Alpha Klayton | ✔️

43 |

🖤 VOTE PLEASE AND THANK YOU 🖤

My hands raked through my hair, pulling at the scalp. I ignored the numbing pain from my tugging fingers and looked up at my empty closet. It seemed like something so trivial.

How could I decide what to wear when I was going to my best friend's funeral?

This was the first time I had come back to my own apartment since that day, but now I had to face reality.

In fact, it was going to smack me in the face tonight at the start of the ceremony.

I had never attended a werewolf funeral.

And a few months ago, I never would have thought I was going to be saying those words. And that thought made my knees weak.

In a matter of no time, my life flipped upside down, before I was staring at it and attempting to turn it back. I was finally learning, once and for all, that I needed to accept the new perspective instead of fighting it. That included welcoming the new Adira. I wasn't going to beat Artemis if part of me was fighting myself.

I was going to need every last inch of me working against her.

I looked down at the discarded clothes on the floor. I picked up a black dress —the same one that I had already looked at a thousand times— and just decided to put it on.

If I got through today... I could kill her tomorrow.

Klayton and I had switched strategies; much to his aversion, I was no longer going to train. He finally agreed that nothing was really going to prepare me for what was about to happen.

She knew I was coming for her, it was just a matter of when.

I smoothed the dress, I looked in the mirror and took in my appearance.

My stark white hair, purple eyes and athletic build were not so foreign anymore —even though no one from my old life would recognize me.

I left my apartment, not even bothering to lock the door. I had a weird feeling I wasn't going to be back for a long time. It was hard enough coming back as of recently, due to the traumatic events that happened here. But it needed to be done.

However, the persistent feeling that told me I wouldn't be coming back lingered. I needed to move out; and stay out. I no longer could live in the place that housed so many dark memories.

~

The sun was setting.

Werewolf funerals happened at night, Klayton had explained. The significance was that they are supposed to be given back to the moon. Klayton had modified parts of the ceremony but pack traditions could be hard to overrule —even as Alpha.

The families didn't want a spectacle and turning the funerals in a political fuck you to the Moon Goddess wasn't seen as exactly impartial.

People outside of Klayton's immediate circle don't know the whole story.

To come out and throw such accusations at the Moon Goddess would mean civil war, and I couldn't bear to have more blood on my hands.

Not unless it was Artemis's.

The new Beta had arrived to pick me up. He hadn't taken his oath yet, but someone had to step up in these times. I kept forgetting his name, Corey... or something like that. I didn't want to get too attached.

I couldn't.

He didn't speak much anyway. He seemed unlike Issac in every way, which made is easier, yet harder all at the same time. I craved a warm smile and some friendly teasing, but I don't know if my heart could take it.