you'll always be

She was deep in thought as he surprised her with his question. Shaye was also slow to answer, which told him more than the answer she gave him ever would. He wished he could whisk her away, take her far away from the huge list of responsibilities she had, and force her to relax. She needed to release herself from the huge weight she put upon herself. Shaye needed to understand that she wouldn't be able to keep going like this. She couldn’t do it all, and sooner rather than later she needed to share the responsibility with the younger generation.

Shaye joked, but Rhyme knew better. She tried to turn the conversation back to him but the now Beta wasn’t about to accept that. ”I think it’s a lot overwhelmed.” Rhyme returned seriously as he aimed to find her gaze in the darkness. ”You’re good at hiding it, but I can see your breaking point, Shaye.” His words were soft and gentle as could be with his directness. ”You’ve got to share the weight of the world. You can’t carry it all on your own.” His voice was a whisper, and he was pleading with her much more than trying to tell her what to do. He needed her in his life, and he wasn’t about to let her work herself to death.