TWO WEEKS LATER...

"We commit these bodies to the ground- earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust..."

Alpha Female Ciara and her family watched as the two coffins that held the remains of Gia Napier and her son Lucas were lowered into the ground while Fianna, her mate Camden (a werewolf), and her mother Marianne joined their families in tossing roses into the ground. Silent tears and an occasional sob broke out in Arian Valley Cemetery, she shedding a few tears of her own as Miles clutched her hand tight.

"This concludes the service for Miss Gia Amari Napier-Zeller and her son Lucas Davion Zeller," the funeral director said gravely. "May the Goddess give them eternal love in the afterlife and may the angels guard their beds. And may the Goddess watch over the still-comatose Carson Hadley."

"Amen," the congregation said.

"There will be a repast at the Four Aces mansion back in Denver..."

Ciara and her mate turned away and headed for a nearby bench, her mate Isis noticing her mate's discomfort as their daughter's birth could be any day now. "Poor Fianna," Miles said, sitting down and sighing heavily. "Two weeks ago, she was getting ready to witness Gia and Carson say their wedding vows and for them to be a family. But now, she has to bury her only sister and nephew. It's not right."

"I know," Ciara said, wiping her eyes with a tissue. "At least the service was lovely. The carriage, the endless tribute of flowers from other Alphas, even the opera singer- all of it was top-notch."

"All paid for by Kings Iain and Archer," Harvey said as he and Delia joined them with Lady Alison and Sir Vladimir (Alpha Vampire representing the Dark Fang coven from Charleston) following behind them. "And they were there at the wedding to surprise Carson. It wasn't supposed to be like this, you know? Carson was supposed to reunite with his family and be a part of the royal family, not him fighting fr his life and laying two innocent souls to rest."

"Well, your son is the cause of it all," Lord Vladimir intoned. "But at least we know that the Elite Eight is now the poor omega's second-chance mates."

"That is, if Carson wakes up," Lady Alison replied. "Where are the Elite Eight, I'd like the know? And the Joneslake family? I thought that they planned to attend."

"They did, but Eurydice's parents were held up in a meeting with another phoenix community and Eurydice and the Eight decided to pay a visit to the hospital," Delia replied. "Well, six of the Eight are there with Eurydice. Zechariah's dragon Orion and Dominic's vampire half Thorn needed them to rest since they had nasty nightmares of living without Carson."

"Poor boys," Alison said. "Still no change at the hospital?"

Ciara shook her head no. "The doctors said that it's up to Carson to wake up at this point after placing him in a medically induced coma to prevent him from hurting himself more," she replied. "He suffered numerous bone fractions, lacerations on his skin, and a near-fatal concussion. He almost died, you guys- twice. I'll never forgive my brother for this. That bastard should be lucky that I haven't had him killed yet."

Harvey watched The Napier family head to their cars. "Let's finish this later," he said. "Right now, we need to head back to the manor and greet the guests. I don't want the Napiers thinking that we abandoned them. They'll need us for support after today."

"Agreed," Lady Alison replied.

*********

The food and drinks were flowing around back at the Four Aces Pack mansion with everyone offering condolences to Fianna and her mother, the pups coming around to sing with a female witch (the opera singer) representing a pack in Nashville. "Thank you, Ciara," Fianna said as she joined the female wolf and her mate. "We also want to thank Kings Iain and Archer for funding the joint funeral and all."

"They didn't want you to pay for anything," Ciara said. "Your family needed to grieve and celebrate Gia and Lucas' lives. Carson did a great service to be there for them both."

Fianna nodded. "Carson was there to take care of Lucas, taking my nephew out to the park or Mama's house while my sister needed to rest," she replied. "He also tended to Gia's bath and meals when she was working endless shifts at the diner. Her boss said that she looked well-rested ever since Carson came into her life. And my neighbor even agreed that Carson was the best father figure that Lucas needed since Louis was killed."

"Child, if Carson does die, what about his funeral?" Marianne asked. "I know that he was a part of the pack, but-"

Ciara cut her off. "Lady Marianne, he will be buried by Gia with a funeral fit for royalty," she promised her. "But I don't want to think about Carson dying just yet."

"And you shouldn't."

The group turned around to see the faces of Kings Iain and Archer (both dressed in matching black suits). "Your Highness," Ciara breathed, everyone bowing and curtseying. "Why do you say that?"

King Archer smiled. "Things are not as they appear," he replied. "You all don't know of this but we are from a powerful lineage- one that is blessed by the Moon Goddess herself."

Fianna's eyes went wide. "Wait a minute," she said. "Are you saying that-"

Iain smiled widely. "Have you heard of the Moon Wolves?" he asked.

Miles and his grandmother joined them. "They're known to be children coming from the womb of the Moon Goddess herself," the former said. "But I thought it was a myth."

"Not at all," King Archer said, letting his eyes change from the light blue to a rainbow. "We are very much real."

And just like that, everyone's minds were blown away. "Wait, wait, wait. You guys mean that Carson is a Moon Wolf- a direct son of the Moon Goddess herself?" Ciara said, her excitement levels rising high. "And my brother, who is in the dungeons right now, just missed out on an opportunity to be a mate to royalty? Does he know?"

"Not yet," King Archer said formally. "And if I know better, he remains stubborn. He's a fool for being so arrogant and so spiteful to the bond that our mother created. I thank Her that she decided to let the Eight be the second-chance mates for our son- our brother."

"Reap what you sow," Abby Mae replied. "Child, y'all need to let the Eight know about-"

Ciara reached for her phone, dialing Eurydice's number. "I'll call the phoenix right now," she announced. "Boy, he and the Eight are going to flip their shit when they all hear this news right here."

She was sure of it.