Valimina Xlie

Chapter Nineteen

It was a dark day for the funeral. It wasn't raining or snowing. Just dark. It was dreary in a not so gloomy way; I guess you could say.

Exactly two days after the attack, everyone I knew and plenty of faces I didn't realize was gathered in a protective circle around the casket my daddy was going to be lowered in.

There were no dry eyes, but no one dared to make a sound.

The other kids held onto their parents' legs to keep from a breakdown.

Across the field, I could see my mom being escorted by two of the pack's warriors. She was delusional, that was obvious. Her attire didn't help either. There Mama walked in her wedding dress. Her constant crying smeared her makeup and she had forced Tomias to wear the clothes he wore at the wedding which no longer fit him. He was struggling to walk in the tight outfit and keep up with her massive stride, but he did it for her. He didn't complain when she threw the clothes at him before the funeral started. He simply said "yes ma'am" and went to get changed.

Behind her, I could see David wearing his best clothes, custom-fit by the pack's seamstress. His face was red and puffy from the tears he couldn't keep in. As they got closer, the members closed entirely around us, sealing off the spot they had just come through. That's when it truly began.

Everyone began to hum. A tribal song meant only for the most valued alphas. A song of worship, of mourn, or appreciation, of pain, and a song of the new coming; the next in line Alpha. The best pack warrior.

Usually, the title would be handed down to the alpha's firstborn, a son. However, Tomias was not of age, and he was only half-blood. He had to earn his way to the top like any other half-blooded wolf.

This ceremony was gruesome; the kids weren't allowed to watch. Instead, we were rushed to the neighboring pack to ensure our safety. At the age of eight, all I knew was the ceremony involved death. Who's? Rogues. They let our borders be breached, and the next in line alpha was to singlehandedly take on all rogues who dared trespass. It's not that easy, though. If the next in line was to be killed, like any other challenge for the title, the person who killed them would take over and lead the pack. Rogue or not. This is why I was rounded with the pups of our pack onto a neighboring territory.

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"I stepped down."

I stood there, shocked to a still.

What did she say? Am I hearing things?

"Mama, what do you mean?" I asked, along with David and Tomias.

"I stepped down," she repeated. "We're moving out of the packhouse. I can't stay there anymore. I resigned from my position."

We watched utterly confused while she zipped shut a bag of clothes on David's bed.

"But you're the Luna! You can't!" Tomias pled.