As I stood in the busy town, a frown had long since formed on my face as I stared down at the address Tatum had given me. The place was supposed to be my temporary home, but first I had to figure out how to get there.

I glanced upward at all the people walking by. Some had their eyes trained downward on their phone rather than watching where they went. Not that they needed to. To the inhabitants of Oakwood, this was just another day. They knew this town like the back of their hands, but to a stranger—to me—this place was a maze.

I was supposed to be here on a mission, but how could I do that if I couldn't even find my hone for Goddess' sake?

When I was talking to Nixon about Oakwood, he made it sound as if it would be easy to navigate. Then again, I guess my first mistake was trusting Nixon's words in the first place. It was no secret he had a habit of oversimplifying things and this was no different.

Scrolling through the phone in my hand, I start to pull up the map app, but a light tap on my shoulder causes me to stop. I turn my head around just as a woman with long, blonde hair and hazel eyes stares at me. There's a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"You aren't from around here, are you?" The woman asked me.

A sheepish grin took over my face. "Is it that obvious?"

The blonde-haired woman let out a small laugh. "You're standing in the middle of the road like a fish out of water. Trust me, it's obvious."

"And here I was thinking that I blended in perfectly."

"Well, seeing as your eyes aren't glued to your phone and you aren't walking around like a zombie, I'm going to say you thought wrong," the woman responded before holding a hand out. "Callie."

I returned the gesture. "Eli."

"So Eli, what brings you to Oakwood?" Callie asked.

"Work, but that may very well change if I can't even figure out where my home is," I told her as I stared back down at the small paper in my hand with my address on it.

"Work, really? We don't get many people around here who come for that reason. Can I see that address?"

"What do people usually come for?" I asked as took the slip of paper.

Callie paused and stared up at me briefly. "Oakwood is usually the place you come to when you're running from something."

Running?

My brows knitted together in confusion. "What do you m—"

"I know where your home is. Come on, I'll take you," Callie interrupted as she began walking away leaving me to quickly catch up.

Oakwood was the place to go if you're running from something. What did she mean by that? To me, Oakwood looked like any human town, but was there more to it? There had to be, I mean, there were werewolves here after all.

That was the whole reason I had come. There were multiple werewolf sightings here in Oakwood. One or two could be brushed off as people not understanding what they saw, but multiple reports, blurry photos, and shredded clothing were a different story.

Oakwood wasn't far from the Howling Night and we couldn't risk exposure because of a few careless wolves. It was my job to take care of the problem and make sure the pack was safe.

"So tell me, what's Oakwood like? Is it any fun?" I asked Callie.

Callie scoffed. "If you look up the word boring in a dictionary, you'd find a picture of Oakwood taped in there. This definitely isn't the place you cone if you're looking for some exciting new adventure. The most fun thing we have around here is drinking in the woods."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow.

Callie grinned. "Some people around here like to believe that there are creatures who live in the woods and at night you can hear them."

"Do you believe that?" I questioned.

She shrugged her shoulders. "What I believe doesn't matter. As long as there's free alcohol I'll be there."

Callie and I came to a stop in front of a white apartment building. Like the rest of the town, the building looked well cared for. The grass was neatly cut, the painted white walls shined brightly with no blemishes in sight, and the bushes were flawlessly trimmed. It all looked so...perfect.

Too perfect.

I turned back to Callie and offered her a smile. "Thank you, without your help, I would've been put there all night."

Callie waved me off. "It was nothing. Just trying to be helpful. I'll let you go and get settled now."

Callie handed the paper back to me before she turned and began to walk back in the direction we'd come from. I watched her disappearing figure and just before she was completely out of view, she turned around with a large smile on her face.

"Welcome to Oakwood!" She shouted before she continued on her way.

Once Callie was out of sight, I turned back toward the apartment and let out a sigh. All my things had already been delivered a few days before I left, but this was the first time I'd actually been here.

Sure, the outside looked great but that didn't mean the same was true for the interior. What were the other occupants like? There was only one way to find out. I took a deep breath before I began to head toward the door.

Immediately upon entry, I'm met with a melting pot of scents. The majority of them were human, but there were a few more subtle ones that clearly were werewolf scents or other supernatural creatures entirely. Whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing, I wasn't sure just yet.

I took another glance down at the paper where the number 309 was written and make my way toward the elevator. Nobody else was inside so I turned on my phone and made sure to text Nixon, letting him know that I'd arrived. I didn't bother to text Tatum since I knew that Nixon would tell him anyway.

The elevator came to a stop and I quickly got off and dug around in my pocket for the key. Once I found it, I unlocked the door and opened it only to be greeted by a pile of boxes.

I should've started to unpack, but instead, I walked past the boxes and headed toward the window. The view outside takes my breath away. I carefully open the window, allowing the herbal fragrances to fill the room. I stared down at the town and I let out a quiet sigh. Oakwood was a beautiful town, there was no doubt about it.

However, I'd realized a long time ago that it was the most beautiful things that had the most to hide.

I turned away from the window and opened one of the boxes that were sitting close to the bed. Inside was a yellow folder and I pulled it out before opening it up, revealing blurry photos, police reports, and more. I rummaged through them before I found what I was looking for.

The photo was one of the less blurry ones. Standing in the woods was a wolf that was clearly emaciated. Its ears were pulled back and its teeth were bared. Judging by the size of it, the wolf had to have been a child who'd only recently shifted. There was another shadow in the picture, but the person was cut out.

Light from the window shined into the room and I sat the folder down before staring back outside.

Sure, Oakwood may be beautiful during the day, but it was the night I was more concerned about.