Escape | ✓

6

I hated parties. Well, I hated a lot of things but parties were most definitely high on the list. It never made sense to me how some people could absolutely enjoy them. How they could spend hours packed into a small space with a large number of smelly people and music blaring in the background.

My brothers, Kai and Easton, were those types of people. They thrived off of social gatherings while I was left both mentally and physically exhausted from them.

Tonight was no different. The moment I stepped into the woods with Arlo, I already wanted to leave. A deep frown fell on my face and I glanced back at the way we just came from, longing for the chance to leave.

"It's not so bad," Arlo said to me and my eyes narrowed at him.

"It's awful."

Arlo rolled his eyes. "Don't be dramatic. Remember, we're here for a reason."

I knew that, however, that didn't mean I had to like it. After Arlo and I went to meet up with Callie, she told us that she was pretty sure that someone else knew about the brown wolf, but she wasn't sure if they were friend or foe. This party was basically supposed to be a cover story to investigate more, but it was the last place I wanted to be—especially given that I already knew who the mystery person was.

After hearing Callie say that someone else knew, it made sense that it would be Eli. He was, after all, coming from the area where the brown wolf usually slept. I didn't tell this to the others though. I didn't know what Eli's goal was and I didn't need them questioning me any more than they already were. After my almost run-in with Eli in the hallway, I knew that they, specifically Arlo, were dying to ask questions but didn't. It was like an unspoken rule in Oakwood; if it wasn't your business then you didn't ask.

That worked for us. Even if none of us knew what circumstances led to the others ending up here, we could all agree that we had the same goal in the end which was to help the wolf living in the woods.

Arlo lightly hit my arm and gestured off in the back. "Come on, there's Cronan."

"You go without me," I said. It was one thing if I had to attend this party, but I would not deal with Cronan on top of it.

Arlo's lips pursed together. "You're going to have to learn to get along with him."

"No, I'm not," I easily dismissed him and headed off to where the cooler of drinks was.

I wouldn't be in Oakwood for that much longer anyways. The moment I was sure the wolf was safe, I'd be gone.

Once I had my drink, I took a quick scan of the area. I was partially looking for Callie, but the other irrational side of me was seeing if Eli was here. I wasn't sure if he would be or not. From first encounters alone, I could see Eli being a party person. He had that welcoming personality—the one that made him everyone's friend. However, it wasn't as if I knew that much about him, and his looks could be deceiving. The best thing I could do was just watch out and try to avoid him if he was.

"You know, I honestly thought that you'd find some way to skip out on us," Callie said with a teasing smile as she approached me, a red cup in her hand.

"Trust me, I tried but you should know how stubborn Arlo can be," I muttered.

"You're the one that gave him a key to your apartment," she reminded me and I sighed.

"I regret that choice every day."

"No you don't," Callie smirked. "Let's be honest, you wouldn't know what to do without him."

My eyes drifted over to where Arlo stood with Cronan. I could see the way his grey eyes were filled with light and excitement as they spoke. Cronan, however, looked less than interested in whatever Arlo was saying. I bit my lip and turned my head away from them.

"Tell me what you know about this person," I said to Callie, trying to calm myself down.

Callie clearly saw through me but decided to play along. "I'm not quite sure yet. I went to go check on the wolf the other day and I could sense someone else had been there. It was faint though so I'm not sure who it was."

"And why did we have to come to this party again?" I muttered.

Callie stared at me amusedly. "I figured that there was a chance the person would head back there tonight. Going to a party and mingling with the people makes a lot better cover story than having people whisper amongst themselves and spread rumors. Saves us from unnecessary attention."

I raised an eyebrow. "Rumors?"

Callie briefly glanced over at me. "What happens in the woods doesn't always stay in the woods, Reuben."

With that, she began to walk off and I sighed. If Callie was right then that meant that I couldn't just stand around and give people a reason to start rumors. I begrudgingly start to walk toward Arlo and Cronan, but my feet come to a stop when I catch his scent. I don't bother to look around and find him. Instead, I speed up and take a place beside Arlo.

Cronan's blue eyes land on me and a scowl immediately forms on his face. "What the fuck are you doing?"

For once, I ignore Cronan and my eyes search around until I spot Eli. His back is turned to me, but I know that if I can smell him then he can smell me without a doubt.

"I'm going to see if I can find you know who," I told Arlo quietly and slipped behind a tree when no one was looking.

Arlo and I originally planned to go find the brown wolf together, but anything was better than staying there. The sooner this was over with, the sooner I could leave.

My eyes searched the familiar area as I tried to find the little wolf. Did its run-in with Eli scare it off? I frowned and moved to check another area. I knew that it couldn't have moved that far in its condition.

I stopped and made sure to check the trees and bushes. However, it was proving to be of no use. I needed to shift.

I moved behind a tree a started to take off my shirt, but the sound of footsteps made me pause. My eyes closed and I silently prayed that it'd be Arlo, but I knew once the scent hit my nose that it wasn't.

"Reuben?" The voice I hadn't heard in months called out and after a few minutes of silence, I emerged from behind the tree.

Brown eyes stared back at me and I could see a fleury of emotions inside of them. With no choice left, I let out a sigh and nodded back in his direction. Clearly, avoiding him was no longer an option.

"Hi, Eli."