Tommy's POV

　　Kneeling beside the mangled body of a pack member I had known all my life, I carefully finished wrapping his body in the soft white muslin. Not all our pack members were exactly open coffin ready when they met their maker, and Ryan here was no exception! He had young pups who didn't need to remember their dad like this! 

　　Folding the fabric around him, I sighed heavily as I lifted him respectfully in my arms and carried him over to where the others who had fallen in tonight's insane attack were lying, ready for the pack's traditional burning process. 

　　"I always suspected you were eating my snacks from the packed fridge." I groaned under the strain of his dead weight. "And given the fact you way as much as an elephant, I think I was right, dude!" I taunted in my grief as I laid his body down on the pyre with the others, ensuring he was still covered for his loved ones. 

　　Standing up, I said a silent prayer to the moon goodness, hoping she would take pity on those who had died brutally and give them a second chance at life somehow! Feeling a set of eyes on me, I turned to see Maxwell watching from the balcony of his rooms; nodding to him dutifully, I turned my attention back to the pyre that, in a few short hours, would be ablaze, ending the night in the same way the day started.

　　With Flames!

　　"I guess there is a beautiful symmetry in that!" I whispered, looking around the field that had been filled with chaos and hatred a few short hours ago. I had offered to do this, unable to settle till Jason and Kayla returned; I knew they were ok; when I had been trawling through the woods looking for the last of our pack members, I had felt Jason through the pack bond, he was ok, that they both were, but I needed to see them with my own eyes. And given the way Maxwell and my father were hovering, they felt the same.

　　With Jason's arm draped around my sister's shoulders, they strolled across the now-empty training yard as if nothing had happened, naked and proud, the pair of them talking among themselves as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Coming down the steps to meet them, I paused, hearing the possessive growl escape from Jason's lips violently, averting my eyes from my sister's naked body. 

　　"Dude, she's my sister!" I laughed, rolling my eyes as I continued down the stairs, yet again finding myself rooted in place, watching Jason pull Kayla behind his giant form, shielding her from my view. 

　　"Seriously! Grow up! I have seen her naked a million times, and not once has her skinny ass given me a stiffy, so I doubt it will tonight!" I laughed, taking another step closer; feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked over to see the yellow eyes of my father staring at me warningly. 

　　"Careful, Son!" Shaking my shoulder free of his grip, I stared between my best friend and my father. 

　　"Why? Is he going to punch me again? Tear chunks out of me? Break my bones?" I snapped, looking back at my dearest friend, the confusion swimming in my eyes, unsure how to proceed with this tension between the group.

　　"Son", My father continued, but I couldn't bear it a second longer. 

　　"This is bullshit! This jackass' wolf tore me a new asshole, broke my fucking leg, and I have no doubt he would have killed me if Jason hadn't stepped in! 

　　"He would have!" Jason chimed in, making me frown, staring him down hard. 

　　"You wanted to save me; we are friends! And SHE is my sister! So drop the possessive male bullshit and apologise for your insane wolf, and let's put this behind us!" I grunted in frustration. 

　　"Time for bed, little sister!" Stepping towards Kayla, tugging her arm and pulling her towards me. "Jason and I need a heart to..." Without warning, a hand gripped my shoulder, slamming me backwards into the dirt; black eyes bore into me as a strong hand gripped my throat brutally.  

　　"...heart", I stuttered, continuing my sentence as the air left my lungs. My eyes settled on the angry face of my best friend, a smirk pulling at the corners of my lips as realisation dawned on me, seeing the mark on his neck.

　　"They are mated!" Maxwell chuckled from my left, nodding against Jason's grip on my throat and shoulder. 

　　"No shit, Alpha!" I laughed, lifting my head to look at my father, who was slipping his jacket off and draping it over my sister's slender shoulders, his fingers pointing to the mark on her collarbone. 

　　"You got your wolf, little sis?" I asked, feeling a familiar sense of pride wash over my features, knowing it was mirrored on my father's aged face; I winked at my sister, who nodded, her eyes flashing the most beautiful shade of gold before she chewed her lip, smirking down at me. 

　　"Care to call your bat shit crazy mate off me before you end up an only child?" I asked, both of us knowing his intentions had no malice; he simply showed me he was in control.

　　"I don't know; that doesn't sound too bad!" She giggled, nodding to Jason after a moment. He finally released me, holding his hand out to help me, taking the help he offered; I stood before my best friend and nodded slowly, seeing his eyes follow Kayla and my father back into the house. 

　　"She will be ok with Marcus, son." Maxwell's proud voice boomed beside us, "This is good news! It's what the pack needs after the devastation of the night!" He added before retreating and following Marcus back into the packhouse. "I will let you tell your mother!" He shouted over his shoulder, making me chuckle. Turning to look at my best friend, I laughed, knowing, like Maxwell, she was about to turn into an overbearing control freak in the days to come. 

　　"Devastation?" Jason asked, looking around, his eyes falling on the pyre with sorrow. "What happened?" He wondered, guilt and anger washing off him in waves. 

　　"We don't know; it's like the whole pack got infected with the crazies. Yourself included!"

　　"MmmHmm '' He responded, lost in thought; I knew he was blaming himself for pursuing Abigail, provoking the demon and his son! But this wasn't his fault! Wanting to distract him, I blocked his view of the packs dead.

　　"So, you break my leg, beat me to a pulp and then... mate, MY sister.. huh?" I asked, returning my eyes to Jason and clapping him on the shoulder.  

　　"Sorry about your leg; I don't know what happened..." Waving off his apology with a chuckle, I arched my brow. 

　　"What about my sister? Are you sorry about that too?" 

　　"Nope, not even a little bit!" He added with a wink making me snort out a laugh, I could see he was happy, but something was missing from his smile, the spark in his eyes... it didn't shine as bright as it did when he was with Abigail. 

　　"And Abigail?" I asked cautiously, studying his face, seeing the pain and heartbreak; I knew this wasn't as straightforward as I had hoped!