"Will you quit whining? We made it just fine."

The car stopped, and I stepped out and glanced back at Tatum, who glared fiercely at me. If looks could kill, then I'd be dead right now.

A lot of people would've been intimidated by an Alpha glaring at them or at least raise their guard, but it was Tatum, and that alone was enough of a reason for me not to do so.

Tatum eventually stepped out of the car and followed me toward the house. When we reached the front porch, I moved to grab the keys from my pockets, but Tatum's hand gripped my wrist before I could. With furrowed brows, I turned to him.

"What?"

"Give me my keys," he demanded, and I rolled my eyes but gave them to him nonetheless. "You are never driving my car again, Nixon Hart. Actually, stay away from driving altogether."

"You're dramatic. Look, your car wasn't even ruined."

Tatum shook his head. "You're like a drunk driver minus the drunk part."

I waved him off, grabbed the keys to the house, and unlocked it. I stepped inside the house with Tatum behind me. His eyes scanned across the area and then back to me.

"What?" My eyes narrowed.

"I didn't say anything."

"Your eyes did."

He shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not sure what I was expecting when you said your home, but it wasn't this."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Tatum met my eyes, and he smiled. "It's not a bad thing. For someone so curious, it's a lot less...Nixon than I expected."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "I don't see the purpose of decorating a house. Seems like an unnecessary waste of money, time, and energy."

Tatum hummed in response. "You don't spend a lot of time here, right?"

He didn't say it, but I could see where his mind was going. If I didn't spend a lot of time in my home, then what was the purpose of inviting him here? If I was constantly busy, then would it even matter if he stayed or not?

"I don't," I confirmed. "Well, didn't. There was never a reason to. But seeing as you're here, I guess I'll be spending more time in it. You're welcome."

"I'm welcome?" Tatum raised an eyebrow. "Let's not forget who made me com—"

"Unimportant, you're here already," I cut him off. "Now, let's go on that run."

I turned, but Tatum stopped me. "We just got here. You haven't even shown me where my room is yet."

"Things we can do when we get back," I argued.

Tatum stared at me in a manner that told me he wasn't budging, so, with a sigh, I gestured for him to follow me upstairs. I turned down the hall and led him to an empty room with nothing but a bed inside.

"You can stay here. I'll be next door," I told him.

There was one room on the lower level of the house. Usually, that was where I stayed, but I figured it would make more sense—or it did in my mind, at least—that the two of us were on the same level.

"Let's unpack first, and then we can finally go on this run you keep begging for."

So that's what we did. We unloaded the car, taking all the suitcases inside, and then we unpacked them all. It was a process that I wanted to be done with as soon as possible, but Tatum seemed actually to enjoy it. It was strange, but by now, I was used to the man's peculiar behaviors.

When we finally finished, I was more than ready to leave. A run was long overdue. I could've gone on my own or ran while Tatum drove the car, but it wouldn't have been the same.

"Let's go!" I gestured for him to rise from the place he had been sitting.

Tatum smiled at me and stood up. It was nice to see his smile again. He still wasn't completely alright, and there was still so much I didn't know, but I'd wait for the day when I could see his genuine smile. One that wasn't weighed down by overwhelming emotions.

Tatum and I left the house before walking toward the woods. It wasn't far, seeing as my house was a little further out. Nolan lived closer to the pack's center, but I'd chosen not to. When we took over, it was something we talked about often. With the size of the territory, it didn't make sense for us to be confined to one area. If there were an attack, it would take us longer to get there. So Nolan, Eli, Roan, and I were spread out amongst the land, but I wouldn't be surprised if Roan spent more time at Nolan's home than he did at his own.

Thinking of Eli reminded me that I needed to see him. Seeing as he didn't come with Nolan and Roan to welcome Tatum and me, I took it as a bad sign. I would go tomorrow to visit him and make sure that he was okay.

When Tatum and I reached the woods, we both disappeared behind trees in order to strip and shift. After not having done so for so long, I was more than ready for it. It almost reminded me of the first time I shifted. Only back then it was more painful. It was one of the few times Mom had actually come home, and I remembered the proud expression on her face when she saw our wolves, and that was all that mattered. I wanted to make Mom happy.

I pushed the memory out of my head and closed my eyes. I called my wolf forward, picturing the fur that would take over my body, the snout that would form, and the four legs I'd be bound by.

And then it happened. I could hear the cracking sounds as my body began to change. There was a little pain from it having been so long, but that was easy to ignore. When I opened my eyes, standing before me, I was Tatum—or rather, Tatum's wolf.

His coat was slightly darker than my own, and his green eyes seemed to shine brighter. I knew for a fact that this wouldn't be the last time I took him out here for a run.

Trotting past Tatum, I moved a little deeper into the woods and toward a body of water where I could see my own reflection. My wolf was, unsurprisingly, just how I remembered it, besides one difference—my ear. By now, I had already gotten used to the damaged body part. It did slightly mess with my ability to hear, but seeing as werewolves, we already had enhanced hearing, and my other ear worked perfectly fine; it didn't bother me too much.

Tatum came up beside me, and while he was distracted, I used my body to push him into the water. A growl soon followed, but I didn't wait around for him to get back up. I took off running, a nonverbal way of saying, "catch me if you can!".

Was it childish? Yes.

Was that going to stop me? No.

I darted through the woods, weaving through trees. The other wolf was hot on my trail, but I knew the territory better than him. Tatum might've known all the tips and tricks for things like board games, but I knew them for this land. I knew the fastest routes to take, where the bodies of water were, and the courses you wanted to avoid.

Eventually, I managed to lose Tatum. I knew he was still in the pack lands since I didn't feel him pass the border. I took a moment to catch my breath. I got back up and began to sniff around for Tatum's scent. When I caught it, I moved to follow and tried to stay quiet in order to get the jump on him. However, once I got closer, another scent mixed in with Tatum's, and immediately the game ended.

I picked up my speed, following the scents until I was met with the sight of Tatum's wolf, and standing in front of him was a very naked man.

Sighing to myself, I shifted as well before approaching the two of them. The man's eyes caught mine, and he nodded in greeting.

"Alpha," he said in the perpetually bored voice I'd gotten used to hearing over the years.

"I didn't know you were planning to return today, Fen. Why didn't you let Nolan or me know?"

Fen stared blankly at me in a way that made my jaw clench.

"I figured that I should come back to check on Eli," he replied. "Seeing as I finished the job early, I didn't think it would be a big deal."

Like betas, Nolan and I both had our own gammas as well. My gamma was Atlas, while Nolan's was Fen. The two of us had never gotten along, and I didn't think there was a chance in hell that we ever would. If there were someone who bothered me more than Roan, then it would be him.

Maybe Nolan just had terrible taste.

Fen's eyes dropped to Tatum, reminding me that he was here. The way his eyes trailed over the other alpha only added to my disliking.

"Go," I dismissed him.

Fen eventually pulled his eyes away from Tatum and walked past me before shifting back into his wolf again. I watched as he trotted away in the direction of Eli's house. I wanted to stop him from going, but I knew that with Fen having been gone for three months, it would cheer Eli up slightly to be able to see him.

"Come on, let's go back home," I grumbled to Tatum.

I began to walk, but Tatum let out a growl that caused my brows to furrow. It was only when I looked back at him that I realized I was still naked as well. I moved to shift back into my wolf since we had left our clothing closer to the house.

The run back was more toned down. It wasn't as playful as we did before. We ran side by side until we changed back into our human forms and got dressed again.

Tatum still didn't say anything. Not about Fen or what he saw take place.

When we reached the house, we split up to take showers. Once I had finished mine, I decided I needed to see Nolan. So I walked out of my room and knocked on Tatum's.

"Tate, I'll be back. I'm going to see Nolan!"

Afterward, I got my shoes before exiting the house and beginning the walk. Having made it so many times in the past, I was used to it. The closer I got, the more pack members I began to see. They greeted me as they saw me, some welcomed my return back and asked me how my "mission" went. I tried to answer the questions as quickly as possible. Nolan could stand around having a whole chat with someone, which was why he was placed in the heart of the pack and I wasn't.

Finally, I reached his house and used the spare key that had been given to me to unlock the door. I stepped inside, and I immediately wished that I hadn't.

"Nolan!" I growled out, turning my head away.

The sight of Nolan and Roan engaging in a heavy make-out session was not one I wanted to see. It would definitely be in my nightmares for the next few weeks. I could hear the sound of them separate from each other.

"Ro, go upstairs, please. I need to talk to my idiotic brother."

No words were said back, but I could hear the sound of the other man leaving. I waited a few minutes before reluctantly turning around, where Nolan stood shirtless with his arms crossed.

"Knocking is a thing you know, Nix."

"You gave me a key," I shot back.

Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, years ago when you were staying with me."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't expecting to find you and your beta going at it on the couch and that I cockblocked you."

Nolan sighed, and his eyes briefly turned to the stairs. "Forget it. What did you need?"

"Fen's back," I said, wanting to forget about what I had just seen.

Nolan nodded. "He linked me a while ago to let me know," my expression darkened, and Nolan gave me a pointed glance. "Stop that."

"I can't stand him. I don't know how you can."

"Because I lived with you," Nolan retorted. "But is that all you came for?"

"Stop trying to get rid of me so you can fuck your beta."

Nolan rolled his eyes. "You've only been back for a day, and you're already annoying me," he shook his head. "You're right. I do want to go back to Roan, so how about instead of bothering me, you go and get laid yourself?"

I blinked. "What?"

Nolan raised an eyebrow. "You and Tatum."

A scowl took over my face. "Shut up."

Nolan snorted. "Figured I was right. The moment you two showed up, it was obv—"

"Be quiet."

Nolan rolled his eyes. "So you like him, huh?"

"So you like Roan, huh?"

"I have never denied my feelings for Roan," he grinned. "If you're here, you might as well tell me."

Did I like Tatum? A mental image of him formed in my mind.

"Your eyes say it all, Nix," Nolan teased. "Does he know?"

The question had a double meaning, and he knew it. I narrowed my eyes and stared back at my twin.

"Does Roan know?"

"I don't hide anything from Roan," Nolan said sternly. "If you actually want whatever you have with him to go somewhere, then you're going to have to tell him at some point—"

"Shut the fuck up, Nolan," I scowled and turned back toward the door.

"How long do you plan on being alone for, Nixon?"

The question cut through me, and my jaw clenched. "You tell Roan everything, huh? Shame that he doesn't do the same for you."

There was a long period of silence before Nolan spoke again. "Get the fuck out of my house, Nixon."

The way he spoke was cold and full of rage. I didn't bother saying anything else and left the house to return to my own.

Did Tatum know? The question lingered in my mind, and I took a deep breath. He didn't, and I planned to keep it that way. Nolan might've told Roan what happened, but that was his choice and this was mine. I didn't want to tell anyone—especially Tatum. I wanted to forget the past and move on. To forget that Isaiah Wells had even existed.