Sweetest Devotion | ✓

twenty-eight

"Devoted to You" -The Everly Brothers

      Sean was seething. He was through a partial shift when Marcus followed him out onto the back porch. The Alpha wolf had leaped over the steps of the porch to the ground below and instantly began to pace to calm his wolf side. Marcus stayed standing on the steps a few feet away.

      Waiting for Sean to speak.

     With large arms crossed over his chest, Sean continued to pace the bottom of the porch's steps, staring down at his feet with clenched teeth as his body shook with rage. Marcus rubbed his tired eyes, trying to bring some life back to them. Sunrise was just arriving, the morning mist lifting, but the effects from earlier weren't leaving.

     Everyone was still on edge.

     "Tell me what you're thinking about, Alpha. Keeping it in isn't going to help anyone, especially not, Luna," Marcus tentatively said.

     He was afraid to receive backlash for being so abrasive with his leader. But, sometimes Marcus had to be Sean's friend first, especially when it came to personal affairs. 

    Sean had finally stopped his pacing, arms still crossed over his broad chest, and a hand reached up to rake through dark blond curls. He then looked up at Marcus, his breathing became rapid. 

    Sean was having an anxiety attack.

    "I was angry at her. How could I have been so angry with her when she was hurting? I hate myself. I couldn't...Marcus-" he sighed his Beta's name, "I couldn't even look down at her because I was so...so angry for something that wasn't even her doing."

    Forgetting about status, Marcus asked calmly, "But, angry at her for what?"

    "I thought she had run away again, that she either didn't think I was telling the truth or just didn't care about how much she worried me the first time she ran away. I mean, she was attacked by her own brother and wasn't waking up and...and I was so angry with her because I had jumped to conclusions."

     Marcus shook his head, "Now you know though. Now you can be there for her when she needs you the most. Let it go, Sean. That's over and done with, now we have to focus on the main threat and it's not your unrationalized anger that she didn't even get any repercussions from." 

     The Beta stopped to watch Sean's face, making sure he wasn't stepping over the line, "Now is the time to be there for her when she heals and figure out what this 'Johnathon' wants from her. Maybe she can fill in some blanks."

     Sean nodded slowly, trying to listen to the wise words of his Beta and convince himself that it was over and done with. There was no reason to be holding onto his irrational anger when she wasn't even awake to receive it. It was now time to be angry at her brother and figure out what the hell he was willing to do to get to Bonnie.

     He began to walk up the steps of the porch but, just before they both reached the sliding glass door, Marcus stopped him, "Sean," he looked back at his Beta, "She has been dreaming of a life with you for years and so have you. You're both together now. Don't be afraid to be with her because you could lose her if you do."

     The Alpha wolf knew exactly what Marcus was referring to. Not but a few months ago was Sean ready to take his life. He had reached his twenty-sixth year and had still no mate. He was waking up and going to bed alone. Some mornings, he woke to feel unbearable hollowness inside and it made a grown man cry.

     Marcus was the only one to know because he was the one to find Sean sitting behind his desk in his office, a gun laced with a silver bullet shoved into his mouth.