Page 178 of Crystal Luna

“May I, Luna?” she asked, hesitantly spreading her arms.

Velora nodded again and found herself pulled into Lisabeth’s embrace. Stiffly, she reciprocated the hug, but her mind was years away.

Lisabeth gave her a squeeze before letting go and doing the same with each of the twins. Both sets of eyes shone with tears, but they fought to keep them at bay. They knew once the dams broke, there’d be no way of stopping it. They needed to keep control.

Far too slowly, the pack arrived at the riverbank—and Velora wished they would hurry up so she could leave that goddamn place. Trying to masquerade her feelings made her want to vomit. As expected of her, she stood before the crowd without straying too far from Asher and Isaiah.

Once the pack had gathered, their alphas stepped up and everyone instantly hushed.

“Our hearts are broken. Our minds are still trying to internalise the loss we are experiencing,” Asher started—though no one probably knew it was him. “Not only have we lost our best friend, but our pack has lost their beta far too soon.”

“We’ve come together to release him from his life with us and return his souls to Isis. He died protecting our pack—and his luna—like a true warrior.”

“Too soon has She called him back to her, but what he leaves behind is so much more than grief—we have the memories he has created with us.”

Asher’s words felt like a stab in the back. Acid crept up her throat.

“Though his body has left us, his love for all of us remains in our hearts. Now it is time to set him and his wolf free.”

“We as your alphas release you, Beta Ely of the Crystal Wolves, from your vow to serve and protect. You are free from the bond that you’ve shared with us and all of your pack to return to Isis, mother of all wolves.”

Isaiah and Asher spoke in unison and as soon as the last word had left their lips, Velora felt the pack bond shift. It was an odd feeling, one she hadn’t expected to feel so similar to Theodore setting her parents’ souls free.

As Asher and Isaiah spoke, Renly and Lian began to light the pyre, the flames licking against the wood and turning the black silk to ashes.

I hope She punishes you and you wish you’d never jumped off that cliff to save yourself.

Her words were silent, and something she would never share with anyone but Isis.

Howls filled the crowd and once their task was fulfilled, Renly and his father shifted and joined the other wolves to sing their farewells.

Asher turned towards her in an attempt to hide the tears spilling down his cheeks. She reached for him, and he quickly stepped closer and let her cup his face. He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes while Isaiah stepped to her side and rested his forehead on her shoulder, sliding his hand down her arm to grip hers. She comforted them, not only because she didn’t want to face the pack but because they needed her and seeing them utterly broken tugged at her heart.

Yes, she hated Ely, but Asher and Isaiah didn’t deserve to be punished for his actions. They’d lost a friend—someone they saw as their brother. They needed her comfort and she needed to be able to set her emotions aside to give that to them. She stayed by their sides as they watched Ely’s body burn. No one moved until Velora could no longer gaze into the fire.

They felt the gears turning in her mind and offered to walk her home, but she needed to be alone. Thankfully, the pack had already left and the path to the village was empty so she could drop her façade. She didn’t return home, instead skirting the treeline to make her way to the gym.

She found herself a Glock and started shooting on the target, imagining Ely’s body being torn to shreds by her bullets. She reloaded the gun over and over, shells piling up around her—but her anger didn’t fade. She wasn’t even sure why she was so full of rage, she’d said her curses to Ely the night she’d followed Isaiah to the sanctuary. She’d felt so much better after that, but seeing him burn and hearing Asher and Isaiah speak about him like he was a saint had anger boiling her blood all over again.

The sound of the door opening made her spin around. Axel and Larissa stood frozen in the doorway. They quickly bowed their heads, but it wasn’t fast enough to hide the concern written across Axel’s face.

Velora let out a frustrated sigh and looked around at the mess she’d created.

“Don’t worry about it, Luna,” Axel said. “I’ll take care of it.”

Larissa’s jaw twitched, making Velora’s anger bubble over.

“Spit it out,” Velora barked, waiting for Larissa’s true side to finally show.

“I…” Larissa’s eyes flicked to her mate, seeking his help.

“Shy all of a sudden?” Velora pressed further, ready for a fight. “You’ve never been the one to keep your true thoughts hidden from me. What’s so different now?”

Larissa opened her mouth, but words escaped her as she eyed the weapon in her luna’s hands.

A dark laugh burst out of Velora’s chest and the gun hit the ground. “Better?”

Nothing.