Keeping Him (Learning To Love Him book 2) (Boyxboy)

Chapter 32.

*****

*Sean*

I swallowed as I knocked on Marcus's house's door. I had disappeared from my pack and with Trent, Jason and the other guys' help; no one noticed I was gone yet. With all the Beta trouble, I needed time away from everyone.

Two weeks had already passed since Corey died. Izabella and Hayley were crushed and Ashton refused to leave Eli or Tamia's sides while they, as far as I knew, weren't even linking to anyone, let alone talking. It was like when Jayden was taken, but so much worse. At least we had gotten them to eat, even if it was just a couple if bites every few hours. Jayden on the other hand...

"It's open... always open..." A mutter came from inside that I would not have been able to hear if I was not a werewolf.

I pushed the door open and frowned at the trash in the hallway. I didn't say anything though. First Bianca dumps him like that and then Corey – who had been pretty much a son to him – gets killed.

"Sean." He gave me a weak smile before he turned back to the blank TV screen he had been staring at for God knows how long while he took a sip of the beer in his hand.

I sighed as I fell onto the couch next to him before running my eyes over the empty beer cans and bottles carelessly littered everywhere and cigarette buds on the glass coffee table. When did he start smoking?

"This place smells bad..." I muttered.

"Yeah? Didn't notice..." He mumbled a response. He let out a sigh. "You found Corey's replacement yet?" He asked.

Replacement.

I hated the word.

"He doesn't have a replacement... And no... I haven't even been looking for another Beta." I admitted.

"He's not coming back, Sean. It doesn't matter how long you wait, he's dead." Marcus spat the word 'dead' out, his face twisting angrily.

I sucked in my breath. Right, that was why I had come other than trying to get some time away from the pack.

"Bring him back," I whispered.

"What?" He asked.

"Bring him back, Marcus," I said standing up.

He looked at me. "You know I can't." He said bringing the beer to his mouth again.

"Try. I need you to try. He needs you to try." I said grabbing the bottle from his hand and tossing it across the room.

"False hope. I'm not strong enough –" he began.

"No one ever is! What do you have to lose? Look at me. Look at our pack. Look at you! We need him, Marc. Please. My wife can't even say his name without breaking down, his kids – and mine – are practically dead because they won't even move and Jayden, Marcus, he hasn't eaten. At all. In two weeks. He's going to starve to death, but he's not going to die, he's just going to keep starving. And I can't lead all these wolves alone! No one else is good enough! I won't take another Beta!" I said, "Marcus, please, I'm begging you to try." Corey and I did not always get along, but he was still one of my closest friends and there was no one else I would rather have as a Beta.

"I know you need him. I know everyone does, and yeah, so do I, Sean. You think if I could bring him back, I wouldn't?" He shook his head swallowing as he blinked the tears in his eyes back. "I can't bring him back... I can't. I don't have that kind of power... There's no point getting anyone's hopes up just to fail. You have to let people go sometimes." He said reaching for another beer from the table beside him.

I shook my head glancing around the messy room again. "You're just going to sit here hoping she comes back as you wallow in self-pity?" I asked referring to Bianca.