(Alexander)
I stood still as everyone gathered around the graves. The sun had almost gone down. The candles were lit, soft and quiet, flashing in the wind. Some people held hands. Others cried. A few stood alone, staring at the rows of blankets covering the ones we’d lost. I looked at the pack. My people. My family.
I didn’t want to speak. My throat felt tight, and my chest hurt. But I knew I had to. For them and for everyone else.
I stepped forward and faced the crowd.
“Thank you all for being here,” I said. “I know it’s hard. It hurts. We lost people we loved. Friends. Family.”
I looked down at Ethan’s covered body.
“I lost my best friend.”
The words hit me like a punch. But I kept going.
“Ethan wasn’t just my beta. He was the guy who made everything feel easier, even when things
