Blacktail Deer Plateau Brothers under the sun

Sorry for the lengthy delay, guys. This past week has been kinda crazy and I haven't had much time to sit down and write posts.

The brush of Crete's shoulder was a reassuring warmth for Atticus, and he drew strength from their contact. Despite Crete's muteness, Atticus could sense the tension and unrest in his brother. Not for the first time, he wished his brother could give voice to his thoughts and feelings. It seemed so unfair sometimes that they should all be able to speak, but Crete could not. He was careful not to say these things out loud, though, nor to give Crete any indication that he felt sorry for him. No, to do so would only anger their mute brother. Crete was not disabled, after all, and wouldn't want their sympathy. At least, that was what Atticus thought, anyway.

He listened in stony silence to Peregrine's words. Surely, his brother intended only the best as he spoke those words, but in reality, they were only nails in a coffin around Atticus's heart. As a great wind of empty desolation blew through him, his feelings of anger, bitterness, and betrayal were scattered and blown aside like so many dried and brittle leaves. A great sense of hopelessness settled over him in their stead. He couldn't do this again. Once, he and Tyrannus had been close. They'd be friends and brothers and there had been no shortage of kinship and love between them. All of that had changed once the elder brother had realized the full extent of his new power. Atticus was certain, deep in his heart, that the same would happen to Peregrine. It was only a matter of time.

He thought about just going ahead and leaving the pack. Part of him reasoned that he might as well just go ahead and get it over with before Peregrine inevitably turned on him. The odds were doubly stacked against him because of what he had almost shared with Hawkeye. There was chemistry there, for sure. Even Hawkeye herself couldn't deny it. What if Peregrine found out? They were mated now; surely, there were few secrets between mates. Would he be seen as a threat to that, as well?

"I'm not ready to deal with this again," he stated flatly, his eyes cold and his feelings of desolation evident in the dull timbre of his voice. "Another brother with a boner for his shiny new crown. How long will it before you change your mind? You seem to forget that Tyrannus was one of us, not so long ago." His brow furrowed momentarily as he considered how much he could say before he came to regret it. This was how it would be from now on. No matter what Perry told them, they would always have to think before they spoke now because they were addressing their Alpha now. One could not be the boss and be the buddy. It just didn't work that way. "How, Peregrine? How the hell could you do this to us, not even a single fucking season after Tyr's bullshit, and expect us to be happy for you and totally okay with it all? Are you that fucking dumb?" Yep, the anger was coming back again.