*~Gabrielle's POV~*
I sat in front of the little spot I'd made for Penny. We'd buried everything—her clothes, her hair ties, even that tiny necklace she never took off. A small picture of her sat at the top of the mound, fluttering slightly in the evening wind.
Alaric, who'd helped me dig the grave, stood silently behind me. I held a single white flower in my hand and placed it gently on the dirt. My throat tightened. The tears were already spilling before I could stop them.
"Penny…" I whispered. "Although I only just met you, it feels like I've known you forever."
My voice cracked.
"You were brave, and kind, and funny. You didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve to die right in front of me."
The words caught in my chest as I choked on them.
"I'm the White Wolf," I said softly. "I'm supposed to protect wolves. Protect everyone. And yet you died and I couldn't even save you. I didn't even know."
