Bearclaw Valley who hears you crying?

indra was dumbfounded -- that xan could be so painfully oblivious, and that he could ask her why it mattered who his mate was, and then continue on to state that his mate would be his contemporary. he couldn't even keep track himself -- if that was his logic, then of course it mattered who his mate was. she nearly blurted out a hot protest then, but settled, her ears pinned to her skull in obvious displeasure.

she wanted to leave, but she could keep quiet no longer. "what - that's not true." she countered, both towards his false assumption of laurel's interest, and his strange take on how alphaship worked. "you think laurel would have given you what she gave you if she didn't like you?" was he truly this dense? indra was beginning to be horrified by the realization perhaps he was just as clever as the wolf he had selected as his mate. "besides, laurel  could be alpha without being your mate - that's not how it works -- that's not how any of it is supposed to work." she drew a deep breath and felt her chest shudder. "an alpha is supposed to be a leader - someone who doesn't threaten their packmates, challenge for ranks, act quarrelsome, someone who can talk. and laurel was perfect for all of that and you -- you fucked her over hard." indra felt her chest tighten with anger and she set her jaw in a hard line. "i bet you didn't even punish her for challenging laurel's rank, for hurting her, for refusing to submit."

indra already felt sick -- she steadied herself with another breath and winced as the cold braced her lungs. she thought of how close laurel was to whelping, and how xan hadn't come to them once that she knew of -- yet how often had he been at his mates' side, while laurel labored in the dark? this time, she would not falter as she delivered a cutting question: "don't you think that they need a father?"

but that was all indra would offer. deciding she could be in his company no longer, indra took one last resentful look at him and quickly left.