What We're Both Thinking

"Metas..." Myranda attempted to comfort him as he lay on the cold stone floor of the cave. He had been moping there since Jhinto had broken the news, and gave them homework of trying to connect with one another on a soul level.

He was still silent. He hadn't said a word in hours. She had never seen him broken before - he had been nothing but perfect, and brave, and strong up until now. The newly wed had no idea how to comfort the male who had never needed comfort.

She recalled when she would be sad. She hated having to talk to anyone about her feelings - or anything at all. Myrada was one who enjoyed brooding silently.

It seemed she and her mate had a personality trait they shared - and so she put her chin on the top of his head and laid quietly with him. Once in a while she would lick the back of his ear, or run her cheek across his fur to let him know she was there.

Over in the tunnels, Lara was doing the same job as Myranda, but had to handle it quite differently. Ajax had been pacing back and forth and speaking his mind out loud for nearly and hour now.

"Does he hate me? Is that why he's not talking to me?" The grey-haired wolf surmised out loud as he paced with ta troubled face and shaky words.

"No, of course not...Sweetie, he's just as shocked as you are. I'm sure he's silently freaking out while you're loudly freaking out. Metas would never hate you. We've all been together since we were pups. We're practically family anyway."

"He's going to think I want to be Alpha...."

"Don't be silly, Metas isn't stupid," she reassured him.

...but Metas wasn't acting as his usual self. Metas was in a crisis.

"...What if Ajax wants to fight me for the throne?" He finally blurted out.

"What? Don't be stupid, Metas. Ajax is not a spotlight-kind of wolf. He is also already considered your brother - the last thing he would want to do is hurt you. He's one of your biggest supporters, and always had been." Myranda argued gently.

He looked at her with a sad expression of worry and shook his head as though to argue silently.

"Don't shake your head at me, mister. You're letting this get to you because of Silas. Silas is dead, and an asshole. Ajax is alive and has loved you like a brother before you were tied by blood. Silas didn't even know he had true royal blood and fought you anyway - so what do you think Ajax would do? They're opposites in every way. Plus, Lara wouldn't let him do anything to you, trust me."

Metas merely huffed out and began to get up and pace just as Ajax was already doing.

Lara could try all she could to calm Ajax, but now he was down on his stomach with his paws over his snout in denial.

"He's going to resent me, I just know it. He's under a lot of stress....and I mean, Silas doesn't give our family a great track record. I'd be really worried if I were him is all I'm saying." Ajax argued with a whimper in his voice.

"You are being an idiot, my sweet love. You should have more faith in our friend - in your chosen brother. You two have always been a pair to recon with. Nothing changes. Not now, not ever. Besides, I wouldn't let him hurt you, nor would I let you hurt him...and Myranda would hurt both of you, too - so just think of that before you do something you'll regret - like run off to make our Alpha more comfortable."

"It's better than him slicing me in my sleep...." Ajax muttered under his breath.

"I heard that. You're spouting nonsense. You're just letting Silas control you from the realm of the dead. Are you really going to give him that power when he's gone? He'd be laughing in your face right now."

Myranda watched her husband pace back and forth as he tried to reason with all the knowledge that he had to weed through.

"I should get rid of him before he gets rid of me...." Metas muttered under his breath.

"I heard that. You're acting insane - you're acting...well... like Silas. This is something Silas would do. you're letting him get into your head and he's dead, Metas. He's gone. Don't let him poison your mind or turn you against your friends. He'd be so happy to see this unfold right now." Myranda lectured.

Metas put his ears back and let out a soft whimper from her words of truth. He wanted to refute her argument, but he knew he couldn't - because she was right.

Silas would be loving this....

"You're right," he sighed out in resignation. "You're right, Mandy....but I can't shake the feeling now because of Silas."

"Ajax is your brother, and one of your best friends. He's going to marry /your/ best friend, who is madly in love with your brother. You should be happy, honey. You have an actual brother who loves you and wants to see you on the throne. If you don't clear this up with him, then I'll get Lara - and she's scary."

Metas shook his head, and though he wanted to smile at her small quip, he was too eaten up with anxiety to do so. He had seen brothers turn on one another all the time for power - hell, Vincent's kingdom traditionally only had one child because bigger families always killed one another for power.

If only he knew how sick Ajax felt over this whole thing, that would save them a lot of time to do the soul-bonding exercises Jhinto had given them. Time was more precious than ever....