We all looked to Ox. He was staring down at the paper in his hands, eyes darting back and forth. He was pale when he looked back up at us. “He’s gone after Gavin. He says he’s sorry, but he has to do this. He has to find him.” He swallowed thickly. “And that he was going to cut himself off from us. From the pack. He doesn’t want anyone coming after him. He doesn’t want anyone else getting hurt.”
“No,” Kelly said, shaking his head. “He wouldn’t—he wouldn’t do that to me.” Anger like I’d never felt from him before filled his voice, tinged with the deepest blue. “He wouldn’t. I’m his brother. I’m his tether. He wouldn’t—” His voice broke.
“There’s a message for you,” Elizabeth said quietly as she cried. “He made a video.”
Ox turned on the TV hanging from the wall.
The screen was blue.
Ox pressed Play.
Carter Bennett filled the screen, sitting behind his father’s desk. His face was pale. He took in a stuttering breath and shook his head.
Then:
Kelly, I….
I love you more than anything in this world.
Please remember that.
I know this is going to hurt, and I’m sorry. But I have to do this.
You see, there was this boy. And he’s the best thing that ever happened to me. He gave me the courage to stand for what I believe in, to fight for those I care about. He taught me the strength of love and brotherhood. He made me a better per
son.
You, Kelly.
Always you.
You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
You’re my first memory. Mom was holding you, and I wanted to take you for myself, hide you away so no one would hurt you.
You’re my first love. I knew that when you would always smile when you saw me, and it was like staring into the sun.
You’re my heart.
You are my soul.
I love Mom. She taught me kindness.
I love Dad. He taught me how to be a good wolf.
I love Joe. He taught me that strength comes from within.
But you were my greatest teacher. Because with you, I understood life. What it meant to love someone so blindingly and without reservation. To have a purpose. To have hope. I have been a big brother for most of my life, and it’s the best thing I could ever be. Without you, I would be nothing.
I know you’re going to be angry.
But I hope you understand, at least a little bit.
Because I have this hole in my chest.
This void.
And I know why.