I seriously underestimated how well Reuben and Reed would get along.

It made sense in a way. Reuben and Cronan didn't get along, and I doubted they ever would, but Reed was different yet similar to his brother. He wasn't as rash or, as Reuben would put it, "so annoying it made him angry."

Knowing how Reuben typically felt about new people, I expected him to take a while to warm up to Reed, but I was wrong. They immediately clicked and at some point, they seemed to forget Willa and I were there.

"How did we never cross paths in Oakwood?" I heard Reed ask Reuben.

Reuben shrugged. "I tend to avoid Cronan as much as possible."

Reed snorted. "He told me a bit about you when he first started hooking up with Arlo."

"All bad things I'm sure."

"Like you're any better," I interrupted with a playful grin on my face. "You and Cronan are more similar than you care to admit."

He stared at me as if I had two heads. "No, we are not."

"You are," I argued. "You're two sides of the same coin."

"They do say that likes repel," Reed hummed.

"Both of you stop talking," Reuben shook his head. "Willa is officially my favorite person in this room."

Upon hearing her name, Willa glanced at Reuben and flashed him a wide smile.

"How could she not have been your favorite before? Look at her," Reed gestured. "She's adorable."

"She is cute," I agreed.

"C...ute. Cute," Willa nodded.

"She is," Reuben said.

"So," Reed changed the subject. "How did you two meet anyway?"

Reuben and I shared a glance. "That's...a long story."

Reed's brows furrowed. "Didn't you meet in Oakwood?"

Reuben shook his head. "We knew each other a little before then."

"So, you knew each other but you weren't together."

"We...we were kinda in a situationship."

Reuben's head snapped in my direction and his face flushed. "That is not the right term for what we were."

My head tilted. "No?"

"No. Situationships typically involve sexual encounters."

Oh.

Oh.

The embarrassment slapped me in the face. "We weren't in a situationship."

Reed snorted. "You didn't tell anyone else that, right?"

"Thank Goddess no," I responded.

I could only imagine the reactions I'd receive.

"Eli and I knew each other a bit before Oakwood, but we only really got to know each other once we moved there," Reuben explained.

"It wasn't planned to meet each other there?"

"No. It was completely by chance. At first, I was completely against it, but now..." Reuben trailed off and his eyes met mine. "Now I'm here, so I guess that speaks volumes."

I smiled at him.

"You haven't met your mate yet right, Reed?"

He shook his head. "No, and I'm in no rush to."

"Really?" I questioned.

"Is that surprising?"

"I'm used to wolves being in a rush to meet their other half," I admitted.

It was common for werewolves to constantly wish to meet their mates. Some even traveled to other packs to try and find them. Many couldn't stand the idea of having to wait years to meet the one created for them.

He shrugged. "It'll happen when the time is right. No need to rush it. I've got time."

Honestly, it was refreshing to hear that.

Willa's yawn caught all of our attention and Reed smiled as he stood up.

"I guess I should head to my temporary place before it gets too late."

"You want me to take you?" I offered.

He shook his head. "I'll be fine. Besides, I was thinking about seeing what this pack is all about, you know? Walking around for a while."

"You sure?"

He nodded. "I want to see what drew you to this place."

"Alright," I find agreed. "Don't hesitate to call me if you get lost or need something."

"I won't," he stated and before he could get too far, I pulled him into a hug.

"We need to hang out again," I told him.

"For sure," he returned the hug.

When we finally pulled away, he headed to the couch and pulled Willa into an embrace as well.

"Goodnight, Willa," he spoke softly.

Willa yawned again and I took her hand and helped her toward her room while Reuben and Reed said goodbye to each other.

"Night, Willa," I told her one last time.

She turned and wrapped her arms around me and shot me one last tired smile. I closed the door and returned just as Reed left.

"That was fun," Reuben said as he locked the door. "I didn't think I was going to get along with him at first, but he was nice."

"He is," I agreed as I closed the gap between us. "Honestly, I didn't expect you two to get along either, but I'm glad you did. It was nice to see you laughing and talking to someone else."

"Yeah?" He hummed.

"Yeah."

"I have to say the best part of the night was you saying we were in a situationship," he teased.

"Stop," I groaned.

"What? You said it!" He laughed.

"You're a bully," I accused.

"Am I?"

"You are. You find pleasure in my pain."

"Maybe just a bit," he grinned.

"See?" I shook my head.

"And yet, you still like me. What does that say about you, Eli?" His expression changed to one of amusement and he stepped impossibly closer. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you like when I tease you."

"You're mistaken," I managed to force out.

"Am I?" He hummed.

I couldn't stop my eyes from flickering between his gaze and his lips. All traces of sleepiness had left my body and my attention was completely consumed by the man standing in front of me. Memories of the heated kiss we shared before we left Oakwood reappeared and I mentally groaned.

Of all the times to be thinking about that...

"You've gone quiet," he noted. "Are you alright?"

"I'm..." my voice trailed off. His scent invaded my nose and I exhaled sharply. "I need to go—"

Reuben's arm wrapped around my wrist before I could pull away. I glanced at him and the expression I saw wasn't his usual one. It was proof that whatever I was feeling, he was too.

"Reuben..."

"If you want me to let go, I will," he stated.

It didn't take me long to realize I didn't want that. I knew what I wanted, but was the timing right? There was still a lot going on.

But when I looked into his eyes again, all previous thoughts seemed to evaporate. I was used to seeing Reuben with his guard raised high, but as I stared at him, he looked more vulnerable than ever. His eyes were swirling with anticipation and before I could think of anything else, I leaned in and kissed him.