Mask | ✓

19

Maia and I finished showing Celia around the pack. So far, it seemed like she could be a good fit. Those who had already seen her and spoken with her while we were touring seemed to enjoy her company; I just hoped that it was real and not a fake persona.

Walking around the pack and simply just talking to members was freeing in a way. It reminded me of when Reo and I were younger before everything went to hell. I missed just being able to talk and laugh with my pack. My family. Showing Celia around reminded me of those days, but it wasn't the same. However, I doubted that it would ever be again. The pack was changing, people were branching out to start their lives, and I couldn't be stuck in the past. That was why I had to get over these sad feelings and nightmares. It was time to bury them away and pull myself together. The pack deserved better than that.

"So, what'd you think?" Maia asked me once we dropped Celia off at her temporary home.

"She's nice," I said. "She's easy to talk to and get along with. She could be a good match; let's see if she makes it through the trial period first."

Maia hummed in response as the two of us continued to walk. Her eyes were focused forward, but I could tell that there was something she wanted to say.

"What?" I finally asked her.

"I was just wondering if you were going to say anything about your new roommate," she said, brown eyes meeting my green.

Nixon?

An image of the dark-haired man flooded my mind, and I focused my attention on Maia.

"How do you know about that?"

Nixon staying with us was meant to be on a strictly need-to-know basis, and as much as I trusted Maia, the fewer people to know he was here, the better. We had gone as far as to cover his scent when he crossed into the territory, and he hadn't stepped outside since entering the house, so how did she know?

Maia stared at me for a few minutes before shaking her head. "They didn't tell you?"

"Who didn't tell me what?"

"Cloud and Raiden are back," Maia said. "They planned to surprise you by showing up and going to your house—"

"They went where?"

My steps stopped, and I ran my hand through my black hair. My nerves began to grow, along with a headache. I needed to go.

"Are you okay?" Maia asked me, a concerned frown overtaking her face.

"I have to go," I told her. Cloud and Nixon alone together was not a scenario I wanted to imagine.

Cloud had a big mouth, one that often got him into more trouble than necessary. He would say something that would, without a doubt, trigger Nixon's temper.

Though Nixon's temper wasn't as bad as the rumors made it out to be, I knew for a fact that with enough pushing, he would get pissed off.

The two of them would most definitely not get along, and I would prefer if they didn't try to kill each other, especially in my house.

I didn't sit around to wait for Maia to reply as I hurried off back toward my home, hopefully in time to stop a homicide from taking place.

As I rushed through the pack, I was thankful we didn't have an insanely large amount of land. Nixon may criticize it every chance he got, but at times like this, it came in handy.

The first thing I saw when I came home was that the door was shut, but a simple turn of the knob revealed that it wasn't locked. With a deep breath, I opened the door to find Nixon, Raiden, and Cloud.

Raiden stood in front of Cloud. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at Nixon, whose aura was growing stronger by the second. Cloud stood behind him, the glare clear on his face as he attempted—and failed—to move around Raiden and to Nixon. Nixon took a step forward, and before things could escalate any more than they already had, I quickly walked through the house and placed my hand on his shoulder, pushing him back and blocking the two cockroaches from his view.

His brown eyes softened slightly. "Tat—"

"Go upstairs," I told him calmly. Nixon opened his mouth, and I shook my head. "Let me handle this first. Go upstairs, please, Nix."

There was still reluctance in his brown eyes, but Nixon nodded. I watched as he disappeared up the stairs and waited until I heard his door shut before I turned to glance at the two intruders.

"Who was—" Raiden started to say.

"Why are you here?" I interrupted him, eyes narrowing at the two of them.

"Hello to you, too," Cloud grumbled.

"It's too late to say 'hello,' Cloud," I scowled. "You show up unannounced, come to my home, and start unnecessary problems, so let me ask you again, why are you here?"

The way Cloud stared back at me did make me feel bad for snapping at him, but I pushed those feelings down.

"We came to see you," came his quiet reply. His jaw was clenched along with his fists. "We thought you'd like some company. I figured it would be a nice surprise. Clearly not."

"Had I not walked in on an almost fight, then maybe it would've been."

"Sorry, we didn't know you had a new...roommate," Cloud muttered, and the way he said the word 'roommate' caused me to wince. "You haven't exactly been the easiest to get a hold of."

The room fell quiet, and a sigh escaped me.

"Can we not do this today?" I asked. "How long are you going to be here for?"

Cloud didn't bother glancing at me, so Raiden said, "Two weeks."

I nodded my head. "Go home, get settled in, and I'll come to see you later, and we can talk. I'm sure you're tired after your trip, and it's probably for the best."

Cloud's jaw tightened, but no words left his mouth. He simply turned away and walked out the door. Raiden stared at his mate before sighing and moving to follow.

"Raiden," I called out before he could exit. When he turned to me, I quickly said, "Don't tell anyone about him. Tell Maia not to either."

I didn't need to elaborate for him to understand. Raiden just nodded and left, leaving me alone in the living room. Once they were both gone, I locked the door and then stared toward the stairs, knowing that my work still wasn't entirely done.

So with a sigh, I began to climb the stairs, ready to face the angry wolf known as Nixon Hart.