Blacktail Deer Plateau Under the moons waning gaze

Her touches were soothing, and he gave into them far more than he normally would have if his grief hadn't cracked his self-control and the awkward shyness he ordinarily felt around her. She was his Alphess and his friend, but she was also more than that to him and in this moment, it deepened even further as she provided him the love, support, and understanding he so desperately needed. He had long been interested in her, had sort of a weird, elusive crush on her that he mostly tried to ignore. But she was touching something in him now, something was vulnerable and hurting and that nobody else could see, and he was realizing that he didn't just have a "thing" for her. He was falling for her.

He listened to her words, and he knew she was right and the logical part of his mind agreed completely with her. But it was never that easy. He looked at her, a thin smile flickering across his face for a moment. Her eyes looked so pretty in this light, the color of glistening pines under the pewter luminescence of the moon. "I know," he responded, his eyes falling to his paws and a troubled expression coming over his face. "In my mind, I know you're right. But my heart…it doesn't listen."