Blackfeather Woods there's something tragic about you

Burke raised one dotted eyebrow at Damien. So the truth was out. Something that he could do nothing about Damien was being mad about. Fucking great. The teenager, because that was how he was acting, was clearly not seeing things from their perspective but only from his own selfish reasons. Everything Damien did was for himself and not because of others it seemed. Most of the time at least. "I saved you from drowning when the storm threatened your life," 'you ungrateful shit,' he added mentally. Yet, Burke's stoic face didn't reveal anything of his mental curse towards Damien. 

"If I wouldn't have been here Black Feather Woods wouldn't even have a pack anymore. I stepped up being a leader not because I crave being an alpha but to keep this pack alive. You should know that of all the wolves in this forest." Burke had been more than happy with his Beta position. Then the spiderlings went to that Bearclaw, Meldresi went away and got in trouble. If he hadn't stepped up there wouldn't be a Black Feather Pack, leaderless. Then Meldresi returned and it is like she returned sickly because she was never the same after that trip from the north. "Your mother told you, as will I, there was nothing we could do. Potema didn't remember and we had no proof of what Grimnir did. We still haven't because even your torture didn't get anything from this mentally unstable wolf," he returned on his same calm tone. It wasn't a comment to talk Damien down, it was to make him reflect on his own behavior and actions. Even torture didn't get the brown one to talk. How would other pack members have reacted if their alpha started torturing the answers out of wolves?! Not so greatly. Burke might have been overthrown. 

"As a leader you can't play the almighty. A leader needs its pack members as much as they need a leader. It is a delicate balance and if you tip the scale then our pack could have been change din ways you don't even want to think about." Aka, Grimnir as BFW Leader. Burke kept his tone on the same level. He thought Damien would be wiser than this. "I am not going to apologize for my decisions, nor the one Meldresi made. We did what thought what best and if you don't agree with that and lost your trust in us then that is something entirely up to you. I can't deny that I am saddened by the way you think of me because it was never intended. What your mother and I tried to so was keep this pack afloat and working so you and your siblings wouldn't be homeless in the end of all this mess."

Burke gave Damien a good look in his eyes, a strong one. Burke believed in himself and he wasn't going to be talked down. He was indeed saddened that Damien lost his trust in him but that wasn't because he did that on purpose. It was just the dark wolf's opinion. "I will tell you this though. A leader is probably the most selfless wolf of a pack. His or her's first through it about the wellbeing of others." On top of that Meldresi and him were parents too, another worry, before they could think about themselves. "If you think that we don't regret every day that we didn't get to rip the one wolf to shreds that caused Potema's injury you are wrong. "