Alx P.O.V.

Ah, the fresh air is good. I needed to get out of that stuffy office. it wasn't helping me at all.

I finally gave up on trying to get any work done.

So, here I am walking around town. Breathing in the much-needed fresh air. Clearing my mind. At least trying to. Thoughts of her are not the easiest to get rid of. But it's a lot easier now that I've blocked Eric out completely. He was constantly filling my head with every possible thing that could go wrong with Shayla today.

Shit. Now I'm thinking about it again.

Think about something else. Anything else.

A blank page? No that just makes me think about work.

Ok. Let's change tactics. Look around. What do you see? Street signs. Sidewalks. Homes. Trees swaying in the breeze. That reminds me of running.

Running? Yeah, maybe I should go for a run. Let off some steam. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Yeah, that's what I need. A good ru-

*Sniff*

Shayla?

It's definitely Shayla.

"Where is she?" scanning my surroundings looking for her.

I can smell her. So, where is she? Her scent is getting stronger. And stronger.

There.

She just came around the corner. She's running? No, sprinting.

Why?

"Shayla!" Chris calling for her, still out of my sight. He must be running after her.

She's getting closer and closer to me. Her face is red.

Why the hell is her face red?

I half expect her to slow down after seeing me. But if anything she seems to only speed up.

She runs past me. And I'm hit with a wave of emotions, not of my own. The only one of which I can make out being pain. A deep pain.

What the fuck happened?

I run after her. Catching up to her with ease. Running in front of her I catch her with a bear hug. Making sure not to harm her. I will never harm her. But she's not going to make that easy for me, now is she?

The sparks. No, now's not the time.

"Let me go!" squirming in my hold, trying to push me away.

"Calm down." trying to hold her still.

"Let go!" Her eyes watering. Her attempts to get free becoming more frantic.

"Stop. You're going to get yourself hurt." Trying to calm her down.

"Let go of me!" Fighting against me even harder.

"Stop!" struggling not to hurt her.

With one final shove, she frees her self from me. And runs away from me. instinctively I chase after her. Coming face to face with Chris, she turns around and running at full speed. Stopping when she finds herself in front of me again. She takes a few steps back, only to stop. Remembering that Chris is behind her. She spins around trying to look for a way out. Leaving us the chance to close in on her. Sparring us each one final glance, she falls to the ground, admitting defeat. Tears turning into quiet sobs as she brakes down.

It pains me to see her like this.

Regrettably, a crowd has gathered. I can't be bothered right now.

"Shayla?" Chris asks making small steps towards her.

She offers no reply. Her sobs only got louder. Inching closer and closer to her, Chris holds his hands out wide. Ready for if she tries to make a run for it. But she makes no attempt to move.

"Tell me what happened."

She just shakes her head.

"I need to know what happened."

She shakes her head again.

"Shayla." he warns, engulfing her in a hug.

She fights against him, shaking her head frantically. He tightens his hold, bringing her closer to him. Making any movement impossible, but that doesn't stop her from trying.

"Tell me!" he shouts with his frustration.

"They're gone!" she shouts back, now trembling. Giving up on fighting. Seeing no reason to now.

"Who?!"

"M-mom a-an, a-and D-dad. Th-they're, they're gone." Battling to speak through her sobs.

Chris opens and closes his mouth, trying to process what she said. "What do you mean 'they're gone'?"

"They're gone, brother. They're gone. Th-they're dead. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried. I really did. I tried to save them. I tried so hard to save them. B-but. But I got there too late. I-I got there too late. l got other too late." crying her heart out.

So that's why she came here. That's why she hasn't left. She needed to tell him this.

Chris is frozen. Comprehending what he's just been told. Trying to at least.

Mate, you're in so much pain.

Her echoing cries of pain cut through me like daggers. She's been carrying this pain with her the whole time. And we knew nothing about it. She was dealing with this the whole time, but she put on a smile and a brave face. Only to cry when she thought no one was around. When she thought that no one could hear her. I caught her out a few times. But I never thought it would be this. I never thought it would be as bad as this.

She lost her parents.

They lost their parents.

The news hard to accept, and a heavy burden to carry.

And she's been carrying it alone this whole time.

And I didn't know. I'm her mate. I should have known.

The letter. I should have known the moment I read that letter. I'm so fucking stupid. I could have stopped her suffering.

No, I couldn't have. This pain doesn't go away. I know that.

But I could have at least lightened the load. Made it easier to bear.

But I didn't see it.

I didn't fucking see it.

Breaking from his frozen state, Chris brings Shayla closer to him again.

"Shhh. It's ok. It's ok." Stroking her hair trying to calm her down. Trying to comfort her.

"No, it's not. I should have been able to save them. I should have known that something was off. It's my fault they're gone. It's my fault." Still shaking in his hold.

She blaming her self.

She can't think that. How could this be her fault?

"It's not your fault." Chris trying to keep a low calm voice.

"It is. It is. I should have been able to save them. I failed. I failed them."

"You're not a warrior, Shayla. How can you be to blame for this? This isn't your fault. If anyone is to blame it's me. I left you. I left you to pick up my slack. That was wrong of me."

"You did the best you could."

"No I didn't. I should have visited you guys. You had no control over this. Yet her you are blaming yourself. You can't keep doing this to yourself. Yes, you're strong. And you're tough. And you think you can handle it. But you can't. You can't keep carrying everything on your shoulders, and your shoulders alone. You can't. You can't do this alone. I can't do this alone. Help me. And let me help you." Trying his hardest to be strong for her. Trying to calm her, stroking her hair again. "It's ok. It's ok. Everything is going to be ok." He whispers not only to Shayla but to himself as well. Looking up to the sky not knowing how to feel.

Shayla's crying starts to die down as she slowly calms.

"Shhh. It's ok. Shhh." He whispers again, stray tears leaving his eyes. "Shhh." Gently patting her back. Tears now streaming down his face.

They stay like this for a while. In the dead silence.

Shayla's fallen to sleep. From pure exhaustion no doubt.

And Chris. Well, he looks truly empty. Staring out into space the way that he is. Just like Shayla did when she first got here.

Now I know why.

For fucks sake. Why are they all still here?

"Do none of you have any respect?" I ask, my annoyed tone breaking the silence.

They all just look at me with questioned faces. Unaware of their wrongdoings.

"Leave. Now." Gritting my teeth.

And they scurry away. Took them long enough.

Walking up to Chris and Shayla, I crouch down next to them, examining the sorry pair.

They need rest.

"Give her to me."

He doesn't answer. He doesn't move. His expression doesn't change. He isn't here. He's quite well away from here.

"Chris." Calling him back.

"Wh-what?" Snaping from his daze.

"Give her to me."

"No." Shaking his head, holding her closer.

"You are in no state to carry her back. Give her to me." Using a more commanding tone.

"I- ok." Reluctantly handing her over to me.

I pick her up bridal style. To my surprise, she wraps her arms around my neck. I give myself a moment to enjoy it before carrying on. I start to carry her to the house, Chris' empty shell following behind me. I stop at the doorstep, waiting for Chris to open the door. Stumbling past me Chris takes out his keys and opens the door. Leaving it wide open, he walks in and places himself on the couch.

Gently placing Shayla down on her bed, I pull the blanket over her. She rolls on to her find and curls up slightly, getting comfortable. I slowly sit down next to her, being sure not to wake her.

"It pains me to see you suffer this way mate." Wiping away the tears that remained on her face.

Let me just sit here for a moment. That's all I need.

I find myself stroking her hair. Hoping by doing so I will be wiping away her pain. Even though I know it won't.

"Good night. I'll be back tomorrow." Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, before I leave.

Walking back into the lounge, I see that Chris is still sat there on the couch.

"Go get some rest. We'll be having a talk in the morning."

He nods, getting up and leaving for his room.

I find myself letting go of a breath that I didn't know I was holding in. I run a hand through my hair, grounding myself again.

I must go.

Locking the door behind me, I leave. Despite each step being agony.