The Wolf and the Natural ✔️

~•EPILOGUE 1•~

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.