Page 226 of The Delta's Rogue
“It’s over.” He scoops me against his chest. “It’s all over.”
“It may be over, but my memories…” I shake my head. “I’ll always have the memories,Sebastián. They’ll always stalk me and haunt me, waiting to strike when I least expect it.”
“And I’ll be right by your side through it all, reminding you of what’s real.”
“¿Para siempre?”
His lips tilt into a tired smile, and he brushes his lips against my forehead. “Forever,mi reina.”
The morning of mydad’s funeral arrives like any other spring day—beautiful, with full sunshine, clear skies, and the perfect temperature. A normal, noisy day, with chirping birds, a light breeze, and the buzzing of bees.
It was a day not unlike today when Wesley shifted into his lycan for the first time. It was a day not unlike today when Sarina vanished and I almost destroyed the entire forest.
But my dad was present for both of those days.
All day, we exist in silence. No words are spoken by anyone in the pack—with the exception of children who are too young to understand—and no words will be spoken until we scatter the last of his ashes.
Until he’s truly gone.
As the beginning of the funeral draws nearer, I find Sarina staring out the window of my childhood living room on the top floor of the packhouse with my mom, their fingers linked. They watch as the pack gathers on the lawn to prepare for the start of the funeral, but my footsteps interrupt their reverie and pull their attention away.
Sarina’s face brightens when she sees me, and while usually that’s enough to wipe any trace of my unhappiness away, today it barely scratches the surface. Not when my mother’s gray eyes—the eyes she gave me—have so much pain within them.
Sarina keeps my mom’s hand in hers as I approach. I cup Sarina’s cheek and place a kiss on her lips, soaking in the realness of her.
She’s here. She’s safe. She’s mine.
Goddess is she ever mine.
My mom watches us with a mixed expression. Despair, hope, longing—all three are present equally. It breaks my heart.
However rough this day is for the rest of us, it’s exponentially rougher for her.
I reach for her, and she lets me embrace her. A tear falls from her eye and lands on my shirt as one of mine lands in her dark brown hair.
I hug her for a long time, comforting her like she used to comfort us, and even without words, I know she understands. Because the silence we maintain on this day isn’t a hindrance. It doesn’t prevent us from conveying our love, support, or empathy.
Words only go so far. Words are surface level. When we can’t use our voices, wegiveour love. We show our support and how it all runs so much deeper than what words convey.
Wesley and Haven walk into the living room from Mom and Dad’s room. Wes holds Dad’s urn in one hand and an envelope in the other. Haven has a dozing Dylan cradled to her chest, and both of them have bloodshot eyes and pink-tipped noses.
I’m sure we all look similar.
Wes wordlessly leaves the alpha apartment and heads through the packhouse, and we all follow him.
Maddie waits at the back door. She hugs her stomach and stares blankly ahead. I detach myself from Sarina and pull Maddie into a hug, and she latches on to me. She still refuses to talk to anyone, but all of us have teamed up, taking turns to check in on her, spend time with her, and make sure she’s okay—a task I will no longer take part in once Sarina and I join her family in Hawaii.
I hate to leave Maddie like this, but I’m comforted knowing that Wes and Haven, Reid and Taryn, and Nolan and Cassandra will be here for her and my mom in the way we can’t be.
Wesley waits until Maddie backs away from me before he opens the door to the back deck. The entire pack stands on the grass, and everyone is dressed in yellow—Dad’s favorite color.
Among those gathered, I spot Brad, Reid’s father and Dad’s former beta, and Felix and Fiona, Nolan’s parents. I spy others who were close with him as well—the pack’s cook, the owners of all his favorite restaurants, and even former alphas from other packs whom I met growing up.
Wes pauses on the bottom step, hands the envelope to Haven, takes a handful of ashes from the urn, and walks through the crowd towards the forest. The ashes drift through the gaps between his fingers, and when the handful runs out, he takes another. He repeats this process as we make our way through the crowd, using small handfuls to ensure we have enough for our walk in the forest.
When we reach the trees, he passes the urn to Mom. She takes the lead, and he disappears into the crowd for a moment. When he returns, he has Reid, Taryn, and their babies, as well as Nolan and Cassandra in tow.
No one bats an eye at his inclusion of them. The walk through the forest is supposed to be only the deceased alpha’s family. But Reid and Nolan—and their mates—theyarefamily.
