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His friend was taking even longer than he normally did. Swearing under his breath, he pulled out a crumpled cigarette pack. With a click of his fingers, the flame came to his call almost as easy as breath to his lungs. Pulling in a long drag, he dismounted his bike.
Every month, he met Valentine here at the cemetery before they rode out to camp. But this month he just didn’t have patience for waiting around with only his thoughts as company.
Striding past the gravestones and statues, he only to slowed down when he spotted his second in command.
He was kneeling on one knee. His rough tattooed hands pulling out the few weeds that had dared grow since the last full moon. His club leather jacket hanging wrapped around the gravestone. Leaving his arms bare in the cool breeze stirring the leaves overhead.
Only once all the weeds were gone would he remove last month’s flowers and replace them with the fresh daisies and wild flowers that waited by his side. It was the same every month. Every month since he had known Valentine. The wolf would make his way here before the call of the moon took him. Paying his respects to the only woman he had ever loved.
Without looking up, Valentine shook his head.
“Didn’t expect to see you here tonight,”
“I’m always here” almost since his first moon as a Titan Hyde had joined Valentine here. Initially, tagging along due to curiosity. Valentine was a well-respected alpha and probably the only wolf that might have had a chance to best him. Yet never did the older wolf offer a challenge. Unlike so many of the others after Hyde had killed the last Alpha. It had piqued his interest. He had wanted to know what made the ex-army veteran tick.
Over time, his curiosity shifted into a deep admiration for his friend. He had learnt more about being part of a pack from this wolf than any other. So now he stood at his back so that his second could tend his fiancé’s grave in peace.
Picking up the flowers, Valentine placed them in the waiting vase. His rough fingers arranging them carefully.
“You’re going to let her marry the king of assholes,”
God, if only she was getting married. Gritting his teeth, Hyde flexed his fingers.
“There is no wedding, the boss plans to sacrifice her” his voice emotionless, he rolled his shoulders, suddenly uncomfortable in his leather vest.
“And you’re just going to go to camp?”
“Its none of our business” Hydes couldn’t risk any of his people. Draven’s punishments for Hydes rebellion always landed on the pack. “I won’t lose anyone to this. “
Valentine nodded solemnly. His lips curling into a bittersweet smile as he pressed his fingertips against the engraved songbirds on the gravestone. Standing, he turned, meeting Hydes gaze in the graveyard’s darkness.
“You are a good Alpha Hyde,”
“Don’t get all emotional on me man, let’s go hunt” thumping his friend on the shoulder, Hyde turned towards the car park.
“But you’re a fucking moron,” stopping mid-step, Hyde turned slowly back around. His eyes flaring red in the night.
“What the fuck did you just say to me” his voice controlled, every syllable carefully pronounced
“You heard me,” his second didn’t back down. In fact, he stepped forward. “You’re big, you’re bad, and you know pain. But you’re a fucking idiot if you think her death won’t fester like a wound you can never heal. You love her and if you do nothing to stop Draven, you may as well roll over and offer him your ass while you’re at it.”
Motionless, Hyde stared at him. If anyone else had dared speak to him this way, he would have them off their feet on the first insult.
“Be very careful. Friendship only gets you so far.”
Valentine nodded and gave a self-deprecating smile. “Loving someone you shouldn’t is bloody hard. It tears the soul apart and makes us act in ways we know better. I failed the girl I loved, and she died because of it. If not for Draven’s direct order, I would have taken the release of a silver bullet, years ago. The guilt kills everything about you,”
“I don’t love her,” Hyde’s voice was a low growl. “I don’t know her enough to love her,”
“Is that lie working for you? As I’ve never seen you protect anyone outside of the pack before. But for her, you almost died. You think I’m going to believe that you don’t love her?”
“There is more to this than her. One life for how many? If I fail. Draven will lash out at the whole pack. He has done it before.” he had sworn his pack would never bleed for him again.
“Then make sure you don’t fail. Kill the fucker first. “
Hydes whole being flushed hot at the thought. He had gone toe to toe with Draven and lost every time. But this night he would have the element of surprise. He wouldn’t even be a consideration, as they still believed him to be wounded. The wolves away at camp would give him the ability to move without having to fight his own men.
“You need to get to camp” stepping away from Valentine, Hyde turned. Striding back to his bike, his beast calm. For the first time in weeks, they were in complete agreement. Talia would be claimed for his own. Anticipation surged through him now that his decision was made.
