Cronan is angry. Angry that after years of waiting, he's mated to the one wolf he never wanted.
Fen is stuck. Stuck in a state of purgatory that he doesn't know how to escape from.
After learning of his mate's crimes, Cronan never expected to see h...
**Double update. Make sure you read Chapter 29 first!**
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The Emerald Ridge pack was the embodiment of the saying, "Looks can be deceiving" from my perspective. On the outside, the pack was beautiful. The modern exterior always caught the attention of any visitors who came, but unbeknownst to them, it was all a façade, created to hide the pack's old, archaic beliefs.
An unsettled feeling formed inside of me as I entered the pack's territory. I could feel beady eyes following me as I drove through the grounds. Memories of people flashed through my mind. I hadn't been gone for that long and yet, they all seemed to vastly change from how I once remembered them. It was strange, to say the least.
I briefly glanced down at my phone, making sure to follow the directions to Reed's house where he all but insisted I stayed during my visit. Not that I would've argued otherwise. I wasn't keen on staying in a hotel and I'd rather drop dead than stay with my parents, so I was more than willing to take him up on the offer.
It seemed as though he was more excited than I was about my return which made sense in a way. After years of trying to coax me back into the idea of pack life, he'd finally succeeded in getting me to visit. It was a victory for him—albeit a small one, but a victory nonetheless.
It didn't take me long to find his house, given that it wasn't that far from the one we grew up in. I stared up at it and made note of how the dark brick exterior was the complete opposite of Oakwood's bright white buildings.
I parked the car and not a moment later, the front door was thrown open and my younger brother emerged with a huge grin on his face.
"You're here!" Reed exclaimed as he hurried and pulled me into a tight embrace.
"You act like you haven't seen me in ages," I teased but returned the hug.
"I haven't seen you here in ages," he countered, gesturing to the pack. "Honestly, it kind of feels surreal."
"Trust me, I know," I agreed, even though I was sure we had two entirely different feelings about my presence.
"You should've let me meet you at the border," Reed said.
I raised an eyebrow. "Why? It's not like I don't know my way around here. I haven't been gone that long, now. It would've been a waste of your time."
He rolled his eyes. "I don't care. I wanted to be there. Make sure you tell me next time."
I wanted to remind him that there would be no "next time". This was a one-time deal since it was for something important, but that was the extent of this agreement. However, I held back since I didn't want to ruin his mood so early on in my visit. I knew he'd been looking forward to it, so I was willing to look past the comment for now.
