Waking up next to Tatum was something I could definitely get used to. My eyes lingered on his sleeping form, and I couldn't help but smile. He looked peaceful. It was a rare sight to see since he usually woke up before me.

My hand slowly raised to brush his dark hair out of his face. He shifted slightly before calming down and leaning into my touch. I missed this. I missed him. It wasn't even as if we had been apart for that long, but knowing that we'd worked everything out and were together made me feel much better.

It had been roughly two weeks since the Fen situation. I decided to wait until after Nolan talked to the pack in order to leave, I needed to make sure everything went well. And while there had been some issues and concerns, I trusted that Nolan could handle it, though it would take the pack time to adjust.

Then there were Eli's parents. They originally weren't on board with the switch, which hadn't come as a surprise to me. Eli was their only kid, and if they could, they would protect him from all the hardships and ugliness in the world. After everything that happened, they most definitely didn't think that it was a good idea for him to go, and, while I don't know what exactly Eli had done, after a week of talking with them, they finally agreed—albeit reluctantly.

I didn't know how long I lay there, but after a while, I decided that I should get up and start the day. However, as I began to pull away, Tatum's arm wrapped firmly around my waist, effectively stopping me.

"Where are you going?" He mumbled as I turned toward him.

"To get food?" I responded. "You know, as most people normally do in the morning."

Tatum rolled his eyes. "It's only morning, and you're already starting."

"Starting what?"

"Being a pain in my ass."

A grin slowly took over my face. "I can do that too. I mean, I wouldn't want to hurt you, but I'm sure we can work something out, no?"

Tatum stared at me for a minute before dropping back against the pillow. "Not even going to feed me before you try to get in my pants?"

"'Try?'" I scoffed. "I think I've already succeeded multiple times."

Tatum didn't refute the claim. Instead, he lightly pulled me toward him and kissed me.

"Maybe one day, Nix," he teased before getting up. "Come on. Let's shower and get ready."

"Get ready for what?" I asked as I followed his example and stood up. I moved toward my unpacked bags on the floor. Normally, I would've unpacked yesterday, but that was far down my priority list.

"First, I'm taking you out to eat. Then you're going to call Nolan and let him know you arrived, since I'm sure you forgot to do so yesterday, while I talk to Eli. After that, I plan to give you a tour, and then we'll see what time it is and decide what to do next together."

"You've planned this out, huh?" I grinned.

"Would I be me if I hadn't?"

I didn't respond but smiled instead. I grabbed clothes from my bag, followed Tatum toward the bathroom, and set them down on the counter. Tatum began to strip from the already small amount of clothing he'd been wearing, and I followed suit.

Normally, there wouldn't have been a chance in hell where I found myself sharing a shower with someone else. It made the room feel claustrophobic and fueled my desire to leave, but while that feeling was still there in the back of my mind, it wasn't so bad with Tatum.

As the water poured down on us, I couldn't stop my eyes from drifting to his neck, where faded hickeys lay. I followed the trail further down to his chest, and pride flooded through me.

"Admiring your handy work?" Tatum questioned with an amused expression once he noticed where I was staring.

"Yes," I didn't bother to deny it. "I wished they stayed longer so others could see."

Tatum rolled his eyes. "Of course you do."

"I want them to know you're mine."

The comment made Tatum pause and meet my eyes. They flickered down my body before he shook his head.

"We aren't doing this now," he said, but it seemed to be directed more at himself than at me.

That didn't stop me from replying, though. "We definitely should."

He stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head. He stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel to partially dry himself off.

"Where are you going?" I called out.

"To use the other shower."

"What? Why?" I asked. "Come back."

There was a smile on his face. "No, because I actually want to take you out today and being in here with you right now," he paused and glanced back at me, eyes trailing down my body. "Is dangerous."

With that, he turned to exit the bathroom, and my brows knitted together.

"Tate! Come back!" I demanded.

Just before exiting the room, I could see that smug grin on his face grow, and he let out a laugh. I scowled. That's what I get for falling for a cute asshole.

...

"Nix, if you don't hurry up, I'm leaving without you!" Tatum called out just as I rounded the corner.

I rolled my eyes. "No, you wouldn't. This is all for me; I'm the main character today, so you can't leave without me."

Tatum raised an eyebrow. "Are you really willing to test that theory out?" I opened my mouth to say yes, but before I could speak, he added, "Keep in mind that we are on a schedule. At least for the first part of the day, so the longer you take, the less time you'll get to eat."

And suddenly, I wasn't so willing to find out any more.

"Let's go," I said to Tatum, and he let out a snort before following behind me. "I want to walk."

"I figured. You're like a tourist on vacation; the only difference is I can't get rid of you after a week."

I rolled my eyes. "You should be grateful to have me."

Tatum raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. You have a big mouth, an equally large attitude to go with it, are constantly getting into trouble, and to top it all off; you can't cook." I scowled, and Tatum smiled. "But, you are cute, considerate, brighten up my day, and keep me entertained, so I guess you can stay."

"Thank you for all the wonderful compliments, Tate."

"You're welcome," he kissed my cheek. "Now, let's go. I'm hungry."

His hand intertwined with mine, and he pulled me along. I allowed him to do so, and my eyes traveled around the rest of the pack. It was calm, and I could hear the voices of those around us, laughing as they talked to one another.

As people greeted Tatum, they also turned to me in curiosity. In the Silver Night, I usually would've ignored stares, but I did the opposite this time. I smiled at those who we passed, and I could see Tatum smiling too.

Before I had left, Nolan and Eli made me sit down and gave me a lesson on "how to make friends for the antisocial and socially awkward." I'd promptly told them to fuck off upon hearing about the lessons, but they insisted. The worse part was that I wasn't the only one taking the lessons, but Roan was too.

Nolan told me that Roan wanted to work on his social skills in order to relate with the rest of the pack, which was what sparked the idea in the first place, and figured that I could use them too. Even if it was slightly annoying, I knew it was his way of trying to look out for me now that I was leaving. He didn't want me to be alone but to thrive and make friends. That was the whole reason I agreed to the stupid lessons because I wanted to do one last thing with my brother before I left.

"What are you thinking about?" Tatum asked me.

I didn't immediately respond. My hand tightened around his, and my eyes darted around, taking in the different clusters of people.

"I want to make friends."

The words felt foreign coming off my tongue. Before I was fine with my small, limited circle, but I wanted to meet new people. When I glanced over at Tatum, he didn't seem to be surprised by this, or he didn't show it if he was. He smiled softly at me and stopped walking to turn and press his lips with mine.

"Yeah?" He said quietly. "I'm sure you'll make some while here. I'll introduce you to some of the members when I take you on that tour later."

I smiled back at him, and we pulled away to continue our walk. Eventually, we reached a restaurant—one that looked familiar. I thought about it for a minute before it hit me.

"You took me here when I first showed up," I said.

Tatum nodded. "It only felt right to do so today. It's quiet in the mornings, which was why I wanted to start by coming here."

He led me inside and nodded toward the cashier before we slid into an empty booth to wait for the waiter or waitress. Even as we took our seats, he still didn't drop my hand.

"When did you take the time to plan this all out?" I questioned.

Tatum hummed. "After you fell asleep. I didn't want to spend the whole day inside again—you've already done more than enough of that—so I started brainstorming things that we could do today."

I smiled. "I love you, Tate."

He mirrored my expression. "And I love you, Nix."

My heartbeat sped up at the words, and had the waiter not cone at that exact moment; I would've been across the table, pampering him with kisses.

"What can I get you?" The waitress asked cheerfully.

Last time we came, I'd gotten a burger, but it was still early, so I glanced over at Tatum. "Chose for me."

He didn't bother to glance at the menu. "We'll have two of your breakfast specials, a water, and a lemonade."

The waitress quickly jotted the order down before disappearing and leaving us alone again.

The smile still hadn't dropped from my face, and as I took in the restaurant's atmosphere, I doubted it would anytime soon.

...

The phone only had to ring once before it was picked up.

"Nixon?" Nolan called out. "Did you finally remember that you had a brother? One who'd prefer to know that you're safe and hear from you within a reasonable time and not twenty-four hours later, by the way."

I rolled my eyes, but I was happy to hear the scolding voice of my brother.

"I was busy," I told him, which was the truth. I had been very busy yesterday after arrival.

"Getting fucked is not a good excuse for not answering your phone. You could've shot me a text, asshole."

My face heated slightly at the words, but I also laughed slightly. "Sorry, Dad. I'll make sure to answer next time."

"Good. Now, tell me about how things are going."

So I did. While Tatum was speaking with Eli, I caught Nolan up on the talk we'd had and was telling him about the parts of the pack I'd seen so far. After a while, I thought that I was boring him, but he encouraged me to keep going.

He occasionally stopped to ask questions such as what Tatum and my plans were for the day, had I made any friends yet, how Eli was doing, and more. I told him as much as I could, trying not to leave any details out.

Once I finished talking, I flipped the script and began to ask him about how he was doing. The moment he began to speak, I could hear the smile in his voice. While the pack was still on edge from the Fen situation, they were taking Nolan's plan to reconstruct the pack in stride.

The situations that had been happening in the last few years had opened a lot of eyes to the possibility that change might be more needed than previously believed. The pack couldn't survive off the same old-fashioned ideas. The times were changing, and the pack had to change with it.

That didn't mean that everyone was on board, though. Nolan told me that there was a group who didn't believe change was needed, but he was confident that he'd eventually get them to come around.

Then there was Roan, who seemed to have taken on a mission similar to my own. He was going out more and talking to more of the pack members. I could hear the pride in Nolan's voice as he spoke about his mate's progress.

"He's growing, Nixon," Nolan said to me. "And I'm so fucking excited to see where he ends up. He seems so much happier these days—you both do."

I didn't get the chance to respond before the door to the office opened, and Eli came out. He seemed more relaxed than he had when he first entered, which seemed like a good sign.

"Hey, Nolan, I'll call you back later.

"Are you saying that and then going to go MIA again?"

A smile played its way onto my lips. "No, I'll actually call you. I have to go now, but I love you."

Without missing a beat, Nolan responded with, "I love you too, Nixon."

Once the call ended, I got out of my seat and walked toward Eli, and threw an arm over his shoulder.

"So, how'd it go?"

Eli smiled. "We talked about my transfer, and he said he doesn't mind. We'd have to talk about the beta thing another day, but that doesn't bother me."

"So you're here to stay," I concluded.

Eli nodded. "Now it's time to find my own place and get out of Mars and Harmony's house."

I paused and glanced at him. "They were nice, right? No issues?" I wasn't above stopping to pay a visit if they weren't.

Eli noticed this and quickly said, "No, Nix. They were nice; I just don't want to keep living on someone's couch, you know? I want my own space. I plan to go looking after I get to know the pack better."

I nodded just as another body stepped out of the room. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was; the look Eli was giving me said enough. Before he could open my mouth, I shot him a look that said leave. The last thing I needed was for him to give Tatum more ammunition to use against me.

Eli raised his hands in surrender and told Tatum goodbye before leaving. I turned around, and Tatum stared at me with a smile.

"You've talked to Nolan, right?"

I nodded. "Just hung up not too long ago."

"So, are you ready to go on this tour?"

I grinned widely. "Let's do it."

...

The Howling Night was beautiful.

I loved the calmness that came with it. The pack was a breath of fresh air. As Tatum and I walked around, him showing me all his favorite places, I knew that I'd be spending a lot of time outdoors.

We went anywhere and everywhere, exploring all the different buildings, meeting new people, and much more. It was nice to be able to talk to the other members. Another bonus was seeing how excited Tatum was to show me his pack.

It was a sight that I loved.

Seeing the way his eyes lit up and how his smile took over his face as we walked around was something I never wanted to forget. Not to mention, he hadn't been lying about introducing me to other people. It seemed with every stop we made; there was someone new to meet.

After we visited a few more places, we came to a stop back near the heart of the pack lands.

"So how has this been so f—" Tatum began but stopped when a soccer ball came rolling and hit his feet.

He leaned down to pick up the ball just as a Mom, followed by what appeared to be her daughter, came running for it.

"Sorry, Alpha!" The girl apologized. She couldn't have been older than ten. She smiled up at Tatum, revealing her missing tooth.

Tatum just smiled back. "It's fine. No harm was done; just be more careful next time so you or anyone else won't get hurt."

The little girl nodded before darting back to where another parent and young child sat. The Mom stayed behind.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," she apologized, but Tatum just shook his head.

"It's fine. No harm was done; they're kids; they need to run around and have fun."

The woman smiled before seeming to realize I was there. She turned to me with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, I don't think I know you. What's your name?"

Tatum cut in before I could respond. "This Nixon, my..." he paused. "My lover."

The pause made my eyes shoot to him confusedly. The woman continued to speak, but I was no longer focused on her. Eventually, she left and took a seat next to s man who appeared to be her mate.

I glanced back over at Tatum, determined to find out why he hesitated earlier. We went around to a few more places before returning to the house. It wasn't too late, so Tatum turned to me.

"Did you have anything specific that you wanted to—"

"Why'd you pause earlier when calling me your lover," I cut him off, not wanting to beat around the bush.

He didn't answer immediately. He blinked before a small grin fell on his face, and he shook his head.

"Because the term didn't feel right."

"Didn't feel right?" I repeated with a frown.

Tatum gripped my hand a pulled me toward the couch. "It's nothing bad, but as I was speaking, it just didn't feel right to call you my lover—it didn't feel personal enough."

"So what are you saying?" I asked.

Tatum hands still remained linked with mine. "I'm saying that I want to call you my mate, Nixon."

"What?" I stared at him, surprised.

Tatum smiled. "I know we may not be mates in the traditional sense, but I love you, and I know you feel the same. I know not everyone will be on board with it, but I don't care what everyone else thinks, just what you do. It doesn't mean that I'm trying to use you to replace my other mate. You're two completely different people, and I love you both."

"I love you too, Tatum."

"So what about it? Will you be my mate, Nixon?"

Those were words that I never thought I'd hear, but as I stared at Tatum with his green eyes full of love, I already knew what my answer was going to be.

"Yes," I answered, only to immediately be pulled into an embrace.

We may not have been mates in a traditional sense, but that didn't undermine or change the way we felt about each other. I loved Tatum, and he loved me—that was all that mattered.

The last chapter is up! Mask is now completed. There may be an epilogue for this story, but I'm not positive yet since there isn't a big gap between Tatum and Reo's story, but they pick up right after each other. If I don't do an epilogue, I'll do a Reo bonus chapter to end this book off and lead into his story. Thank you to everyone who read this book and stayed for Tatum and Nixon's story!