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...
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It was always easy to spot those who were born in The Rogue's Den and who lived there for years versus those who just arrived.
The ones who spent large parts, if not all, of their lives in The Rogue's Den, strutted about as if the constant growling in the distance and fighting was little more than child's play. The newer ones, "fresh meat" as Ambrose liked to call them, always had this perpetually terrified expression on their face and seemed like they were constantly on guard.
I viewed myself as being somewhere in the middle. After a few months of being in the den, I began to accept the constant growls as part of daily life. They didn't always represent danger, but that didn't mean I stopped being weary of them altogether.
Returning to the den after leaving filled me with a mixture of feelings. I couldn't say I missed the place because I didn't, but seeing the familiar sight of wolves crowded around made me feel a little guilty. Back when Reuben asked me to "visit", I left without looking back. The only one who knew where I was going was Ambrose.
In the time I'd been staying with Cronan, the den and its people had kind of taken a backseat in my mind which made me feel a little bad.
"Mr. Fen! Mr. Fen!"
Two sets of tiny arms wrapped around my legs. I glanced down to see two familiar tufts of ginger hair. Lola glanced up at me with Abel at her side, grinning with excitement. My eyes softened at the sight of the two.
Lola and Abel were two kids who'd been dumped at the den at a young age. Lola was seven and Abel was two, going on three. Both were far too young to be in a place like this.
Seeing them reminded me of the countless nights Ambrose would spend awake, watching guard and making sure the kids were safe. It wasn't surprising to me in the slightest that he'd been working on finding a new home for them when he'd spent years of his life trying to make this shit hole a semi-decent place for them.
"Hey, you two," I said, crouching down to their level. "What are you up to?"
"We've been waiting for you!" Lola announced, her voice full of determination. "Rosey said you'd be back today, and we wanted to surprise you."
I ruffled her hair, feeling a pang of guilt for being away so long. "Well, you definitely surprised me. How have you been?"
"Good! I found a new hiding spot in the woods, and Abel learned how to climb a tree!" Lola beamed with pride.
Abel nodded vigorously, his wide eyes shining with excitement. "Tree! Climb!"
"Wow, that's impressive," I replied, smiling at their enthusiasm. "You two have been busy."
