Second Best

36

Before they could reply, Zion was out the door, leaving a cloud of bad mood behind.

Diana eyed the remaining brother with a suspicious squint.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Nothing!" Abel exclaimed with a slightly offended frown.

"Did you call him fur-face again?" Diana frowned.

"NO!" Abel said.

"Did you tell him to back off Akela and let you charm your way into her pants again?" Diana squinted.

"No" Abel grumbled.

"What the hell did you do?" Diana asked.

Abel gave her a hard stare back.

"Why do you think I did something? HE practically smashed his door open. HE came out with a thundercloud over his head and HE then told me I looked like hell!" Abel ranted.

"Because it's Zi! And it's always you!" Diana sighed.

Abel rubbed his face with the heels of his hands.

"Look... I don't know if he stubbed his toe or had a nightmare.... He's just a dick this morning!" he huffed and went to get his cereal.

Diana gave him a long hard stare before releasing a slow breath.

"Fine. Zion is in a bad mood.... Which never happens.... And I want you to run patrol. Gerry said something about upping security," she said and rinsed her bowl out before walking out and in the direction of the training ground.

"Why the hell have they got it in for me today?" Abel muttered to himself while munching his breakfast, slowly, in case this tired feeling in his limbs meant a headache was coming.

It took a while, but eventually Abel returned home from patrols to find the house empty. Carefully, he stretched his mindlink to find Gerry doing paperwork, River taking a nap, Diana training the deltas and Zion running laps on the old dilapidated training ground. Archer didn't like them using it because that's where he had seen his father die, but just now, Zion was making a real effort to rip several young trees from the ground with their roots if they grew in his way.

Drawing a breath for courage, Abel decided to head that way. Zion was rarely in a bad mood, but when he was, he became the closest Abel had ever known to a bloodlust lycan on a full moon rampage.
It didn't happen often, the last time was when Ida broke his heart, and right now, Abel was worried. He had seen Zion go through crushes and be rejected. He had seen Zion swallow his hurt every full moon celebration and when the pack members called him a freak behind his back.

He had also seen Zion these last few months. He had seen how his back had straightened a bit every day and how every time they met Akela, or her name was mentioned, Zion would shrink in fear of rejection for a fraction of a second before straightening a little bit taller than before.

Abel had never seen his brother as confident as after that girl arrived.

And it broke his heart.

Because Abel knew, that if Kira died, or they failed to reunite Akela with her twin, He – for the first time of his life - would have to consider giving her up.

Because Zion needed her more.

Abel growled low in his throat at the thought. He tried pushing the mindlink with Akela, but met a dead end. Her mind was busy.

He had never met a girl as beautiful as her before. He laughter, although quite rare, was enough to make him feel happy. And her pure innocence, was refreshing. She didn't fawn over him. Or make him feel like a superstar. She called him out on his cockiness, and made him feel ordinary... especially if Zion was in the room.