| C O N N E R |

The morning after they had f*cked each other was possibly the most awkward experience Conner ever had the displeasure of being put through. He woke up to an aching pain in his backside, knowing already that his entire day was going to end up being a pain.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. He winced, moving around with his a$$ definitely didn't feel good. He slid off the bed, his toes curling around the plush carpet. He didn't remember walking across the carpet when he first entered the room... probably too busy watching Braden strip.

     Conner glanced around the room, looking for his clothes. They were nowhere in sight. He sighed crossing his arms around himself. Walking around naked was kind of awkward.

     The aroma of bacon drifted through the air, making Conner's stomach rumble. He looked over at the bed, realizing Braden wasn't in it. It must have been him cooking the delicious smelling food.

Conner stumbled down the hallway, his legs wobbling a bit. He felt like he needed at least another two hours of sleep, although judging from the sun out, he had slept like 10 hours. Whatever. Sleep was more important to him than any other duties he had to put up with.

     Conner licked his lips as he finally made his way into the kitchen. Braden stood in front of the stove, humming a sweet tune. He was dressed in only a pair of plaid boxers which suited him. Conner resisted the urge to smack his a$$ as he snuck up behind him.

     Conner frowned as he looked at what Braden was making. Bacon, toast, and fruit. The fruit and toast looked average enough, already sitting off to the side on two plates. The bacon looked weird, though.

     "Is that turkey bacon?" He asked.

      Braden jumped, about whacking Conner upside the face as he turned around. "Conner!" He exclaimed as his eyes landed on the cynical blonde twink. "You're awake!"

      "No sh*t, Captain Obvious. What's with the bacon?" Conner rolled his eyes after having to repeat himself. He couldn't deny how much he liked the sound of his name rolling off of Braden's tongue, though.

     Braden blushed, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry. Uh, it's vegan bacon actually. So not real bacon."

Conner's face scrunched up with disgust. "Are you f*cking kidding me?"

     "Don't hate on it before you taste it," Braden chided, pulling the faux bacon from the pan and on to a plate.

Conner reached over Braden to grab a piece before his hands were batted away. Conner scowled, huffing as he tried again to get some of the bacon. And again, Braden smacked his grabby fingers before they could reach the food.

"It's still hot, sweetheart. I don't want you getting burned," Braden said, making Conner snap his teeth at him.

"I'm not your sweetheart, dipstick," Conner growled before backing off. He lifted himself up to sit on the counter.

About a million things were running through his mind.

You would think that all his pent up frustration and anger towards him being mates with Braden would have just evaporated into nothing after sleeping with him. But no.

      The problem wasn't Braden. It wasn't even about Braden being a man. Conner wasn't put off by that as much as he liked to show. The real problem resided deep inside of Conner.

Conner was so insecure about himself, about how everyone thought of him, that he just lashed out. He hissed and snapped, only accomplishing in worsening the assumptions others made about his personality. He just couldn't contain his anger towards the world. Or was it even really towards the world? He couldn't tell if he just loathed himself that much, or despised everything around him.

     Conner has been stuck in a position that he hated. And he couldn't do a d*mn thing about it. He hated how he looked, he hated how he moved, he hated how he spoke, he hated every f*cking interaction he had with people. Most of all, he hated that he was stuck. He would be stuck having to be this same person for the rest of his life, someone he didn't want to be.

      It was silly to think about, but Conner didn't want to be who he was. He wanted to be a completely knew person, as if that was possible. In a small town like the one he was living in, that wasn't possible. People he barely spoke to already had preconceived opinions formed about him. Even if he did try to change, what people thought wouldn't.

     When Braden was introduced into his life, he was presented with an out. He could leave his pack and join Braden's herd. He wouldn't be chained down by the obligations of a Beta. He wouldn't be cut off every time he voiced his opinion on a matter. But... he would become some simple arm candy. To Conner, that was worse than having to bend and twist to fit into the cookie cutter mold he had made for himself.

     The real reason Conner hated himself so much was because he was the reason his life was the way it was. He should've changed before it was too late. Now he was lost and had no idea how to find his way back to the right path.

Conner didn't even realize there were tears rolling down his cheeks until he felt a warm hand brush under his eyes, wiping them away. Conner's eyes snapped up to meet Braden's dark brown ones. Braden's eyes were always so sweet and soft, like melted chocolate. Conner detested himself even more for being so rude to such a nice guy. Conner didn't deserve him and he knew it.

    "What's wrong, baby boy?" Braden asked quietly, cupping Conner's face in his hands.

      Conner gave a dreary little sniffle. "I'm n-not good eno-enough and will never b-b-be what you want m-me to be," Conner cried, hiccups breaking up his sentence and making his words almost unintelligible.

Braden frowned before leaning in to kiss Conner's forehead. "Conner... I never expected to have a mate in life. Heck, I didn't even expect to have a lifelong partner. But now that I have you... I don't want to ever give you up. I just want you to be yourself and I promise to never judge you. I'll be by your side no matter what, okay?"

    Conner was sobbing now, shaking his head. His hands were trembling and he felt so overwhelmed by Braden's words. There was no way this was real. No one could be this kind and nurturing. Conner must've been in a coma and imagined everything from the past few weeks. Braden was too good to be true.

"No, you won't! You're a liar!" Conner sobbed, punching Braden's chest with weak hands.

Braden took each blow without moving an inch. He just waited for Conner to get it all out. Somehow, he knew that all Conner needed was to tire himself out.

     Conner's punches became even less forceful until he was just clutching onto Braden's bare chest. He rested his head against Braden's shoulder as the tears just kept rolling down, his breathing ragged and chopped.

     He must've looked ugly. That was all he could think about at that moment. Did Braden find him ugly now with wet cheeks and puffy eyes, snot dripping from his nose? Conner figured so.

"Are you done?" Braden asked, his voice as gentle as ever. He didn't state it with contempt or to be cynical, it was just... ugh, Braden was so caring! It made Conner's heart melt.

     Conner hiccuped before nodding. He couldn't believe Braden was handling his tantrums so easily. He expected to be pushed away, to be shunned. Told to fix his own problems.

      "Let's get you cleaned up," Braden said, giving Conner a small smile.

     Conner didn't say anything, just holding on tightly to Braden as he carried him to the bathroom. He sat Conner down on the toilet before running a bath. Conner wiped his runny nose with some toilet paper, making a pitiful attempt at pulling himself together.

     Conner stared at the wall as Braden fiddled with the water, making sure it was the perfect temperature. Conner didn't know what to say. He was a complete and utter disaster. The only reason Braden hadn't left him in the dust was the mate bond tying them together, Conner was sure of it.

Braden had to have some evil intentions. There was no way in hell the moon goddess had actually smiled down upon Conner and given him exactly what he needed.

Braden lifted Conner back up, sitting him in the tub. The water lapped at Conner's thighs, delightfully warm. It was the perfect temperature.

     Braden disappeared out the bathroom and Conner watched him go. What if he's leaving you? After that, he probably doesn't want you anymore. Fresh tears filled Conner's eyes, but he blinked them back. Braden would come back. He didn't have a choice.

      When Braden reemerged into the washroom with two plates of breakfast in hand, Conner was confused. What was Braden going to do, sit and eat the food in front of him?

      Instead, Braden knelt down by the tub. He held up a crispy piece of bacon to Conner's lips. "Eat."

     Conner opened his mouth and was greatly surprised at the scrumptious flavor bursting across his tongue at the contact. He didn't think vegan food could taste this good. Maybe it was the seasonings, maybe it was just the experience of being with Braden. Conner couldn't tell, nor did he care.

     Braden continued to hand feed Conner as they sat in silence. Once the water had reached a certain point, Braden turned it off. He then proceeded to wash Conner, Conner not responding or really moving. He only budged when Braden gave him verbal demands.

    One sentence was on repeat, playing nonstop in Conner's head. It made him want to cry, scream, and throw a table all at once. Still, the phrase just stuck. Whispered again and again.

     You don't deserve this.

     While Conner desperately wanted to be with Braden, he didn't know if he had it in himself to be loved. No matter how much they cuddled or took care of each other, Conner would always resort back to his prickly exterior. His walls couldn't be broken down, they had to be climbed over. They wouldn't just magically disappear. It was up to Braden to learn how to get over them and permanently wedge himself into Conner's heart.

Hiiiii! That was... not very eventful. Kind of a filler, kind of foreshadowing, kind of fluffy. I think it was a pretty major advancement in their relationship. What do you guys prefer? Fluff or smut? I, personally, kinda hate fluff. Don't mind writing it, but reading it makes me want to coo and be giddy, but barf at the same time... Ah well. If you liked, leave a vote and comment! If you hated this chapter, tell me why, maybe I can avoid writing something bad like this in the future. Until next time...

LEMON MAN OUT! ✌️✌️