35-3
The air filled with the scent of burnt wood. Everyone was silent, in respect for the family’s mourning.
I waited, holding firm.
When the full moon appeared in the sky, the people moved to the other side of the village, where tables were arranged, covered with white cloths and piled with meats, bread, and fruits. It was a celebration of the life Ruda had lived, no matter how short it had been
They served pitchers of drinks with butterbeer and ţuică, distributing them across the tables.
I sat with Alexandra and Mihaela in a more secluded spot. It was the same bar I had been to, nights ago, owned by Anca, Alexandra and Andrei’s mother.
The people kept glancing at me sideways and whispering among themselves.
I sighed, catching Mihaela’s attention.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, raising the mug and taking a sip of the butterbeer.
I picked up one of the little glasses with the sweet tuici liqueur and drank it all in one long gulp. I tried to seem composed and accustomed, but the coughing fit gave me away.
“I’d advise doing that only when you’re used to alcohol,” Alexandra said.
“People won’t stop looking at me and whispering.” I complained, shrugging. “I’ll never be accepted in this pack.”
Could I go home and isolate myself in my room? Yes! But I didn’t want to mourn alone; I felt comfortable being beside Mihaela and Alexandra.
The omega looked me up and down before taking one of the quick glasses and downing it in one go. Unlike me, she didn’t seem to feel the alcohol burning down her throat. I felt a bit envious of that trait.
“Who gave you that dress?” she asked.
I looked down, analyzing the dress. She wasn’t the first to ask about it, Fenrir seemed… horrified when he saw me wearing the dress.
“It was in my room……. in a box,” I revealed. “I thought it was from Fenrir. He didn’t even tell me how the rituall worked or what I should wear. I didn’t know they wore white. I thought the box was a gift, since he didn’t say anything to me.”
Saying
ng it out loud, it sounded so stupid. If he didn’t care enough to explain the pack to me, why would he give me an
in outfit f
for a funeral?
My chest tightened. I lifted my face and saw him dragging Marilyn into a dark, empty corner. His touch on her arm didn’t seem pleasant, but it was enough to irritate my wolf.
I grabbed another glass and drank it all in one go, coughing less this time.
“It wasn’t Fenrir who o gave you the dress,” Alexandra said.
I focused on her and ignored the two damned ones before I lost control to my animal side. This was a mess. I barely cared about him, didn’t even like him, while my wolf claimed him as hers.
“What do you mean, it wasn’t Fenrir?”
She took a deep breath.
“The dress belonged to Catalina,” she replied, in a soft voice.
For a few seconds, I did nothing, staying still and absorbing the news. With my skin feeling cold, I lowered my eyes to the dress. The outfit, which had fit me well until then, seemed to catch fire, burning my skin.
“What?” I choked, stunned.
“I bet it was Marilyn,” Mihaela commented.
I grabbed the butterbeer mug, my pale and steady fingers, and drank Just learned.
rk all the
liquid in a few gulps. I needed alcohol in my blood after the information I had
“The dress was Catalina’s,” she continued. “It was a gift from the pack to her when the was still alive and engaged to Fenrir. As you know, if a mated wolf dies, the other dies too. Catalina’s parents died of natural causes. I mean, one of them. She was devastated at the time because she didn’t expert it. So, as a
sourning gift, the pack’s best seamstresses came together and sewed that dress for her, which she wore at their funeral,”
swallowed hard and rubbed my sweaty palms on the white satin.
Wow, this was incredible news. Not only was I wearing the deceased’s clothes, but I was also wearing a gift from the pack to her. It was an affront to them, a disrespect
“Heavens. I need more drink,” I gasped. I raised my hand, signaling one of the wolves wandering with the pitcher. Upon seeing who I was, he looked at me with disdain but complied.
“Please. I’d like a little more beer.” Without saying a word, he filled my cup.
“Thank you,” I said. He didn’t even bother to look at me before moving on
“That’s why they’re talking and looking at you, and why they’re ignoring you.”
“I thought it was because of Ruda.”
She shook her head.
“Someone may
indeed blame you for his death, but the majority knows you fought for him until the last second, that you tried to save him. And while they’re grateful for that, they won’t thank you. Not while you’re wearing Catalina’s dress.”
I drank all the beer. My body was already light from the alcohol in my empty stomach.
