Derek set the flowers down in front of his parents' niche in the columbarium and stepped back.
He stood there a long moment, saying nothing, simply looking at the two names carved into the cool stone. There was so much he might have said, so much he could not. In the end, he said none of it. He turned and walked out.
Declan was waiting for him just outside.
Without a word, Derek held out his hand. Declan placed the scent suppressant pills into his open palm. Derek popped them into his mouth, swallowed, and let out a measured breath, his eyes settling on his Beta.
"How do I look?" he asked.
"Like shit," Declan said. "But presentable." He shrugged. "The scent suppressants should successfully mask your grief, so that our enemies won't be able to smell the state you're in."
Derek gave a humourless chuckle and walked past him. "You're still being your paranoid self, Declan."
Declan fell into step beside him. "I prefer to call it cautious."
