Everyone has returned to the hall to continue mourning. I remain behind, standing in the rain, watching Theo and Leo shovel the dirt onto the coffin until the plot is filled. Theo and Leo place a hand each on my shoulder, giving me a sympathetic gaze before leaving me be.
I fall to my knees and can’t believe this is happening that my beloved mate, Micah is dead and now buried. I stare at the muddy grave in a trance until a lightning bolt strikes nearby, bringing me back to reality. I look to the flowers on my right, lean over and pick some before placing them neatly onto Micah’s grave.
After a while, I notice guests beginning to leave. I must have been sitting out here for a while and lost track of time. I almost want to laugh at the thought of time now. Realising that I’m mateless and no longer have Micah in my life, that time no longer matters to me.
An oversized coat is placed over my shoulders. I look up to see my Dad. He looks down at me sadly. ‘Lylah, you will become unwell if you stay in this weather any longer. Let me take you inside,’ he says.
I look back at Micah’s grave. ‘It doesn’t matter if I become unwell anymore. Nothing matters anymore,’ I say.
‘Lylah!’ Dad replies angrily. He places his hands on my shoulder, and I stand. He looks deep into my eyes with a hurt look. ‘Everything still matters, Lylah. You still matter!’ he growls.
I shake my head, ‘No, I have no wolf, no magic and no mate. I’m nothing, Dad. I’m useless. It should have been me who died, not Micah,’ I cry.
‘Lylah, stop this. You are my daughter. You mean everything to me, your mother and brothers. The entire pack adores and loves you. You don’t need a wolf or magic to be accepted or loved because you already are. Micah loved you for you long before you even found out you were fated mates. You can come and see Micah whenever you want, just not in the middle of thunderstorms. Now come inside before you catch a cold,’ he says, taking my hand.
As we enter the packhouse, I begin to shiver. Dad rubs his hands over my arms to warm me up. ‘Most of the guests have left. Come into the hall by the fire,’ he says. I nod and follow him into the hall, hugging his coat over my shoulders. He walks me to the fire, and I sit on the rug and quietly watch the fire and warm my hands.
Mum, Dad, Kayla and my brothers sit in morbid silence at the table watching me. No one is talking. I’m not sure where Billy and Amara have gone. Sally and Bella are in the kitchen with Beth making a tray of hot tea to serve everyone. Sally passes me a hot cup of tea when she returns to the hall. No longer wanting to be in the company of others, I drink the remainder of my tea and place it on a nearby tray before leaving the hall without saying a word. I return to my room, place my dagger under my pillow and lay on my bed.
Five days pass. I haven’t slept or eaten. If I’m not lying in bed, I’m on the terrace staring at Micah’s grave. The flowers I placed on the grave have become dull and lifeless, just like my soul.
There is a knock on my door. Kayla enters, holding a tiny olive green vial, ‘Alpha Maximus told me you haven’t been sleeping or eating?’ she asks.
I shrug my shoulders in response. Kayla sighs, sits next to me and places the vial in my hands. ‘It’s a sleeping potion. I think it’s important you have a good rest. Then afterwards, we can focus on filling your empty stomach,’ she smiles.
I shrug my shoulders, and she sighs again. ‘Please, Lylah. Drink it,’ she pleads before leaving my room.
The vile is no bigger than my thumb. It’s glass, with a cork on top. Every time I managed to fall asleep, I would wake up not long after from having nightmares about the night Micah was killed. I’ve been forcing myself to say awake ever since. Perhaps the potion might help me have a solid sleep without having any nightmares.
With nothing left to lose, I pop the cork off and scull the liquid down. It tastes like liquorice. I put the vial on my bedside table and lay on my bed. Within a minute, I’m fast asleep.
***
My mother sits by my side, stroking the hair from my face. I sit up, squinting until my eyes focus. It was the first time I had slept without any nightmares.
‘You’ve been asleep for two solid days,’ she smiles.
‘Two days!?’ I ask, surprised.
‘I’ll run you a bath, and perhaps you can join us for lunch?’ she says in a hopeful tone.
I don’t want to make her unhappy, so I force a small smile and nod.
‘Great!’ she says and enters the bathroom to run the water for me.
I gather a fresh pair of black track pants, shirt and hoodie and place them on my bed. Mother turns off the water and stops to place a kiss on my forehead before leaving my room. I enter the bathroom, throw my nighty in the wicker basket, and step into the bath. It’s nice and warm. After washing myself, I remain in the water a little longer. I hold my breath and sink underneath, keeping my eyes open. I stare at the ceiling while allowing my mind and body to relax. My mind has other intentions, and I envision the red eyes, then suddenly, the image I’m envisioning transitions into Micah’s face. It looks so real that I raise my hand from the water to touch him. I feel his skin as my hand cups his face.
‘Lylah,’ he whispers.
I sit up gasping, ‘Micah?’ I say, desperately looking around the bathroom to see there is no one here. I look at my hand. I swear I felt him. I touched him and heard his voice. What’s wrong with me?
‘Micah, please come back. I know I felt you,’ I cry, but no one responds.
I drain the water and dry myself before entering my room. I roll onto my bed in my towel and hug myself for a few minutes.
‘It was just a dream, a hallucination. It has to have been?’ I tell myself.
I sit up, jump off my bed, and race out onto the terrace. The sun is shining today, and the air is warm. I look down at Micah’s grave to see it’s still in tack, and my shoulders slump. ‘It was just my imagination, after all.’
I get dressed and tie my hair up before walking downstairs to join the pack house for lunch. Everyone is talking but quiets as I enter. I rub my arm, frown and take my seat beside my mother.
Beth places a plate of food down in front of me and gives me a sympathetic look.
'It's good to see you join us,’ Theo smiles. I nod and pick up my fork. I have a few bites of the food but end up playing with most of it as I listen to everyone talk to each other. Nearly everyone seems to be smiling and talking as if Micah had never died. I throw my napkin down and abruptly stand and leave the dining room. Everyone pauses and frowns. I walk outside and go straight to the garden and walk around picking Micah a fresh bouquet. I place the lavender and daisies neatly on his grave. A headstone has been placed on the plot.
Micah Storm-Glenn
Beloved son to Alpha Varan and Luna Rosaleigh (Deceased)
Loving mate to Lylah.
I trace my fingers over the words and look up when I hear giggles. Vicky and Tamara approach and lean over the grey stone wall that surrounds the garden.
‘Looks like none of us gets to have Micah, not even you, Lylah,’ Vicky snickers.
‘It’s such a shame she is a useless human. If she was normal like the rest of us and had her wolf, she could have saved him. It’s her fault Micah’s dead,’ Tamara says.
I clench my fists, stand up and scream. Vicky and Tamara glance at each other before I run towards them and jump over the stone fence. I shove Vicky onto the ground and lunge at Tamara. My fist repeatedly makes contact with her face as I straddle her. A tooth comes flying out of her mouth. Vicky screams for help as I show no sign of stopping. Tamara’s face swells and becomes purple from all the bruises on her face. But I don’t stop. Her nose cracks as my fist make contact again. She tries to shift, but she struggles. Vicky has shifted and bites my arm. I punch her in the jaw and lunge at her. Tamara isn’t moving and is most likely unconscious.
Everyone in the pack house runs outside, hearing the scream and whimpers.
‘Lylah!’ They shout, but I ignore them and continue to fight Vicky’s wolf form. I hold her in a headlock and bite her leg, ripping out a chunk of her flesh. I’m grabbed from behind by many arms and held down by my Dad and brothers. I continue to kick, punch and scream at them. While Alex, Nathan and my mother help Vicky and Tamara.
‘I’ll kill them! Let me kill them!’ I scream.
I may have punched my Dad and kicked him along with my brothers. I was so angry and upset that Micah was gone. All I could see were those red eyes in my mind. I wanted the vampires dead, all of them.
Kayla is kneeling beside me and pouring a small concoction into my mouth while I’m held down. It tastes terrible, like rotten fish. I try to spit it out, but darkness quickly consumes me.