face the consequences

She spoke with certainty, because she had never seen Rhyme as Valentines child. She had seen him as his own man, who stood on his own feet. He had chosen Abaven when he found his freedom, and he had earned the position of Alpha partner beside her. He had stood up for Abaven, and he had fought their battles together. She did not see him as the child of Valentine, she saw him as Rhyme, the Alpha of Abaven. A man in his own right.

His words where heartbreaking, and they spoke of loss and regret. She wanted to banish the tears from his eyes, and help him prove to himself that he was more. She brushed apaw against his cheek, gently wiping away a crystal drop that had fallen there. She knelt down beside him, her face before his. “Right now, he has made you a chastened child. Stand on your own feet, make something of yourself that is wholly yours, and face him as an equal. Do this if you wish to earn his respect, do this even if you do not. You are not a boy in his shadow, you are a man, a leader of men.” her eyes on him where serious, assured. It didn’t matter her own doubts about herself, her worries, her heartbreak. What mattered was Rhyme, and what he was feeling right now. “You stand up for what’s right. You have created children that you love, you stand for a pack that will be a beacon of hope. You have faced down crocodiles and bears. You have the mettle of a warrior, and I am proud of you.”