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, admittedly, was not a pet person. Dogs weren't something I ever wanted, birds weirded me out, fish died too easily, and cats bothered me to no end.
I wasn't a pet guy, but the fat, ginger feline wobbling behind me in an attempt to keep up clearly did not get the memo.
"Stop looking at him like he's some sort of illness," Fen said from beside me as we made our way back to the house.
"Why won't he go away?"
"He likes you."
I recoiled at the thought. I could deal with CJ because he clung to Fen instead of me. He was like a stray shadow that followed Fen around, and I had never had to directly deal with him. This ginger cat wasn't interested in Fen though. In fact, he hadn't spared him so much as a glance. He was dead set on following me.
"I don't like him," I said, barely containing the irritation in my voice as the ginger cat continued to shadow my every step.
Fen's eyes widened in mock disbelief. "Really? I would have never guessed."
"I'm serious," I continued, my tone sharper than intended. "He's just... everywhere."
Fen shook his head, clearly amused by my discomfort. "Well, he seems to think you're his new favorite human. Maybe you should give him a chance."
"Why would I want to?" I asked, glancing back at the stray cat, who was now attempting to weave between my legs.
"He's a chunky, ginger-furred stray. How could you not want to give him a chance?" My mate laughed and I had to pause.
My chest warmed—not because of the cat—but because of Fen. This was the first time I'd heard him laugh in such a manner since I arrived and I missed it so much more than I thought I would.
I glanced at the stray cat, who was now sitting contentedly at my feet, looking up at me with innocent eyes. With a sigh, I leaned down and picked him up. Not because I wanted him or anything of that sort, but because Fen seemed to like him.
I held him a good distance away from my body and Fen raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't look at me like that. He's still a stray who was in the woods."
Fen smiled. "Today's turning out to be a day. First I get to walk CJ and now I get to watch you give a cat a bath."
He sped up a bit and my mood dropped.
I had to bathe the cat...?
...
The bathroom quickly turned into a chaotic scene. The ginger stray, who had been content to sit quietly at my feet just moments before, now seemed to sense something was up. As soon as I turned on the water and dipped the cat's paws in, all hell broke loose.
The cat's initial reaction was a horrified yowl, followed by a frantic scramble. He leaped from the sink, sending a cascade of water splashing across the bathroom. I tried to catch him, but he was slippery and determined, darting between my legs and leaving a trail of wet paw prints behind.
