Kildeer Rest chhod gaye balam mujhe

i'm here. and he felt the touch of a nose to his cheek, then. . .you don't deserve that. nothing saccharine, no platitudes. just honesty. gratitude swelled in his chest, then, as he turned his head to look at the slight young man, face contorted in agony. "you're right," he whispered, voice at once both empty and fervent. "i don't deserve it."

anger supplanted the gratitude, though the emotion was not for the leader of bracken sanctuary. he snarled, sitting up slightly, tail lashing. "i would do anything for her!" aditya growled, golden eyes boring into alarian's. "anything. and give up anything for her." he swallowed the sob that rose in his throat, blinked back the sadness that threatened to overcome the wrath.

"i loved--love--another woman. but i was willing to leave her behind for dawn." his voice was cold, bitter. if he had less loyalty to pema and grayday, their family on the plains, he'd be off in a flash for undersea. as it was, he had shackled himself to morningside. . .and he would have to live with the choice his mate had made to betray him.

"i'm tired of being the heartbroken," adi groaned, hanging his head. "all my life, i've never been good enough. not for anyone." not for his father, not for any of the girlfriends he'd had, not for dawn. he'd tried so hard, and somehow always had come up short. "no one's ever wanted me, and only me."