His only thought once he’d entered the camp, the reek of the dead invading his body and soul, was to reach his mate and offer her solace. Her soft cries triggering something deep inside him as he rushed toward her. She stood at the door to a cabin, her home, as Zohar’s men carried out two bodies wrapped in white sheets: her parents.
Tears ran down her cheeks, dripping to soak the ground at her feet as she tried to stifle her sobs, a linen hankie stuffed into her mouth. Rafe encompassed her in a warm embrace, full of love and comfort, whispering into her soft tresses. “I’m here, sweetheart. I’ll always be here. Lean on me and I’ll carry you. I’ll take the weight of your grief, you just need to let me.”
She leaned back into his body, trembling and shaking. “How?”
Releasing his Alpha power through their virgin mating bond he showed her the way. She gasped as the might of his force touched her, then her body settled, her grief passing to Rafe for him to bear for his mate. It was a heavy load to carry but one he did willingly, Tasha turning into his chest, grabbing him tightly before relaxing.
“I . . . I thought I was going to faint or something. It was so bad, Rafe.” She tilted her head, looking up with red-rimmed eyes. “I knew they were dead, I’ve known since I left. But, seeing them like that, after lying for days it was so much worse than anything I could’ve imagined.”
“I know, sweetheart, I know.” Rafe held her close, rubbing a hand in circles on her back. “Let me help you through this.”
“I have no words to thank you,” she stuttered before laying her head on his chest.
“You never need to thank me for helping you. You are my mate. I’d die for you, Tasha.”
“I’m just realizing that,” she gasped.
He wanted to say more, much more, but they were interrupted. “Miss, if you follow us now, please.”
“What?” She pulled away, dazed. “Oh yes, of course.”
Rafe kept an arm around her waist as they walked behind the impromptu pall bearers, following them out of the camp to the mass grave. The stench here was far worse, the sight nothing like Rafe had ever seen and one he prayed he’d never see again.
A massive trench had been dug in the field and it was packed with white wrapped bodies. Line after line, two and three deep, the bodies of the Pack were placed inside their final resting place. Tasha sobbed as her parents joined the rest of the Pack. The men who’d carried them apologizing as they climbed out of the deep hole in the earth.
“Sorry, miss, it was the only way to deal with this amount of bodies.”
“I understand,” she replied with a voice devoid of emotion.
“If you want, we can take them back to Darkmoon and bury them there?” Rafe told her quietly, her raw despair cloying in his throat.
She took a moment to answer, a brief shake of her head before she said firmly, “No. They should be here, with the rest of the Pack. It’s where they belong.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Yes.”
Somberly they waited until the last of the bodies were laid to rest, Rafe cradling his mate to his side as she fought to control her tears. He whispered, “It’s okay to cry, baby.”
But she resolutely shook her head, her body shaking as she raised her chin defiantly. “I’m fine.”
He knew better. She was far from fine. The soft sheen of perspiration covering her skin, the thud of her heart, and the unshed tears told him as much, but his mate refused to surrender to her grief.
Myrtle followed behind the men carrying the final dead. Her head bowed reverently as she whispered a farewell. She stopped at the edge of the communal grave, dipping into a purple velvet pouch tied at her waist. Her voice rose as she spoke in a soft but firm tone, honoring the fallen Wolves and sending them on their way to the Goddess.
Then she sprinkled some sort of herbs out onto the bodies. Rafe could taste the scent in the air but didn’t try to decipher what was in the concoction as Myrtle lifted her arms high above her and pleaded with the Goddess to take her children home and keep them safe.
Tasha trembled beside him as Myrtle spoke, her body shaking as she choked out, “I love you. Goodbye, Mom, bye, Dad. I promise we’ll find who did this and make them pay.”
Myrtle came over, grasping one of Tasha’s hands, her short curly hair blowing in the wind as she looked up into Tasha’s eyes. “I’m so sorry for your loss. If I can help in any way, please, just let me know.”
Tasha waited for a moment. Obviously gaining control before she nodded, her voice firm as she replied firmly, “Help us catch who did this. That’s all I need right now.”
Myrtle’s blue eyes seemed all knowing as she tilted her head, studying Tasha. “Revenge doesn’t heal all wounds but I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Thank you,” Tasha replied, her voice shaking at the end.
Rafe studied his mate, taking in her wide eyes, blood-shot and filled with sorrow. Her body coiled tightly and her breathing coming quickly. Her soft full lips pinched together, her cheeks pale with tear tracks visible down the middle. He worried about her and wished she wasn’t here to witness this abominable carnage, but he also knew she wouldn’t return home, not until they’d dealt with the threat that was still out there.
As the sun shone brightly above, breaking through the few clouds that meandered across the sky, the beams
