Black as Coal | ✓

65

The sound of the door shutting was enough to make me peek my head around the corner and I saw Cronan sitting with his head resting in his hands. Without hesitation, I moved toward him and took a seat beside him. Cronan's eyes flickered to me for a brief moment and he leaned against me.

I pulled him closer and wrapped my arms around him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I didn't have to specify what "it" was. We both knew.

He sighed. "That was my little brother, Reed. I've talked about him a few times before."

"I remember." I nodded. "What was he doing here?"

"Do you remember how I went home not too long ago?" I nodded and he continued. "I left to go to Reed's ceremony in our pack. A bunch of drama went down with our parents, Reed, and the pack in general. He came here to apologize today, but I think we just left in a worse place than we were before.

I didn't know if I could be much help here since I never had siblings, but I was still willing to try.

"I'm sure he'll come around in time. Give him a chance to wrap his head around his feelings."

"I hope that's the case, but you never know with Reed," he admitted.

I gently stroked Cronan's back, trying to soothe the tension I could feel in his body. "It's hard, especially when family is involved. But sometimes people need space to process things on their own. Maybe Reed just needs time to understand everything that's happened."

Cronan let out a bitter chuckle. "Time... yeah. He's always been stubborn, though. I don't know if he's willing to see things from my side, or if he even wants to."

I stayed quiet for a moment, choosing my words carefully. "I know it's hard, but if he came to apologize, that means he's thinking about it, at least. He cares, even if it didn't go as planned today."

"Maybe," Cronan muttered, resting his head against my shoulder. "I just wish things didn't feel so broken between us. We used to be so close."

"You said he's adopted, right?"

Cronan glanced at me briefly and nodded. "Yeah, Reed is adopted. We found out recently that he was Eli's biological brother."

That...that explained why they looked so similar. I originally wondered if I was imagining things, but the similarities were definitely there. Knowing that filled me with a warmth I didn't know was possible. Eli had always wanted a bigger family and I was sure finding out he had a biological brother had excited him.

But Eli's excitement wasn't my focus right now, it was Cronan. My Cronan who still looked sad—an expression I never wanted to see on his face again.

"Eli's brother? That must've been a shock for both of you."

Cronan nodded slowly. "It was. I always knew Reed was adopted, but none of us expected something like that. Finding out he had more siblings—more family—changed things... for everyone. Reed's been wrestling with that, and I think it's made him question a lot about where he belongs."

"That's a lot for anyone to handle," I said softly. "Maybe that's part of why he's been distant. He's probably trying to make sense of who he is and where he fits now."

"Yeah, but it still hurts, you know?" Cronan's voice cracked slightly. "I don't want him to feel like he has to choose between his past and his present. We're still family. I don't know how to make him see that."

I squeezed his hand, offering quiet support. "You can't force him to see it, but you can show him. Be there for him when he's ready, and remind him that no matter what, you're still his brother."

Cronan was quiet for a while, and then he sighed deeply. "I just want things to be okay again."

"They will be," I said confidently. "You and Reed just need time to find your way back to each other."

Cronan nodded as if he were considering my words. "You know, for someone who doesn't have siblings, you're pretty smart."

I chuckled softly. "I try. Besides, sometimes it's easier to see things from the outside. But I get it—family is complicated, even if I don't have siblings. It's the people you care about the most who can hurt you the deepest."

Cronan shifted, resting his head on my shoulder again. "Yeah, you're right. I just hope Reed understands that, in the end, family is about more than just blood."

"It is," I agreed. "And you've shown him that. Now, it's up to him to figure out how to move forward."

Cronan hummed in agreement. "Enough about Reed for now. Tell me, when are we doing this date you've been begging for?"

"Well, I wanted to do it soon, but with everything that just happened, we can push it off—"

"No," Cronan cut me off and shook his head. "All we keep doing is pushing it off whenever something happens. If we continue then we'll never actually get around to it and I don't want that. You've been looking forward to it for far too long."

I smiled softly. "Okay, if you're sure. I don't want to rush anything if you're not up for it."

Cronan pulled back slightly to look me in the eyes, his expression soft but determined. "I'm sure. We've been through a lot lately, and I think we both need this—something that's just for us."

I nodded, feeling a bit of excitement creeping in despite the heavy conversation we'd just had. "Alright then, give me some time to plan everything and I'll let you know when."

"You're not going to tell me where we're going are you?"

"No, because that would ruin it," I told him and he playfully rolled his eyes. "Do you trust me?"

Cronan stared into my eyes and I thought back to how he used to glare at me whenever he noticed my gaze was on him. There was no anger or animosity inside of his blue irises now and they seemed to shine brighter.

"Of course I trust you," he answered honestly and confidently.

"Then trust me when I say you'll have fun."

He smiled at that and nodded. "Okay, Fen. I'll trust you."

It was such a little thing, but hearing those words leave his mouth after thinking he'd never said them for so long was an amazing feeling.

So small and yet, I couldn't stop myself from kissing him again and again and again.