Dylan is hopeful when he steps foot into the first pack meeting since the announcement of the treaty. He's excited for the future, for the reconciliation that he hadn't dared dream of.

Orion is full of dread.

There are a lot more faces than Dylan had expected in the room.

Orion is not surprised at the number of faces looking back at him.

Dylan is dismayed by the tension settled in the air and the grave, frightened expressions reflected back at him.

Orion is pleasantly surprised that there isn't a full scale mutiny in progress.

The eerie quiet among the usually chatty Bluewood residents unsettles Dylan's already fractious nerves, whereas the irate mutterings in the Ironhill packhorse soothe Orion's anxieties. It could have been much worse, Orion thinks to himself.

"How could you?"

The question is easier to answer than Orion had feared.

"It was time that the feud with Bluewood was put to rest. We have no reason to begrudge our neighbours. We will be stronger united than we ever were when we were at war." He says firmly.

"Why?"

Dylan flounders, his hands clammy as he frowns gently to himself. Why?

"This reconciliation has been in the works for years. It was something my father fought for, and something that Orion and I are passionate about. The feud between Ironhill and Bluewood has hurt the packs for far too long." He says, aware of the fact that he's essentially dodged the question entirely.

The fact does not go unnoticed.

"I'm not going to be chummy with those murdering bastards, and you can't make me."

Orion smiles to himself.

"No, I can't make you, Steve. So, I actively encourage you to find yourself a new place to live. Prejudice and violence against Bluewood pack will not be tolerated. So I suggest you swallow your pride, or pack up, pun intended. Next question." Orion says smoothly, falling into his element.

"Why should we trust them now?"

Dylan opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

How does he communicate the goodness of his mate, the unending trust that Orion has earned after years of standing by his side, regardless of his recent absence and rejection. How does he communicate how different Orion's leadership is from Reece's, or how his pack has nothing to fear after living in it for decades?

He can't.

Sam watches his Alpha hesitate with a pained expression, flexing his fingers as he shifts uncomfortably. It's so hard to watch, and he wishes he had the words.

"Ironhill is under new leadership now. I have worked closely with Orion for a while and I promise that you have nothing to fear. My loyalty, however, is, and always will be, to my people, the people of Bluewood." Dylan says, his voice getting harder, colder as he goes on.

And he finally understands where Orion is coming from. How can he possibly give himself to his mate when his responsibility will always be here, to his people?

"I took an oath to protect you, to lead you, to guide you. It is not an oath I took lightly, and it will be an oath I take to my grave." Dylan says. He can almost feel the hope in his heart die with the words that fall from his lips.

Sam's stomach twists at the look on his Alpha's face. He's half inspired, half terrified by the intensity in his eyes and the tragic downturn of his lips. It's painful, but he can't look away.

Orion watches the crowd before him settle, irritation dissipating and allowing room for intrigue.

"When is the mural project going to begin?"

Orion's eyebrows lift minutely, his lips lifting as he opens his heart to the possibility of a bright future.

"Will Ironhill pack be moving into Bluewood territory?"

"I don't trust them, their pack murdered my grandfather!"

"Ben wouldn't stand for this, where is Ellie? What does she think of this?"

"I'm frightened, are we expected to live in fear?!"

Dylan's heart sinks with every panic fuelled question, his insecurity rearing its ugly head in his mind as he tries and fails to field every question, to resurrect calm when it never existed in the first place.

He purses his lips and ploughs on, his mask never slipping, but with every moment his posture crumples, his confidence shrinking as every breath feels a little tighter in his chest. He longs for someone. His soulmate. His father. His mother. Someone to help him, to stand by his side. Sam is doing his best, but it's not enough, and the realisation hits Dylan like a wrecking ball. Sam has always been enough.

But as he looks at his Beta, he realises with a sinking heart that Sam's encouraging smile and bright eyes aren't what he needs right now.

Dylan has always had the words, the charisma, the unyielding confidence and energy of a young man born to lead, but in this moment he feels small and vulnerable, and his youthful positivity feels debilitating rather than liberating.

Orion leaves his meeting with a chirpy optimism and a spring in his step.

Dylan leaves his meeting with heavy shoulders and an ancient hopelessness in his soul, unsure how he'll manage to face this same crescendo again tomorrow when it feels as though his life is falling apart.