Chapter 337: _I’ve Always Hated Funerals
Two days later, a funeral ceremony was held in honour of Caroline, while simultaneously honouring those who’ve died directly or indirectly because of this war.
I’m not going to lie... Caroline’s absence left a mark. Scratch that, a whole fucking scar. I realised quickly how Kaelos was the only other person I had with me.
On the day of the funeral ceremony, I wore a satin ceremonial crimson gown, taking an umbrella with me when the heavens themselves began weeping, thunder rumbling.
Fuck ass weather...
"You know, I could stop the rain if you want." My aunt Althea spoke beside me as we stepped out of the mansion but I merely flashed her a smile.
"That wouldn’t be necessary, Aunt," I mumbled to her at the same moment that I saw Kaelos standing up ahead, in front of the compound gate.
He wore a sharp crimson suit, his shoulder-length black hair falling freely over his face, and his sharp silver eyes fixed on me. When our eyes locked, his softened, making my stomach swirl.
Standing beside Kaelos was a guard who wore a crimson uniform, holding an umbrella of the same colour over him, his expression stoic.
"Ready?" Kaelos asked with a low voice, stretching out his right hand to me when I got in front of him.
I stared at his outstretched hand, smiling softly as I took the hand, nodding at him. "Let’s do this..."
.
.
The ceremony was held within the event hall, the building already packed to the brim with pack members.
Young, old, elite, commoners... they were all here, sitting in arranged files in front of the stage. And directly below the steps of the dais were two coffins.
Caroline’s and Layla’s.
Kaelos tried hiding it, but I could tell Layla’s death hurt him as much as Caroline’s hurt me. He’s known her for years, after all.
When Kaelos and I stepped into the dimly lit hall, the murmuring and rowdiness seemingly died down as all heads swerved to us.
I kept my head high, holding my breath subconsciously as I tightened my hold on Kaelos’ arm. A lot of them seemed judgmental, but others seemed exhausted.
Distant.
Well, no more of that.
On the stage, Elder Yune stood solemnly, her staff in hand, as her eyes locked on both of us.
"The Alpha king and Luna Queen are here." She announced with a loud voice, her gaze scanning through the crowd while Kaelos and I stood behind each coffin.
Both coffins were open, giving us a view of their bodies.
My fingers trembled with hesitation as I slowly stretched my neck forward, my eyes falling on Caroline’s body.
My eyes stung quicker than expected when I saw how she looked, my vision blurring at the edges.
I’d half expected the gash in her stomach to still be present but that wasn’t the case. She seemed so... Peaceful, her ginger curls pooling around the red velvet pillow on which her head rested.
Her freckles seemed to glisten like constellations under the hall’s dim lighting and she was dressed in a silk white gown, her hands resting on her chest.
I shook my head, holding myself back from reaching out to her face. It wasn’t till a tear dropped from my eye and on her face that I realised I was going to break down.
I couldn’t do that here. Not in front of all these people who were also here to mourn their respective loved ones.
So I sucked it up and straightened my spine, looking away from Caroline’s coffin and hoping to the gods that this ceremony could be over already.
I glanced to my right at Kaelos who stood behind Layla’s coffin, staring briefly into it, his silver eyes glinting with numerous emotions. It was like he didn’t know how to feel yet was feeling everything all at once.
I felt like holding his hand but he was too far to reach.
"Under the blessings of the moon goddess... Let’s begin." Elder Yune’s voice echoed behind us as the lights in the hall dimmed even further.
We began with Elder Yune giving a eulogy about her predecessor, Elder Davina. The older woman surprisingly got emotional, talking about their time as young girls in the pack.
Her words mirrored my and Caroline’s friendship for a moment—Or maybe I was just being delusional.
But my heart ached through it all, so much so that when it got to my turn to say a few words... I couldn’t.
’It’s okay if you can’t say anything.’ Kaelos’ voice was reassuring in my mind as I heaved heavily, trying to get my head back in the game.
But I shook my head, whipping my eyes to him and giving a single nod. ’I’ll be fine. I need to do this. For Caroline.’
With that, I brought my gaze back to the audience, clearing my throat. "I’ve... I’ve always hated funerals. Even though I’ve experienced lots of them back in my home coven. Death always scared me, growing up..."
I drew in a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment. "Until it began claiming those close to me one by one. Each of their deaths acted as a reminder in my head that regardless of how powerful we are... Death comes for us all. And that shouldn’t be a thing to be afraid of."
I brought my eyes to Caroline’s face, staring at her for a long while.
Every memory I shared with her flashed through my mind in quick succession, from our very first meeting, to our dance at the charity Ball and each time she’s helped me with brewing potions, gathering ingredients and acting all intrigued.
"Some things about Caroline are still... A mystery to me. And I guess I’m sad that death claimed her too soon before I could get to find out." I rasped, my tears streaming to my lips until I tasted salt. "But... But I know she’s in a better place. She’s finally at peace."
I raised my head, my breath shuddering as I tried controlling my tears. "They all are."
As I looked through the crowd, an odd sense of relief washed through me when I saw the collective silence of everyone.
There was no judgment. No silent whispers. No malice.
We were all just connected by our respective grief.
When I was done, Kaelos gave his own little speech as well, saying only a few things about Layla. The throb of that one vein on his forehead told me he was also fighting to stay composed.
At the end of our speech, floating candles were lit all around the event hall and released to the ceiling.
But as I watched everyone partaking in the ritual, my eyes landed on someone walking into the hall through the main entrance, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the prayers and silent sobs of the audience.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw who it was, my lips parting with disbelief.
The person in question was a woman with lush black hair, donned in a gothic black gown and high black heel boots. She had an umbrella resting on her right shoulder, her head tilted when she met my gaze.
My jaw clenched, my fists curling beside me.
It was Ryker’s "left hand".
"Regina."