The Alpha: Claiming His Enemy's Daughter novel Chapter 508

Chapter 508: THE NIGHT OF THE FUNERAL (2)

Once Iris stepped out of the bedroom, she could see how dark it was in the corridor, while the only source of light was from the candles that two of the warriors held and the pale light from the moon in the dark sky.

The two warriors were not part of the seven warriors that were supposed to follow her. She had seen the two of them a few times before, but Iris said nothing, it was not an important matter in her mind right now.

The two warriors handed one of the candles in their hands to Iris and Cane, this little light reminded her of the light she created to calm the souls of the fallen warrior when they were in the Goffa mountain. She felt so bad.

"Thank you," Iris murmured, as she received the candle and Cane took her hand, as he led the way.

Outside the pack house, people had gathered together, as they held little candles in their hands. They cried silently, as they chanted a song about a long journey. Their voices echoed softly under the dark sky, while the moon watched them from above, which made the funeral feel even more sacred.

The atmosphere was warm and the wind was not chilly, but one could feel the tension and serenity, the sadness and the relief, the helplessness and the hopefulness at the same time.

Amee had told her that the candles were to guide the souls of the dead, so they could go to the afterlife. It was a comfort to their souls, so they could leave this world in peace.

Iris wondered if the idea had any relation to the way she calmed the souls of the fallen warriors.

Thankfully, during one of their conversations, Cane explained to her about what they needed to do as the Alpha and the Luna to lead the ceremony. Since she couldn’t shift into a beast like the other shifters, there was nothing much she could do, except for standing next to Cane.

The Alpha walked his mate toward the river. They were outside of the pack house and on the west side of the pack, where you could see a river, their only source of water in this pack. It was the same river that flowed in the Goffa mountain.

Not too far from them, Iris could see Haco with a young girl, around the age of ten or twelve, who kept sobbing, while chanting the song. She clutched onto Haco’s cloak, holding the candles so tightly.

They had dug a big pit to bury the fallen warriors. It would be their final resting place. Because their number was too huge and their pack tomb wouldn’t be able to accommodate them all, Cane dedicated this area for them, as a reminder of their bravery and how they lost their lives in order to protect their pack and their people.

This was the least he could do. They would start the burial soon after it hit midnight, which was in less than ten minutes.

Iris grabbed Cane’s hand tightly when she saw a woman fall to the ground and weep, but she didn’t let her candles go off, she protected the little light, as if it was her lifeline and Iris recognized that woman.

She was Avid’s mate. The warrior always looked happy when he talked about his mate. It was not often and he did it only in passing, but Iris could see how his eyes softened every time just at the mention of her.

Probably because Iris stared at her for too long, the woman lifted her head and caught sight of Iris. She immediately rushed toward her, which caught Iris off guard.

The look on her face was so intense and this made Iris want to scurry away. Was she angry?

Iris was about to use Cane as a shield, but the Alpha agilely stepped aside to expose her mate and to Iris’ surprise, Avid’s mate hugged her so tightly, as if she was going to squeeze the air out of her lungs.

"Easy, Renee, she is still recovering," Cane said in a firm tone, which made the woman named Renee loosen up a little bit.

"Thank you, Luna. Thank you so much for bringing my mate back." Renee was trying so hard to make her voice coherent, but then, as if she forgot something, she immediately released Iris’ body and looked at her face to repeat the same thing.

She heard their luna could read lips really great to offset her inability to hear, thus you need to face her whenever you want to talk with her. That was what Aliana told Renee when she also informed her how they found Avid’s body.

"I know, Avid is right... he is right when he said, you are the perfect luna for this pack." Renee tried so hard not to tremble when she spoke, so Iris could get what she was saying, but it was so hard when it pained her to be reminded that Avid was gone. "He is... right..."

Iris couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, as she hugged Renee and offered her her condolences, but then she felt it. It was so mild and faint, but it was there. She could feel and see Renee spirit, but she also sensed a new one.