Escape | ✓

EXTRA: Arlo

Arlo

My parents always told me that relationships were a waste of time. They said that there was no logical reason why someone would want to put themselves through unnecessary pain. The way they saw it, the only reason to get involved with another person was for children. And, as a result of that thinking, I was born into a loveless family.

My father was a cold man. He rarely showed his emotions and when he did, they were limited to anger, disappointment, and frustration. The first time I let him down was when I was born. After having three daughters, he wanted a son and prayed to the Moon Goddess for one; However, what he forgot to specify was that he wanted a strong son who was a warrior like him, not an omega. Even though he never physically said it, the look in his eyes said a thousand words.

My mother, on the other hand, was a strange lady. She married my father out of obligation, not because she wanted to. Because of this, she was rarely around in the house. So between her reoccurring disappearances and my father's apathy, I practically raised myself. Of course, I had my sisters but even they couldn't fill the void created by the absence of a parent's love.

So I started looking for love elsewhere. That was when I met Emmanuel. At the time, I genuinely did believe that he was perfect. He was kind, son of our pack's gamma, and was always in the spotlight. Despite all of this, he was with me. I thought our relationship was perfect, but there was one issue. Emmanuel refused to go public with our relationship. I chalked it up as shyness since there weren't many same-sex relationships in our pack.

That wasn't it.

It was the night of my birthday. We were supposed to meet up, but Emmanuel never showed up. I figured that he'd gotten busy and brushed it off. What I wasn't expecting was to wake up the next morning to the news of his engagement being announced. Being only eighteen, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. As far as I knew, marriage wasn't even an idea in his mind, but there he was, standing with a woman I'd never met before.

Heartbroken, I practically begged for an answer the moment we were able to be alone. He couldn't meet my eyes. I expected him to say that it was forced on him—that he didn't want to be with her—but that wasn't the case.

"You're a wonderful person, Arlo, but..." he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "This was never going to work. Come on, you know that. My family is expecting me to marry someone of similar or higher ranking and..." And I wasn't that. "Also, you're not exactly the average omega, you're..."

I wasn't the type of omega who submitted at first glance. I didn't follow the traditional guidelines that our pack enforced. I liked having control, which many couldn't understand. I thought Emmanuel had, but I was wrong.

Not long after, Emmanuel was married and I left our pack. I traveled anywhere and everywhere looking for a place to call home, but it wasn't until I met Callie that I actually started to feel like I belonged somewhere. A year and a half passed by quickly, and soon Cronan joined our group. I wasn't sure what exactly had drawn me to him, but before I knew it, I was spending a lot of my time with him. Around the same time, Reuben showed up and it seemed like we had a full group.

So why did it seem like it was falling apart before my eyes?

"You look miserable," a man said as he took a seat across from me.

I was currently at Jollie's, the ice cream shop in town. I was a firm believer that ice cream could fix any mood, but today it seemed to let me down.

"I feel miserable," I muttered.

"What happened?" He asked curiously and I sighed.

What didn't happen? "Too much. I got into a fight with a friend, fell for someone who wouldn't be able to return my feelings, and now I'm bitching about my life problems to a stranger at an ice cream shop who can't relate."

The man stared at me with amusement mixed with pain. "Trust me, I think I can relate a bit too well."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I fucked up, it's as simple as that. I fell for a person who'd never be able to return my feelings and ruined a good friendship."

I frowned. That's what I was scared of. I wanted more with Cronan, but not at the cost of our friendship. I didn't want to lose him completely.

"There's no fixing it?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

I felt bad. Even though I didn't know who he was or what he'd done, I couldn't help but feel pity for him. I pushed the bowl of mostly untouched ice cream in front of me toward him.

"I think you need this more than me."

The man laughed quietly, but he didn't touch the bowl. Instead, the two of us continued to talk about anything and everything, really. From friendships, and relationships, to so much more. Honestly, it was kind of refreshing having someone to vent to.

The door to Jollie's ringed and my eyes drifted toward it. Standing there was Cronan and I could feel my sad mood from before return. We hadn't talked since the day we ended things. His eyes drifted across the shop, studying all the faces. Once he reached mine, he seemed to freeze. We stayed there staring at each other for a few moments before his eyes drifted to the man sitting across from me.

As if feeling someone's gaze, the man turned around and his eyes immediately found Cronan's. I expected it to be a glance and then they'd turn away, but no. They both held it as if they were silently communicating. It was then and only then that I realized something.

They were mates.

AN: Alright, this is the actual last thing to be posted until Chapter 26. I told you I had plans for Cronan and Fen. Before anyone asks, no I will not be leaving poor Arlo hurting for too long. I have some ideas for what to do with him, but nothing is set in stone yet.

But Cronan and Fen being mates? One word: drama. Some of you said Cronan is similar to Nixon, whom Fen clearly dislikes, so that'll be interesting. Plus, Cronan and Eli are close so imagine finding out you're mated to the person who hurt your friend...😬

I'll be talking about Fen and Cronan's bond in this book obviously, but since this story does focus mostly on Eli, if people are interested in seeing them more I'll do extras (or possibly a book, but don't hold me to that.) Also, I know that not everyone is going to like this since Fen is pretty hated, but this was planned from the beginning of the book so what's done is done. Their bond won't play that significant of a role in the story anyway.

And again, just to make sure it's 100% clear, Arlo will be okay in the end!