Chapter 6

• Claire POV.
• We practically never chatted in the kitchen when we were working together. It felt embarrassing, and it made me want to flee. We were nearly done now that it was noon, thank fuck! I had to get out of this kitchen.
• We could hear the front door open and close while we worked. When we all turned to face the door, dad and Cain were already standing there.
• When I turned back, Dad was in the kitchen.
• "The funeral will begin at 4:00 p.m. "Is everything ready?" He inquired.
• "Nearly done, sweetheart. We still have a few tasks to do, but we'll be finished by 4:00." Mom smiled when she gave him the news.
• Dad nodded, kissed her on the cheek, and exited the kitchen. Cain remained in the room, standing there appearing stealthy as he observed us. When mum was cooking, he would go into the kitchen and steal food.
• I cocked my brow at him. "Do you want something, Cain?" I inquired, my voice tinged with skepticism.
• He grinned as though everything was OK with him. "Nope, just.....observing, yup, observing." Cain quickly nodded his head.
• I knew the guy was up to no good, so I continued to work while keeping a tight watch on him.
• Finally, he strolled up to mum, hummed along, and nodded softly to give the appearance that he was merely looking. When mum turned around to fetch something else, he snatched some cookies from the counter and dashed out like a lunatic.
• I extended my finger at him. "I guessed it!" said the thief. Return here." I yelled at him.
• Cain laughed his way out the back door and out of the kitchen. But since I was close behind him, I dashed up and leaped on his back.
• "I knew you'd do it; you were just watching my behind!""Please return the cookies to me." I ordered him to return them and reached around him to collect them.
• He pushed the cookies into his lips and gasped with delight before I could stop him. When I got off his back, he turned around and smiled at me. I had large eyes and a wide mouth as I glanced at him.
• "Are you fucking serious? "What a pig you are!" I shook my head at how he was behaving.
• He gave me the grin that makes you want to eat garbage. "Yes, that's probably true, but it was well worth it." He was overjoyed.
• I gave him a firm shake of the head. "Everything is finished! You are not permitted to enter the kitchen." I stated.
• Cain was stunned and just gazed at me. "That's not right! You can't do that to me, Claire; you're hurting my heart." He stated this while pouting and crossing his arms over his chest.
• "Don't look at me like that; you've brought this on yourself!" I sighed and formed a cross with my arms.
• His brow furrowed in surprise. "Really? So, we'll see what happens."
• Claire then began strolling toward the house, most likely into the kitchen. I began following him and trying to catch up with him.
• "Oh, no, you don't." I let out a scream.
• He sped up and laughed like the lunatic he is. Claire cocked his head and poked out his tongue at me. "If you think you can catch me, you're a loser."
• I leapt on his back again, this time covering his eyes with my hands.
• When Claire came to a halt, his shoulders slumped. "Really? Do you sometimes forget that we're wolves? I don't need my eyes since we can smell better than other animals." He was overjoyed.
• "Yes, but it took your attention away." I laughed.
• He then reached up and clasped both of my hands firmly together. He then tickled me with his other hand, knowing that was my weak area.
• I laughed so hard that it came from deep inside me. "No, Cain, put a stop to it, that's enough."
• I was eventually able to get out after squirming about for a time, but I dropped directly to the ground. He chuckled as he glanced down at me.
• I narrowed my eyes and gave him a look that screamed, "I'm going to get you for that," but before I could respond, my father appeared, irate.
• "Stop fooling around and go inside right now!" He screamed.
• Cain straightened up and stared at his father. "Yes, sir." He said, "Quickly."
• Cain came to me once my father had returned inside and extended his hand to assist me in standing. To make me feel better, he grinned at me.
• I sighed. "What's up with him?" I inquired.
• Cain tilted his head and stared down at me. "How do you think?" "He lost Claire, his best friend," he chuckled. He won't admit it, but it's difficult for him to cope with." When he delivered the final words, his countenance was sorrowful.
• When I glanced down, I realized he was correct and that my query was foolish. I sighed deeply and stepped inside.
• We proceeded to the main hall to set up when Mom, Adel, and the others finished up in the kitchen. The hall was already crowded when we arrived.
• Everyone was depressed and sobbing, and the whole atmosphere was depressing.
• While standing in the throng, I saw Emil conversing with his parents. He grinned as he glanced at me.
• I returned his grin and set the food on the tables.
• We all proceeded to the river to begin the funeral after having everything ready. The pyre was on the river's edge. It was stunning. The structure was formed of oak tree branches and was embellished with Gracie flowers. Personal objects left there by loved ones were strewn around. Michael was in the center. He was draped in a gold-stitched black blanket. The blanket and Michael were both lovely, but he was taken from them much too soon.
• Everyone gathered around Dad as he moved near the fire. He approached Michael and gave him a short glance before turning away. His expression was distressed.
• Then he glanced around at everyone else.
• "Unfortunately, we are all gathered here today to say farewell to a dear husband, father, Beta, and friend." Michael was unlike any guy I'd ever met. He was patient, gentle, yet battled with the ferocity of a hundred warriors. But it was this pack that he was most concerned about. Michael was worried about us all. He will be missed much, but we will never forget him." Dad got a bit choked up throughout his speech, but he pulled it together as best he could.
• After Michael's father finished speaking, Michael's girlfriend, Sanarah, approached the fire with tears streaming down her cheeks. She stared at my father with a half-smile. He kissed her on the cheek before handing her the light.
• The deceased's mate would fire the funeral pyre and send them to the next life as part of the pack's ritual.
• More tears streamed down her cheeks as she approached the pyre. She was clearly unwilling to continue since she knew this was the end, and who could blame her? Nobody wanted to do it, and no one wanted to say goodbye to their life's love.
• She trembled after taking a big breath. She then lowered the torch and started the fire. She stepped back and covered her mouth with her hand. Her father approached her, placed his hand on her shoulder, and grabbed the torch from her grasp.
• The pyre was then tossed into the river by Dad and Cain, sending Michael away to rest and be with the Moon Goddess.
• We stood in quiet, watching Michael's corpse drift down the river as it was burnt. After a few seconds of stillness, dad took a step forward and regained everyone's attention.
• "Now that Michael is at peace, we'll go into the main hall and celebrate his life."
• Everyone made their way back to the hall slowly.