Moving Forward

Casualties (32)

Waking up in Kyle's arms was something Max still wasn't accustomed to. It gave him the comforting sense that everything was fine, that both of them were safe. But then the memories of the night before came flooding back and Max just wanted to hide away from the world. Bury his head under a pillow and wrap him and Kyle in blankets so as to never see another face again.

The most he managed was to keep Kyle in bed with him for a few more hours.

"Are you alright?" Max murmured, not wanting to break their little bubble by speaking too loud.

Kyle huffed a laugh. "Barely a scratch, should be asking you that."

"I don't..." Max groaned, screwing his eyes shut. "My head hurts."

"You had a few nasty bites," Kyle said, running a hand through Max's dark hair, "started tearing up bodies that were already dead. You wouldn't let anyone near me. And then you passed out."

Groaning again, Max could only imagine what his father would have to say about that.

Another hour passed before Andy knocked on their door. "Alpha River has called a meeting," she said, sombre.

Something else had happened. Something Max hadn't been mentally stable enough to acknowledge. Kyle gave him a forced smile and squeezed his hand.

To Andy he said, "we'll be down in a minute."

A sigh escaped Kyle when he left the bed.

"What's wrong?" Max asked. "What else happened?"

Kyle shut his eyes, keening quietly. Collapsing back onto the edge of the bed, he dropped his face into his hands and a great wracking sob forced its way out of him. Max was by his side in an instant, drawing Kyle into his chest, offering the only comfort he could without knowing the real problem.

"Love?"

"Nothing's gone right," Kyle whispered. "Dad... my Dad's dead. Max-" he hissed an intake of breath. "- my dad is dead Max."

Kyle didn't use Max's name often. It usually some form of pet name and Thiago if he was being sweet. Now, like this, Max didn't like hearing his name fall from Kyle's lips. Not in that voice. Cracking and on the verge of tears. Pained.

"We don't have to go to the meeting," Max said, running fingers through Kyle's thick hair, "we can just stay here. Forget about the real world for a while."

"No," Kyle sniffed, held a breath and then let it out sharply. "No, w-we have to go. The pack will think there's something wrong if I don't and -"

"Are you sure?"

Kyle paused. Max could see Kyle was taking a moment to think it over. "Yeah, I'm sure," he said, after another long exhale.

Together, they got dressed and went downstairs hand in hand. Everyone else was already there. Andy stood on the stage by the stairs, nerves written all over her face and Carter stood next to Amelia, both of them red around the eyes, mouths set firm. Fin, as usual, clung to his mother, but now it was more desperate. Blake positioned himself with Max's team - on the wall, close enough to the stage to help if need be - some of them sporting bandages well-hidden beneath their clothes, but peaking out in places.

Still holding Max's hand, Kyle led them up onto the dais and they stopped on the left side of Amelia. In the presence of Kyle, Fin shifted, not letting go of Amelia, but helping himself to the hand that Kyle offered in support.

"It's been a harrowing night," Amelia started, voice strong if a little husky from crying, but nobody could fall her for that. "Some of you have lost siblings, parents, friends, and I am deeply sorry for your loss. A loss to this pack is a loss for us all and I feel the absence as much as you all do. As you all know, we also lost Anderson. Without my mate, I feel I am not the alpha I was just last night, and so I will be stepping down."

"Before he died, Anderson named me his successor," Carter announced. "Now, I give you the right to challenge."

There was some murmuring at that. Some wondering why Kyle hadn't been chosen, or why Amelia couldn't just continue being Alpha. It was bad timing, Max thought. Created instability within the pack. This was exactly what Gillespie would want.

To Max's surprise, none of the pack challenged him.

"What about Kyle?" Parish called. "I know I'm not pack, and I don't mean to be rude, but Kyle is older isn't he? Wasn't he meant to be Alpha?"

Max could be embarrassed, it would be easy, but Parish was already being told off by Duke and Lola. Besides, he was only asking the same question everyone else was. For a moment, silence fell throughout the hall as Carter best tried to figure out how to answer the question.

Kyle stepped up. "I've never wanted to be Alpha. Even when we were younger, and Carter and I were taught our roles, I never wanted the one that our order of birth assigned us. Being born first does not mean I would make a good Alpha. But Carter would." He took a deep breath. "My Brother has always done right by y'all, always did his best ta make sure you were safe and happy. He knows what's best for the pack more than I ever would, and I am happy to be Alpha Carter's enforcer."

Max didn't rightly know what an enforcer was, but at the moment, it didn't matter. Pride welled up in him for his mate. The sting from having the alpha title ripped away from his reach had been soothed, and Kyle had figured out how he suited his new role in the pack. If nothing else, Max was just glad that Kyle wouldn't hurt every time someone reminded him that he didn't suit the role of alpha.

He'd have to find out later what an enforcer's job was though. If it was anything like it sounded, Kyle wouldn't be able to it. Once this was all over, Max was making damn sure that Kyle would never leave the bloody house ever again.

Later, once the meeting was over and it was just Max's team, Kyle, Carter, and Blake left - Fin had gone with Amelia - they secluded themselves in the room that Team Panther had taken.

"We didn't want to alarm the pack," Carter said, standing in the middle of the room, "but Lara escaped last night, too. Probably with the help of her brother."