AN: Imagine brown eyes instead of blue ones.

She didn't even make it through the night.

New pain burned through my chest when I found her but there was nothing I could do but push through it. My objectives are still the same except now we won't have to come back to bury her.

When Jenni and Micheal came down to see her still form, Jenni clutched onto me while Micheal looked like he expected it to happen all along. Mates normally die within hours of each other, the stronger the bond the more likely that when one goes the other does too. Some do make it but they are never the same. Maybe this is a better fate, because now our memories won't be tainted by the transformation she would've gone through.

We all pack our things silently instead of talking, it's the better option right now. Also, there's really not much to say.

There's a knock on our front door. It's the new Alpha, the ghost, the murderer.

"Our Luna has passed. Will you take care of her body?" I get right to the point as I open the door.

His dark eyes flash something for a second before he clears his throat and nods. Today he has on a dark shirt and jeans. All black, like he's in mourning.

Behind him are members of his pack, they are crying but I can't figure out why. It's not like they love or care for us. It's not like they stood up for their former Alpha when he was killed. These people did nothing but watch. They are nothing but a problem, a constant enemy that needs to be watched.

I see that they have platters of food but I don't want their poison. The new Alpha walks in with two other males and they gather up her body. Jenni rushes to my side while Micheal looks on from his position on the stairs giving nothing away. His eyes meet mine and reveal their inner pain, I can't show him mine because I don't feel any.

I can't allow myself to feel right now.

Dominic's pack members come in setting their food items on the kitchen counters. They stay far enough away from us though because we have shown them no kinship of any kind.

I say nothing as they leave.

When the new Alpha turns around I slam the door shut and lock it in his face.

Words from the person whose made you an orphan mean nothing. This may be his pack now but he is not our Alpha.

Micheal looks at the food that was left with his lip curled up. "I'm not eating their food." His voice is stern like I'm going to argue and his arms are crossed over his chest like he's bracing for a fight.

"Throw it out then." I say as I walk up the stairs past him. Already I feel weary, maybe another bout of sleep will help.

I walk into our parents room and slip under their covers which still has their scents, soon enough my siblings join me. The bed is big enough for us all to sleep comfortably.

I may be broken but at least with my siblings around, I can keep my sanity intact.

~~~

At the funeral, no one comes near our trio. And they sure as hell don't go near our parents who are already in the ground waiting to be covered.

Werewolves don't use coffins, we belong to the earth so why put up a barrier between the two?

Both are naked with moss covering their genitals. They are also in each other's arms since, even in death, they are still mates. The Luna will forever be at her Alpha's side protecting his neck.

Even though I know that some of these wolves helped to get out parents ready, no one goes near them in our presence. It's ceremonial to throw in loving momentos but I forbade it, the only items in their grave came from family-real family. Those of us who actually care.

The new Alpha doesn't show up and for that I'm grateful.

There's a new shaman speaking but I can't hear his words. I just look straight at him. Micheal has tears rolling down his face while Jenni openly sobs into his shoulder. It's oldest to youngest, meaning I'm in the first chair followed by Micheal, then Jenni.

I hear someone coming up to us and I brace myself to attack until I catch the scent of who it is. Alpha Hawthorne and his family have arrived. My siblings look at me for permission to go to them, I grant it with a small nod but I don't look. They leave me and rush to the proper adults while I remain forward to watch the shaman.

I haven't seen too many werewolf funerals but if he does something I don't like, another shaman will die from my hands.

He sits next to me but I say nothing. We watch the shaman together until he decides to break our silence.

"Bex-" he starts while placing a tanned hand on my thigh.

"You're stronger than him, that new Alpha. Will you kill him for me?" I keep my head forward and my voice low. Dominic's pack might hear my words.

"Bex-" his voice has gone up an octave, I'm guessing in surprise. His hand now grips my thigh so that I'll look at him- I don't. The shaman is throwing dirt onto the bodies and I'm watching him closely.

"I'm not strong enough right now without my wolf but you have yours. I know you've been trying to hide your strength but I feel it. You could never hide much from me." My lips tilt up but it'll never be considered a smile. The shaman grabs his book and reads an old passage about how the moon creates her Alpha's. I tune this part out and listen to the man beside me.

"About that, we think that maybe I'm destined to become the next Alpha on the Counsel." He shifts and removes his hand from my thigh to straighten his black tie.

"Even better. There's no way Dominic will survive." My lips tilt again.

"I can't challenge him Bex."

I blink and turn to look at my best friend. "Why not?"

"Who will run the pack if he's dead? I surely can't if my path lies with becoming next on the Counsel. Hell, I don't even know who'll run my dad's pack when he's gone."

I shrug, "Beta John can handle the promotion or this pack can burn to the ground, I don't care, all I want is for Dominic to die."

"You don't really mean that." He sounds confident in his statement.

I tilt my head to look my best friend in the eye. He seems to be searching for something in my gaze but can't seem find it. His face scrunches down but I ignore it to look at the shaman again.

"My parents are dead Eric." My monotone makes him shiver and my saying it aloud slams home the finality of it all. This is my first time admitting the full truth and it takes everything in me not to fold in on myself. I must be strong for my siblings.

"I know, and I'm sorry-"

I snort at his words, "Sorry? That's useless to me, plenty of the people here are 'sorry'. I expected you to be revengeful like I am." My voice then drops to glacier cold and I quirk and eyebrow at him. "Image my surprise." I say these emotions like I still have them, I'm just following my rulebook of wants.

The top on my list is-

I. Want. Dominic. Dead.

"I can't Bex. But it'll be my job to keep the peace-"

"WHERE WAS YOUR PEACE WHEN MY DADS NECK WAS SNAPPED!?" I shout. I go from feeling nothing to my blood boiling in my veins. I don't know what's happened but my vision is clearer and yet everything is tinted old blood red. My heart is pumping faster and my breathing becomes uneven.

I've had enough of these damned well wishers, I need action- I need vengeance. My calm is gone like it was never there. I feel volcanic as if everything was just building up until I exploded.

The entire service stops. I'm shaking in my chair and Eric stands up from beside me.

"I didn't mean for it to come out like that, Bex. I'm-"

"Say it again. Go ahead say it. I DARE you. Say, 'I'm sorry' like you give a damn. Like any of you give a damn!" I yell at the crowd gathered around my parents bodies. They shuffle back from my aura of anger. "He's not your Alpha anymore so why are you even here!?"

My connection to their emotions pops back up and suddenly I can see/feel auras again. I use it to have the crowd feel my utter hatred for them all. Each connection feels sorrowful but I'm not understanding why. They didn't do anything yesterday, so they have no right to feel like that now. I push the emotion away from each of them and replace it to make the crowd afraid of my wrath.

"Those two bodies in the ground are not your family! And they sure as hell aren't your leaders anymore. LEAVE! Go to your new Alpha and bow at his feet!" Some of the crowd can't handle my hatred and have fallen to the ground petrified. But the rest are shaking where they stand.

"I said LEAVE!!!" My voice takes on a booming quality and Dominic's pack scatters. I stand up to slaughter the rest dumb enough to remain.

"Bex! That's enough!" Eric gets in my face to get my attention. He's the only one I can't manipulate emotionally, my dad swore that we were mates because of it.

I'm truly thankful that Eric isn't my mate now, he's a spineless wolf that should be put down.

"And you! I thought we were family-" I accuse.

"We still are Bex." Eric is on his knees in front of me. His hands are up to signal that he is no threat to me.

I snort in his face and push him away from me. He flies back by about a couple of yards, normally he'd only go a couple of inches but he wasn't expecting the hit. His wolf looks out of his eyes hurt at my rejection. I walk up to him to deliver my final words to a best friend who has now lost his spot.

"You are no family of mine and I don't want to ever see you again. You may become Alpha on the Counsel but I will NEVER submit to you. Now leave! This funeral is now for mourning family members only."

With that I sit down in my chair and ignore the male. I wave for the shaman to continue and he does. No one else dares to move for a couple of minutes afraid that I'll go off again.

Alpha Hawthorne places his hand on my shoulder but I don't turn to look at him. The shaman shakes and can hardly speak as he reads from his book.

"We'll start moving your things into the truck." He then leans down and whispers in my ear, "We lost them too Bex, you're not the only one in pain."

My dad and Hawthorne were close like Eric and I used to be. I pat the Alpha's hand but say nothing. I don't feel for his pain, I can't even feel my own. I only feel anger and the need for revenge.

Even though my "gift" resurrected itself, none of my previous emotions have come back with it. The only one I'm able to tap into is anger, but I don't want to feel angry anymore so I choose numbness instead. My head instantly clears and I can think again.

My siblings take their previous seats and we stay silent for rest of our parents funeral. They don't fear me like the rest do, they know I'd never turn on them or use my gift against them.

We need to stick together seeing as though we're all we have left in this world.

W2049