Page 30 of Broken Bonds

Local shop owners Rule helped.

Many of the residents from the local retirement home we’d all visited so many times to volunteer.

Customers from the bar.

Nearly all the students and faculty from Crystalwood Magnet High, all wearing their signature school colors of midnight blue and silver for Lake and Ollie. A choked sob pushes free, unbidden, at that.

They all surround me when Jillian helps me sit in one of the chairs at the front.

And then there they are. What remains of my alphas.

Empty shells in boxes.

My alphas.

The caskets that I chose are deep, dark mahogany, with each of my alpha’s names etched onto little plaques on the lids at my request. They’ll rest here, together, side by side as was always intended for all of us.

I bite the inside of my cheek, feeling that familiar burn in my eyes that means inevitable tears, but they’re as dry as can be. Not a tear in sight.

My nostrils flare the longer I stare at those damn boxes suspended over eight-foot-deep holes.

This is it.

Now that I’m here, they’re ready to get things going, so I nod at the funeral director. Everyone crowds around us, and I can already feel my mind trying to wander to take myself out of this moment.

The walkway fills with an almost deafening silence when I glance up and see Link, Forde, and Rion walking towards us with purposeful steps, a collective gasp of shock resonating through the crowd when they notice Link.

His auburn hair has been left to do its own thing, flopping over his forehead, and those piercing blue eyes I love so much hold a level of pain I’m all too familiar with as he eyes the caskets. His button-up shirt is a deep burgundy, which is Lake’s favorite color, and I can’t help the tiny sob that escapes me. A faint smile plays on my lips as I think of this small tribute to his brother, and I can’t help but feel sorrow for the alpha who has searched for his brother for so many years, only to find him too late.

I can’t help the intense longing that takes hold as I continue to look at him. Longing for another who looks just like him to hold me again. It feels as if I have a million little needles poking and prodding my skin when his eyes clash with mine, so I tear my gaze away from his quickly and look at the alpha to his left.

Forde’s hands are comfortably placed in his front pockets, his shoulders in a state of relaxation, and his striking white hair is pushed back neatly. He’s wearing a pair of tight, dark jeans that hug his tree trunk thighs and a navy-blue button-up shirt that is pulled taut across his wide shoulders and thick arms. His sheer size gives the impression of a giant striding up the hill, and the deeper scent of whiskey that drifts my way on an intermittent breeze causes my throat to tense.

I blink, slightly disconcerted by my reaction.

My gaze drifts to Rion last, the alpha whose smell is reminiscent of dark chocolate and that has an aura of peace around him. His reddish-brown hair is neatly held back at the nape of his neck, his green eyes fixed on me, causing me to take a deep breath when a shudder rolls through me. Dark jeans cling to his thighs and a deep purple button-up shirt is fitted to his frame with the sleeves rolled up, showing off the bit of ink he has on his arms and wrists.

There is an unmistakable feeling of shock that spreads through the crowd as Link draws nearer and everyone sees just how much he resembles Lake. He does a good job of pretending to be unaffected by all the eyes on him, or maybe he truly just doesn’t care, his mind too occupied with what today means.

I can feel the eyes of the people around me shifting in my direction; I continue to look forward and ignore it all. Link, Rion, and Forde move to the side, near where I’m seated, and I make a conscious effort to act as though they aren’t there. Everyone is so still and quiet that it’s almost as if time has stopped until the funeral director steps up and clears his throat.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to say our farewells to Alphas Rule, Van, Lake, and Ollie Daniels.”

As he speaks, my attention finally drifts away. My gaze upon those gleaming caskets leads to me becoming lost in a sea of memories. Memories I cherish the most, where I feel happiest and most loved, and where my alphas are right here by my side.

I sit in my seat, hands clasped in my lap, and I hear nothing the man at the front says. Everything around me goes blissfully silent as I get completely lost in memories of much happier times with my alphas surrounding me.

Building our home together. Filling it with all our comforts and completely entangling our lives more than they already were. Summers spent outside on our dock, me watching them fish and play around while I read a book and enjoyed the sun’s rays.

I don’t know how long I let myself reminisce, but it must be too long, because I nearly yelp when I feel a pinch on the back of my arm. My head whips to the side and I glare at Jillian. Becausefuck, that hurt. Her eyes are wide and darting over to where the director stands, looking at me expectantly.

Oh.

My turn to speak already?

I clear my throat awkwardly before standing and walking to the front, ignoring the multitude of eyes on me with each trembling step. Taking the director’s place, I take a deep breath and lift my head, finally looking around me and truly taking in the magnitude of support that’s shown up for this day. It’s astonishing.

“Woah, there’s a lot of you here today,” I say with a shaky laugh, and the crowd chuckles, everyone giving me encouraging smiles despite their watery eyes.

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