A common misconception in the werewolf community was that mate bonds were quick and easy. The Moon Goddess had created this person specifically for you, so why would it be hard to fall in love? For a long time, I believed this—until I met Reuben. If I was the sun, he was the moon. We were polar opposites and yet, I found myself liking that.

"So, he met his mate?"

"Yeah," Reuben replied. "It was some human guy. He didn't stay around for long so I don't know much about him yet."

"Hopefully everything goes well between them. Arlo deserves that. He's a good person," I said and Reuben laughed quietly.

"You barely know Arlo."

"I don't need to know him. You and Cronan like him and that's enough to tell me."

"Your bar is low," Reuben retorted. "Do you still talk to Cronan?"

"My bar is not low and yeah I do. He also found his mate recently."

"Arlo told me. Do you know who it is?"

"No, why?"

Reuben hummed to himself. "No reason. I was just curious to know who was the poor soul stuck dealing with Cronan for the rest of their life."

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. "Cronan's not that bad."

"I beg to differ."

"Why do you two even hate each other?" I asked. "Where did it start?"

There was a pause and I could hear the sound of shuffling through the phone. "It was after I met Arlo. He decided to introduce me to his friends and Cronan was one of them. The first day I met him, we immediately got to arguing. I can't even remember what it was over, but I knew then and there that we'd never get along. Arlo kept trying to get us to be friends, but with each attempt, it only became worse until he finally accepted that Cronan and I wouldn't get along." I fell quiet upon hearing that. "Eli? You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. "Your story just reminded me of some people, that's all."

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

That surprised me. I knew that feelings weren't Reuben's strong suit, but knowing that he was trying still brought a smile to my face.

"You remember Fen, right?"

"He's not exactly easy to forget," Reuben muttered.

"Well, before...everything, he used to be one of my best friends, but he wasn't the only one. I have this other friend named Nixon and they're a lot like you and Cronan. They fought like cats and dogs all day when we were younger. It was annoying as hell sometimes, but it was also...nice."

"Nice is not the word I'd use to describe it," Reuben said and I laughed.

"You say that like you're speaking from experience. Is Fen still in Oakwood?"

"Yeah, he is."

"Is he still staying with you?"

"Yes."

There was a brief pause between us. It may have been because of what happened in the past, but I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable knowing that.

"Eli?" Reuben called out. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" I asked as I pushed the uneasy thoughts out of my mind.

"What happened between you and Fen? I've heard bits and pieces from others, but I want to hear it from you. What happened?"

I ran my hand through my hair. "You know the basic idea already. The whole threatening situation was a large part of why we aren't friends anymore, but it's not the only reason. Fen was one of my best friends—he was more like a brother if anything. At least, that's how I saw it. Maybe I just didn't want to recognize it or maybe I was just too blind, but his feelings grew and he wanted more than I could give him. We got into a fight over it and I later found out about some of the other crimes he'd taken part in, but he'd left before anyone could do anything."

"Do you miss him?"

"I miss the person I grew up with, not the person he became," I replied, though it was hard to admit.

I missed the Fen who I could just run around and play with without a care in the world; I missed the Fen who'd come around every summer and stay up late at night with me, talking about nothing important, but just enjoying being with each other.

That was the Fen I missed, not the one who hurt me.

"And I invited him back into your life," he mumbled quietly, causing me to frown.

"Reu—" I called out, but the sound of a loud thump on the ground made me pause. Was that Willa? "I'll call you back, okay?"

I didn't wait for him to respond as I hung up and hurried down the hall. Willa sat on the floor, running her hand through her dark hair with a confused expression on her face. My eyes traveled up to the ruffled blanket and then down to the floor and I sighed but it was mostly out of relief.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I helped her off the ground and back onto the bed. I checked and made sure there were no injuries. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt."

Willa, as expected, didn't respond, but instead, she turned around and focused on the window. Her eyes were looking toward the woods.

"You want to go outside?" I questioned and her eyes immediately snapped toward me. It made sense that she did, given how much time she spent out there. "We can do that."

Willa's face broke out into a Cheshire Cat-like smile and I helped her back off the bed and grabbed a bag before helping her get ready.

The moment we stepped outside, I could see Willa's personality completely change. She looked around with excitement and curiosity, taking in everything. I couldn't help but smile as I watched her.

"I need to take you out more often," I said to her.

For a second, I considered taking the car, but the choice was made for me. One minute, a small, human girl was beside me and the next, a brown wolf stood in her place. Before I could react, Willa took off toward the woods and I quickly shifted and followed suit.

I watched as she weaved her way through trees, occasionally stopping to see if I was still behind her. Her brown eyes seemed to be brighter as she moved. I continued to follow her until I caught the scent of another wolf.

Trotting in the direction of the western border was Tatum. His form wasn't tense and he didn't seem to be in a rush so I doubted anything was wrong. Upon seeing me, he tilted his head down in acknowledgment.

"Hi, Tatum," I greeted through the pack link, briefly glancing back at Willa before walking toward him. "Are you going to meet up with Nix?"

"I am," he responded. "He should be returning from the Silver Night any minute."

That didn't surprise me. It wasn't unusual for Nixon to make trips to visit Nolan. He usually stayed for a few days before returning home and Tatum almost always went to greet him when he arrived.

"What are you doing out here?" He questioned.

"I wanted to take Willa outside. She hasn't really been able to do much since we returned," I responded and his eyes drifted to where she lay curled up under a tree.

"How is she doing?" His gaze softened.

"Good, I think. She doesn't seem as anxious which is a good sign if you ask me."

"What about you?" The dark wolf's eyes met mine. "How are you doing."

"I'm okay," I told him, but he didn't seem fully convinced. "Really, I am. I'm doing better."

"I'm glad. I didn't say it before, but it's nice to have you back home, Eli. Trust me when I say you've been greatly missed."

"Mostly by Nixon, I'm sure," I replied.

"You have no idea how many times he asked me when you would be back."

"I think I have an idea."

When Nixon cared about something, he refused to let go. I was sure that he'd bugged Tatum day after day until I returned.

"You would have thought I'd sent you to another continent instead of a few hours away," he said. "I had to keep reminding him that Oakwood isn't that far from the pack and you'd be back soon."

"I'd expect nothing less from, Nix," I joked.

"Speaking of Oakwood, I wanted to ask you if you preferred having someone else go grab your remaining items or if you wanted to go yourself."

Though his tone remained light, I could tell by the way that Tatum was looking at me that there was an underlying question hidden in his statement: are you sure you're alright to go back?

"What did Nixon tell you?" I mentally sighed.

"Not much," he quickly cleared up. "But I've gotten pretty good at reading Nixon over these past few months. I know something happened there. We don't have to talk about it, but I just want to make the choice that's best for you. If you prefer to go back then that's fine, but if not then that's fine too."

I thought about it for a few moments. I didn't necessarily mind going to Oakwood to grab my things. In fact, it would likely cause less trouble. I was sure that if Cronan saw a strange person entering my apartment then he'd attack first and ask questions later which wasn't a fate I wanted to doom anyone to.

"I don't mind going back, but I can't leave Willa on her own," I told him. Though she was doing better, she still required extra help.

"Maia offered to watch her," he replied.

The statement was enough to tell me that they'd already talked about this before coming to me. There was a part of me that was annoyed by this. I knew their intentions were good, but I didn't want people to walk on eggshells around me either.

I started to reject the offer, but I stopped myself. The protective part of me didn't want to leave Willa, but I also thought about how the experience could potentially benefit her as well. Werewolves were social creatures by nature and I didn't want to stifle her from interacting with other people. Plus, I knew that Maia wouldn't let anything happen to her.

My eyes drifted back to where Willa sat and as if she felt my gaze on her, she turned to me and let out a noise that sounded like a mixture between a bark and a growl. I could tell by the way her tail was wagging that it was a relaxed and playful gesture.

"Okay," I finally replied to Tatum. "Let's give it a shot. She can stay with Maia until I get back."

"I'll let Maia know," he told me, but my eyes remained glued on Willa. Hopefully, I wasn't making the wrong choice.

AN: Finally got around to updating! This chapter was a but longer and didn't have as much going on, but that's because the fun is really about to start. (If you've seen the Black as Coal sneak peeks I've posted in my notebook then you may have an idea of what's to come.)