The Silence Between

"It is what I want," he said fervently. "I don't want my family to have to carry the burden any more. You can do whatever you want with it." He took a deep breath, feeling like a great weight had been released. That was it - he was no longer an alpha. He was free to be just a healer, just a brother... to grieve. "I will carry him," he said grimly. His fault. His. He'd gotten his brother killed. His own stupidity, his own weakness.

He wiggled his way under Sigmarr's limp body until his larger brother laid over his shoulders in a fireman carry. Katja was by his side as he carefully stood to balance his precious burden. I'm sorry, Sigmarr, he cried silently to his silent brother. I screwed up. I'm so sorry. With another deep breath, with Katja beside him, he set out slowly for Ebony's lands. Yfir's lands. No longer his territory, but he would make certain Sigmarr's body rested in the lands he'd grown up in.