The next day
The funeral home is crowded, with bodies pressed against each other, and there are members from every pack. Hundreds of people turned up for Dominic’s funeral.
So many people are gathered outside the building, all the way to the lush lawns surrounding the place. There are even humans, which shows how much respect this man had.
I stand at the back with Ezra and Mateo. Marge said she would watch the kids while we attend, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring Marabella, while it is still so raw for Kyan. Andrei, Sage, and Jonah stand at the back with us, and Lucas, spotting us, waves us forward.
I shake my head, not feeling like I belong at the front. When we don’t move, Lucas pushes through the crowd toward us. “My Queen, you belong up there with Kyan.” He announces.
“I don’t think he will want me up there,” I tell him.
“Dominic gave his life for your daughter, that means you are worthy enough in his eyes,” Lucas tells me, and I feel torn when Lucas leans closer to whisper to me, not that he has to, the crowd of those talking will drown out all noise as we wait for the funeral to start.
“Your daughter is Kyan’s mate. You are family whether or not Kyan knows it,” Lucas whispers, and I pull away to look at him, shocked.
“How?” I ask him, wondering how he can know that.
“Dominic told me. He wouldn’t give his life for just anyone. His life was reserved for his son, so he gave it to save his son from himself.” Lucas whispers.
“Dominic knew?” I gasp, a little louder than I should.
“Dominic was a remarkable man, but he was a father first, and his son was his world. Despite being strict, there is no one in this world he loves more than Kyan. Dominic saw you coming before you even knew what you were. He saw the baby that would match his son one day, he saw the darkness that taints her, he saw who she would one day become to him.”
“And what’s that?” I ask him, wondering if Dominic saw a brighter future than what I was shown.
“His redemption,” Lucas whispers, leaning in closer.
He stares at me when he pulls away, and I nod once. I don’t know what he needs redemption for, but I know it involves my daughter, something I know I will never be comfortable with.
“Jonah, Kyan was asking for you earlier. Maybe you could cheer him up a bit,” Lucas says, looking at Andrei. Andrei nods to Jonah, who is waiting for permission.
“I saved all of you seats,” he says, looking from my mates to Andrei and Sage.
I let out a breath, following him to an empty pew. Kyan is nowhere to be seen, but when Jonah went to follow his parents, Lucas pats the spot next to him in the front row.
“You sit here, son, with Kyan,” Lucas says, and he looks at Sage, who motions he can before I sit down next to Lucas.
Jonah looks so small sitting beside the man. The chatter quiets down when the music starts, and the aisle between the pews clears. I don’t see Kyan until he passes me.
Kyan’s face is set in stone and void of all emotion. He is present. The shadows surrounding him are black as coal, tainting him. The darkness encases him, numbing him as he walks behind his father’s coffin, a silver urn clutched in his hands.
I watch as they place the coffin in the center of the room. The men walk back to their seats as one of the funeral directors sets up the coffin for open viewing before nodding to Kyan, who waits off to the side. He is staring at the wall, off to the side of the room. The funeral director motions toward the coffin.
Kyan walks up to it, and I know the second he lays eyes on his father, because the shadows erupt out of him, filling the stage and spreading to the roof like dark smoky tentacles that only I could see.
Kyan places the urn in the coffin before turning around, his eyes vacant and not a tear in sight, like he has none left to give. He is an empty shell, despite being the picture of indifference. I can tell by the shadows that his father’s death destroyed him more than he is willing to show anyone.
He sits next to his uncle, who then gets up and gives a eulogy. Kyan sits with his shoulders slumped, head down as I watch the shadows move back toward him, blanketing him and caressing him when he suddenly jumps. The shadows fizzle, and I stare at him, wondering what caused it when I notice Jonah’s hand has reached out and grabbed Kyan’s.
Kyan stares at him like he only just noticed Jonah is sitting beside him. The shadows recede a little when Jonah places his little head on Kyan’s shoulder, and I can almost feel Kyan’s shock at Jonah trying to comfort him. He relaxes, resting the side of his face on Jonah’s head.
“What did you put in with your dad?” I hear Jonah ask him.
“What’s left of my mother,” Kyan tells him. They don’t speak after that, they just watch the people give tribute to Dominic.
When it is over, and everyone is leaving, Jonah stands up with Kyan, and Lucas is talking to Ezra and Mateo along with Andrei. Yet, I watch the two boys when Kyan lets go of Jonah’s hand and walks toward his father’s coffin.
Jonah follows him. The room is empty, besides my family and Lucas. Kyan leans in the coffin, and I wander closer to check on them when I see Kyan whisper to his father.
“She will never be mine because I won’t allow her to be, not when she took you from me,” Kyan whispers softly, barely audible.
He stands up, removing a necklace from his pocket and placing it in his father’s hand. “What’s that?” Jonah asks him.
“It keeps the darkness away,” Kyan answers him, and I realize it is some sort of protection necklace.
“But I thought you didn’t like the darkness?” Jonah asks him, staring at him worriedly.
“I never used to, but it helps me not feel,” Kyan tells him.
“You don’t want to feel anything?” Jonah asks.
“Not anymore,” Kyan says, turning around to see me watching him. He stops before walking over to his uncle. He tugs his arm. “We can leave now,” he says, and Lucas looks down at his nephew.
“In a minute,” Lucas tells him.
“No, we leave now,” Kyan tells him, walking off and heading outside.
“Sorry, he is struggling more than he lets on. He doesn’t have any friends, and Jonah is the only child I have seen him play with. Maybe I could bring him over sometime to see Jonah.”
“Of course, Kyan is always welcome,” Sage tells him, and Lucas nods before bowing to me and chasing after his nephew.
“Are you ok?” Sage asks, brushing Jonah’s cheek with her hand.
“Yeah, but I don’t think Kyan is momma.”
“He will be. He just needs time,” she tells him, and he nods, staring at the door where Kyan exited.