Fate Smiles on My Alpha (Book 1 of the Fate Series) - Completed

Chapter 25 - Kiss and Make Up

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: 

 

Dark clouds hovered on the late afternoon of the “Funus” ceremony for Emma Robbins.  Every single member of the Crimson Hollow Pack gathered near the Stagnos.  Not a single body moved away as droplets of rain pelted on the mournful faces of every member of the pack as one of their beloved daughters; lay on a bed of bamboo stalks fashioned into a funeral pyre that was adorned with beautiful flowers.  She lay peacefully in a white robe, her face pale but absent of pain.  Ever since her passing, her body had returned to her pre-mate state.  Her blond tresses spread beautifully on a pile of blanket beneath her head, her lips turned into a pale pink color and her cheeks were no longer sunken. 

“Emma Robbins was a woman full of life.”  Keegan began to pay homage in view of every single pack member.  “I can never describe the pain her family may be feeling at the moment, to lose a daughter whose only wish was to find love and lasting happiness.  She may have been fortunate like some of us to have had the chance to meet the other half of one’s soul.  But even in the face of rejection, she selflessly loved with all her heart even if it meant giving up her own life.  Carter Vargas, her mate IS the enemy, ladies and gentlemen.  And I, as your alpha will do everything in my power to bring justice to her pain and suffering.  As we say farewell to our fallen sister, friend and loving daughter, let us never forget the smiles she help put in the faces of her ailing patients, and the care and dedication she has shown in her profession.  May the goddess keep you, Emma and may you find peace in the afterlife.” 

Keegan approached Emma and laid a single stemmed rose atop her belly, soon the rest of Emma’s colleagues, friends and family followed.  His heart clenched upon hearing her mother sob inconsolably, her father trying to keep it together as he held his wife and mate close to his chest.  After everyone close to her had had their few moments to say their goodbyes, he locked gazes with Emma’s father waiting for his signal to let her go and deliver her to her final resting place.  As the nod of acquiescence came, Keegan gave the signal to the guards to light up the pyre and push the makeshift barge further into the lake.  The “Funus” by cremation has been the pack custom.  As the burning barge floated further, each member quietly filed out.  Only the family is left until the flames die out and the alpha and beta’s family remained in a show of support.

Moments later, Keegan sat beside a morose and subdued Queran by a fallen log not too far from the bank of the lake.  He clasped his hand into hers and gazed at her profile.  His Luna remained quiet and passive, her stare fixated on the barge.  It had been 48 hours since the incident and his mate had not spoken a single word to him yet.  Her hands felt cold and clammy, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.  He leaned down and kissed her lips but no reaction was elicited from her.  He chose to be patient and just let out a deep sigh and looked ahead.  There was something definitely wrong and he suspected that in the brief time that Carter held her defenseless, he may have fed her with some rubbish talk that Queran took to heart. 

Queran may have fought off the lingering effects of wolfsbane in her system but Keegan did not spare a moment to make sure she was 100% so he had her checked and admitted then at the suite room in the hospital.  The physical effects may have waned but the emotional aspect may have traumatized her somehow.  Not that he thought his Luna was weak, but she has been having nightmares as of late and Carter was the culprit.  Queran remains to be withdrawn and this concerned him enough that it is making him edgy that his mate has been giving him monotone responses, blocked him off from their mind link and hardly had the appetite.  He gave her the space she needed but it is seriously beginning to grate on his nerves and he has no freaking idea why else besides shock. 

Three hours later and only a thick black smoke billowing upwards from the burnt wood remains.  It is finished and they should all move on from this but Emma’s loving memory will remain.  Queran got up from the log and approached her mom, engulfing her in a tight embrace.  Keegan was not far, as he talked to his family and Tanner.  His gaze locked into the exchange between mother and daughter.  Queran broke into a pained cry that nearly broke his heart.  He didn’t know what else to do and although he knew he should be the one comforting her, at that moment he can only recognize her need for her mother.