The interaction between a two-year-old and a kitten was meant to be comical. Had it been any other day, I would've laughed at the sight of Abel trying to coax CJ into playing with him, but it was difficult to find the energy when my thoughts kept traveling back to the blue-eyed man I called my mate.
Cronan was upstairs, fast asleep in my room which was another problem in itself. He tried to stay awake, but it seemed traveling had taken a toll on him which was how we arrived at the current predicament.
I could have moved him to another room and I should have, but some small, annoying part of me couldn't go through with it. The feeling was aggravating.
The sound of footsteps descending down the stairs caught my attention and I half expected it to be Cronan, but it wasn't. It was Ambrose—a very tired and upset-looking Ambrose.
"Hey," I greeted, trying to sound more upbeat than I felt. "You okay?"
"Fine," Ambrose stated.
"You look terrible."
"Sick?" Abel asked.
"I'm not sick," Ambrose assured the toddler before returning his attention to me. "Laken finally left."
"What? When?" They seemed to be enjoying themselves not long ago. "Did he say anything? Why would he—"
"I sent him away," Ambrose clarified.
"You? Why?"
Ambrose shrugged. "It was time. He was never supposed to stay for this long anyway. Besides, keeping him around was only inviting unwanted danger to the kids."
What happened between them that I somehow missed?
"I thought you two were working things out. What happened?"
He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Ambrose."
"Fen."
"Come on, man."
"Fine." He turned his full attention to me. "We can talk about it if you're willing to talk about the fact that Cronan is here, sleeping in your bed."
Of course, he would mention that. "He just showed up, saying he wanted to try and make amends."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Do you believe it?"
I sighed, leaning back as I watched Abel toddle around after CJ. "I think...he means what he says, but he hasn't given it much thought. I think he'll try for a little while and then bail again."
Ambrose raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. "So why let him stay? You deserve better than someone who's half in, Fen."
"I know," I muttered, my eyes trailing after Abel as he giggled, CJ reluctantly swatting at Abel's stuffed bear. "But it's not that easy, Ambrose. You didn't see him this morning when he spoke so confidently. I don't believe him but some part of me hopes he'll prove me wrong."
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Black as Coal | ✓
WerewolfCronan 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...