Chapter 84

CALEB POV

We held the Funeral Rite for the fallen the next night, as was customary.  Izzy was part of the procession that carried Stella to the lake.  There was no lack of volunteers to help her.  As devastating as this last battle was, the townspeople saw her true love for the Pack and any remaining resentment on their part disappeared.  The parents of the children that Stella helped Izzy save were especially grateful.

I held my mate as silent tears coursed down her face.  She bravely lit the pyre, and we pushed Stella’s boat into the water along with the other three warriors.  Someone began singing the funeral song for warriors and all the voices joined in, sending our Warriors on to peace.

One by one the villagers turned to go back home.  Izzy stood there, watching the boat sink lower and lower into the water as the flames engulfed the body of her friend.  Finally, it dipped below the surface and the light was blo