This loss feels like a welcome home

He snorted in self-deprecating amusement. No, no it had not at all. She listened quietly as he told her what had happened to Briar. At his desperate question, she was silent. But he knew the silence wasn’t agreement. She was gripping tightly to him, and he knew she wasn’t about to let him go just because he asked.

There was silence between them for a while, and when she spoke, she brought up memories from their shared past. Of the very first day they had met. He remembered it, he remembered it well because Zee had brought her into the pack. Tamsyn was the very first wolf she had invited to join the Armada, and the reminder brought hot pain to his throat. He had looked at Tamsyn and thought my wife wants this. This is a thing to protect he had been possessive and protective.
The friendship had come later. It had come quietly, in the days they had spent sparring together, teaching and learning from each other.
It had come when she had worked her way up to General. She had done that all by herself, and had deserved the role completely.
It had come when she had pulled him off the search for Malalia, when she had sat him down and told him ‘enough’ and he had trusted her enough to listen, despite how hard it had been.

His own eyes weren’t dry as his voice, suddenly rough whispered. “I remember.”

No, she would never let him go. She couldn’t.

Tears slipped past his guard and he leaned forward again, pressing his head against hers, needing the closeness. “I’m sorry Tamsyn, i’m sorry i’m a selfish bastard. I need you, I need you.” He whispered. She was forcing him to live, and slowly, piece by piece, she was becoming the reason he wanted to.

"Speech"