Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Funeral.

To say I was gobsmacked would be an understatement, but I surprisingly was able to recover from the shock faster than expected. Asides the fact that my wolf had been right, she also helped me out in focusing on what was more important.

Now, I was on my way down the extremely long, grand flight of stairs, dressed in the same simple black dress I'd worn for the funeral of my family the life before. I couldn't believe I was going to have to go through the dark hour that was my family's funeral all over again. However, as I descended into the crowd of waiting wolves, an emotion I felt more than disbelief was weakness; I wasn't sure I could go through all of it again without breaking down.

In my last life, it had been easy to steel myself up in the face of so many because I was still processing and even though I could say the same for now, I had the added knowledge of what really happened to them not being an accident. I wasn't sure if I would take a look at their mangled bodies and not break down for being the cause of it all.

It was a sick twist of cruelty to be sent back to this point in time, but I took solace in the fact that I now had my wolf back and a second chance to right all the wrongs I'd committed in the past. In a way, I guess I was just about what I needed to seal my determination in them all paying; everyone that had a hand in their deaths.

Three sturdy coffins awaited me at the opposite end of the stairs. It was tradition that those who a dead royal was survived by had to bid them goodbye by peering into their coffins and that was what the entire pack was waiting for me to do before proceeding with the rest of the burial. It took a considerable amount of time to walk all the way to the coffins, the pin drop silence of the room didn't make the journey any easier, but my wolf kept me calm until I got face to face with the coffins. I braced myself before nodding to the undertakers to open the coffins.

All three boxes were opened at the same time with choreographed movement and I momentarily forgot what it meant to breathe. Even though I'd gone through this before, nothing could still prepare me for the sight that greeted my eyes when the box opened. I swayed violently because it felt like I was dealt a blow to the weakest part of my body. Someone rushed to my side to save me from falling and making a mess of myself, but I held my hand out in a manner that halted the person from moving any further.

I was glad this person understood, even without uttering a word, that I didn't need their help, but I was also reminded, by the same person, who was now standing next to me, why I needed to be strong and get the funeral over and done with, so even though I could barely hold myself upright, I moved with purpose to peer over each of the death boxes to wish my family farewell all over again. This time, however, I also whispered promises to avenge each of their deaths before stepping back and giving a slight nod to the undertakers to carry on.

A lot of fanfare escorted the undertakers and bodies to the private cemetery where over two hundred werewolf royals had been buried from the founding father of the pack to the most recent additions. I remembered that in my last life, I didn't follow them to the cemetery because I was too out of sorts to do so. After serving the final rites, I'd fled to my room and catherine had come after me to comfort me. She had given me some 'meds' to help me calm down and that had been the beginning of me consuming slow poison.

Now however, after I'd brushed her off for trying to help me earlier, she'd put distance between us, but she was also here at the cemetery. She was probably hoping I'd fall down or lash out at some point so she could sweep in and save the day with her miracle potions.

Not today.

I wasn't going to giver the satisfaction of leaving myself at her mercy ever again.

I watched as coffins were lowered into pre dug graves and the more dirt piled to fill the holes, the more my resolve solidified. I was given a second chance and I was as hell not going to waste it feeling sorry for myself or kind or naive;

I was going to serve revenge like a banquet to everyone that'd wronged me or profited in the downfall of the Dunhams. I would make sure they all paid with interest for every ill intention they'd ever had regarding my family. I would make sure to burn them all to the ground; them, everything and everyone that concerned them.

As it should be. My wolf whispered in excitement, just as catherine walked up to me in her slutty black scrap of a dress.

I realised then, that the cemetery was now nearly empty.

She had a solemn look of concern on her face, but I already knew that it was an expression similar to the overpriced makeup her entire face was caked with.

The fake ass bitch!

"Are you okay, couz? I'm worried about you?" Even her voice held a level of concern that would have one who hadn't lived through this lie before believe to be genuine. However, the tell tale signs of her fakery was her impeccable makeup. She had either not shed a single tear in all the gloominess of the loss of her extended family, or she'd had the time to focus on the frivolities of fixing her makeup after the show of tears.

Regardless of the bile that rose up my throat, which I was very willing to spit all over her face, I decided to have a go at her game of pretence.

"There's nothing to worry about, Tash. I'm fine." I quickly realised I was a poorer actress than catherine, for my voice came out in a cold tone that had traces of venom and it only gave my cousin more armour to move closer to me and act some more.

"I know what you must be feeling now, and I assure you that it's okay to cry." Her hand moved to touch my upper arm, but it froze midway by the look I gave her.

Good.

"You should be more concerned about your hunt. Considering how you have your entire assests on display in the funeral ceremony of your own family members, because you must think this would be a hotspot for stupid Alphas with high libidos for fucking anything that walks in slutty gowns, and enough lose change to spend on such toys."

When she raised her hand to smack me, I was expecting it, so I caught her hand in mind and flung it back in the direction from which it'd come. Her face wasn't anymore the perfect facade of worry and care anymore.

Even better!

"While you boil over here till you explode, I actually have Pack business to handle, so if you'll excuse…" I left her standing there in a shade similar to that of beet, and began to pick my way towards the castle.