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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I figured I'd seen the extent of Cronan's stubbornness during my time in Oakwood, but I was wrong. Completely wrong.
From the moment he woke up, Cronan had been determined to stay by my side. I figured he'd grow bored within the first few hours since it wasn't as if I did anything special, but he endured. He stuck to me like glue even in moments where it was obvious to me he was uncomfortable like when we were with the children.
Most of the kids, especially the younger ones, were excited by his presence and they made it known but asking hundreds of questions, begging him to play with them, and not quite understanding the concept of personal space. Despite this, with a little bit of redirecting and patience, he stayed and endured.
The kids, specifically Genevieve, had taken quite a liking to him. I figured this was because they were similar in personality. Cronan was stubborn, skeptical by nature, and preferred to keep to a small group of close friends. Genevieve was direct, a little sassy, and constantly testing boundaries. She had a way of breaking through even the most guarded exteriors, and she seemed to see a kindred spirit in Cronan.
They bonded over their shared skepticism and wit, engaging in playful banter that left both of them laughing. Genevieve's relentless curiosity and boldness, paired with Cronan's dry humor and patience, made for an oddly perfect match.
I never took Cronan as the type to like kids, but he seemed to handle himself well.
The spontaneity of the children wasn't enough to get him to stop trying to make conversation with me. I knew what he was doing even if he thought he was being sneaky. He'd start from broad topics and try to approach the serious ones as the day went on and I "warmed" up to his presence.
I entertained him at first by answering his questions, but when it came to topics regarding our bond, or what was left of it, I shut him down. I could see his frustration mounting each time I deflected or changed the subject, but I wasn't ready to delve into those deeper, more vulnerable areas.
However, there was one question I couldn't avoid when the time finally came: where would he sleep?
In the past, it would have been a no-brainer. He'd sleep in my room, by my side like we did back in Oakwood, but we weren't in Oakwood and we definitely weren't in the past. So the solution I'd come up with was to put him in the room beside mine. The one across the hall had initially been Laken's and I didn't want to overstep and place him there so soon after he left, knowing Ambrose wasn't in the best headspace.
There was just one problem with this arrangement: the adjoining bathroom.
It wasn't the biggest deal, but something about knowing if I opened that door, I could easily reach him messed with my head. Maybe it was because I hadn't seen him in weeks, but if there was one being taking full advantage of the bathroom situation, it was CJ. The cat was constantly darting between the two rooms as if trying to remind us that he was there. The first three times, it was fine but when the clock hit midnight and he was still running around, I could tell by the hushed scolding coming from behind the cracked doors that Cronan had enough of CJ's antics.
