“When are we going to talk about all of it? About how you ghosted me after our parents died? About how you disappeared for months
when I needed you most? About when….”
“Orion!” Tristan cut in, his voice sharp. “I’m not doing this here.”
‘Yes, you are. I’ve giving you enough time, haven’t I?” Orion shot back, and I could hear his alpha authority creeping into his voice now. “Athena is unconscious for the next few hours, and this conversation is long overdue. We’re talking about it. Right now.”
Their voices clashed like thunder, raw and heavy with years of unspoken pain. Things were getting completely out of control and I knew that if I didn’t stop this soon, they were going to say things that couldn’t be taken back.
I had to stop this.
With every ounce of strength I had left, I Slowly and painfully manage to crack my eyes open. Sunlight was streaming through the curtains, hitting me directly in the face and making me wince.
I was still in my room at Tristan’s place, but there was an IV line in my arm. How long had I been unconscious?
I checked the clock on the nightstand and felt shock run through me like electricity. It was past three in the afternoon. I’d never slept this long after taking the pills, not even during the worst days with Daxon when I’d used them regularly just to cope with the constant
fear and pain.
The medication had always helped me sleep through the worst of it. The pills helped me calm down, helped me forget about the physical and emotional pain, helped me escape into dreamless oblivion.
But last night had been a mistake. I shouldn’t have taken them, not after promising myself I’d stay clean. The doctor in London had warned me about the side effects, about how easy it would be to accidentally take too much.
door.
I disconnected the IV and slipped on my flip–flops as I headed toward the door, their voices becoming clearer as I got closer to the
“Alright,” Tristan said. “What do you want to talk about, then?”
“Let’s talk about how you ghosted me for months after our parents‘ funeral,” Orion shot back. “I was hurting too. I lost them too. And then my only sister left to ‘figure out life.‘ I couldn’t stop her, I had to be the older brother.”
I froze. My hand on the doorknob. My heart cracked, the guilt hit me like a physical blow, making it hard to breathe.
Orion’s voice broke as he continued. “We all lost our parents,” Orion continued, his voice thick with emotion. “We were all supposed to be there for each other. Mom told me on her deathbed that she knew I’d take good care of you guys. How do you think I feel right now,
knowing I failed her?”
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low.
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“I didn’t mean to hurt you, man. I just… I didn’t want to burden you, when you were dealing with so much already.” Tristan said, voice
“Here you go again,” Orion interrupted, and his voice was breaking now in a way that made my heart shatter. “Who am I to you,
Tristan? Who do you see me as?”
I’d never heard Orion sound like this
–
so lost, so vulnerable, so completely stripped of the strong facade he always wore. He’d always been the mature one among us, organized and careful and thoughtful. Our parents used to say he was born to be a leader.
But hearing someone I’d always seen as an unshakeable pillar of strength sound so broken, so hurt, made me realize how selfish I’d been. How much damage my running away had caused.
What have I done? I’d left thinking only about my own pain, my own need to escape. I’d never stopped to consider how it felt for him to lose his parents and then watch his little sister abandon the family when they needed each other most.
He’d lost his parents too, there weren’t just mine. And we were supposed to heal together, to support each other through the grief.
Instead, I’d failed them both.
“Man, you know you’re my brother,” Tristan said, his voice thick with emotion. “You know I care about you.”
“Then why do you always push me away when you’re in pain?” Orion demanded. “Why do you run from me the same way she did?
Why don’t you ever just talk to me?
If we excuse Athena as a child what about? Aren’t you supposed to communicate with me? Why do you always push me away when you’re hurting? Why do you always run from me instead of talking to me?”
So many why’s, but that could show how much he was hurting. How much he’d had to carry the pain before speaking out, because Orion hardly calls anyone out this way.
“I do talk to you,” Tristan protested, but even he sounded unsure.
“You do?” Orion’s laugh was bitter. “Then what about Jess?” Orion’s voice dropped, just a whisper now.
Jess?
I held my breath.
Tristan let out a grunt, like he’d just been stabbed in the gut. I could hear his footsteps–angry, pacing. Like he wanted to punch
something.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“What do you mean? You lost your pregnant mate and you think there’s nothing to talk about?”
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“Orion.” Tristan was genuinely pissed right now, I think he might shift if care is not taken.
“I understand what you’re going through, I know it isn’t easy. But you’d do the same if I was in your shoe.”
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“But you’re not in my shoe‘ Tristan voice drip with thick malice. I think Orion would have ended the conversation when Tristan asked
him to.
This won’t end well, I might even witness the two Alpha throw fist after many years.
Yes, Tristan and Orion used to fight a lot. Our parents would always separate them.
But one day, they tried separating them but they refused. So they left them to fight, I think they were like seventeen then.
They fought for hours none stop, our parents acted like they were not aware of their fights. When they got tired of fighting, they both
came inside to apologize to our parents.
Since then, they’ve never gotten into another fist fight again, but I think today might be an exception.
“You’re not the one that lost his pub. You’re not the one that had to bury his pregnant mate”
The words hit me like a freight train, blood drained from my face.
All the air left my lungs at once, and I had to grab the doorframe to keep from collapsing.
Tristan had lost a mate. A pregnant mate.
A gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it, loud enough that I was sure they’d heard me through the door.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
