I offer him a gentle smile, careful not to let the worry show. “It’s okay, Blaze. She just has to invite you in first.”
"But she let you in," he says, lower now, eyes flicking to where Halley curls in my arms. There’s jealousy swimming in his gaze, but at least it’s not the dead-eyed emptiness that used to be there. That’s something.
“Because I’m her Beta,” I explain softly. “Right now, she’s vulnerable, and trust is everything. She’s just not ready to offer that to you yet.”
He nods, his jaw clenching. "How do I change her mind?"
“Keep doing what you’re doing. Stay present with us.”
He nods, but his eyes slide away. I can feel him pulling back, retreating to whatever space inside his head still feels manageable. I hate that I can’t follow him there.
"Hey, come on. Talk to me."
He shrugs. "I don't know if I can keep my head straight. Everything is so confusing. So loud."
“Do you feel the Pack bond? Can you hear us when we talk to you through the connection?”
"Yeah, ‘cept it’s like a radio I can’t tune right. Sometimes I catch your voices, but then I’m lost in a static storm again. Drowning in my own thoughts and feelings with no way back."
“Fuck man, that sounds awful,” I say earnestly. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugs again, and I’m struck by how weary he appears, like an adventurer who has been in the wilds for too long.
"What if I’m not… Blaze anymore? What if I never earn her trust back?”
"You will always be our Blaze. No matter how you return to us. You're our brother, and we love you." I mean every word, and his pale eyes well up with tears.
"I want to believe you, but it's hard." A tear wells and falls down his scarred cheek. "I'm so tired of fighting the darkness."
A soft chirp breaks the tension, and Halley stirs, reaching out.
"Blaze?" she calls.
He looks at her, his eyes wide. "Yeah?"
"Stay. Don't go," she says, her voice soft and pleading. "You... You can come into the nest if it’ll help. It’s a soft place to land. It’s safe here. Promise."
His breath catches in his throat.
I may have underestimated her grasp of reality. The little minx was listening to our conversation all along.
Blaze’s expression shifts to open and hopeful.
I give him a small nod and shuffle aside, making space.
As Blaze slips into the nest, Halley reaches for him without hesitation. He folds into her, arms embracing around her small frame, and she tucks against his neck, purring softly.
“This is nice,” he whispers into her hair. “It’s quiet in here. Thank you.”
I smile, heart full. “Get some rest. Both of you. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Halley’s purr is steady and low, thrumming through the small space like a lullaby. I can feel it ripple through the nest, wrapping around us like a living thing.
Blaze’s shoulders, usually braced against unseen threats, begin to loosen. His breath shudders out in a long, quiet sigh as he melts into the blankets, into her and this moment. The haunted edge that clung to him for so long finally softens.
I’m watching over them. My girl curled against my chest, my brother held close in her arms, both of them trusting me enough to take care of them when they’re vulnerable.
This... feels right in a way nothing else ever has.
