twenty four

"Asher…" I mumbled. His name rolled off my tongue so perfectly.

Isabella looked at me oddly and nodded, hesitantly. "He snuck in trying to look for… someone at the pack and murdered Joseph with his own hands. He really is a brutal monster."

A part of me wanted to slap Isabella for saying that about him. He was more than what she has heard about him.. he was smart and caring for me. But she was completely right, Asher could barely control his anger with caused him to do stupid things. He really was a monster. It must've just been my wolf protesting against Isabella.

"I'm planning on having him pay for my brother's life with his own." I crossed my arms and stood up straight.

She raised her eyebrows and a smirk crawled on her face, "you're planning to kill him?" I nodded in response.

"Can I come?" She whispered, I immediately shook my head, "no, you're pregnant Isabella. You need to be taking care of yourself and your unborn child."

A pack member walked up to us and asked to help set flowers around the place the casket would lay. I nodded and we walked over to grab the flowers, beginning to set them in place.

Isabella rolled her eyes at me and scoffed, "come on Madison, I'm a werewolf and so is my baby. We have enough strength to take care of ourselves. I want to help, I need to help. I want to avenge my mate." She spoke while setting a few roses down.

"I can't afford to lose either you or them," I pointed to her stomach and she sighed.

"Please. Isabella, you're the only person I have left."

I felt a presence behind me and not too long after a hand slipped around my waist. "Ouch." Carter said in a pained voice, with a laugh following after.

"You and Carter are the only people I have left." I recorrected myself, laughing after.

Isabella looked at me and shrugged her eyebrows, "so… you guys?" I spoke before Carter could even insert his input, "just friends." I looked at him and sadness filled his eyes for a quick second before he nodded in agreement.

"I just wanted to see how you two were holding up," Carter stated, "I know Joseph was closest to both of you. It feels like just yesterday that you came to the pack, Maddie." He smiled at me and squeezed my waist.

His hands on me felt wrong.

"Yeah, but considering all that's happened since I came, I should've just stayed in my hometown." I subtly brushed his hand off of me and let out an awkward laugh.

We small talked a little while longer before we parted ways and each joined a pack member to help set up the funeral.

In no time, it had darkened and it was time for the funeral. In werewolf culture, it was normal to have funerals when the moon was out, to make the connection between the moon goddess and the lost soul closer.

I had bathed once again and prepared myself for the worse night of my life. I slipped on a long black dress and some black shoes. When I walked outside, Carter was waiting there for me with the same saddened look on his face like me.

I stared deeply at him and debated on if I wanted to break down or not.

No.

I had cried all the possible tears I could for Joseph. He wasn't coming back and I came to terms with that. I had mourned and after this funeral, it was time to avenge him.

As I walked hand and hand with Carter to the funeral site I thought of a plan.

I was so blinded by rage I couldn't even form a single thought other than getting my hands around Asher's throat. He had to have been weakened by the rejection but so was I. But I had something he didn't. Determination. Anger. Pain from the loss of my brother. All of that fueled me so much that I felt as if I was going to pop.

I quickly spotted Isabella with tears running down her face as she stared at the closed casket.

I turned to Carter and questioned, "why isn't the casket opened?" I was looking forward to seeing my brother one last time.

He paused for a second, his thoughts processing through his mind. "His body was so brutalized that the pack doctor really suggested we keep it closed. For the pack's sake."

I gulped and nodded. A few tears poured out of my eyes as I thought of the terrible pain Joseph must've felt as he was being murdered by Asher.

I sat down next to Isabela and brought her in for a hug. I couldn't imagine being in her position. Losing her mate and the father of her child for the rest of her life.

"I can't believe he's really gone." She cried out on my shoulder, "I know. I know. I'll be here for you Isa. Don't worry."

She pulled back and nodded while giving me a weak smile. And with that, the funeral began.

Carter spoke first, mentioning how hard-working, amazing and kind Joseph was, then other pack members he was close to spoke as well.

Isabella was supposed to finish the funeral by giving her speech but she turned to me and pleaded for me to finish it for her. Her eyes were puffy and tears were pouring out of her eyes, I could see how desperate she was.

"Of course." I replied. I stood up from my chair and stood up on the podium. "Many of you might not know me. I am Madison, Joseph's sister. I just want to start off by saying Joseph was the best brother I could have ever asked for. He took care of himself and I after our parents passed away," I paused and tried to contain myself, "even when he was going through the worse possible pain he focused on making sure that I was okay and that I was happy."

"Joseph was a beautiful and caring soul that was not ready to be snatched from this world. He still had many things to do, a life to live," my eyes focused on Isabella and I smiled, "people to attend to," I could feel myself breaking down and knew it was time for me to end this, "the person who did this to Joseph will pay and that is a promise. May my brother Rest In Peace." I finished off and stepped off the stage with some sounds of cheering in the crowd.

I stayed around to talk to some pack members and the area began to get emptier and emptier until it was only me left there to sit with my brother. I placed my hand on the casket and cried out to him.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, this is all my fault, Jo."

This felt wrong. I needed to see his face. I needed to see what exactly my 'mate' did to him. I gripped onto the bottom of the casket lid and lifted it up.

Nothing. There was nothing there. No body, no body parts, no Joseph.

"What the fuck?" I said out loud. Carter told me the casket wasn't open but he never told me that the body wasn't in there.

Without warning I felt a needle enter itself into my neck. My body became weak and i became drowsy. I fell to the floor and the last thing I saw were ten men before I passed out.