SEVENTY-FOUR

　　Betrayal 1

　　“What are you doing here Ava? And where have you been?”

　　Ava ran with open arms to hug her friend, as she did her face burst to release a fresh wave of tears.

　　“What happened Ava?”

　　She wiped her eyes. “It’s a long story, but I heard about what happened and that’s why I came back, where is Ray now? I want to see him, and I want to know what happened to him.”

　　Nicole sighed, sitting Ava down on the living room couch.

　　“You can’t see him anymore Ava, his body has been cremated this morning.”

　　“I-I-I don’t understand. Since when did we start cremating bodies?”

　　“That’s the new law under Ethan’s reign.”

　　“Ethan? Ethan is the alpha now, but how did all this happen so fast? There should have been a ceremony where leaders from around the world would have gathered to witness the appointment of the new alpha, he of all people should know that, he didn’t even carry on with the normal customs or the rituals before he ordained himself.”