Running with Wolves

EXTRA (1) : AFTERMATH

Oh no.

I've never seen him cry before. Even when his mother beat him and his father died, he never cried. Maybe he got teary eyed or looked a bit down but he's never cried, let alone sobbed.

His hands fist the earth either side of him, his head falling to the ground between them as he cries.

He's broken.

"They took her."

He sobs, mutterings about how it's all his fault coming straight after. Leander took Blue. Oh no. I can feel my own tears come to my eyes, not just from the sight in front of me.

I cast a look to Dom and Luke who are both stood beside me, Luke wiping tears from his cheeks and Dom just as teary eyed as I am.

I hand Luke a pair of shorts and drop the others to the floor, aside from one, as I begin to take slow steps towards Alex.

I've never seen him cry so I have no idea what I'm supposed to do in this situation, how I'm supposed to respond. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to want sympathy but there's no way I'm going to use tough love with my grieving Alpha. I'm stupid but I'm not that stupid.

That would go terribly:

"Come on Xan, don't be a pussy. Get your Alpha ass up and deal with it."

Xan gets up and kills me.

I don't say anything as I walk round and kneel silently beside him. He doesn't spare me a glance nor does he try to hide his tears.

"She's gone."

He whispers. His face is bright red and soaked from his tears. I've never seen someone so distraught before.

He cries with more violence than any gale, like not having Blue is physically torture to his soul. I can only imagine. He doesn't break down quietly, it's like every atom of his being is screaming in unison, traumatized at the concept that he should exist without her - even if it is just for now.

"We will get her back," I attempt to reassure him, his eyes sparing me a glance at the sound of my voice.

They're so desolate, hardly any colour to the green. It's painful, as his best friend, to see him this way. He's breaking to pieces in front of me and I feel so unbelievably useless, as a friend and as a Beta, because there's nothing I can say or do that will make this better.

"It's all my fault." He admits, breaking out into a heavier sob.

"No, it's not." I place a hand on his shoulder, silently watching him pick something up from the floor. A necklace? That's the ugliest necklace I've ever seen in my life.

"It's her barcode." He chokes out, wrapping it up in his fist for protection. He presses a kiss to the side of his fist, his lips lingering there.

"If I had gotten to her-"

"No, don't say that." I interrupt him. He can't go around mourning over 'what ifs'. He immediately growls at me, his grief becoming anger as he turns to face me.

Okay, don't piss an Alpha off when they're crying. That's definitely a good idea, I'll remember that next time he's crying.

Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't-

Two arms wrap around me and I swear my jaw dropped to the floor. Is Alex hugging me? With wide eyes I cautiously return the gesture, wrapping my arms around him and rubbing one up and down his back.

He continues to cry against my chest, loud, uncontrollable sobs that wrack his entire body. I find myself silently crying with him, my own tears rolling down my cheeks.

"I miss her so much." He cries.

"I know." I cry right back at him. I'm not going to tell him 'we all do' because none of us can even compare in the slightest to how much he misses her.

None of us can even begin to comprehend the feelings he's going through. I can only imagine how distraught he must feel and I can hardly bare to even think about it, let alone experience it.

Only Elara understands what he's going through and that's why I mind link her immediately. Her and his.. Grandmother. I don't like the old bat but she was the one who raised him.

His tears don't seem to be stopping any time soon but not even 5 minutes later do Roxy and Elara appear sprinting through the trees, Roxy having her hand over her heart as she gasps for breath.

"Oh, my poor baby boy." She hurries over to him, kicking my leg to get me to move out of the way.

Ugh, still a bitch.

She helps him up to his feet and hands him the shorts that he slides on in a dazed state.

"Alex, I am so sorry." Elara comes over to his side, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"It hurts."

His head remains bowed to the floor, hung low as he submits his gaze.

"I know." Elara cries beside him. If anyone has the right to say that statement to him, it's her.

"Oh, come 'ere." Roxy opens her arms for him and he falls straight into her embrace, crying into her shoulder.

He may be the Alpha King but he's still as fragile as the rest of us. He's still broken just as easily. He's still half human - we all are.

"We'll get her back." Elara rubs his back, "We all want her back." She comforts.

"Yeah, she's family." I agree, receiving a glare from Roxy. What'd I say?

"Lets give them some space." Elara nods to the Witch and takes my arm, leading me back over to the other two.

"How's Harry?" Luke asks, wiping the remnants of his tears.

"His leg was crushed under a boulder, I don't even know how it happened, but he'll be okay. Natalie is treating him as we speak." I'm still nervous in the pit of my stomach. The second I can get away, I'm going to be right at his side until he teases me about being too clingy.

"They had charges on some of the rocks, he must've been caught up in one." Dom explains.

"Oof. That sucks." Luke replies and I nod my head in agreement.

"Is he going to be okay?" Luke peers round to see Xan.

"No," Elara sighs with a solemn frown, "he won't be."

It's obvious she's heartbroken for her brother, knowing how painful this is she probably pities him for going through exactly what she's had to go through every day for the past year.

A silence falls over us, the only sound coming from Roxy as she comforts Alex.

"The real question is," Elara breaks the silence and we all look up from staring at the floor, "who's going to tell Mia?" She poses, looking between the three of us.

"Not it!" We all simultaneously jump back.

"My mate is injured." I defend.

"Summer is pregnant." Dom adds.

"Well shit." Luke curses.

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