Chapter 37
CHAPTER 37
C hance
Someone’s knocking? Emery says as she pulls back from our embrace, glancing over her shoulder.
I’ve already scented the others out front, waiting. I could also sense their mounting impatience. I’ve been holding most of our pack off for days, only allowing Ms. Elsie to visit Emery whenever I came here to oversee the construction of our new home, and especially this room.
That’s the only time I’ve allowed myself to be away from her since we brought her home from New York.
Me nor my wolf could bear being away from her while she was in so much pain. Nor could anyone else in our pack. Everyone from Chael to Reese to Dr. Drake wanted to visit her, bring food, cry with her, whatever, but I refused.
She needed her space, I believed.
Now I wonder if I made the right call, given what Ms. Elsie told me about how much she blamed herself for Ashley’s death. Moreso, how lonely she feels knowing that the only family she ever knew is gone.
My wolf whimpers in my chest, thinking our mate could ever think of herself as lonely. It’s a burden we’re barely able to bear.
Which is why I’ve finally allowed my pack to show Emery how we mourn.
Together.
Never alone.
They’re waiting for us . I tell her. But if you don’t want to see anyone, I can send them away. I tell her, anyway, not wanting her to feel pressured.
She shakes her head.
No, no. Emery wipes her tears away and lets out a little laugh. I probably look crazy with my swollen eyes, puffy cheeks, and red nose from crying so much.
I cup her face, but she says it before I do.
She gives me a light roll of her eyes. I know. Don’t tell me. I look perfect. She gives me a real smile for the first time in over a week.
I place my forehead against hers. Exactly.
I place a quick peck to her lips.
Taking Emery by the hands, I lead her out of the room and around to the front of our property. The entirety of our pack waits for us.
What’s going on? s he asks.
They wanted to be here for you.
She gives me a quizzical look. I don’t have time to elaborate before Reese approaches us.
She takes Emery’s free hand.
“We waited for as long as we could because we knew you needed space,” Reese pauses and looks from Emery to me and back again. “But we have something to show you.”
Chael comes up beside his mate, placing a hand at her back and gesturing for Emery and me to follow.
As we do, one by one, each of our pack makes their way over to Emery to rub her arm or give her a quick hug. At first, my mate looks confused and taken aback. I have to tamp down on the instinct I have to push them away from her.
I know they’re just showing her love, and to be honest, they’re being more tame than usual about it.
Emery doesn’t ask any questions as we make the ten-minute walk past the open field where we host our Supermoon Ceremonies. We come to a small clearing that’s close to a stream. On the far end of the stream are a series of tombstones.
Each one was a member of our pack. This area is hidden from outsiders, but it’s accessible by all of our packmates to come and visit their departed loved ones or ancestors.
“We hope you don’t mind, but we thought it would be okay if we made this for Ashley,” Reese says with some hesitation in her voice.
The entire pack encircles us as Emery comes to a stop in front of a tombstone that reads “Ashley Nightwolf.”
She immediately clamps her hand over her mouth.
“You and your sister both were Nightwolves,” Chael tells her. “Though we never got to meet her, she’s our pack because you are our pack. And she brought you to us.”
His gaze shifts to me. “And to my brother. We honor our family by keeping them close and keeping their memory alive.”
He nods toward the tombstone.
Emery’s hand quivers as she takes in the tombstone with her sister’s name on it along with the date of her birth and year of her death. She takes in the colorful flower arrangement that’s been carefully placed around the tombstone.
But what she stares at the most is the engraving of her sister’s smiling face.
“How did you…” She trails off as she turns to the pack. “H-how did you know what she looks like?”
“Chance gave us a picture,” Charlene, one of the young members of our pack, says as she makes her way to the front of the crowd. “He gave us that picture of her you always keep on your phone.”
Charlene’s gaze flicks to me. “He said it’s your favorite photo of her.”
“And,” Rachel, another pack member, cuts in. She steps to the front, holding a folded quilt. “He found some of her clothes in that box left at the house. He said her rainbow pajamas were her favorite, so I used the material to help make this.”
Rachel steps forward, extends her hand and unfolds the quilt she made just for Emery.
My mate gasps before lightly running her fingers over the material of her sister’s favorite pair of pajamas.
“You did this for me?” she asks, looking around in astonishment.
“Of course,” Rachel answers for everyone.
“And for Ashley,” Ms. Elsie says as she, too, comes forward. “She was ours as well.” She takes Emery’s hand.
Emery shakes her head and then turns to look over at the tombstone.
“Th-thank you,” she says, barely audible. “I…I don’t know what to say besides thank you.”
I hate the tears in her voice and the ones that stream down her face. She smiles at me through teary eyes as I wipe them away.
Her eyes say what her mouth can’t because she’s overcome with emotion.
Family.
A tentative structure that’s always been elusive since she was young. The people who adopted her pretended to be her family only to shroud their supposed love in constant insults and scrutiny, until they took part in the ultimate betrayal.
Her sister, the one blood relative she had left, is gone. But in Emery’s eyes, I see she’s finally realizing that she is not alone.
We’re her family. The Nightwolf pack.
“Thank you,” she says, looking at everyone.
“I’ve prepared supper for all of us,” Ms. Elsie says. “We should go eat. I can bring some to you both at your house.” The same thing she’s been doing for a week now.
“No,” Emery says before looking up at me. “We can eat with everyone tonight.”
I brush away the last tear with my thumb. Then let’s go eat.
“Wait,” she says and then turns toward the rest of the pack. “Um…” She shifts from one foot to the other. “Before dinner, can we go for a run?”
The faces of the others immediately light up. Including my brothers.
“I—my wolf’s feeling restless. We’d like to go for a run first…with our family.”
Emery’s unsure expression transforms into one of laughter through tears as the rest of the pack howl and stomp in agreement.
I wait to shift until everyone else has, including my mate. Ms. Elsie and the other elders remain behind with Reese before Chael shifts and takes the lead, our pack following behind.
Emery’s wolf starts but then stops to look over her shoulder. She whimpers and gestures with her head.
Aren’t you coming? What’s wrong?
I shake my head and then remove my shirt, shoes and jeans before shifting into my wolf.
I love watching you, I finally answer her.
Emery answers with a loud howl before taking off in a run. I know by her speed that she’s beckoning me to follow her. I don’t bother telling her that I don’t need to be summoned.
I’ll follow my mate anywhere, any time of day.
Emery’s tongue lolls out of the side of her mouth as she runs. Her wolf’s powerful muscles work to carry her through the stretch of mounts and forest that our pack claims as ours.
She’s so beautiful that I can’t stop watching her. If it weren’t for my trained and honed instincts from years of practice and training, I’d likely stumble over the multiple tree roots and branches from my lack of focus on my route.
I don’t miss the pain that remains in Emery’s eyes. I know it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. She’ll always miss her sister but running freely as she is, I know she now understands that she’ll never be alone again.
Not as long as she’s a member of the Nightwolf pack.
And especially not as long as there’s breath in my body.