Chapter 6 - The Plan

Author POV

After walking for another 45 minutes they find a decent spot that they can set up camp in, in between the trees for cover. Mark starts getting nervous about confessing to Brian, he hopes that Brian understands why he behaved the way he did. The back-up were doing a great job of staying out of sight, Mark only knew they were there as he had heard a man voice faintly when they paused to have a drink, he had pretended not to hear a thing when Brian had looked up sharply in the direction of the voice and continued on as if alone.

Brian, having heard the male warrior, made a little more noise for the rest of their journey. They were now at the base of the mountain in the shadows of the trees that wrap around the base tightly. Setting up camp was a quick process for them and it had been planned that they would do their first excursion after stopping to have something to eat. It was now 2 o'clock in the afternoon and Mark wanted to begin cataloguing details and photographing the base of the mountain so that tomorrow they could spend more time exploring the tunnels and caves, which were after all, his primary focus.

After setting up their tent for the night, Brian and Mark sit and have some of the food they had packed. Once they were settled Mark decided it was time to come clean.

"Brian," Brian hummed in response, indicating he was listening, "We need to talk," Mark speaks in a solemn tone that immediately fills Brian with dread. He gulps down the food he had in his mouth and turns to face Mark fully.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asks, the worry evident in his tone.

"No, No, not at all, it is I who have wronged you," Mark sucks in a deep breathe before plunging on, revealing the truth is as few breathes as is possible, "I lied to you, I'm sorry, but I knew if I made it seem like I was being rash you would do all you could to protect me I knew you would go to Alpha Jack for advice and help in controlling me, I really am sorry but this was the only way I could think of to get the support we needed to attack if we are lucky enough to find this scumbag. I'm really not a rash person, I thought it all out carefully, I need this to end and I need it to end quickly, I have people relying on me to finish this, I know about the wolves following us, I hoped that they would, I did it because I know the terror he instilled in so many, I managed to save some but not nearly enough from him and his tyranny."

Taking a deep breath, Mark waits anxiously for Brian to speak, knowing he will need a minute to process what he has confessed to, waiting for the questions to start and hoping that Brian will understand in the end.

"I don't understand," Brian stammers out quietly, "This was all just a ruse, a lie, to trick me into doing exactly what you wanted?"

"It sounds so awful when you say it like that, but I suppose yes, that is what happened." Mark replies, hanging his head down, a feeling of shame washing over him.

"You couldn't trust me? You couldn't believe that I would want what you want? Of course I want this over and done with, I want that asshole to be caught and brought to justice, I want this to finally be handled so that our Luna can stop looking over her shoulder can stop peering around every corner before she moves, how could you think otherwise?"

"Because that is just it, you want this resolved for one person, I want this resolved for a hundred reasons, 15 of whom are currently living in a cramped 2 bedroom apartment I was able to get on the cheap in the rough part of Glenvere" Mark retorts starting to get worked up. He is beginning to realise that though his intentions were good, the way he handled the whole situation was not ideal.

"So you lied to me, you lied to me and almost had me convinced you had a death wish, when what you really wanted was for everyone to unwittingly follow your plan? How could you do this to me? Me of all people, surely you know enough about me to know I would have supported you if you had come to me with the truth? But instead, you refuse my mark, you refuse to trust me with your past at that pack, you refuse to let me in!" Brian's temper flares as hurt ricochets throughout his body, his mate didn't trust him, his mate manipulated him and to top it all off, his mate had refused to mark or be marked, did he not want to be with him? Did Mark not want to be mated to a mere Delta? This thought had flitted through his mind more than once in the last couple of weeks, he knew Mark wanted to improve his rank, Mark had tried to convince him to take the Beta position when Dave was promoted to Alpha, but he had thought Mark understood, but maybe he hadn't, maybe he couldn't understand the import of Brian's role in the pack and the satisfaction Brian got from doing his job well.

"I wanted to trust you, I really did, but I thought if you were in the dark you would not be punished, I planned to take full responsibility for my actions, it's why I haven't marked you yet, I wanted to keep you safe, if I do die doing this, the bond will break and you will be able to move on, if I had marked you or let you mark me then my death would mean your death. I couldn't stand the thought of you not in this world, I love you Brian." Mark's anger melted away into sorrow quickly when he realised that his actions had caused his mate to feel rejected, that was the very last thing Mark ever wanted. He knew his actions would cause Brian pain, and he had regretted it, but he had had to keep him at arm's length for his own good, he was trying to protect Brian from the fall out of a mission gone wrong and from the heartbreak of possibly losing his mate. It had all been for Brian that he had behaved as he had, he was desperate for Brian to understand now.