Her Rogue Mate

Chapter Twenty Seven

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. Black dress, black shoes, black hair tie, black circles under my eyes. It was all the same.

"Perri?" Aiden poked his head around the door. "Are you ready to go?"

He looked just as bad as I did, his face pale and drawn and his hair messed as if he had been running his hand through it repeatedly. He, along with Rian, Mark, and Lisa, were the only ones that I could tolerate being around right now. They understood. They had lost people, too.

After I had come upon my dad's body, I had run deep into the woods without looking back. I couldn't deal with that sort of thing at the time.

When I returned a few hours later, it was to discover that my mom had committed suicide, having shot herself in the head.

Aiden then informed me that they had sent a team to check Sera and Jesse's apartment. They returned to tell us that there were two bodies in the floor with stab wounds covering them.

Everyone was in mourning. Those who hadn't lost a friend, family member, or mate were upset over their Alpha dying. No one had seen what happened, or how he went down. No one had even tried to help him. The only thing that eased my mind was the fact that his killer was dead, even though we weren't sure who it was.

It was an endless sea of bad news. Some people had tried to celebrate our win, but others quickly shot that down. It wasn't the time. We could celebrate later, when everyone had accepted the fact that their loved ones were dead and were in the process of moving on.

I nodded to Aiden, although I think he understood that I wasn't ready. This was a pointless way for my pack members to have closure. I was required to be there, seeing as I was now the highest-ranking wolf in our pack. That was a sad thought.

I didn't know what we were going to do about a new Alpha. Of course, Aiden and I could step up and do it, but I'd heard that Dan was trying his hardest to get the position. And I didn't know if I was able yet. I needed a little time, but that could be enough for the pack to fall into ruin. We needed an Alpha to properly function.

Today was going to be a mass funeral for all of the fallen wolves. The enemy had already been burned in a huge bonfire just outside the pack borders. No one was there to mourn them, and no one wanted to.

I took Aiden's hand and he led me towards the kitchen. We needed to eat before we left, or I'd probably pass out. I hadn't been eating much the past few days, for obvious reasons. I just stayed in my room and let Aiden sort the pack stuff. It wasn't fair, since he needed time to grieve too, but that didn't stop me from being selfish and doing it anyway.

The kitchen was surprisingly empty when we got there, but there was a lingering scent of bacon in the air, and for some strange reason it made my stomach turn. I didn't understand why; I loved bacon. But I rushed away from Aiden to the nearest bathroom, where I couldn't help but hurl my guts up. It was just bile since I hadn't eaten anything but it was still disgusting. Aiden held my hair until I was done and then handed me a bottle of mouthwash to freshen my breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked frantically. "Were you feeling sick before this? Maybe you should just stay inside today."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. This is my parents' funeral we're talking about. It's my last chance to say goodbye."

"Perri..." Aiden trailed. "If you aren't up to it, the pack will understand, and-"

"Aiden!" I yelled. I wanted there to be tears running down my face right now, and I felt like there should be, but my eyes had been dry ever since the day my parents died. "This isn't about the pack, or me being sick, or you, or even me. This is about my parents and it's my last chance to see them and try to let go. You can't stop me from going. I don't care if I throw up on everyone and give them all a deadly virus, I'm going down there whether you like it or not. Okay?"