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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Reed sat across from me with his foot thumping against the ground—a nervous tick he hadn't grown out of—and fiddled with his hands. Fen decided to go in the back and give us the room which I appreciated, but I was sure I'd have some explaining to do later about why my brother shared similar features with Eli.
It wasn't like I was trying to keep it from him anymore, but the thought had genuinely slipped from my mind at some point. When I saw Reed, my first thought wasn't that he was Eli's biological brother but that he was my little brother. He was the kid who clung to my side growing up, the one who'd sneak into my bed after nightmares, the teenager who'd beg me to cover for him when he was up to no good. He was the brother who I'd spent countless nights protecting, the one I'd have given anything for. But now, there was this unspoken chasm between us—something that wasn't there before.
Reed glanced up at me, catching my gaze for a brief second before dropping his eyes back to his hands. His foot still tapped nervously against the floor. It was a habit I recognized, but it felt foreign now, like watching a memory play out in real-time.
"I didn't expect you to reach out," I finally said, breaking the silence.
"I..." he hesitated. "I wanted to talk about what happened at my ceremony; to apologize for the way I treated you that day, man. It wasn't right. I'm sorry, Cro."
"I've already forgiven you," I said gently. "For what happened, for not stepping in when I needed you to. But..." I paused, watching as Reed's expression began to ease—only to prepare for what I knew would crush him. "I'm never going back to the pack."
Reed's relief evaporated in an instant, his face falling as though the weight of my words had physically hit him.
"What?" His voice cracked.
"Come on, Reed. You knew this would eventually come." I sighed. "You know I hate it there. I can't stand it anymore. I've tried going back time and time again, but I can't keep trying for people who aren't going to change and don't care about me."
His frown deepened. "What does this mean for me and you?"
"I will always want you around," I told him instantly because it was the truth. "I'm more than willing to meet up with you, Reed. In Oakwood, in neutral territory... anywhere outside the pack. But it'll just be you. I don't want to talk to Mom or Dad." I hesitated, gauging his reaction before I continued. "They're not part of my life anymore."
I couldn't keep dealing with their insults and knowing I would never be the kind of person they wanted me to be. Especially now that Fen and I were okay again. I couldn't give them that power over me.
Reed flinched as if I'd struck him. He lowered his head, staring at the ground for a long moment before lifting his eyes back to mine. The hurt was plain on his face. "But they're our parents."
