XIV

     "You shouldn't have. You should have waited."

       He left her on the spot. He had no idea what she was thinking before aiming without being conscious. She seemed to always love to get herself into trouble. That was more of a plague than what he could knuckle under. He wouldn't want to prune the thought. He didn't want to push the odds. He needed the right feeling to prick. He knew that he didn't have much time to keep housing the thoughts. There was more to staying alive. There was more to having the will to live. He must get there before things would slip outta his hands. He hoped that he would make meaning of the odds. He hoped that he would be able to save one of the mates. He hoped that it wouldn't be too late. He hadn't been there for them. He hadn't been all-in for them. He hadn't had the time to foster the growth of the pack. He had been taken away. He should then be there for one of the mates.