I woke up, stared down at the sleeping man on the floor beside me, and frowned. Last night's events flooded my mind and I was left wondering just what the hell I'd gotten myself into. I could've just walked away, but seeing the conditions he was living in, plus the added risk of us being caught last night had left me feeling lost, confused, and annoyed.

The strongest emotion I felt was annoyance. Some of it was directed at him, some at Matteo, but the majority was directed at myself. I was annoyed that I kept allowing myself to end up in these situations. Rationale was repeatedly thrown out the window.

I carefully got out of bed and moved quietly through the room to not wake him up. I slid out of the room and shut the door quietly behind me. Rather than head down toward the kitchen, I headed immediately toward the bathroom. I needed to get Fen's scent off of me before I saw Reed.

When I finished my shower, I glanced at the shut door for a moment before heading to the kitchen. I knew I couldn't keep him hidden all day, but I had a plan to get Reed out of the house for at least an hour.

"Can you do something for me?" I asked when I saw Reed.

"Good morning to you too," he hummed.

"Good morning, Reed," I rolled my eyes. "Can you do something for me?"

"What?"

"Buy groceries. You remember where the grocery store is here right?"

"Yeah, but why do you need me to do it?" He asked suspiciously with a raised eyebrow.

"Is it a crime for me to ask my brother for help?"

He scoffed. "You know I don't mind. I was just wondering if it had anything to do with the mystery person you brought home."

He stared at my face, trying to figure out what was going through my head, but I gave nothing away. It didn't surprise me he heard Fen and I return. As quiet as I tried to be, there was only so much I could do to limit his wolfish hearing.

"Who is it?" He questioned, confirming what I'd already been thinking: he didn't know it was Fen I'd brought home and I planned to keep it that way.

"None of your business."

"Don't I get to know if I'm being kicked out because of it?"

"No."

"You're no fun," he sighed.

"You're just nosey," I countered. "I don't go digging around in your relationships."

He snorted. "There's nothing to dig around in. I haven't dated anyone since I was what? Sixteen?"

It was true. Reed tended to stay far away from romantic relationships. He never showed much interest in finding his mate either which I was sure our parents were pleased with. The last relationship he'd been in was in high school with, ironically, Dash. It hadn't ended well and if the news he told me revealed anything, it was that their friendship never mended.

"Maybe you should focus on meeting your own mate so you can leave me alone," I suggested.

His smile dimmed slightly, but he quickly covered it and stuck his hand out. "Give me the money and I'll go."

"Thanks," I said as I handed him the money and a list even though I was sure he'd come back with items I knew for a fact weren't on there.

A few minutes later, he was out of the door and I sighed in relief before remembering the man hiding inside my room. I walked back toward the door and opened it slightly to see he was awake now. He was standing up, looking at a picture I had sitting on my bedside table of Reed and me.

"You can come downstairs now," I told him, but he paid me no attention.

"This is your brother?"

The picture was taken when Reed and I were younger, maybe around thirteen and eleven.

"Yes."

"He looks..." he mumbled, but stopped himself and shook his head. "Never mind. You said it was safe to go?"

I nodded, still thinking about his reaction. Though he didn't say it, I knew what he meant. Young Reed looked similar to Eli, much more than he did now at least.

We exited the room and unlike last time, Fen took a moment to glance around the house. I thought back to what he told me before when he visited. How my house didn't feel like my own.

"I'm guessing this is when I'm supposed to leave?" He asked me.

The answer should have been yes without a doubt, but I hesitated. "Where would you even go?"

Fen glanced at me briefly. "I'll figure it out."

"You'll figure it out or you'll just go back to the cabin?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'll have to go back at least one more time to get the rest of my stuff."

He attempted to hide it, but I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. His eyes flickered and I could practically see the cogwheels shifting in his mind as he tried to think of a new course of action.

If I was Eli, I would've done everything possible to make sure he'd be okay. I would've tried to help him find a home before nightfall. If I was Eli and he had no other options, I would've agreed to allow him to stay with me until he got back on his feet. Enemy or not, I would have tried to help.

But I wasn't Eli. I wasn't the type to give a million-and-one chances along with the shirt off my back. I wasn't as sympathetic as he was. I believed in lying in the bed you made.

"Let me ask you a question," I said. "Where were you before Oakwood?"

"The Rogue's Den," he responded after a moment of silence.

"If our bond wasn't keeping you here, would you return there?" The words fell from my mouth before I could consider stopping them.

Fen stared at me with a blank expression. His eyes met mine. "Are you asking where I would go if you rejected me?"

I didn't respond immediately. I didn't quite know what I was asking either.

"No. I wouldn't return to the Rogue's Den if you rejected me," Fen muttered. "Now, let me ask you a question."

"Shoot," I agreed, even though I had a feeling about what it was.

"Are you going to reject me?" His voice was steadier than I expected it to be.

I'd be lying if I said the idea hadn't crossed my mind. Rejecting Fen seemed like the easy solution—it was the easy solution—but I grew up waiting for the day I got to meet my mate. Fen wasn't what I had in mind when I pictured my mate, but if there was one thing my parents did preach about, it was the importance of mates. It was one of the few things they said that stuck with me which was also part of the reason why I'd entertained our bond this long in the first place rather than just outright rejecting him.

"I should," I sighed and dropped against the couch. "I really fucking should."

"But you're not?"

"Do you want me to?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No," his response was immediate. "I don't want to break our bond, Cronan."

The level of sincerity in his words made me groan internally. I knew he wasn't lying to me, but it would be easier if he was.

"You confuse me," I scowled.

He frowned. "How?"

"You say shit like that, but you were also willing to destroy your friend's bond. I don't understand you."

"I regret the way everything between Eli and I went down," he said softly. "I'd tell you that I regret it and don't want to make the same mistakes, but would you believe me?"

I met his eyes. "No."

He smiled dryly, seeming to anticipate my answer.

"I should go," Fen told me a few minutes later.

He was right. He should leave. The longer he stayed, the more scrambled I became. However, the painful tug of our bond said otherwise as mental images of him on the streets or back in the woods formed.

"Wait," I called out against my better judgment when he started to stand up. "You can stay here...for now."

His eyes widened and he stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "What?"

"Don't look at me like that," I scowled. "If you want to stay on the streets then get out."

"I didn't say that," he quickly explained. "I just don't understand the sudden change."

"You can stay until we get the mate bond situation sorted out or you're back on your feet."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "What we're doing now, avoiding the bond and keeping each other restrained, isn't working. I told you I'm not going to reject you...yet."

"'Yet?'" His frown deepened.

I met his eyes. "Fact of it is, I don't trust you, Fen. You haven't given me one good reason to since I've met you. To be honest, even extending this offer is more of a risk than it's worth."

"They why are you?"

I focused on him. "Because, unlike you, I was taught that there was some value to a mate bond and I can't reject you in good faith without giving you a chance to fuck up first."

He smiled as if he were both amused and offended by the response. "So this is a test? A test you want me to fail?"

I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of my reason for extending the offer. I was sure it wouldn't take long for him to mess up in some way.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. I'll pass the test," he confidently replied, meeting my gaze. "But what about your brother? If yesterday was any indication, it's obvious you don't want me to meet him."

"He'll be leaving either tomorrow or the day after that. A former gamma like yourself can handle laying low until then, can't you?"

His eyes flared at the challenge in my words. "I can manage."

"Good. Now, my brother will be back soon so you should leave. I'm sure you have stuff you need to do before our...arrangement begins."

He nodded and started to head toward the door, but just before leaving, he stopped and glanced back at me.

"Cronan?" He called out and when I glanced over at him, he added, "I won't fail."

His words were confident, letting me know he genuinely believed he could convince me to keep our bond. I scoffed at his cockiness. He was already starting at a disadvantage after all.

"We'll see, Fen. We'll see."