One of the features I loved about the Howling Night was its small size. Coming from a bigger pack, it was a breath of fresh air to not have people constantly around you. I was a social person, but everyone needed a break once in a while.

Another thing I loved about the pack was that Nixon was there and I knew he felt the same way. So, it was no surprise when I was practically tackled to the ground by the dark-haired man.

"Hi, Nix," a large grin took over my face. "I know I'm lovable and all, but did you really miss me that much?"

"Shut up. I know you missed me too."

I did miss him. I missed him more than I expected.

"It feels good to see you in person again and not just over some phone call," I admitted.

His eyes softened and he started to say something but paused when he looked up at the car.

"Who's that?"

"That's...a complicated situation," I admitted. "She's the wolf from the woods."

"Why does she—"

"Nixon, you can't run off like that!" Tatum's voice boomed through the air causing me to jump slightly while Nixon seemed unaffected by his mate's scolding.

"I found Eli," he glanced back at Tatum with a grin on his face.

"He was never lost and he's not the topic at hand. You can't just take off—who is that?"

I glanced back at the car and saw wide, brown eyes staring at us, darting back and forth as if trying to debate whether she should run away or not.

I glanced back at the two alphas and shook my head. "Can we take this conversation elsewhere?"

...

"So you think she's your sister?"

Nixon's brown eyes stared at me curiously and I nodded. "You didn't see it, Nix. The two of them—they just..."

They looked like me. It was strange; I had long come to terms with the fact that I likely would never know anything about my biological family, but here were these two strangers with similar features to mine.

"But you aren't sure?" Tatum asked.

I shook my head. "There wasn't exactly a way to check in Oakwood."

"So there is a chance that you aren't related."

"Tatum," Nixon scowled.

"I don't say that to be an asshole, Nixon," he told his mate before turning to me. "What I mean is that there's still a possibility that you aren't related. Even if it's unlikely, there's still a chance and I don't want you to brush over the possibility and be burned in the end."

Honestly, I didn't think it was possible for me to be burned more than I already had.

"What do you mean?" Nixon frowned at me.

My eyes widened. "Did I say that out loud?"

"What do you mean by you've been burned?" Nixon repeated.

"Nix," I sighed and shook my head.

"What do you me—"

"Nixon, drop it," Tatum instructed him.

I could tell that the brown-eyed man didn't want to drop it, but he did which I was grateful for.

"So what's her name?" Tatum asked me.

I hesitated to answer. "I'm actually not sure. She hasn't spoken so I don't know if she has one or not."

I didn't want to just keep calling her "the wolf" though.

I tried to think back to before I'd gone into the system. Being young, most of the memories were faint. I could remember bits and pieces of familiar surroundings. I remembered the tiny, tattered house I used to live in; I could hear the faint sound of laughter in the distance as well.

"Willa!" A squeaky voice called out. "Come on!"

"Eli?"

I blinked and turned my attention back to Tatum and Nixon who stared at me worriedly.

"Willa," I said.

"What?"

"We'll call her Willa," I elaborated. "At least, until she can tell us her name."

Tatum nodded, but Nixon continued to stare at me.

"Eli, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," I told him again. "Just tired. I should probably take Willa and head home."

"I'll come with you."

I started to argue otherwise, but one glance at Nixon's face told me that saying no wasn't an option. So instead, I let out a sigh and nodded.

"Come on then."

...

Between Nixon and me, I've always been the one who talked the most. I harbored a strong dislike for silence while Nixon was okay with sitting and not saying a word. Knowing this, I was surprised by just how much he talked on the short trip back to my house.

Once we were inside, I made sure Willa was comfortable in the guest bedroom and returned to the living room where Nixon sat.

"Eli, are you sure you're okay?"

"Nixon, I'm—"

"Stop," he sighed. "I know you, Eli. I know when you aren't being honest or when you're holding something back. If you really don't want to talk about it then I'll drop it after this, but I have to ask one more time. Are you okay?"

I started to say that I was okay; that he didn't have to worry about me because I could take care of myself, but it was as if the words wouldn't come out.

"I'm so fucking tired, Nixon," the words burst from me like water from a broken dam. "Everything is so fucked."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked me.

So I did. I told him everything. I left out names, but the words flowed from my mouth and I wasn't able to stop. Nixon sat there; he didn't say anything, just listened. He listened as I talked about my problems with Reuben, as I talked about being annoyed at the constant game of tug of war. He listened to it all. When I was done, I let out a loud sigh and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, E."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault. You weren't even there."

"Still," he argued. "You shouldn't have to go through that. Is that the reason why you called me the other day?"

"Yeah," I sighed and leaned back. "I thought that maybe if I just gave it time then he'd come around, you know?"

"Some people don't know what they have until they've lost it," Nixon said.

"People suck," I muttered and he snorted at that.

"Trust me, I know."

"It wasn't all that bad though," I admitted. "I did make some friends. One of them reminded me of you."

I hadn't thought about it much at the time, but there were some similarities between Cronan and Nixon. Though they weren't identical, they definitely were similar to each other.

"You meet friends everywhere you go," he shook his head.

"I'm a friendly person," I shrugged. "That's why you like me."

He rolled his eyes but didn't deny it. Instead, he pulled me closer and ruffled my hair. "You are a slightly annoying, but friendly, generous, person and one day someone will see that."