Chapter 21
The wolves dispersed, each to their own territory, no longer banded together for the sake of rescuing me. The atmosphere was strangely sullen--everyone’s blood had been riled and hot, ready for a fight that never happened.
I was finally back with all three of my mates in tow, but it didn’t feel as good as I thought it would.
When we got home, Crystal was still avoiding my eyes. I didn’t blame her. She made her feelings on the matter very clear, and I knew she considered what I’d done an act of betrayal. I just hoped she could eventually forgive me.
But even more than that, I hoped Eric could forgive me.
He didn’t enter the house. He paused by the door, then took the two pelts from Colton gently in his jaws. Maybe he was too full of grief to feel disgusted anymore, which made me feel even worse. Eric turned, padding into the pines.
I was torn. Every part of me wanted to follow, to be close to Eric. But what if he wanted space from me?
I took a single step in his direction, and Crystal asked, “Haven’t you done enough tonight?”
My body froze. She stood by the door with her arms crossed, in her usual guard position. Her eyes were tired.
“I just want to talk to him,” I said weakly.
She didn’t reply, but the deep frown on her face told me she thought it was a bad idea.
Back in human form, Ramsay said, “Can you back off for a minute? The last time they saw each other, Matheson was getting kidnapped.”
He sounded equally tired, with no bite in his tone.
“I know. I was there. I watched Eric fall apart, as I’ve done before,” Crystal muttered. “And what did he get in the end? The knowledge that his own mate healed his parents’ killer.”
The words were daggers stabbing me in the heart. Hot tears filled my eyes and I blinked them away, determined not to cry in front of her. I didn’t want to look like a victim.
“But Eric missed Matheson,” Colton added, his voice gentle. “I’m sure he’d want to spend some time with him.”
Crystal turned her head and sighed. She obviously didn’t think it was a good idea, but my heart and soul cried out for Eric. If we didn’t get past this, I would lose myself, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight knowing he was still upset with me.
He led that charge for me. He banded all those wolves together for the sake of my rescue. He must have been worried sick all those days I was gone… And what did I repay him with?
Ignoring Crystal’s disapproving glance, I stepped into my wolf’s paws and followed Eric’s path into the pine trees.
Within moments I recognized the path he took. The white lily-of-the-valley flowers growing on either side of the path, the open canopy up ahead… My ears pressed back against my skull and I let out a soft whimper.
In front of the grave markers stood a great black wolf. Eric’s front half was hunched over as he dug, his claws raking into the earth with intense determination.
I hesitated with one paw held in the air. Eric gave no indication that he knew I was behind him--he was too focused on digging. Lowering my head, I approached him slowly from the side so as not to startle him. When I reached him, he didn’t stop, or acknowledge my presence. His eyes like deep topaz glinted, cutting into the ground. The two pelts lay to the side, out of the way of the flying debris.
The hole he dug was deep and wide, enough for two shifter wolves.
I began to dig. Silently, we worked together, black and grey wolves side-by-side, digging with the same rhythm.
I stopped when Eric did. He stepped back, the fur around his neck fluffing up, and examined the new graves--the proper graves. He paced over to where the pelts lay and picked them up.
He lay one at my feet, black with a splash of grey markings, and gestured for me to take it. When I did, his gaze softened. From the sad warmth in his eyes, somehow I understood that it was his mother’s pelt. A whimper escaped me.
Eric gently placed the other one--his father’s dark grey pelt--inside the grave. I did the same, then joined him in laying the earth back upon them. When it was over, the two lay together, finally back in their own territory, and finally given a proper burial.
With his ears pressed back, Eric whined softly, sounding like a pup. I pressed closer to him so that our fur touched.
Eric slowly lifted his head and howled a deep, mournful cry laced with love and pain. It stirred a heavy feeling in my chest, and I couldn’t hold back the broken dam of emotion. I howled.
We stood there, two wolves singing a sad song in between a row of little white flowers. Then I noticed we weren’t alone. Three more wolf voices had joined us.
