"Eli!" Is the first thing Nixon said once the call connected. A small smile formed on my face once I heard his voice. It wasn't as if I had been gone for long, but I was already missing him and the rest of the pack.

"Hey, Nix," I greeted. "How are you?"

I could hear the scoff on the other end of the call. "Isn't that what I should be asking you? You're the one in a new town after all."

"It isn't so bad," I shrugged despite him not being able to see me. "I haven't met anyone yet, but the town looks nice enough."

That wasn't quite true. I had met Callie, but I don't know if I would call the small interaction we had anything worth mentioning. She was nice, but it wasn't as if we were friends.

"So nothing's strange has happened yet?"

"The only strange thing so far is the layout of this place," I told him. "But I'm going to go out tonight to where the wolves were spotted and see what I can find."

"Just make sure you're staying safe, alright? Oh, and try to make some friends."

My eyebrows raised at that. "You're telling me to make friends? You, the living embodiment of the word antisocial; you, the person who sat through a class on how to make friends for the socially awkward and antisocial. You're telling me that?"

There was a smile on my face.  I'm sure if I could see Nixon he'd be scowling. "All I'm saying is you may be there for a while. Doesn't hurt to get to know people."

"I still can't believe these words are coming out of your mouth," I shook my head. "Did Tatum put you up to this? Or maybe Nolan?"

"I envy those who don't know you."

"Let's not forget you were the one who asked me to switch packs with you. Face the facts, Nix, you love me."

"You're like the second brother I never wanted or asked for," Nixon deadpanned. "But seriously, try to make some friends...and who knows, maybe someone more than that?"

The smile instantly vanished off my face once I heard the words and I let out a sigh. "Nix—"

"All I'm saying is consider it, Eli. I don't want to see you down like this forever."

I knew his words came from a place of good intentions, but I couldn't help but feel a little sad by the words. "I don't want to find another partner, Nixon. I want my mate."

Nixon grew silent for a moment before he sighed. "I'm going to be honest, I don't get it, E. I don't get how you can still want him. I mean, I know that Fen—" I winced at his name. "I know that he kind of orchestrated the whole thing, but he still rejected you, Eli. Reuben still rejected you and he continues to ignore your calls and avoid you like the plague. I just don't understand how you could still want to be with him."

Even though his words held some truth, that didn't stop them from hurting.

"I gotta go, Nix. It'll be dark soon so I should start heading out to find the wolves."

"Eli—"

I hung up the phone before he could finish speaking. My eyes fluttered shut and I took a deep breath. I wanted to be able to tell Nixon he was wrong about Reuben. I wanted to tell him that Reuben did like me and that this entire situation was just a misunderstanding. He wasn't actively avoiding me. However, if I said that then it would be a lie. The truth of the matter was that Reuben was avoiding me. He was constantly out of my reach.

Or maybe, he was never in it to begin with.

Taking a deep breath, I shook my head and stood up from where I'd been sitting on the bed and grabbed a drawstring bag from the floor before exiting my apartment and heading back down to the first floor.

The moment I stepped outside the white building, I could immediately feel the difference in the town. Before it seemed a like the town was trying too hard—to be perfect, that is. It felt as if the citizens were in a play; they were acting and had done the scene a million times until they got it right. They had perfected the "naturally perfect" look.

Now that the sun was fading though, it seemed like the act was finally over. People were calming down and masks were discarded until the next day when the sun rose and the play started once again.

As I walked through the town, a few people stopped to greet me, but they hardly seemed real. Then again, I doubted anything in Oakwood was real.

Eyes followed my movements, but I didn't bother to hide where I was going. Something told me that once I stepped foot in the woods, the townspeople would turn away. Before leaving the pack, I had done a little research and it seemed like there was an unspoken rule that everyone understood: whatever happened in the woods stayed in the woods and I planned to use that to my full advantage.

Once I reached the woods, I waited a little ways away from town until the sun had fully dropped. I did a quick scope around the area to see if anyone was there and once I was sure nobody was, I set the bag I'd brought with me down and stripped. My eyes squeezed shut and I pictured my wolf in my mind until I felt my body begin to change.

Once the shift was done, I opened my eyes and took a quick look around. I used my mouth to pick up the bag and placed it behind a tree before I carefully began to explore the area.

Even if I didn't find any wolves today, that wouldn't be the end of the world. I had time, but tonight I needed to learn the land. These wolves and these people had been here much longer than I had, they knew these woods like the back of their hand. If I wanted to have any luck in capturing them then I needed to learn the area. I needed to know where they were coming from, how they escaped, what paths did I need to stay away from, and what was the most popular area for humans. I needed all of it if I planned to do my job correctly.

I trotted through the woods, making note of any unusual scents or paths that I found along the way so I could come back and take a better look at them in the daytime and perhaps even take a few pictures to examine. The whole time, I made sure to keep quiet and cover my scent as best as I could.

I continued onward until I reached an area that resembled the background of the picture with the emaciated wolf. Carefully and quietly, I walked around and examined the area. If I was lucky, I'd find signs that it was living here or nearby. A werewolf like that couldn't have been staying in the town; it would've been obvious given its malnourished state.

But I didn't get lucky. No, in fact, I got more than lucky.

My feet froze in place as I stared down at the sleeping werewolf curled under a tree. I couldn't make out its scent given the smell that clung to it, but it was more than obvious that the wolf was young. Its fur was a dirty, matted mess; one of its ears was floppy, and the scars that littered its body told me that it had been in its own fair share of fights.

I started to move toward the wolf, but that was my first mistake. I took two steps before the sound of a twig snapping underneath my foot awoke the wolf. Its head immediately shot up and dark eyes stared back at me with a flurry of emotions.

I started to lower myself to the ground in order to prove I wasn't a threat, but the pup wasted no time before it darted off. I moved quickly in order to follow it, I tried to stay far enough away to where it wouldn't be too afraid of me, but it proved to be no use. The pup rounded a corner and the moment I moved to follow it, it was gone.

I stood there for a moment as I tried to find it, but the pup clearly knew where to hide. Just as I started to turn around and head back to where my bag and clothes were, I caught the quiet sound of footsteps in the distance. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, I carefully watched where I was stepping and followed the faint noises. Once I reached them, I expected the brown wolf to be there, but it wasn't.

It was another one.

I stand from my spot on the ground and approach the wolf. Once I was a few feet away though, I came to a stop as the wolf's scent invaded my nose. As if it had finally noticed me, the wolf turned around and my breath caught in my throat.

It...it was Reuben.

What was he doing in Oakwood? Was he okay? Many questions ran through my mind, but I couldn't find it in me to shift. The two of us stared at each other almost like we were in some kind of trance.

I didn't know what to do. Part of me never expected to see him again, but here he was in Oakwood. In front of me.

I started to take a step toward him and that seemed to be all he needed to come back to reality. He stumbled backward and before I could take another step, he took off, leaving me in the dust once again.