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."

"I know," I said softly, reaching out and gently cupping his face in my hands. "And I love you, Reed. To the moon and back. But I'm going to choose my peace over anything else, even our family. I want to live a happy life, and that's something I can't do in the pack."

Reed's jaw tightened, and I could see him trying to come up with something—anything—that might convince me otherwise. "What if we could—"

"No." I cut him off before he could finish. "I need you to support my choices as my brother."

My baby brother stared at me with wide eyes as if he couldn't believe my words. There was a glassy film over the top of them and at one point, that would've been enough for me to cave. It was a natural feeling to want to do whatever I could to make my brother happy and I tried it before, but this time...this time I wanted to be happy too.

"I'll talk to them," he declared. "They'll change."

I laughed humorlessly at that. If it was that easy then I would've done so already. I never would have left in the first place.

"They won't."

"They will," he said with so much confidence it was like he was trying to convince himself rather than me. "They just don't know how much they're hurting you—"

"Reed, stop."

"If we both sit down with them—"

"Reed."

"They'll make an effort to be better—"

"Reed!" I exclaimed sharply, causing him to jump. "They're not going to change. I need you to listen to what I'm saying."

"They just don't know." He stressed. "Remember that time they came to visit you in Oakwood? They care!"

"They know." A wry smile formed. "Trust me, they know. Mom made it abundantly clear when I left the pack the first time, she was disappointed in me. When I left the second time, I was basically dead to her. That trip to Oakwood? After Dad found out about Arlo, he called me every name in the book, asking why he 'wasted all that time to train me just for me to grow into a fucking pussy'." Reed winced at the words, but I wasn't done yet. "The only reason they bothered to pretend they cared about me was because they knew you did and they didn't want to run the risk of losing you. I didn't tell you about them because I know you love them, but trust me when I say they knew what they were doing."

He sighed and turned away.

"I was never going to be what they wanted, Reed. You know that. It's not about whether or not they care—it's about what they expect, and I can't meet those expectations anymore. I don't want to," I continued.

He looked like he was going to argue, but then his shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of him. "I just don't want to lose you, too."

I sighed and pulled him into a hug. "You're not going to lose me. I want you in my life. But I need you to meet me where I am, not where they want me to be." Reed wrapped his arms around me, clinging a little tighter than before. I'll always be there for you, but I won't step foot in that place again. Not even for you."

Reed's expression flickered with pain, but he nodded slowly. "Just me, huh?"

"Just you," I confirmed, my hand cupping his cheek again. "But that's enough, isn't it?"

He hesitated, then nodded again. "I guess so."

"I know it's hard," I said, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "But I need you to understand this is what I have to do for me. I can't go back to them, not after everything."

Reed swallowed hard, his voice small. "What if I still try to fix things?"

"Then you'll be hurting yourself," I said softly but firmly. "And I don't want that for you. As your brother, I want you to respect my choices. But if you can't..."

"You'd really cut me out?"

I nodded, though my heart ached at the thought. "If I have to. But I don't want to. I want us to have a relationship, Reed. Just... not with the pack involved."

Pain bloomed in his eyes and I mentally sighed. I knew where it came from—my words were tugging on a fear of his that he never wanted to acknowledge: the fear of being abandoned. I had a hunch it was why he tried so hard to appease our parents. In his eyes, I was the biological one—they couldn't get rid of me even if they wanted to—but him? With a snap of their fingers, he wouldn't be their child anymore.

I never wanted to make him feel like he would ever be abandoned, but I needed him to hear the seriousness of my words.

Reed stared at me for a long moment, and I could see the conflict warring in his eyes. Finally, he pulled away, his hands falling to his sides. "I... I need to think about this."

"Take all the time you need," I said, though a part of me already knew where this was heading. "But know that I'll always be here for you, Reed. Always."

He didn't say anything, just nodded stiffly before turning and walking out the door, leaving me standing in the quiet, empty living room with a heavy heart.