Escape | ✓

23

When I first met Fen, I knew immediately that we wouldn't get along. Maybe it was the haughty attitude he seemed to have or the way he seemed to think he was one step ahead of everyone else, I wasn't sure, but I knew we wouldn't get along.

However, as he strolled into my guest bedroom, I could tell something was different about him and it wasn't just his appearance. The last time I saw Fen, he was put together. His hair was combed back, no scars or blemishes were littering his body, and his outfit had been selected specifically for the occasion. This time was different. His hair was a tangled mess, there was a scar on his arm that looked as if it had been made by a gun of some sort—likely from hunters, and his clothes looked as if he'd just thrown something on without giving it much thought.

It made me wonder what had happened after I last saw him to cause this much of a drastic change.

"You said you wanted to see me?" Fen said, pulling me from my thoughts as he took a seat on the bed.

Though he was seated, my guard was still raised. There was something about Fen that made it seem as if he always had an ulterior motive.

"It's Eli," I told him and I watched the way his expression changed.

The guarded look fell ever so slightly and I could see a flash of unhealed pain inside his eyes. He quickly masked it though and nodded stiffly.

"What about him?"

"What happened after you left that day?" I asked.

Immediately his expression changed from neutral to hostile. His eyes narrowed and his hands were crossed over his chest. That was enough to tell me that whatever had happened between the two of them hadn't ended on good terms.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," he responded.

My brows raised. "You if all people have no right to be telling me what is and isn't my business. You've already crossed those lines."

He looked annoyed but we both knew it was the truth. The moment he came to see me behind Eli's back, he'd already crossed a line he wouldn't be able to undo.

"We fought. I left," he said simply, even though I knew there had to be more to the situation. "What does this have to do with Eli?"

"He's here," I explained and watched as Fen's whole demeanor changed.

"Here?"

"In Oakwood," I elaborated though I made sure to leave out the fact that he was only a few floors above us.

"Alone?" He asked and I nodded, not sure why it was important. "Why?"

"Pack work, but that's not why I called you. He found out I was here a while back and—"

"—he wants you to accept the bond," Fen finished and I nodded. "Typical Eli." The words were said with a mixture of fondness and bitterness. "What does that have to do with me?" He asked.

"I want him to stop trying," I said and he stared at me blankly.

"You're a fucking idiot," he shook his head and I scowled. "He comes back, giving you a second chance and somehow you still find a way to fuck up."

"I didn't ask for a second chance."

I didn't ask for the first one either.

"So you're an ungrateful fucking idiot," he hummed and before I could retort, he added, "I don't know what you have in mind, but I can think of a few ideas. Do you honestly believe that Eli is going to give a shit about what I say? Moreover, what makes you think I want to help you?"

"I'm not asking you to help me, I'm asking you to help Eli. You fucked up your friendship with him. The least you can do is help him find happiness and I'm not..."

I'm not what he needs.

"I think you're being stupid," Fen deadpanned. "Elias is a good guy—a great guy, even and he deserves the world," I opened my mouth but he raised a hand. "That's the only reason why I'll help you. Not from the kindness of my heart, not because I care about what happens to you, but because you don't deserve him."

He stood up and stretched. "I'll talk to him, but whatever happens after that is all you. Don't forget that."

"I can live with that."

I could live with Eli disliking me if it meant that he'd be happy in the end.

Fen stared at me for a moment before sighing and waving me away dismissively. "We'll talk more later. Get out, I want to take a shower."

"There are clothes in the dresser," I responded even though I was already counting down the days in my head when I'd no longer have to see him again.

I exited the room and the door was immediately shut. I rolled my eyes and headed back toward my own room and sat down. My eyes drifted back toward the door and I ran my hands over my face, trying to stop myself from questioning if I was making the right decision or not.

AN: A shorter update but Fen has arrived and it's only a matter of time before Eli runs into him. 👀