Chapter 46

Chapter 46 Opening Locks

-Anna

The elders prayed to the Moon Goddess with the rest of the pack silently prayingo n their own.

Dressed in black from head t o toe, we gathered around the graves of the brave men and women

who fought for us. Their families wailed in their dirt covered graves, clutching at the headstones that

summarized their entire identity, the life they lived. Soon, plants o f their choosing would be planted

by their spouse, or their parents, or their children, whoever they have left behind.

Today was particularly chilly. Mud dirtied our shoes and the atmosphere, melancholic.

I watched all these unfold with a heavy heart, holding back the tears as I felt their pain — the pain of

losing a loved one. They were warriors to me, as someone else to the rest — a son, a daughter, a

mother, a father, a wife, a husband, a friend. They lived their lives with a different identity to each

person in their life but died with the same everyone had and will remember them by.

It was nothing short of cruel, but such was reality, and it'd take time to overcome the grief, though it

didn't always happen.

The memories were our attachments to them that transcended their physical company, and it'd

continue to remind us that they once were, by our sides. Sometimes the feeling of a ghostly

presence would linger when we found ourselves staying in places where we used to spend time with

them, and the nights were worse because of the eerie silence that filled the room.

At least it was how it was for me. I felt their pain in every way because I knew what it was like to lose

someone, to have someone fight bravely for me that it cost them their life. To me, it was an

exchange. Their life for mine — so I could live one more second, one more day, one more year — then

celebrate a “birthday”.

They were brave, fearless even; my only regret was never getting to know who they were when they

were still around. It was an honor, to be a part of the pack they served, loved, and protected.

they served, loved, and protected

The warriors stood straight in formation, with Rigel and Gale on the front. Their faces solemn, hearts

grieving and undeniably even more furious than mine.

Gale shifted first, into a gray wolf with black patches of fur and clear blue eyes. Rigel followed, then

the rest of the warriors

Liam let go of my hand, then shifted into his own. Bigger than the rest, he was a beautiful black

wolf, too dark it almost looked like a thick dark blue, his eyes black. He sat on his hind legs, then

raising his head, he let out a long, pained howl, soon succeeded by the warriors. Then everyone in

the pack had shifted into their own wolves and howled along with him

Their families had shifted too, some of them whimpering. I wished I could shift too. At this very

moment, I wanted to. I wanted to join the pack in their grievance, in sending them off, a farewell for

our dead, but I couldn't.

Tears didnt measure, and so I continued t o pray instead. Afterward, the pack started to leave until

it was only their

rted to leave until it was only their families. Then, it was only Liam and me. He laid on his stomach,

his head on his forelegs. I squatted to reach his level, then ran a hand on his back, soft, thick fur

enveloping my fingers.

Luca whimpered. I kissed the top of his head. Looking around the graveyard, it was near impossible

to get a picture of the number of the deceased for there were different plants growing around, from

flowers to shrubs to evergreens. The pack lost many, yet at the same time, it didnt feel that way

with the view. Perhaps this was their way of immortalizing their loved ones — by giving them another

life in this world.

His tongue darted out and licked my hand. I scratched from below his jaw down to his side. I smiled

softly at him. H e didn't do anything, but I could feel just how much it grieved him, and the regreto f

not supporting them sooner weighed on his shoulders.

It'd be easy to tell him it wasn't his fault. I treally wasn't. He shouldn“t blame himself for their deaths

However, I felt like keeping my mouth shut and just

He keeping my mouth shut and just staying beside him would speak more than whatever word

might leave my mouth. In whatever way I could, I'd let him know that I was right here with him, all

the way.

Getting up on his paws, he rubbed his head on my thighs before turning around. I walked beside

him, occasionally rubbing his back. He kept his head down, ears flat on his head. I wished I could do

more...

Instead of walking out the graveyard, he led me behind a curtain of thick vines. Hidden and

separated from the rest were more headstones. The graves had different plants, too, and as we

passed them by, I noticed on the visible headstones a recurring name, “Rose”. It was his family’s

He stopped in front of two graves that were side by side. White roses grew on each grave. He laid

right at the middle before these, closed his eyes, then whimpered. One read “Sarina Rose”, his first

mate, and the other, “Samila Rose”. I didn't know who the latter was, but I could tell both of these

women mattered the world to him.

He kept whimpering like he was physically hurt but he wasn't, it was more than that. I sat on my

butt this time and patted his head. Holding both sides o f his head, I motioned for him to spread

himself across my lap, to which he did

His massive body was heavy. But he was also warm. I could tell he was being careful to not put all

his weight on me. I ran my hand soothingly across his massive body, sometimes leaning forward to

kiss him wherever. His scent was stronger, and it calmed me down. He also quieted down; his eyes

still closed.

Then he blinked them open, got off my lap, and shifted back to his human form. He sat beside me

with a plain expression. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he raised those eyes at me. Profound

sadness stared back from his brown gaze. They said, “eyes are the windows to the soul” — I was

staring straight into it right now. He was letting me in, showing me what was usually concealed. Oh,

Liam.

A tear escaped an eye and I wiped it with a thumb. After all these years, he carried i talone — regrets,

grief, anger...

Talone — regrets, grief, anger...

He was no different than I for although I acted like I had moved on; the truth was that I still cared so

much about the past. Living with the White Lake Pack was all I had to keep me going. Their sacrifice

and a promise — I would've ended my life a long time ago if it wasn't because of them.

Going to the human world was me thinking I'd live a better life away from werewolves. That maybe,

if I wasn't involved with them, I'd find a reason to continue living. I should've realized it was far from

that. I questioned the Goddess often why I didn’t die that night, why I was saved by a second mate.

And perhaps this was her answer — we were a somewhat perfect fit. Just two broken souls trying to

live life because of a past that chained us down.

His lips parted, then he bowed his head a sa sob broke from his throat. I pulled him to my chest,

running a hand down his back as he clutched on my sleeves and cried. And I cried with him.

Surrounded by the graves of his bloodline, in their silent embrace, our tears fell freely, and the only

sounds we

rs fell freely, and the only sounds we heard were our own cries. At this moment, the world faded,

and it was just the two of us once more.

Eventually, our wails turned to sobs, to hiccups, then heavy breaths. My clothing was soaked where

he cried, and so was the back of his shirt, for my chin rested just past his nape. I took out a

handkerchief from a pocket to blow my nose and he let go of me and turned to his side to do the

same.

Then he turned to face me, and I chuckled. Eyes swollen; nose, red; and his lips still quivering. He

offered a small smile, then tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Between the two of us, I think

you look worse,” he said, then we laughed aloud like we haven't been crying just a minute ago.

It felt good to cry, and have someone to cry to, but it felt better to have someonet o laugh with. I

rested my head on his shoulder. My lower back ached from our previous position. He intertwined

his fingers with mine, and I was comforted b y the warmth that came from him. He kissed my hair

and sighed. I smiled.

Nissed my hair and sighed. I smiled.

“Sarina was my mate. She's the first. But you already know,” he said as he placed a 11 arm around

my shoulders. “I met her when the Blue Moon Pack came to visit, years after my uncle had taken

over as Alpha of the pack. He married the daughter of their last Alpha, who was sick at the time.

When he was my father’s Beta, he was married to his mate in this pack. Sarina and Salina, their

mother was from our pack. But she passed away at childbirth, and my uncle insisted on taking his

daughters with him when he was banished for fucking mated she wolves, one too many times. Dad

had no choice but to let them go. He was the Alpha, but he wasn't the children’s father.” 3

My head shot up to find him looking down at me with a soft smile. I was curious about this since

Lexy’s short version, but was I ready to hear it? He didn't have to force himself.

As if he could read my thoughts, he leaned forward to kiss my forehead.

I relaxed then and snuggled closer to him.

"He was banished, but he wasn't a rogue.

e was banished, but he wasn’t a rogue. He became an Alpha. It was a meeting of Alphas; Dad

couldn't lose face and I think he was relieved to see that his brother was doing well for himself. I

was in my mid-twenties, five years ahead of her. He brought her daughters with them, and that was

how we met.” 3

He stared at her tombstone with longing. My heart ached with jealousy, much to my dismay.

“She was... bubbly and bright, and constantly annoyed me. I was sleeping around with whoever, I

felt like I didn't deserve her.”

I rolled my eyes — typical. Just how many came before me.

"Are you mad at me?” he asked

“For what?"

“For sleeping with a number of women.”

He didn’t have to ask! No mate would be happy about it. While most of us kept ourselves

untouched for our mate, some, especially Alphas, Betas, and Gammas still chose to do it with

whoever was willing, which I'd imagine was never a

ling, which I'd imagine was never a problem since many women were as thirsty as them.

“Would you be happy if I slept with men before you? You almost killed Flynn that night, and that

was my first,” I retorted.

“No. I'd be angry at you, too,” he said as h e rubbed small circles on the back of my hand. “Babe, he

wasn't your first. I am. H e saw nothing while I saw everything. He tasted nothing while I tasted all of

you. H e doesn’t wear your scent; I do. And if he took these away from me that night, I would've

killed him, no regrets, even if it brought a war at our borders. You saw how far my warriors would go

to protect the pack. How far do you think they'll go t o protect their Luna?” 1

He asked the question with conviction that it scared me. I didn’t want anyone dying for me, and yet

a lot of them just did. I didn’t want anyone fighting over m e; I wasn’t worth it.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, unsure of what I was saying it for.

“I'm sorry, too. I felt like I should let it out,” he said, sighing. “Do you want met

"he said, sighing. “Do you want met o continue?”

I nodded.

“I didn’t fall on my knees in front of her o r changed into a one-woman man overnight. I silently

rejected her for two straight days and avoided her as often as I could. But as I said, she found ways

to annoy me. She'd follow me wherever I go and keep talking non-stop. I even kissed a girl in front

of her, so she'd leave me alone. I felt like shit, but it worked. She left me alone for the rest of the

day. You can already guess what happened next.”

"You bastard,” I said firmly. My first seriously wanted to hit him right now. I was hurt too — hurt that

he did that to Sarina. “You jerk of a bastard.”

“I know,” he breathed. “I deserve every curse word you throw at me. I was an asshole, and more. I

didn't deserve her. Lexy even lectured me that night. The meeting was over the next day. I'd never

see her again and I convinced myself I was fine with it.”

He suddenly laughed, and my eyes narrowed at him.

Tamrowed at num.

“You'd never believe what she did! She came to my room at two in the morning, o I was it three?

She picked the lock, snuck into my room, and woke me up — so she could tell me she forgives me,

and that if I really didn't want her, she asked me to reject her and she'd respect any decision and

accept.”

I smiled. She sounded like a strong

woman.

“Long story short, she changed me. I cut off all my connections with... them, and after the meeting

ended, we told our parents. And well, Lexy already told you the rest.”

“She told me about the agreement,” I said quietly.

“I didn’t care for it. I was happy with her and it was all that mattered. She lived with us and so did

her sister. They reunited with their mother’s side of the family. I've never seen Aunty J as happy a s

she did then. She loved those two like they were her own. She still does.”

That explained why she was cold towards me. It was hard for her to lose Sarina, and

It was hard for her to lose Sarina, and she knew she was about to lose Salina because of me.

“We were happy then,” he whispered fondly. “But all good things must come to an end. Our parents

were ambushed by rogues when they left the pack for a meeting, I took over as Alpha, and it was

difficult for the pack, for the family, but w e pulled through because of her. We eventually got

married, and I thought it'd be great from then on, but she suddenly got sick. Lexy was still training

then, and she had suspicioned that Sarina was poisoned. I think she still does; I do now. She got

well, fortunately, and her pregnancy wasn't affected.” 1

My blood ran cold. This wasn't what Lexy told me.

His hand started shaking.

“I placed more guards around her before I left for a meeting. Three hours later, my pack was

screaming at me to get back. Rogues were attacking from all sides.”

He inhaled sharply.

““Liam," I called, holding his hand

jam,” 1 called, holding his hand between mine. “It's alright. You don't have to”

“You have to know,” he said, cutting me off. “Nobody knew how she got out of the mansion, what

she was doing in the woods. She was guarded, but...”

He took a sharp inhale. “I watched her life get taken in front of me; I didn’t drive fast enough, didn’t

run fast enough to get to her. I killed the rogue; my men killed the rest. But we lost her.”

His voice cracked as he continued, breaking my heart further. “She died in m y arms. And do you

know what she said? She told me to carry on. Samila’s the name of our child, our first, our baby girl.

I lost them both. I lost them together. And I had myself to blame for it.”

"Oh, Liam,” I whispered, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

“The rumor's true, Anna. I did kill my mate. We had an argument the previous night. She didn't want

me to go to the meeting. I think there was more to it, but I can’t remember. Now, I can’t remember

why I was so eager to gain allies. I

y I was so eager to gain allies. I couldn't even tell her how sorry I was that morning. She sent me off

with a smile. I planned to surprise her when I got back... something good, something she liked. But I

killed them instead. I killed them...”

“You didn’t kill them, Liam,”l whispered as I ran a hand down his back.

His shoulders shook as he sobbed. The big bad Alpha crying, shaking, and afraid beside me — this

was the real Alpha of the Red Claw Pack. He had a taste of life just like everyone else, and he had a

heart that could withstand life's beatings. Here he was with his shoulders hunched and head down

like he was a scared little boy. This was Alpha Liam Rose — a beat-up soul who still carried on.

I waited until he calmed down.

He looked worse than before now — his eyes were puffed up; I was sure he'd be squinting by

tomorrow.

“I'm sorry. I should've told you earlier. I kept you in the dark for so long. I'm so sorry,” he said,

whispering the last part.

m not,” he replied, pulling me into his lap. “You're right. I have “absolutely no reason to be jealous

of".

He leaned forward, his hand creeping to the back of my head.

"Say it,” he murmured, kissing my hair.” Let me hear you say why.”

His warm breath fanned the side of my neck, his lips teasingly gliding down to his mark. “Anna...”

My name rolled off his tongue in a soft whisper, luring me into his trance. I gasped when his tongue

licked at his mark, my thighs closing tight.

“Say it."

“I'm yours,” I breathed, shivering when he inhaled my scent.

He growled.

“Liam...”

“Mine!” He sucked on the skin harshly that I couldn't suppress a moan. Then he traced kisses all

over his mark, then my neck to my jaw, before finally claiming m y lips into a dizzying kiss.

vlips into a dizzying kiss.

I'd never get enough of this.

It got colder, suggesting it was time we got back. My chest felt lighter now that w e had this talk,

and I could tell he unloaded a heavy weight from his back.

I whispered a silent “Thank you” to Sarina and Samila.

We left the graveyard and headed back to the mansion, walking hand in hand. The smile on his face

was brighter than before.

“I just have one question,” I said, resting my chin on my fingers. “If Aunty J is Rigel's mom, and she’s

Sarina’s aunt, that means Rigel's their cousin, right?”

"Yes?" he replied.

“But if her father's your uncle, doesn't that make her your cousin, too?”

It'd make them first cousins! A rather valid reason for her father to disapproveo f their relationship,

whatever his reason was. I never wanted to see him again — he planned to kill my mate! And I was

too scared to ask Liam what his plans were...

What means Rigel’s their cousin, right?”

"Yes?" he replied.

“But if her father's your uncle, doesn’t that make her your cousin, too?”

It'd make them first cousins! A rather valid reason for her father to disapprove o f their relationship,

whatever his reason was. I never wanted to see him again — he planned to kill my mate! And I was

too scared to ask Liam what his plans were...

"He's adopted,” he replied. “My grandfather found him in a pack that had just been attacked. He

was the only survivor unless there were others who escaped. Pack wars aren't as frequent now

because of alliances and truces, but i t continues in other ways.” 1

That was a relief. It was sort of weird if it were the case.

“Liam?”

"Yeah? Ask me anything, babe.”

I giggled. “I love you.”

My heart dropped. He didnt say it back, again. At least his “I forgot everything self” said it back.

“Thought you should Of" said it back. “Thought you should know.”

“I do. I feel the same way about you,” he replied, pulling me to his side and kissing my hair. 2 So

why won't you say it?