I tried hard to hide my face from all the prying eyes and with every step, I regretted not taking Luna Yasmin’s offer to take the week off, why are high schoolers so nosy? 

Taking a seat in math class, I had no desire to learn about Euclidean geometry and without even realising it, my mind wandered. Thoughts of simpler times when I’d sit in the clearing sketching flowers knowing my mum and dad hunted in the forest nearby, how I wish I could take a walk back in time.

“Sophia, is my lesson boring you?” I snapped from my reverie when the class broke out into snickers. 

“I’m sorry Miss Black.” I looked down at my notebook, feeling my cheeks heat up. 

“Pity party for one, everybody,” Bolton commented making the whole class laugh and I sunk further into my embarrassment. 

“Settle down all of you and Sophia, pay attention in my class or don’t bother coming.” She cocked a sarcastic eyebrow at me. She was not being any more of a b*tch than I was used to, but as the class echoed ‘ooh’ under their breaths, I felt my eyes well with tears and before I could stop myself I flew from my seat and only came to a stop when I was panting before the bathroom mirrors. 

The school was never easy for the “ghostly loner” I was, but somehow it found a way to get worse and I didn’t know how I would survive it without either of my parents to turn to, because even despite dad’s anger and resentment the past few months, at least I had something to focus on. 

Now I was all alone.