"Of course my love, you can ask for anything" Rafaele told her.
"My parents, they can't stay here alone. They are old and staying alone in this pack won't be good for them. Can they come to our pack?" she asked.
Rafaele smiled. "of course they can come to our pack. That isn't a big deal or a favor you need to ask for"
"thank you" she whispered.
"I can't begin to imagine the pain you must be going through. But I want you to know that I am here for you" he told her as he patted her hand gently.
Rina looked at him quizically. Didn't he feel pain too? Rita was his mate too.
But the Rafaele she was looking at didn't seem like he was in pain.
She didn't know how to ask him without making his suspicious so she kept quiet.
"I will go talk to your parents about them staying with us. It's best to start with baby steps, when they have stayed for a while, we can ask about moving to the pack permanently"
Rina nodded. "that is a good idea, thank you Rafaele"
He squeezed her hand gently. "you don't need to thank me. I will do anything for you"
And once again Rina was filled with guilt.
Rafaele approached his in laws.
His mother in law was inconsolable while she was been comforted by his father in law.
Rafaele didn't know what to do. The whole thing was shocking to him as well. Rina's death had felt so sudden.
He rubbed his chest where he felt pain. He wondered why he felt pain, he and Rina hadn't known each other that well.
He simply knew her as his wife sister, they didn't have a close relationship.
He had even avoided a relationship with her because of the uncanny resemblance between she and his mate.
So why was he feeling pain?
Maybe it was because Rita was in pain, he concluded.
He approached his in laws and sat in front of them.
The crowd from the funeral had reduced, it was just family and close friends remaining now.
"How are you feeling mother?" he asked her.
"like my world collapsed" she burst into tears again and Rafaele patted her hand gently to comfort her.
His father in law was more subdued in his grief. Although he had never been much of a lively man, he had never looked so defeated.
"Rina was a good daughter, she took care of us. Before she went on her trip, she made different meals to last us for the duration of her trip. She always fussed over us. The house feels so empty without her" he said as he looked around.
Rafaele's eyes lit up, this was the opening he needed.
"I agree and I don't feel good about leaving you alone here. Come back with us and stay for a while" he urged them.
He looked uneasy at Rafaele's suggestion.
Rafaele leaned in even closer.
He held his mother in law hands more securely.
"I think it would be good for you and Rita as well. If her family were close to her, she would feel better and so would you"
"We wouldn't want to impose."
"you aren't imposing at all. The pack house is huge and we have a lot of empty rooms"
The couple looked at each other.
"okay" they had agreed with him.
Rafaele called for Jax and Rain.
"Jax, please help them pack, they will be coming back with us. Rain, go and meet the Alpha and tell him we will need transportation."
Jax nodded and left, Rain was still standing there.
"What is it?" Rafaele asked.
"Why do we need transportation, can't Evena just take us back?"
Rafaele resisted the urge to slap the brat to oblivion.
"Evena already left, go meet the Alpha now" he ordered in a no nonsense voice.
Rain rolled his eyes and stalked off.
Rafaele looked at his inlaws with an apologetic smile.
"teenagers" he remarked.
Their smiled warily and ignored him, they probably had more pressing things on their mind than his silly antics with his baby brother.
Soon everything was packed. Rafaele went to get his mate only to see her coming downstairs with a bag.
"are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded.
In silence they trooped out of the house to the rickety bus the Alpha had been able to provide.
Rina looked at the house she had grown up for the last time before entering the bus.
It was a silent ride to moonlight deception, everyone was occupied with their thoughts.
In a normal situation, they would have shifted and ran. But they had all been through the most emotional distress and Rafaele felt no one was in the mood for doing that so he had arranged for the transportation.
They got back, Luna Rosa arranged for Rina's parents to be in their quarters and comfortable.
Rina marched straight to her room, she didn't have the energy to care about what her parents were doing, she hoped Luna Rosa would take care of them.
She just needed to cry herself to sleep.
Rina laid down on the bed and cried until she slept.
And that became her routine for the next week. She would cry to sleep, wake up, Rafaele would make her eat, freshen up and she would go back to crying.
Not even her parents could get her out of her mood.
Rafaele pleaded with her to leave the bed but nothing he said would get her out of the bed.
They were all worried about her.
"Should we call Evena?" Luna Rosa asked.
"He is a witch not a emotional doctor" Rain told her.
"I am just so worried" her mother said.
"it was to be expected they were twins, the most identical in our region's history. They were recorded in the royal werewolf archive. They shared a soul. Their bond is even stronger than the mate bond." her father said thoughtfully.
"So what do we do?" Rafaele asked worriedly.
No one replied him.