As we walked to meet up with Fen, Eli's eyes kept darting behind us, where Roan walked in confusion. I could tell by the way he kept looking at me that he was wondering what the hell Roan was doing here and when the two of us had become friendly with one another.
I ignored the curious glances and asked, "Does Fen know Roan, and I are coming?"
Eli blinked and reluctantly pulled his eyes away from Roan. "No, but I figured the more, the better. And as you said, it's been forever since we've hung out."
"I thought you did not like Fen," Roan said to me.
"I don't," I responded, not bothering to hide my dislike for the man in question.
"Then why are you joining him for a run?"
"Because I am."
Roan's brows knitted together at the response, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Do you and Fen get along?" Eli asked Roan.
"No, I suspect that he does not like me."
"Why not?" I asked.
"I do not know. Nolan said you and Fen were similar in that way. You both disliked new people and lacked social skills."
The response made Eli snort, and I rolled my eyes. Fuck you too, Nolan.
"Looks like you two do have something in common, Nix. Who knows, maybe this will be the start of a beautiful friendship between you and Fen."
"Keep dreaming, E."
The three of us continued. Eli and Roan talked the whole time, which was both surprising and not at the same time. I knew Eli could get along with anyone. What surprised me was that Roan was responding and actually seemed to be enjoying the conversation, even. There was the faintest hint of a smile on his face, one I knew would make Nolan happy to see if he were here.
"You know, he really isn't that bad," Eli said through our link.
I didn't get the chance to respond. The figure of a male came into view, and the closer we got, the more obvious it became that the man was Fen. His eyes turned to us, and I watched the slightest frown appear on his face before masking it.
"Fen!" Eli called out with a smile on his face.
Fen nodded in greeting. "I didn't know you were bringing them."
Eli shrugged. "I thought it was a good opportunity since I haven't seen Nix recently. Is that a problem?"
There was a pause before Fen shook his head. "No." His eyes then traveled to Roan. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Alpha Nixon invited me," Roan replied.
Fen's eyes finally reached mine, but neither of us said anything. There was no need to after our last conversation. I could see the flicker of annoyance flash through his eyes. There was a nonverbal understanding between the two of us—one that appeared to have pissed him off slightly.
"Are you ready?" Fen asked Eli.
Eli nodded, and the four of us began to shift into our wolves. As I did so, the memory of going on a run with Tatum entered my mind, and my mood rose. Once we were done, I planned to call him. It was strange; before, I had never been a fan of calls or texts, yet I found myself looking forward to them more now. The number of people who actually had my number was severely limited, so the chances of it being Tatum were high. Whenever I heard the vibration or the ring, my eyes immediately searched for the device.
After shifting, I moved to stretch my body. Shifting had always been one of the things I enjoyed most about being a werewolf. Being able to change into my four-legged lycanthrope form gave me a sense of freedom that I didn't often feel when I was in my homo sapien one. I was sure it was that way for many wolves, but the feeling always felt special to me ever since I'd first shifted.
Once I finished shifting, I examined the other four wolves. Running with Eli was something I'd done before, but Fen and Roan? Not at all. I never expected to find myself doing so, but here I was.
We took a few moments to adjust to the change and stretch before taking off. Group runs were always considered a bonding experience growing up and something to be valued. Knowing that someone considered you close enough to invite you out with them was seen as a special moment in a relationship. The first person—who wasn't family—that I had invited was Eli, then Isaiah, then Taum and now Roan.
It was clear that he didn't fully understand the significance of being asked, yet, in a way, that made it better. When I had invited Eli and Isaiah in the past, both of them had made a big deal out of the situation, but with Roan, it felt like there wasn't anything special to the event; this was just an ordinary event, and part of me preferred that reaction.
The feeling of being tackled by another pulled me from my thoughts. I glanced up to find the culprit being, Eli. He stared at me with a toothy grin on his face and slightly narrowed eyes—an obvious sign of a challenge—before moving away and narrowly escaping my attempt to get his ear.
The event marked the change from a calm run to a more chaotic one. Eli and I ran around like two young wolves who had freshly shifted and were trying to figure out who was stronger. Any chance we had to attack each other, we took while Roan watched in surprise, and Fen stared in a less than impressed manner.
At some point, it had changed from being just Eli and me. Soon we had Roan and an unwilling Fen involved also. I'd lost track of time, but I didn't care because it was, surprisingly, fun. I knew I wasn't the only one feeling that way either. I could see Roan's tail wagging when I passed him and had to bite back a snicker. It was much easier to tell how he felt compared to his usual blank stare.
Then there was Eli, who was bouncing around excitedly. Watching the way he ran around made me honestly believe that he would be okay. It would take time, but he would ultimately pull through.
And seeing that filled me with more joy than I could've imagined. It made me believe that maybe, just maybe, everything would work out.
...
The moment the call connected, a smile broke out on my face. After I finished running with Eli, Roan, and Fen, I walked back with Roan to his home and made sure to invite him out again. Then I returned to my own place and took a shower before grabbing my phone to call Tatum.
"Hey, you there?" I asked as I took a seat on my bed.
"I'm here," Tatum responded, but it didn't sound right.
My brows furrowed. "Tate? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a little tired," he responded, but I didn't believe it for a minute.
"Are you sure? If something's wrong, I can—"
"I'm fine, Nixon," he sighed. "I promise. Let's talk about something else. Tell me about what you've been up to."
I didn't respond right away. There was definitely something wrong with him, and I wanted to know what. I was worried but also a little frustrated. I thought that we had gotten past the stage where we hid things from one another. I didn't want only to see the Tatum that felt like he had to be strong all the time; I wanted him to talk to me when something was wrong.
Before, I wouldn't have paid much attention to it and probably wouldn't have known what to do. But with him, I wanted to try at least. Even if I didn't have all the words, I wanted to know that I made an effort to help—I wanted him to know that he could talk to me.
"Nix," he repeated in a quieter voice.
It was like he was pleading with me, pleading for me to drop the situation. The barrier had dropped slightly, just enough for me to see that he wasn't okay like I had predicted, but he wasn't ready to talk about it either.
So, despite how much I wanted to ask about it, I said, "Okay," and began to tell him about my day.
The conversation was a light one, but that was okay. Even if he wasn't ready to talk just yet, I would be there when he was. That's what I wanted him to know—that he didn't have to be strong all the time. He could talk to me.
I wasn't going anywhere. When he finally couldn't keep up the masquerade anymore, and the mask finally came off, I'd still be there. Because that was how much I liked—no—loved him.