“Is he coming here?” Callum’s gaze dropped to where Isaac’s phone sat on his desk.
Isaac sighed. “No. Another emergency meeting with the new council.”
As if summoned, Isaac’s phone rang, Michael’s name flashing on the screen.
“I’ll leave you to it.” Callum closed the door behind him.
“Hey,” Isaac said when he answered the call.
“I’m so fucking sorry.” Michael’s voice hitched. “I know I promised, but things are... unsettled to say the least. I can’t leave Baker to deal with this on his own.”
Why can’t you?
It was on the tip of Isaac’s tongue, but he bit back the words. “I miss you.” It wasn’t what he’d meant to say, but it just spilt out. Because it was the truth. He missed him more with every passing day.
He’d known going into this that there was a strong possibility that Michael would want to reclaim his position of McKillan pack alpha, and he’d thought he could handle that. That they’d somehow work it out between them. That they’d be okay.
The reality was so much harder to cope with.
“I miss you too,” Michael said, voice soft and full of the regret and longing Isaac knew he felt. “So fucking much.”
Isaac gripped his phone tight, wishing more than anything that Michael was here, that he could hold him and kiss him, feel the strength of his arms wrapped around him. Because the more time they spent apart, the harder it was for Isaac to believe they’d ever be together again.
Which was ridiculous, he knew. It had only been two weeks.
But Isaac was one man wanting Michael’s attention when the whole of London wanted it too.
Michael could only split himself in so many directions, and Isaac felt selfish for wanting him to drop it all and come to Mothecombe.
And he hated that more than anything.
“Isaac?” Michael sounded wary, and Isaac realised he’d been silent for too long. “Are we okay?”
I don’t know.
That was the honest answer, but he couldn’t say something like that to him when they were separated by so many miles. It wasn’t fair to either of them.
He bit his lip, not wanting to lie either.
In the end, he didn’t need to say anything.
“It won’t be like this forever,” Michael said, voice hitching and so full of emotion Isaac’s heart clenched. “Don’t give up on us.Please.”
Isaac closed his eyes, not trusting himself to speak for a moment. “I won’t,” he said, eventually blinking back tears, which he refused to let fall.
“I love you.”
Isaac sighed. The words wrapped around his heart and filled him with a warmth that he clung to with everything he had. “I love you too.”
* * *
Michael slumped backin his chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck.”
“Problem?”
He startled, almost dropping his phone, and glanced up to see Baker leaning in his doorway. The fact he hadn’t heard him approach spoke volumes. “I was supposed to go back to Mothecombe and spend the full moon with Isaac.”
“Oh.” Baker was well aware of the work they still had to do to get the joint council up and running smoothly. “How did he take it?”
