198 The Memorial Service
Lucien was visibly distracted on their trip back home. Dane Silverback’s words left a shadow in his heart and made him restless.
When Lucien was restless, so was Ronan.
The Alpha squeezed his mate’s hand and asked, “Are you worried?”
Lucien cut him a curt smile.
“It would be a lie if I say that I am not.”
“Don’t worry. There is nothing he can do. He just said that out of spite.”
Lucien hummed and squeezed back at Ronan’s hand.
“Yeah,” he said absent-mindedly.
Ronan stole a glance at his mate.
.....
“Lulu, I am thinking of hosting a small gathering at the pack house. Something like a memorial service in remembrance of my mother. I want to invite my mom’s living relatives who shared the Fangblade family’s blood, her nurse Edith, her trusted friends.
Can you help me with the preparation?”
Lucien nodded.
“Sure. For today, I plan to tidy up the boxes from Blue Hill City.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Oh, no worries about that. I asked someone to come to clean up after we left.”
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
When they got back to Ronan’s apartment, the boxes had indeed disappeared, their contents neatly arranged in the only other bedroom in the apartment.
There was only one problem with the otherwise wonderful private chamber.
There was no bed.
Not even a single couch or chair or footrest.
Lucien turned on his heels and frowned at Ronan, who did not look apologetic at all.
“This looks more like a storage room,” he complained.
Ronan pulled his mate to his arms and gave him a peck on the lips.
“It is,” he admitted. “Your bedroom is my bedroom. We should not spend any night apart from each other.”
“Oh really,” Lucien sneered. “And what will you do if I one day kick you out of the bed?”
Ronan made puppy eyes at him. “If my dear Lulu wishes to let me sleep on the floor, then sleep on the floor I will.”
Lucien pinched the bridge of Ronan’s nose. “You better keep your words.”
At night, Lucien called his mother and told her about what happened in the past two days.
The elder woman sighed at the other end of the line.
“How unfortunate. She was an exceptional individual.”
Alice recalled the brief conversation she had with Ronan’s mother back at the hospital.
The lady initially did not look favorably upon Alice Clearwater who viciously hit her son with a bag. But then after a few exchanges, they learned to appreciate each other.
Part of it was because she spoke highly of Lucien.
Lady Adele Fangblade was a huge supporter of Ronan’s relationship with Lucien. She told Alice that Alice should feel free to punish Ronan if the Alpha ever dared to bully Lucien.
Alice would have loved to know Lady Adele Fangblade better. Alas, the Moon Goddess had another plan for her.
“Is Ronan alright?”
“He will be,” Lucien answered. “Mom, we plan to conduct a memorial service for the lady. Are you interested to come?”
“Of course!” Alice quickly said. “I would love to be there.”
“Mhm, alright.”
Lucien put a tick next to his mother’s name on the list.
After he ended the call, he glanced upon the many names that had yet to be verified.
Ronan had personally scratched out Dane Silverback’s name.
Most of them were elder people who did not look favorably upon written invitations. The best way to reach out to them was through phone calls. Naturally, the one who called could not just be anyone.
Ronan and Lucien split the names between them. Ronan called those who were especially close to him, while Lucien got the rest.
Lucien also busied himself with the preparation. Thankfully, Cassie and Quinn were there to help him. The two she-wolves were surprised to meet Lucien for the first time.
At first glance, they thought of him as a beauty.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAt second glance, they saw the loving gazes that the Alpha and his mate threw at each other.
It truly made them melt.
And a little envious, too.
A week later, written invitations were sent out just for formalities. The memorial service was to be hosted in the Infinite Eclipse Pack House’s banquet hall three days later in the evening.
Lucien, Cassie, and Quinn worked from morning to decorate the hall, putting up black silk ribbons and arranging white chrysanthemums in vases, and placing them all around the hall.
A huge portrait of Lady Adele Fangblade was put up in the center of the room, adorned with colorful flowers.
Having finished just in time, all that was left was waiting for the guests to come and attend the memorial service.
Ronan and Lucien wore matching black suits for mourning. They stood at the hall entrance to greet the guests one by one.
It was more like a private, intimate gathering that did not carry the name of Infinite Eclipse Pack. The guests more or less knew each other through association with Ronan and his mother.
Words of comfort were exchanged between the grieving guests.
Lucien and Ronan felt even closer to Lady Fangblade after hearing tales from the latter’s childhood and youth.
She was known to be a vibrant, delightful child that brought happiness wherever she went.
Everyone greatly bemoaned her early departure from the living world. They all agreed that the lady deserved better.
Halfway through the service, a few more people came to offer their condolences.
This group came from the Ironclad Claws Pack. The Alpha, his mother, and his eldest daughter Lillian Woodland.
Beautiful as a blooming flower in spring as always, Lillian never failed to make an appearance.
This time she attracted even more attention to herself because other than the beautiful sleeveless dress that she wore, she also sported a pregnant belly under her heart.
Her sight knocked the air out of Lucien’s lungs. He took a deep breath but it was as if the room was depleted of oxygen. Dane Silverback’s words kept reverberating in his head.
“You are going to regret this later.”