The funerals (pt.2)

"Bet?" I arched an eyebrow, then chuckled and turned my head to the window. A sudden reminder that we're going to the funerals spoiled all the good mood I had. Aiden probably read those thoughts, as his mood changed as well. He put his hand on my knee and started stroking it in order to help me to relax.

I turned my head to Aiden and put my hand on his, then squeezed it.

"Did he have a family?"

"A girlfriend," Aiden replied, holding a steering wheel with one hand. We drove out of our Pack early in the morning, the sun wasn't even visible, and that's not because we were in the forest. However, now we were driving on the road, and seeing the sunset. Aiden told me that the sooner we'll get to Victor's Pack, the better.

"I'm…"

"Don't even start that," Aiden protested and squeezed my hand and my knee, "That's not your fault at all. He had a choice, to go or refuse, he decided to join."

"He had a choice? How can you lie to me like that? He didn't have a choice at all. Alpha ordered him to go, and he went, without even the slightest thought does he want or not!" I crossed my hands over my chest and threw an angry look at Aiden. He shook his head negatively, then smirked.

"If that would be a task from the Alpha on the territory of his Pack, then yes, Aaron wouldn't have a choice but to go. However, if the task is on the territory of another Pack, Alpha can't order. He can just ask if they would help him, regarding the request from another Alpha. They have a choice, and Aaron made his choice. Yes, his death is awful, especially because someone took his face and appearance, but it was Aaron's choice and there's not your fault at all. Got it?" Aiden looked at me with the back of his eyes, and I nodded, then turned my head away to the window.

Even if it was Aaron's choice to go or not, it's my fault he died, because I was and still am the main target of those strangers. They want me to get my father's territories, even without knowing I have no rights without the written will. However, how could it be? This rule is known to all the werewolves, who remember they are werewolves actually, and those strangers don't know about that? Or do they think I have the written will?

From Aaron's unfair death I went slowly to the tortures, and what's worth, I knew Aiden was reading every thought in my head. He squeezed my knee, turning me back from the thoughts to reality. However, instead of blaming me or convincing me, he kissed my cheek and turned back to driving. I sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry, but it's unfair. He died for nothing."

"This is life, Letty. That's what we call life, something unfair, sometimes crazy, but that's life. Aaron's death made us understand that we finally need to get rid of those damn strangers, and we'll do it at the camp."

"Or we'll try to do it," I closed my eyes.

Our car stopped at the block post that wasn't far away from the city. It was clearly visible from here, high buildings, mountains, and the forest. It was almost like our Pack, however, there was still something else that make it look different.

Two tall and muscled men dress in olive uniforms came out of the small building standing on the other side of the road, and came closer to us. One of them stopped near Aiden, while the second one came across the car and stood near me. Aiden pressed the button on the panel, and both windows came down. The two men bent down and looked at us from up till down. Our black clothes gave them a clear understanding of our visit.

"To Aaron's funerals?" asked the first one.

"Aiden Moon and Letty Black?" asked the second one standing right near me.

"Yes," Aiden said and put his right hand back to my knee, where it was lying before. The two men stood up and pointed at the road in front of us.

"Follow the same way," they left us as quickly as approached, and Aiden slowly drove right ahead. It didn't take even ten minutes to get to the city.

To my own surprise, it was the same modern and well-developed city as in the Aiden's Pack. There were a lot of shops, restaurants, and other modern things with big screaming signs. However, now everything was dark as if the whole city went into darkness because of the funerals. Actually, it was quite fair.

"Victor's Pack is settled in this city. The forest they are using for the hunt, farm, and other things like that." Aiden told me and stopped his car near the big stone building with a big black flag on its top. "Victor considers his pack members as a part of his family, so each time they have funerals, the entire city is involved. Once, he told me that he just can't allow someone to celebrate and be happy while someone is in sorrow."

"I can't but agree with him," I said and sighed, "That's the Pack House?"

"Yes. The funerals will be held here, at the place where Aaron was working and spent most of his life," Aiden took my hand and squeezed it, then pressed to his lips, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," I nodded, then leaned to him and kissed his lips shorty, then went out of the car. Aiden went out of the car as well, took the bouquet of black roses, and came closer to me, then took my hand in his and we both went inside the Pack House.

To be honest, it was pretty unusual to consider this stone building as the Pack House. I wasn't in Aiden's Pack for so long, but I already got used to wooden houses and buildings, and in the stone once I feel quite uncomfortable. I miss that wooden smell.

At the main entrance, the guard met us, but didn't even touch or asked anything. Aiden just nodded at them, squeezed my hand, and led me inside. There was a big hall in front of us, that probably were looking different usually as he's looking now. There was a staircase leading to the second floor. Actually, there were the two of them, on the right and the left sides from us, and a small balcony that was uniting both staircases. The coffin was standing right behind that balcony, it was a lot of flowers under and beside it. On the left of the coffin was a photo of the real Aaron, who was now in the coffin with a black ribbon in the corner of the photo, and on the right, it was a small tribune. In front of the coffin, on the left and on the right of it, were a lot of black chairs. Aiden stopped near the first from us row of chairs and looked up at the balcony. There were a group of werewolves. One of them was Victor, he was easy to recognize even at distance and even if I saw him once or twice. He was dressed in a gray suit, even if he was at the funerals.

"Aiden. Letty. Come up here!" We heard his voice coming from the balcony, so Aiden nodded and went on the left staircase to the second floor, then to the balcony. Victor greeted Aiden, then stepped closer to me and held his hand in my direction. His thick curly blond hair looked paler than usual, probably because of the atmosphere around here, and his dark brown eyes were quite sad and tired. He spent a lot of his time on those funerals, and I'm really sorry for that. I took his hand, shook it, and then suddenly hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Victor, really sorry," I murmured on his shoulder and was about to let him go when he hugged me back.

"Not your fault, Princess," he whispered at my shoulder as well, then let me go and pointed at the three-man standing behind him, "Meet my Beta, Gamma, and Omega."

"Valentine, the Beta," said the man with red hair sticking to different sides like a nest of a hedgehog. He also had dark green eyes and an athletic body, and was dressed in a typical for a funeral black suit.

"Frederic, the Gamma," said a tall and muscled brunette with chocolate hair and chocolate eyes, tanned skin, and white sharp teeth. He held me his hand, kissed the top of it, and took his place at the back of Victor again.

The third one was Omega, and he was probably the most silent one. He just bowed his head at me, kissed the top of my hand, and stood back in his place. He had black hair, and golden eyes, and was looking exactly like the other two leaders of Victor's Pack. I bowed my head at him.

"Letty Black," I said and squeezed Aiden's hand who came closer to me, however, he moved his hand to my waist and pressed me to himself.

"Victor, we're really sorry for that. No one even thought it would have gone that far. We're sorry for that unfair and innocent death of your sniffer, Aaron, and we'll revenge for him at the camp. If you…"

"I'll come to your camp with my Beta to revenge for Aaron's death. And that's not a topic for discussion," Victor said and looked at Aiden. His dark brown eyes were pretty confident, and it really looked like he was not going to discuss that. Aiden nodded and shook Victor's hand.

"Deal."

As the people started gathering and taking their chairs on the first floor, Victor came closer to Aiden and me again. He crossed his hands at his back, looking pretty confident in his words.

"Aiden, I'll ask you to make a speech and tell the reason for Aaron's death, and how you're going to revenge it. Don't be afraid, they will understand." He looked closely at us for a few seconds as if trying to convince no one would blame neither me nor Aiden for Aaron's death. I felt my heart bouncing in my chest, probably from fear. Aiden looked at me and squeezed his hand at my waist in a fist.

"No problem, Victor."