Even after I left, Nolan's words were still in my mind. Going to the Howling Night with Tatum? The idea had never crossed my mind, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

Change and I didn't go hand-in-hand. I liked when things were predictable. I didn't know what the Howling Night was like despite having stayed there. Sure, the pack intrigued me, but to move there? I didn't even know if Tatum would want that.

But, as much as I wanted to deny it, Nolan was right about me not quite fitting in here at the Silver Night. It was something I always knew and tried to ignore. Packs were essential to werewolves, and I loved mine—I really did—but that didn't necessarily mean that I was happy.

When I returned to the pack, I told myself that this time would be better. I didn't want to be seen as some monster, and at first, I really did try to change the public opinion of myself. I tried to act better and to make the pack like me, but it seemed to already be too late. Those years away had already solidified how my members saw me. There were some who believed I did the right thing, given that the official records had stated Isaiah was a traitor. Killing him was the best option for the safety of the pack, but others disagreed. However, both sides seemed to come together and agreed that, at the end of the day, I was a monster.

The isolation followed not long after. I'd see how people would approach Nolan with smiles on their faces; they'd offer condolences and try to invite him out. That was the opposite of what I received. Rumors, stares, and whispers following my every move became my new normal, and at some point, I just stopped trying. I had Nolan and Eli, and that was fine with me.

At least, I thought so. But now I wasn't so sure if I wanted to be alone. I wanted friends; I wanted a partner; I wanted to not be alone anymore but were they still attainable after having gone so many years without them?

"Alpha Nixon," One of the warriors linked me. "There are some wolves in the cells asking to speak with you."

My brows furrowed at the words, momentarily pulling me from my previous thoughts. Wolves wanting to speak with me?

"They're requesting to speak with you regarding an attack," the warrior added.

Instantly, I knew who he was talking about. Not too many people knew about how I'd been attacked. After Nolan had found them, I originally planned to stop by and pay them a visit, but life got in the way. Why would they want to speak with me now, though?

"I'm on my way," I linked the warrior back.

I began the walk toward the cells. I tried to think about what the wolves could've wanted. The group that had supposedly tried to kill me was made up of what looked to be random members. Most of them, I couldn't even remember having a conversation with them, so the fact that they attacked me was strange, to say the least. Most of them did have some connection to Isaiah, so Nolan and I chalked it up to that being the reason.

The cells were closer to Eli than they were to me. Though we didn't often have wolves inside of the building, we wanted to have someone close in the case that there was some kind of attack. Since I was closer to the border and Roan spent a good portion of his time at Nolan's, it made sense to put Eli there.

As the guarded building came into sight, my senses began to sharpen as well. I didn't want to take any chances with a surprise attack.

"Eli, I'm going to be at the cells," I linked my beta.

It was better for someone to know where I was in case it turned out to be some ambush.

"Nixon? At the cells? Why?"

"I'm talking to the wolves who attacked me today," I explained.

"Nix—" Eli began, and I could already tell from his voice that he didn't like that I was going to see them.

"Listen, they requested it. Besides, I can't ignore them forever. It shouldn't take long. If I don't link back in half an hour, then come check."

I didn't wait for his response. I reached the cells and nodded to the warrior who was guarding the entrance before stepping inside. I walked down the stairs and opened another door before stepping inside the room where cell after cell lined the hall. Most were empty, so it didn't take long for me to find the wolves.

One glared at me, the hatred unfiltered in his eyes. I stopped in front of his cell and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want?" I asked the group, but my eyes remained glued to the wolf. "You asked to talk, so one of you talk."

There was a slight cough that caught my attention. I turned my head to the corner where one of the smaller wolves lay; he was an omega. There weren't many in our pack, and there hadn't been for years. The ones we did have weren't always the easiest to find. They trained like the rest of the pack—being an omega didn't stop them. However, this one was one of the easier omegas to spot. Primarily because of how scrawny he was, he didn't look like he'd trained a day in his life. Had he really tried to attack me?

"We wanted to know how long we'll be staying here," the omega spoke, and I didn't even bother trying to hide my scoff.

"Until you're eventually killed," I said plainly.

"That's not fair!" Another shouted, and I tilted my head and turned to him.

He was probably the biggest in the group. It was clear that he trained a lot, I tried to rack my head for his name, but I couldn't think of it.

"You tried to kill your alpha. Please, enlighten me on how that isn't fair?" I met his eyes coldly. "Let's say you did survive. What pack do you know would take you once they found out? You'd be nothing but a dirty rogue surviving off small prey."

"You're right. We weren't born with a silver spoon in our mouths. We aren't alphas or have the privilege of using Mommy's name and money to wash away our crimes as you did," the wolf from before, who'd been glaring, said.

I tried not to lose my temper and offered him a smile. "And yet, you still attacked like a dumbass and couldn't even manage to cover your trail properly. What does that say about you?" The wolf growled, and I rolled my eyes. "If that's all, I'll be leaving."

I began to walk back toward the stairs, but a tiny voice called out to me.

"Wait!" The omega said, and I sighed. I turned to him, and his light brown eyes met my darker ones. "We were the ones who attacked you, it's true, but it wasn't our idea—"

"Be quiet," the biggest wolf scolded.

"Keep going," I commanded, glancing over at the other two wolves in warning.

"He came to us; it was his idea. He said it was revenge for Isaiah, and with you gone, the pack would function better and stop being so divided."

"Who?" I demanded.

His eyes dropped from mine and to the floor. "Gamma Fen."