Escape | ✓

48

"Reu, come on!" Eli impatiently called out from his spot in the living room in front of my laptop.

"I cannot believe you talked me into this."

"It'll be fun," he argued.

"For which one of us?"

He opened his mouth to retort but stopped when the computer screen lit up with a call icon. Eli's face broke out into a large grin and he pulled me close to him. With a sigh, I dragged the mouse to accept the call.

"Reuben!" Kai's loud voice rang through the house. He sat on the floor with Easton and Tyson at his side while Jenson and our parents sat behind them on the couch. "Who's that beside you?"

"Hello to you too, Kai," I greeted. My eyes drifted to Eli and I mentally sighed. "This is Eli, my mate."

There was a pause. Nobody said anything and Eli glanced at me confusedly and I just shook my head.

"Hello," Eli greeted, seeming to pull my family out of whatever trance they were stuck in.

"Holly shit," Easton said. "Your mate? You? The same Reuben who swore he'd be single his whole life."

"Is he real?" Kai asked.

I rolled my eyes. "He is very real."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Tyson said to Eli.

"You knew about him?" Easton asked. "Why didn't I know?"

"Because you're annoying," Tyson responded.

"I'm still stuck on the fact that our kangareu has a mate," Kai muttered.

"You guys are going to scare him off," Jenson said

"If he can deal with Reu then he isn't going anywhere," Mom teased.

"Where are you? That doesn't look like your apartment," Dad spoke up.

"I'm at Eli's pack."

"Pack? You went to another pack? Seriously, who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Kai asked.

I rolled my eyes at them all and turned to Eli. "I told you my family is a mess."

"You're just as bad as the rest of us," Easton rolled his eyes.

"I like to think I'm better."

"You're the only one who thinks that."

"Can we get back to the topic at hand? Or well, the person at hand," Jenson said with a smile on his face. "When did this happen? Last time we talked to you, you were still very much single and against mates."

"I've known Eli for a while, but we only got close when we ran into each other in Oakwood," I explained. "I tried to get him to go away, but he was surprisingly stubborn and kept coming back."

Of course, there was more to tell but something told me going into detail about the way Eli and I met over a video call wasn't a smart idea.

"Who's that behind you?"

Eli and I turned around just as Willa rounded the corner. She stared at the screen and Eli called her over.

"This is my younger sister, Willa," he introduced.

Immediately, Mom seemed to grow excited. After having six boys in the house of course she was happy when seeing another girl.

I watched as Eli and Willa talked to my family. I tried to follow the conversation, but my mind kept drifting back to the day I decided to leave my pack. I remember spending hours scouring the internet for a place far enough from home so that my siblings couldn't bother me, but close enough to please my parents. I couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if I didn't go to Oakwood.

Would I still be with Eli? I wasn't sure, but what I did know was that it wasn't a future I wanted to think about. I spent years purposefully isolating myself, but now that I was here, surrounded by those whom I cared about, I didn't want to go back to the way I previously lived.

"Are you okay?" Eli linked me.

"I'm more than okay," I replied and it was the truth.

I'd spent my whole life running from problems, looking for escapes, but I stopped running and I was glad I did.

"Hey, Eli?" I called through our bond.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for not giving up on me."

The comment seemed to have caught him off guard. He reached over and intertwined his fingers with mine.

"You were worth it all."

He shot me one of his signature room-lighting smiles and I returned the gesture.

"I love you, Eli."

"And I love you, Reu."

Our meeting was rocky, to say the least, but the fact that we were sitting together after everything spoke volumes.

If someone would've told me that I'd be sitting with Eli, talking to my family, I would've laughed. However, now that we were here, I was hopeful—excited even—to see how we grew.

"You want to know something?" Eli said once we ended the call.

"What?"

"When I first arrived at Oakwood, Callie told me it was the place people came to when they were running from something, but I don't think that's completely true." He turned to face me fully. "I mean think about it. It's the place I found you, Willa, Reed, and everyone else."

"That is true," I agreed.

"I think Oakwood is the place people arrive at when they need to be found," he told me.

The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with him. Oakwood had a habit of bringing people together even when they didn't want to be. It brought you the people you needed in your life. It brought me, my friends, and Eli. For that, I was more than grateful to the town.

And we've finally reached the end! There's still an epilogue, an extra from Tatum's point of view, and a bonus (👀) to come, but this is the last official chapter of Eli and Reuben's story! Thank you to those who've read this far and put up with Reuben lol. I know it was a challenge at times.