How did it come to this

She had a feeling she hadn’t blinked away her emotions fast enough, because he looked at her, then seemed to back up a step. How did she feel, looking at this man who had helped to create the pups growing inside of her? How did she feel about the pups? She didn’t have answers for anything, her old wild emotions least of all.

She wasn’t quite prepared for an intelligent conversation with anyone, and she blinked up at him as he plastered on a smile and teased her for being surprised. “Of course you are, is this an official appearance rather than a social visit?” she asked, trying to work her way back to being an Alpha, and not just a mother.

She almost hoped something had come up, it would be good to have a nice, steady distraction. He was looking at her so intently, and she begun to realise that the tears hadn’t been the only visible thing. He was seeing it for the first time, this realization that she herself was still struggling with. She opened her mouth, trying to find the words. How could she tell him. “I… I might, that is, you might be taking over most of the pack responsibilities this winter.” she concluded, more than a little lamely.