Blacktail Deer Plateau waiting for superman

Peregrine focused on Crete's face and body, doing his best to understand the message his brother was trying to convey. It was like a strange game of charades, albeit with none of the merrymaking. His mouth fell into a grim line as Crete explained his issues with Hawkeye. The swarthy male couldn't help but feel defensive, as it was his mate in question. More than that, Crete had already made his anger with Peregrine's promotion clear and now, it seemed, he had issues with both Alphas.

The thing that bothered Peregrine the most was the fact that both Crete and Atticus had expressed anger when he'd become Alpha, simply because of their history with Tyrannus. Yet, here and now, Crete seemed to be defending their elder brother, who'd actually betrayed them, where Peregrine hadn't. The injustice of it stung bitterly. He found it difficult to quell his own rising feelings of resentment and maintain his focus to make sure he understood all of his mute litter mate's points.

Then Crete said something even more unfair, insisting he knew Peregrine would pick Hawkeye over him, just like that. "Really, Crete?" Peregrine spat, unable to hold it back. "Fuck, dude. I understand why you and Atti have misgivings about my rank, I really do, but are you fucking kidding me right now? What the fuck did I do to deserve all this doubt from you and Atti? God damn it, we've known each other our whole lives! Why don't you give me some fucking credit?" he hissed.

Immediately, Peregrine felt bad for lashing out at his silent kin. He drew in a deep breath, then sighed and said, "Look, bro, I'm sorry to yell at you like that. It's uncool of me. It's just that... the total lack of faith is starting to get to me. Please give me a fucking chance to prove myself as a leader, will you? How long do I have to pay for Tyrannus's sins before you two give me a goddamn inch?"

With that said, Peregrine knew he had to prove it, particularly regarding the issue at hand: Hawkeye. "Listen, I'll talk to Hawkeye if you like. I mean, do you think there's any chance it could've been a gigantic misunderstanding? She's not used to communicating with a mute, Crete." Peregrine paused, then said, "In any case, she's fiery and she's moody sometimes. I'm aware of these things, you know. I'm not blind to them or anything. Neither one of us has been Alphas for very long, either, so we're gonna make mistakes, say and do stupid shit."

Seeking and holding his brother's gaze, the Alpha finished by saying, "Nobody wants you to leave. If you can give Hawkeye—and me—an inch, the least we can do is listen to your constructive criticism. The road has to go both ways."