Chapter 84

Chapter 84
{Ryanna’s POV}

The scream tore out of me before I could stop it.

I didn’t even want to stop it.

It ripped up my throat like it had claws, a sound too wild for words. Grief, rage, and despair all poured into a single roar meant just for me and Nox. The wind halted. The leaves held still. And somewhere, I think even the gods turned to listen.

Nox was gone.

And it hurts.

Even after all I'd seen, after all I'd endured… It still hurts.

First Tyrion. Then the countless lives in the Wilds. Then Casper…. Now Nox. I'd lost far too much just to survive.

How was this fair?

Even if Casper returned, it didn’t stop the pain I felt when he was gone. The pain was still there. Birthing a new silent fear in my mind. One I may never heal from.

I gathered Nox in my arms. His body was limp, soaked in blood, broken in more places than I could count. Yet somehow, he looked peaceful. Like he’d simply stepped out of time and decided not to return.

My hand trembled as I brushed the blood away from his face. He deserved better than this. Better than being laid out in the dirt like a forgotten soldier.

He deserved home… Could I even call anywhere in the Lycan region home for him? 

No… no. I couldn’t. But still…

Footsteps echoed behind me. I didn’t turn.

The wolves I’d blown past earlier had finally caught up. But when they arrived and saw what I was cradling… they stopped.

No one spoke. No one questioned.

And when I stood, lifting Nox into my arms, not a single wolf dared block my path.

They parted.

And I walked through.

Every step felt carved from stone. The wind dragged behind me like a funeral drum, and my legs burned from the weight of my pain but I didn’t stop.

As I passed through the thinning trees and back into the Snow Pack’s edge, wolves emerged from the battle they had just endured. The injured. The warriors. Even the pups. And they too, stilled.

Many didn’t know his name. But they knew what they were seeing.

Loss.

Not a casualty.

A fall.

They stepped aside without question, heads bowed low as I carried him through the camp.

Casper met me halfway. He said nothing. Just pressed a hand to Nox’s unmoving shoulder, then walked beside me. Silent and grim.

Together, we made it to the ceremonial grounds by dusk.

By then, word had spread. The Council arrived in full, dressed in traditional black and silver. Ophelia, Magnus, Basten, Elder Vann, and even Adolph. Everyone was sober.

They had barely gotten to know him, but they knew he was an ally like none other.

We laid Nox’s body into a coffin of carved wood. A massive one, lined with wolf furs, etched with the symbols of the Snow Pack: Honor. Loyalty. Vengeance.

Not a traditional coffin. Not like for ordinary dead.

This was one for warriors.

For wolves whose souls were lost in battle.

Casper and I stood at the head of the procession. The Council carried the rest, their hands steady, their eyes hard. No one else was allowed to touch it.

The silence carried us through the walk.

No cries. No chanting.

Only the sound of footsteps.

Only the sound of mourning.

When we reached the pyre site. A clearing atop a rise where the stars could look down we placed the coffin in the center. Pitched high and solemn on stones and logs.

I took the torch.

The flame danced like it knew what it was for. Like it had been waiting.

Not to snuff out a life, but guide it to the end of its journey in the afterlife. Beyond the veil.

I stepped forward, staying silent for as long as I needed to gather my thoughts.

Finally, I spoke.

“Most of you didn’t know Nox.”

My voice echoed.

“And sure, he was here long after many of you arrived. He lived in the shadows. He hid his past because it was built from pain. And still… he chose to stand for this pack.”

I paused again.

“He never asked for thanks. He didn’t want recognition. But what he gave us… was priceless. He helped uncover the truth behind Casper’s fall. He exposed Aurelius to everyone before we could. He died fighting to protect us from the consequences of that truth.”

My hand tightened on the torch. My eyes stung, but I didn’t look away.

“I didn’t know him as well as I wish I did,” I said. “But I knew him enough to know he was brave. Loyal. And kind… in that quiet way only broken people learn how to be.”

My throat tightened. My voice cracked.

“And it hurts, gods, it hurts… that I only got to learn pieces of his story when he was already dying.”

I blinked hard, letting silence fill the spaces between my words.

“He never believed in gods. Or afterlives. But I hope he found peace, wherever he ended up. I hope he knows he saved lives. And that someone loved him enough to remember.”

I looked down at the flame.

Then up to the sky.

“Goodbye, Nox.”

And I touched the torch to the base of the pyre.

It didn’t just catch.

It roared.

The fire erupted with what could best be described as greed. Orange and gold wrapped around the coffin like an embrace. Smoke climbed into the night sky like an offering.

And the entire time, I cried.

Not tears.

Red bloomed from my eyes, as it trickled down my cheeks, warm and thick, marked with sorrow and fury.

I stood tall as I faced the gathered wolves.

And I said: “Until Aurelius is dead, the Snow Pack no longer aligns with the Moonskin Pack. Not with Aurelius. Not with his allies. Not with his cowards. Only those who support us.”

I expected shock to ripple through the crowd. But it didn’t. They were waiting for this too.

I lifted my chin.

“He started this war. But I will end it.”

The flames climbed higher, casting shadows behind me.

‘Rest well, friend…’

My wolves stood with their backs straight.

My Council didn’t flinch.

Even the stars felt still.

And beneath it all…

The name of a single fallen lingered in the smoke:

Nox.

And in his memory, the beginning of the end was here.