We need to talk

He watched Spider's expression blanken, and surprised flicked across his own at the harsh laugh that left the little wolf. The news clearly taking him blind. He'd announced Ignitas freedom a few days ago, but he could forgive Spider for forgetting it as the shock washes over them. 

He gave them a moment, and then spoke again, keeping his voice soft. “I can not and am not replacing who Hazel was to you. Any and what level of involvement she has in your life will be up to you, and no one else. I know this is a shock, and we're probably on completely different pages right now. I lost my best friend, and you lost the woman who brought you in.” He should probably stop there, he needed to stop there. But the words kept spilling out of him. 

He wasn't good with emotion, and the look on Spider's face was doing something awful to his insides. “As best friends, me and Hazel made an incredible team. We understood each other. As mates… I'd been feeling her drift away for a long time now. We might have loved each other, but I don't think either of us were truly happy.” At some point, she'd turned into a stranger to him.