VIVIANNA
Looking out the window as we drove, my brain couldn’t really connect with how brightly the sun was shining, and the day seemed like any other.
I knew this was the way of the world. There was joy and heartache happening at the same time, but that knowledge didn’t make this any easier.
I spread my hands, smoothing out the wrinkles from the black dress I was wearing that Maria had given me to use.
A hand settled over mine, intertwining our fingers, before he pulled it up and kissed my palm.
I met Darius’s gaze, giving him a halfhearted smile, seeing the concern in his eyes.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. “I know your reasoning for it, but if you wanted to wait, I’m sure we could keep her safe until the battle is won.”
I loved that he had such faith in the outcome of this fight, but I was going to be the realist in this situation.
Jason and Vadik had the upper hand in this.
Even if we could match them for numbers, they had been preparing for this for decades.
Our ragtag group of zealots had motivation and everything to lose but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a chance that we could fail.
“No, this is the right thing to do. Holding out longer is just selfish, and I know that’s silly to say with her having already passed, but it is.
Each of us needs to heal in our way, and for me, I have to know nothing more can happen to her,” I explained, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Waiting will only make saying goodbye even harder.”
Darius didn’t say anything to that, only kissed my head and held me tight.
The mortuary was an hour away from where we’d been staying, but it was in the direction of the airport, so it worked out to do this before we flew out.
Christian had talked with the contact, and they were more than willing to help us out, since I didn’t really want a service or anything.
As a rule, they didn’t typically have the family there when they cremated the body, but I had to see it done with my own eyes, leaving nothing to chance.
My protectiveness over my child didn’t end just because she was no longer breathing.
I would do whatever was needed to ensure her safety.
The guys had tried to get me to eat this morning, but I just couldn’t stomach anything.
I didn’t know if that had anything to do with the life I was growing or what we were about to do.
Last night, I didn’t get much sleep either, as my mind raced with everything we needed to deal with once we landed and got to the ranch.
A job this big needed to move fast but we couldn’t rush into things when going up against such an enemy.
Our plan was good, and we were finding connections and loopholes everywhere that we could exploit. I just hoped it was enough.
The logic was to go for the leaders. Chop off the head of the snake and the others will scatter, no longer having their protection.
That led me to thinking about how I would hold those accountable for being a part of what has been going on under their direction.
Did everyone know what was going on or who they were working for?
It seemed like I would need a whole investigation team to figure all that out.
“Babe, if you keep thinking that hard, steam is going to come out of your ears,” Koit stated, as he tugged gently on my hair.
“One thing at a time, alright? Once we get through this, we’ll figure out the next step together.
You’ve got a great group of minds around you, put them to use.
If you keep taking on the weight of the world, you’ll burn out faster than a match on a windy day. ”
I glanced at him. He was sitting on the other side of Darius. “Since when did you become the wise old man? Isn’t that Rik’s job?”
“Hey.” Rik called out from the front seat. “I’m not that old.”
Koit and I grinned at each other, making me feel a little more relaxed as we pulled into the parking lot of the mortuary.
I just discovered it wasn’t a typical funeral home.
It was a medical examiner’s office for the county, making me realize that it would have been all that much harder for Vadik or his men to locate Violet.
There was higher security as well, but we had been told to just ask for the contact’s name when we got there, and we would be brought to a visitor’s room where they would meet us.
Seeing our large group enter the building made me feel conspicuous, but no one even batted an eye as we entered.
“Can I help you?” a woman at the front desk asked.
“Yes, we are here to meet with Carl Masters,” Christian said, flashing her a bright smile, which made her give one back.
“Oh yes, he mentioned that he had a meeting set for this morning. One moment while I let him know you’re here. There is a lounge right through that door if you’d like to wait there,” she instructed as she picked up the phone.
The lounge was simple and clean with places for people to sit but I couldn’t, feeling the need to be ready for anything. Orion put an arm around my shoulders and held me to his side, his head resting against mine, giving me his support just through his presence.
It didn’t take long before a man wearing light blue scrubs with a white coat entered and walked right up to Christian, shaking his hand.
“Hello, my friend, it’s good to see you and be able to offer my help, even if it is for a situation like this.
” He turned and looked at me, his eyes compassionate behind his glasses as he walked up to me.
“Dama, allow me to offer my condolences for the loss of your little one. I have everything set up, but if you need some time before we head down, we can absolutely do that.”
“Thank you for the offer but I’d like to proceed,” I answered.
“Very well, if you follow me, I will take you to where you can give your final goodbyes before we begin the cremation.” Doctor Masters escorted us down into the basement, passing many rooms along the way that made me want to wrinkle my nose at the scent of chemicals and cleaning agents.
“Your nose will adjust in a bit, but I’ll warn you that it throws off your sense of smell for an hour or so. ”
There was a double door at the end of the hall that he pushed through, holding it open for us to enter a small room, where a cardboard box sat on a steel table.
I paused a foot before the table, clutching Orion’s hand as the others circled the table.
They stood there, all looking at me as if I was supposed to do or say something at this point.
“I don’t know how to do this?” I whispered, tears pooling in my eyes.
“Dama, do you mind if I handle this for you?” Maria asked.
Unable to answer, I nodded my head, letting Orion pull me forward until we stood in the last open spot near the table.
Maria took out a small knife from somewhere in her billowing robe that she wore, reached into the box and cut a large chunk of fur from Violet’s tail.
She offered me a tuft of hair while keeping the rest, before offering some to each of my mates.
“In honor of little Violet’s life, we keep a token, so that you shall always remember what has been lost too soon from this world.
” Taking the small amount of fur she had left, she blew it, sending it floating in the air, scattering throughout the room.
“May her next life be full and free. Like the wind, her fur travels on, never to remember the pain of her past but only the joy of what is yet to come.” Taking the knife, she pricked her thumb and squeezed a drop of blood onto her body.
“As her pack, we offer protection in this life and the afterlife, until she is reborn again. Once our blood, always our blood, so that we might recognize her when we meet again.” Maria passed the knife to Orion, who followed her actions then passed it to me.
Once everyone had pricked their finger and shared blood, Maria collected her knife and started to speak in a language I didn’t know.
The words were melodic, and they held power, filling the room with energy that I didn’t understand, but with my left eye, I could see it flowing about in the air around us.
At the end of her words, she motioned for me to join her, so Orion moved out of the way.
“A mother’s call is one of the most powerful things in this world.
It will always lead your children in the right direction.
Let Violet hear it one more time as it guides her to the light, where she can rest until it is her time once again. ”
My wolf surged to the forefront, and I tipped my head back and let out a howl, pouring everything I had into it.
Soon the others joined me, and when that one ended, I started again and did so three times, pouring my own magic into it, hoping with all that I was it would guide her back to me one day.
When the howl ended, Maria nodded to Tav, who held the top of the box and placed it, sealing her in.
Maria grabbed my hand and squeezed my bleeding finger, drawing a symbol on the top.
“The sign of the Dama, declaring this child as our own for all who see the flames of this funeral pyre, letting the world know that those who have caused her death that we’re coming for them in retribution.
” The others shouted their agreement at her words, followed by snarling and growling, as my mates had to fight against their wolves trying to break free.
Finally, Maria turned me to face her, and she took her bloody finger and marked my face with it. “May your vengeance be swift to happen and bloody in fulfillment as is your right as a mother and a leader.”
My body shivered at her words, feeling whatever magic she put into her words trickle through my veins.
With the ceremony completed, Christian called Doctor Masters back into the room.
He brought a rolling cart that we set the box on.
“The cremation process is held in a different section of the basement. As I told Christian, this is not standard practice, so I ask that only the mother come along, with one other person. It is not a safe environment for those who don’t know the protocol.
The rest of you, wait here and I will bring you back up to the waiting room where it’s more comfortable. ”
I turned to my mates. “I can do this on my own, because how am I supposed to pick one of you to be there, when you all deserve it as her fathers?”
“No, beloved, we won’t allow you to go alone,” Tristan explained, reaching out to cup my cheek. “We thought this might happen, so we talked about it and Orion should go with you.”
Turning my head, I kissed his hand before I nodded.
Orion took my hand, and we followed behind Doctor Masters as he took us to the other end of the facility.
The process was handled professionally and surprisingly happened faster than I thought it would.
We didn’t wait for them to finish the whole process after being told it could take over an hour.
Knowing her body was protected from danger was what I wanted most.
Heading back up to the waiting room, everyone took a moment to hug me, sharing their love and support before we loaded back up into the cars and headed to the airport.
Doctor Masters assured me he would keep Violet safe and ready for me to come back for when the time was right, but we did make a plan that if I didn’t return in a month that she would be placed in a cremation niche in a nearby cemetery.
Once on the plane, it wasn’t long before I fell asleep, cradled in the arms of my mates and surrounded by friends and family—a true pack. When I opened my eyes next, it was time to set the sadness aside and let vengeance take its place.