Swiftcurrent Creek I can take the fall: the pain, the pleasure

He scowled a little at her words; she shouldn't be worrying about him, and he was aware of the toll his anxiety had taken on his body recently. Maybe somebody should inform his brain of the havoc it was wreaking. He sighed as he took a seat in front of her, his features softening some. I know, he said first, shoulders sagging a little. He hadn't wanted to take time away from anyone else or worry them with his crap, so he had just been internalizing it as usual. I haven't really been able to sleep very much... He closed his eyes, pain filling his expression. I worry about them constantly—out there all alone. His voice faltered a little over the last word. And I worry about how to handle what Zephyr did. And I worry because I apparently can't keep everyone safe. he paused and then quietly added: And, I don't want to burden you or Alessia with any of it. In summary: he was a complete mess. He was dangerously close to fracturing under the suffocating pressure of his grief and anxiety and the pressures of being an alpha on top of everything else. But what could he do? The only answer was to keep trying to manage everything and hope that he could fix things eventually.