Chapter 2

**James POV**

I watch sadly as the casket is carried from the temple to the burial grounds.

It''s a cold October day, and the gray sky and drizzly weather just adds to the whole depressing vibe.

I can''t help but be impressed by how quickly the pack pulled everything together for Stephanie''s funeral. All funerals happen fast in our world, but because of the rushed timeline, the decorations and guest list are usually pretty bare-bones. It says a lot about how much Stephanie was loved that they managed to put together so many beautiful flower arrangements in her honor, and that so many people showed up—including wolves from other packs.

If this wasn''t such a horrible occasion, I''d actually call the color scheme beautiful. Then again, fall''s always been one of my favorite seasons.

I''m vaguely aware we had some other event on the calendar today, but honestly, I can''t think of what it was. With a pack as big as ours—the West Mountain Pack has over 10,000 members—we''ve got something going on constantly. As the future alpha, I''m expected to show up to as many as possible, but no one expects me to remember what they all are... even though I try to fake it in the moment. Unless an Omega or my amazing girlfriend reminds me, I can''t even remember my own parents'' birthdays half the time.

My amazing girlfriend. I sigh, wiping a tear from my eye. She''ll never be around to remind me about birthdays again.

There''s no pretending I know what today''s ceremony is about. Stephanie Brogan was the love of my life, and she was going to be my mate and luna.

I still can''t believe she''s gone. We never even got to fully experience the mate bond—the sparks, the incredible sex I''m told comes with it. If she''d lived just three more months, our wolves would have confirmed each other as mates and Stephanie could have formally claimed her place in my bed and in my life.

Instead of welcoming her sexy body into my bed, I''m saying goodbye to her today. I''m also saying goodbye to all our future plans and dreams together. I can''t help but feel pissed off and bitter about that. This isn''t how things were supposed to go.

As I watch the funeral procession pass by—my father, mother, and I, along with the beta family, have to stand at the entrance as guests move from the temple to the burial grounds—I catch a glimpse of Stephanie''s younger sister, Lily. She''s standing next to her mother. She looks both sad and innocent, which just makes the anger in my chest burn hotter. That little brat is the reason Stephanie''s dead.

***FLASHBACK TO LAST NIGHT***

Stephanie and I are cuddled on the couch in the packhouse living room watching a movie. I''ve got my hand on her thigh and I''m about to kiss her when she gets distracted by a text. Stephanie doesn''t let me see the message, which pisses me off, but she quickly explains that Lily''s lost in the forest after sneaking out to meet some boy.

Stephanie''s sister is 13 or 14. She''s got all the teenage acne and attitude that comes with being that age. Unlike Stephanie—who has gorgeous blonde hair and hazel eyes—Lily has reddish-brown hair and bright green eyes. Or at least I think they''re bright green; she usually has them hidden behind these huge black glasses.

Stephanie gets up and tells me that Lily texted her, begging her to come find her. I''m annoyed by the interruption, but I offer to go with Stephanie to get the little brat. Stephanie says Lily will freak if anyone else finds out about her little adventure. She reassures me that she''ll be fine, then gives me a quick peck on the lips.

My wolf and I have a bad feeling when Stephanie leaves, but Stephanie has us completely wrapped around her finger. It''s almost impossible for my wolf and me to disagree with her about anything. We pause the movie and decide to get some work done in my dad''s office while we wait for her to get back. I''m a night owl anyway, so I don''t mind waiting.

Unfortunately, about an hour after Stephanie leaves, I get an urgent mind-link from our pack warriors. They report that the Little Brat had been spotted running out of the woods screaming for help. Before they can say much more, I shift into my wolf form and take off running.

I follow Stephanie''s scent deep into the woods... until I reach a small clearing that''s covered in Stephanie''s blood. Her torn, bloody clothes are scattered around, and chunks of her hair are thrown everywhere.

It''s the worst, most savage scene I''ve ever witnessed. The smell of rogues is all over the place, so it''s pretty obvious what happened. The assholes didn''t even bother to leave her body.

***END OF FLASHBACK***

Tears threaten to fall again as I think back to that scene last night. I haven''t slept or eaten since I found what was left of Stephanie, and I''m barely holding it together.

Now that I''ve spotted Lily, my anger with her becomes a welcome distraction. I''m having a hard time looking away from her. The truth is, I''ve always found myself strangely curious about her, but today... today all I want to do is take my anger out on someone, and she seems like as good a target as any. Her stupid teenage behavior cost me my mate! And it cost this pack its future luna!

My wolf, Luke, begs me to calm down. It''s weird, having the wolf side try to calm the human side. As upset and angry and emotional as I am, it''s tempting to ignore him and immediately go teach that Little Brat a lesson. But I decide to follow Luke''s advice after he reminds me that Stephanie deserves to have her funeral be all about her and not some whiny teenager.

That doesn''t mean I''m going to let Lily get away with what she''s done, but I''ll wait for a more appropriate time to get my revenge.

I turn my focus back to Stephanie''s casket, which we filled with her bloody clothes, hair, and anything we could find at the site that had her blood on it. The casket has been brought to the center of the amphitheater. The alpha and beta families take their seats in the front row, and my father and the pack priest move beside the casket to begin the ceremony.

The ceremony involves a lot of prayers, rituals, and speakers. The average ceremony takes 2-3 hours, and Stephanie''s will most likely take closer to 4-5 hours given her status in the pack and how beloved she was.

During the ceremony, I keep trying to distract myself by looking around at everyone else. I don''t want to be seen as weak by curling into the fetal position and wailing like a baby, even though that''s the only thing I want to do right now.

My heart breaks as I glance at Stephanie''s parents next to me in the front row, holding onto each other as they cry. Seeing Stephanie''s father—a strong, powerful Beta wolf—break down is something I''ve very rarely seen. The pain in his eyes is heartbreaking.

I also notice Stephanie''s brother, Nick, as he clings to his mate, Jenny. Both of them are crying too. Nick is my best friend, and I''ve known him since we were tiny pups, but I''ve literally never seen him cry.

I notice there are no dry eyes anywhere. Even my father has a few stray tears running down his cheeks, although I''m sure he''d kill anyone who pointed it out. He''s a proud man, just like me.

As the sky continues to darken, I notice the Little Brat starting to act like she''s uncomfortable in her seat. I can tell Stephanie''s mother is getting irritated, and rightfully so. For once, can the Little Brat not think about something other than herself? Seriously. It''s one ceremony. Just one. For an older sister who died trying to help her. How dare the Little Brat not hold herself together?

The next thing I know, the moon is high in the sky and the final rites are being spoken by the priest. At exactly that moment, the Little Brat whispers something in her mother''s ear. Her mother turns and glares at her, causing the Little Brat to put her head down.

I then watch as the Little Brat stands up and walks away. She looks like she''s in pain, and I hope she is. How dare she walk away from her sister''s funeral! Especially in the middle of the last rites! I''m tempted to follow her and give her a piece of my mind, but Stephanie means more to me than that.

I remind myself once again that I''ll get my revenge on Lily—aka the Little Brat—soon enough. For tonight, I have to stay focused on the love of my life.