Page 60 of Luna: Posy 2

He didn't say anything more, and I didn't feel like talking, either, although I knew he wouldn't let me get away with that for long.

The sigh I let out came from the bottom of my soul.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Why? I'm sure Granite told you everything." Like Posy, my wolf couldn't keep a secret for anything.

"I'd like you to tell me yourself."

"Just a bunch of dumb stuff," I muttered.

"It's not dumb stuff if it hurts you."

I didn't answer, but Mason had more patience than Ieverwould. He rocked us and rubbed my back and waited.

"I miss Posy," I brought up the easiest issue first.

"Yeah. It's hard being away from her. We'll see her soon, though."

"I'm still struggling with how much I hate what she went through." My hands turned into tight fists. "She shouldn't have panic attacks. She shouldn't get so scared. She shouldn't feel worthless. She shouldn't have nightmares."

"I know." He took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly. "I find comfort in knowing that she's healing. It's slow progress, and there will be steps backwards, but remember the day we met her? Compare that to how she reacted after Quartz attacked you. Yes, she panicked while it was happening, but after she calmed down, she handled it like a queen."

"True. I half thought she'd completely shut down."

I snuggled more into Mase's side, wanting comfort for what I had to say next.

"Reuben almost died because of me," I whispered as guilt racked me.

"Notbecause of you. Someone had to come deliver the papers to sever our alliance. No matter who you or I or any of our brothers sent, they would have been hurt. The person to blame for that is not you."

We rocked in silence for a bit until I could admit what hurt the worst.

"Quartz is mad and Jay's upset."

"Yeah. Granite said you did a dumb."

I snorted. That was Granite, all right.

"I didn't realize the extent of it until Posy showed me. I'm sorry, Mase, for doing that to you so often. And I want to tell Q sorry, too, but he won't link with me."

"What's Jay say?" he asked.

"Well, I haven't linked with him." I squirmed internally. "At first, he tried a bunch of times, but I ignored him, and now I'm too ashamed to link him."

"Why don't you find some time tomorrow and the two of you have a face-to-face conversation? I think that would be best."

"Yeah." I nodded, then squeezed my eyes shut. "I'm sorry. I know I keep letting you down."

He tensed and stopped rocking us. Hugging me hard, he bent his head and spoke softly in my ear.

"I want you to listen to me. Are you listening? You better be. You arenota burden. You arenota disappointment. You arenotletting me down. You are my baby brother—"

"Mase—"

"And I love you."

And that was all it took to open the floodgates.

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