“I… it’s… complicated. To turn against him would have meant death for many of us,” she said.
“Except if a number of you would have, like today, I could have—”
Quinn stepped onto the porch. “Vehicles are approaching, Auntie. It’s time to go to the creek.”
Iva stood up. He offered his hand and helped her down the stairs, where she walked through the yard and onto a small trail at the edge of the woods.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he said to me.
“I’d like to go, if anything, to see how all of this works,” I told him.
He nodded and then reached his hand out to mine. Once I stood, he brought the back of my hand to his lips, and then interlocked our fingers. Then we followed the same path Iva walked.
Hyder walked out of the woods on the same path. He gave a curt nod to Iva.
“Send them all down here, as they arrive, Hyder,” Quinn said.
We walked through the woods, and it was a slight decline almost the whole way, getting flatter as we got closer to the creek. Once there, there was a small wooden raft, just big enough for a body, sitting on the bank. Ravik’s body sat on top of it. Nothing else.
We all stood on the creek bank in silence. One by one, others joined us. This was his final goodbye. I hated the man, but I was sad for the man Iva was mourning. The man he was once. Corruption is a bitch, always sinking her teeth in deeply.
Four older couples joined us. All of them stood close to each other, holding each other's hands. There were a handful of others who joined. Some of them I’d seen around the grounds from the window in the room. Hyder walked through the woods and joined us.
“I believe all are here who wanted to join or were invited,” Benji said, in a loud, dominating tone.
Hyder gave him a nod.
“We are here to say our farewells to Ravik Faherty. He was the father of Daxyn and me. The husband of my mother, Iva. He has led the Novo position to the Wears Valley Werewolves,” he said. He stood tall, shoulders back. “I’ll be assuming the position of Novo if the Zenith agrees. I understand that these aren’t normal circumstances; however, I believe I can still lead, with the support of the current Nova, my siblings, and my cousins.”
“This isn’t normally how any of this goes,” one of the Zenith males said.
“Did you end his life, Benji?” another one shot out.
“No, sir’—”
“Then who did, because the next Novo is supposed to be appointed by the current Novo, and a transfer of power ceremonyis completed, or the person who ends him takes the power,” the one said, cutting him off.
“Unfortunately, Pierre, a human, ended his life; therefore, option three will have to do,” Benji said.
“There is no option three,” Pierre shot out.
“Actually, there is,” Iva said.
“If the ceremony can't be concluded and a non-pack member ends the Novo, then when his body is set afloat, only the person who will receive the power sends the arrow,” Iva said.
“How do you know this?” Pierre questioned.
“We did it with Ravik’s brother,” she said.
Everyone was quiet. Pin drop quiet. My stomach felt unsettled. I knew part of that story. I knew that Quinn’s father was supposed to become the Novo, and that Ravik had him killed.
“Ravik never shared that with us,” the gentleman who first spoke said.
“Yeah… he didn’t like to talk about what he did to gain power. Shame and all,” Iva said.
“Now, you all know the process. Can we carry on?” Benji said.
“You’re not married, dear,” one of the females said.
