I'd never been a person who was easy to please. According to Mom and Dad, I came out of the womb with a curious attitude and an insatiable appetite for more. More what? They didn't know exactly.

Even now, after twenty-one years, it seemed like I was still searching for that elusive piece. That was part of the reason why I came to Oakwood. I hoped that by coming, I could locate whatever I was missing. Of course, nothing ever went to plan, and if anything it seemed I was more lost than ever.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider Reed's offer to return to our pack with him at least once. The idea of leaving for a while and getting away from all the bullshit known as my life was tempting—really fucking tempting if I was being honest—but I knew deep down I'd never be happy if I returned. Home felt more like a prison than anything. At least in Oakwood, I was in control.

Or I used to be.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" Callie greeted me as she entered my bedroom and made her way to the windows, pulling the curtains back to reveal the sunlight.

I loudly groaned and buried my head against the pillow. "Go away, Cal."

"No can do. I promised your brother I wouldn't let you lock yourself in this room and wither away, so it's time to get up. We have plans for the day."

I turned my head so I could see her. "'Plans?'"

"First, you and I are going to get breakfast because to be frank, I'm fucking starving. Then we're going to find something remotely interesting to do in this town until later tonight."

"What's happening later tonight?"

She grinned. "Party in the woods." I turned away from her. "Cro, come on!"

"I don't want nor do I need to go to another party. Trust me. I think I drank enough yesterday to be good for a millennia."

"And yet, you're still sober as a judge."

"Drinking again tonight isn't going to change that."

It took higher amounts of alcohol to get werewolves drunk. Worst worst-case scenario was that I'd come home a little tipsy if anything.

"You don't have to go. I'm not going to force you, but wouldn't it be nice to get out of your own head? It'll be like when you first arrived. Remember when we used to go to all those parties together?" She reminisced as she took a seat on the corner of my bed.

Of course, I did. I remembered Callie and Arlo dragging me out to the woods one night, claiming they had something to show me. I remember spending hours there talking, dancing, and drinking.

"I'll go," I stated and Callie let out a cheer.

"Then it's time to get up. Like I said, we have a busy day planned."

The blankets were pulled away from me. I sighed and sat up, eyeing the small, blonde-haired woman who grinned at me.

"I'm up, "I'm up," I grumbled and headed toward the bathroom. "Go wait in the living room. I need to shower."

Callie exited the room and I entered the bathroom, stopping momentarily in front of the mirror. Goddess, I looked terrible. I hadn't left the bar until late last night and, between the bags under my eyes and my messy hair, it definitely showed.

I stripped, stepped into the shower, and turned the water to cold. I typically didn't take cold showers early in the morning, but given the state I was in, I was willing to try anything that could potentially keep me awake.

I finished my shower and grabbed a towel from the rack Reed had practically begged me to install. I dried off and headed back into the bedroom to get dressed. Had it been any other day, I might've put more thought into my outfit, but it wasn't any other day so I settled on a pair of sweatpants and a plain black T-shirt.

I messed around with my hair and attempted to make it look somewhat decent before heading out to the living room where Callie waited. She took one look at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I crossed my hand over my chest.

"Nothing, I'm just used to seeing you dressed to the nines."

"Wasn't feeling it," I replied. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. "Yeah, let's go. How do you feel about that coffee shop beside Jollies? They have good scones."

"I don't care where we go," I told her honestly.

She hummed. "Coffee and scones it is."

...

I'd never been much of a coffee drinker. When I dated Arlo, he used to love going on coffee dates. Because of that, I typically allowed him to surprise me with an order. Some I liked, some not so much. After we broke up, I stopped going to coffee shops as much. It didn't feel right going somewhere he loved without him. As I entered with Callie, that same uncomfortable feeling returned. I couldn't help but scan across the room in an attempt to spot the small omega.

It wasn't a secret that I missed Arlo. We weren't on bad terms, but every time I ran into him it seemed awkward. Arlo had always been a tease who didn't know when to stop talking, but it was those traits that I liked about him in the first place. Now he was more tame; he didn't talk as much or tease. He wasn't the same Arlo I was used to.

"Cro? You there?" Callie glanced over at me when we reached the counter. "What were you ordering?"

"Sorry," I said. "I'll just have a black coffee."

Callie's nose wrinkled. "You have such weird tastes."

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes as we moved toward a table to wait for our order.

"So how's Reuben been?" She questioned.

"Why would I know how Reuben is?"

"Because you talk to Eli."

"I talk to Eli because I like talking to Eli. I don't make a habit of asking him about his mate every time he picks up the phone."

Her head dropped against the table. "God, I can't believe he's actually dating someone. Remember how much of a recluse he was when he first arrived? You would've thought he was allergic to people. He's grown a lot."

As crazy as he drove me, I had to admit that Callie was right. Reuben had changed and for the better too since getting with Eli. I doubted that the two of us would ever be close, but it was nice to hear him laughing and see him smiling whenever Eli and I called.

If I was being completely honest, I was a bit jealous. I knew their relationship wasn't easy by any means, but I envied how they were able to overcome it all. I was jealous that he got an amazing mate while I got...Fen.

"Stop it," Callie frowned.

"Stop what?"

"You're doing that angry expression you make whenever you think about you-know-who."

I rolled my eyes. "One, I don't make any expression. Two, you can say his name. I'm not going to break at the mere mention of him."

"One, yes you do. Two, I feel bad bringing him up when you're clearly trying to move on."

"It's fine," I told her.

I knew I wasn't going to be able to fully escape Fen anytime soon. He was still here in Oakwood after all. I still had to see him around, so acting as if he didn't exist or not saying his name was futile.

If I was being honest, seeing him at the bar royally pissed me off. Not just because he was there, but because while our bond had fucked me up, he seemed to be doing just fine. I sat there in the back, watching my shitty attempt to alleviate some of the pain I was feeling, perfectly fine. How was he okay when I wasn't?

"Callie!" The barista announced, setting our drinks on the counter. I turned my head to look at him when our eyes connected, he seemed to flinch and retreat behind the counter.

I frowned. Maybe I did make an angry expression.

Callie got our drinks and sat mine in front of me.

"There are so many new people in town," she commented. "I guess it is that time again."

I didn't have to ask to know what she was talking about. It seemed that during certain times of the year, Oakwood was infiltrated by people who were running from something. With winter right around the corner, it was no surprise that they were starting to come.

"Anyone catch your eye yet?" I questioned.

Every year, Callie picked a person out of those who moved to the town and befriended them. First, it was Arlo, next it was me, then Arlo chose Reuben, and lastly it was Eli.

"I'm not positive yet, but there was this girl who seemed pretty interesting. God knows this group needs another female."

"You're the one who chose to surround yourself with gay men," I reminded her. "You started all this."

She shrugged. "You guys make good company. It's never a dull day."

"I'm glad that we exist to entertain you," I sarcastically responded, causing Callie to laugh.

"So tell me about the mystery girl," I told her.

And she did. We spent the morning sitting and talking about random things and people for what felt like hours. It was times like that when I truly appreciated Callie's company. She never ran out of topics to talk about and had a way of brightening up my mood without realizing it.

Arlo and I had been close, but Callie had always been the one I spoke to when something was wrong. Arlo was close to Reuben and I was close to Callie. That was how our friendship worked.

"You wanna head back to my apartment until it's time to head out?" Callie asked.

"What happened to double something fun?"

"You don't look like you're feeling it," she said. "So? Do you?"

"Depends. Is Mateo going to be a problem?" I responded.

It was no secret that Callie's neighbor, Mateo, and I had never gotten along. The man was a homebody even worse than Reuben and had a knack for pissing me off.

"He'll glare at you through his blinds like he always does. Other than that it'll be fine," she replied.

"I don't understand how you've tolerated living next to him for so long," I admitted as we stood and threw away our trash.

She shrugged. "Mateo's not that bad once you get to know him. If anything, he just doesn't like you."

"Good to know," I dryly replied.

...

Callie's house was on the outskirts of town. Having lived in Oakwood her whole life, when it came time to move out she decided that she wanted to get as far away from her parents as possible without actually having to leave the town; something I could relate to.

Surprisingly, despite being quite a distance away from the rest of the town, the houses in the area were in rather good shape. Then again, it was Oakwood and Oakwood was known for making everything look pretty to hide the fact that everyone in this town was a mess.

When we arrived, I could already feel Mateo's beady little eyes zoned in on me. I glanced toward his window and we made eye contact for a moment before he darted back behind the comforts of his blinds. I rolled my eyes and followed Callie inside her home.

When people first met Callie, they often assumed by her personality that her home must be just as chaotic, but it was the opposite. Everything had a place in Callie's home. There was a bowl for her keys by the door, labels in her fridge for everything, and there was even a designated spot for the remote to the TV.

I admired the amount of care she put into making her house a home. It was something I still needed to work on for my own home. As it stood, my house resembled more of Reed than it did me which was a problem, to say the least.

"What're you thinking about?" Callie asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"How I let you talk me into going out today," I lied. "I still have clothes I left here, right?"

"Now you wanna dress up?" She raised a brow and smiled. "They're inside the drawer in the guest bedroom."

"If we're going out I might as well look the part," I responded.

I may have felt like shit, but I refused to look like it too.

"The party isn't for another few hours," she called out as I headed toward the bedroom.

"Which is why I have to start now," I said and she loudly groaned.

But I knew Callie well enough to know there was no animosity in her tone. In fact, I was sure she was grinning away.

AN: First, happy new year everyone!! 2024 is finally here and what better way than to start the new year with an update?

The next chapter will be from Fen's perspective and then this story will really be getting started. 👀