One year later

I place the bouquet of lilies on the grave before sitting down. The setting sun casts a beautiful orange hue around the tombstone, as though giving it a halo. Taking out the bottle of white wine from my bag, I pour half out onto the grass. The other half, I raise to the sky like a toast.

"Hey, Victor," I whisper. "How have you been?"

As though pausing for an answer, I take a swig from the bottle.

"I brought your favorite chardonnay. I hope you don't mind me coming here a day early. There's gonna be so many people tomorrow, I don't think I can talk to you properly. And I want to. I missed you."

My voice croaks at the last three words. I close my eyes and take a few more gulps.

"Where do I start?" I say, letting out a sigh. Life has been so hectic that it takes me a while to gather my thoughts.

"Well, last week, we had an unveiling party for Auri's new underground mall. Her dream project came to life, finally. For the last few months, she was working very hard with people from all over the werekingdom; gathering ideas, getting help, garnering support. So now, this mall of hers is fit for every single wereanimal to visit. It's tall enough for weregiraffes, spacious enough for were-elephants. It has accessible doors and escalators for smaller folks. It has spots for were-snakes to shed, posts for feline wereanimals to scratch their claws on, and so on. It's so great. I wish you could see it. Everyone was so excited.

"In fact, the weremonkeys are starting up a project of their own now. They're planning on building a sheltered, tree-top version of a mall. An above-ground version of Auri's underground mall, I guess. I think they are planning for that entire part of the forest to become the new central hub for all wereanimals to congregate and have fun. Isn't that crazy? The weremonkeys, one of the most playful wereanimals of all, are trying to build something for the werekingdom?"

I rest my head on my palm. Maybe I should talk a bit about myself instead.

"While Auri was busy with all that, I was busy learning the ropes. I admire you, Victor. You would be way better at this. There's just so much to learn and so much to do. There's all these budgeting issues, so many ongoing projects that need decision-making, and worst of all, feuds. Why was our family feuding with almost all the other strong wereanimals out there? Why start all this unnecessary violence? It doesn't make sense to me.

"But helping out with Auri's project actually helped with that. Everyone was willing to come together to work on the mall—the central hub—and what tension we used to have just... shrank, I guess. So, good news, we managed to form a truce with the werebears. We're going to put an end to that neverending war. I... I wish I could avenge you, but we killed a lot of their people too. It was difficult, and I still don't know if it's fair, but at least we came to a temporary truce."

My fists clench in exasperation. "At least no more werewolves need to die for this anymore.

"But I couldn't have done it without Celine. And Max, and the rest of the pack. Everyone knows a lot more than me, so I really appreciate the help. And Celine and Max work very well together, you know." I glance at the tombstone. "Don't worry, Celine is still not over you, of course. She still thinks of and talks about you every day. But they're getting along, and I'm happy for her. I think you would be, too.

"And... my relationship with Auri has been going as well as I've ever hoped. We built a small, cozy hut between our territories so we can live together. No matter how busy we get, we make sure to have a day off a week for each other. It's been... nice. Really nice."

My cheeks burn. I know I must be beet red, and I can almost imagine Victor's chortles at the sight.

"Don't laugh," I defend myself instinctively.

Pulling my legs up, I continue, "You know, Victor, for the first time in my life, I feel... content. Like I finally found my place in the pack, in the world. I get to be myself, without hiding in the shadows, and I have people I trust supporting me every step of the way. And the best thing is, I have a mate to look forward to seeing every day. She makes everything better.

"You've always told me that I should come out of my shell and find someone to be with. And now I did, Victor." A smile tugs at my lips. "I understand now why you were so happy when you met Celine. When you find the right person, your life just... clicks together. I- I get it now.

"I'm glad I found her. I just wish you could meet her."

For the next ten minutes, I focus on finishing the rest of the wine while observing the gentle dance of the grass in front of me. The orange tint of the sun turns red, then purple. When the bottle is empty and the sky is dark, I heave myself up and stretch.

"I should get back. I'll see you again tomorrow, Victor."

I make my way back to the hut. It feels good talking to Victor, and it feels good knowing that my life is becoming better since the day of his funeral. Despite that, my heart is still heavy; there is still something gnawing at my mind.

I find myself changing my path.