Not only have I been craving more Jen posts, but Gent needs yet another heart to heart with his hunting buddy. P:
slight pp liberties taken. takes place a few hours before this thread here.
EDIT: I forgot about Danica's birthing threads, so just to be safe I'mma say forward date this to 5/29.
He couldn't mess it up. And he couldn't dedicate himself just to pull back later, once he became alpha of Round Stone Crest, it would be sealed in stone. He was determined that he would never desert, never turn his back on them once this place was his. And that's why everything had to be so perfect. So was this truly the best thing? Was today really the day?
Heavy black paws wandered for quite some time before they finally found a goal to aim for. It was too soon to speak with Minka, even though she would be the single most affected wolf in all of this. With the very unfamiliar feeling of indecision wracking his brain, he didn't want to involve her in anything that might be messy, did not want to approach her about leadership until he was completely certain of himself and what he wanted. However, there was one wolf within the pack that had already shared a moment with him far messier than he'd ever wanted to experience. Someone who also caused several other thoughts and questions push their way into his crowded mind...
There was some nature of feelings brewing between Astraeus and Raela. Perhaps Gent was wrong on a few notes, as he clearly wasn't very well versed with things that dabbled into emotion, much less soaked in it as attraction did. He also couldn't know what was and was not reciprocated on either side. However, he did know that Raela and Aeus spent quite a bit of time together and were often found sitting or walking next to each other; recalling every pack event, he had realized that in each instance they had been glued to each others' side. He also remembered an aggressive and possessive tinge to the other man's features each time Gent had gotten too close to Raela when the woman, along with Kova, had led them to their current home. And of course, the most recent event of Aeus' actions toward her at the conclusion of their challenge.
The problem was, he already sensed a level of ambition from Astraeus. If Raela was to fall for him and become his mate, what was stopping them from leaving the pack to start their own? They couldn't start a family if they were to remain with Round Stone Crest; their only option was to leave if they became serious about their coupling. Unless Aeus planned on usurping both Gent and Minka. A shiver of protectiveness ran its course down his spine, a tinge of anger seeping into his veins as he thought of Aeus forcing Minka from the throne she had more than earned. These emotions swiftly calmed however as he thought about Raela's role in all of it. He couldn't picture the peaceful huntress turning against her matriarch and wrongfully ousting her. Yet he could see her taking her leave; they would most likely extend an olive branch, hoping to make an ally of Round Stone Crest, perhaps even settling close by. But it wouldn't be enough for Gent. He wanted more of her than that.
He could see her now, legs in motion to carry her at a steady gait toward some goal unbeknownst to him. She didn't seem to have noticed him, and so as he closed the distance between him Gent spoke up.
"Raela, wait up! I need to talk to you, privately..."