Mask | ✓

35

Waking up next to Nixon was a feeling I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. The warm feeling of his body resting against mine, the quiet sounds that escaped his sleeping form. I enjoyed all of it.

I wanted to stay in bed with him and not get up, but the sound of my phone vibrating said otherwise. I reached for the object and saw that Reo was texting me. I had already ignored him for long enough, so I clicked the message and read through the recent ones he'd sent me.

Reo: I know you're upset, but can we talk?
Reo: Call me when you see this.
Reo: Tatum, please, it's important.

The last one caught my attention. It was unlike Reo to say something like that unless something seriously was wrong.

I glanced over at Nixon, who was still fast asleep, before detangling myself from him and exiting the room. I walked upstairs to the room I was staying in, shut the door, and sat on the bed. Once I was far enough to where I didn't think I'd accidentally wake up Nixon, I hit the call button.

The phone only rang once before it was answered.

"Tatum?" I heard Reo call out. His voice was quiet and almost sounded broken.

"Reo? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

There was silence on the other end before I heard him speak again. "Can we talk? In-person, please? I know you're mad at me and everything, but I really need to see you."

I could tell by his voice alone that this didn't have to do with the last time we spoke. I knew that Reo would've still been upset, but it wouldn't have been to this extreme. This was something else entirely.

"Are you still at Archer's pack?" I asked him.

"No, I'm at the Howling Night," he responded.

"Stay there. I'll be there tomorrow."

"You'll be where?"

I looked up and saw a sleepy-eyed Nixon standing in front of me.

"Reo, I'll call you back," I told him before hanging up.

Nixon rubbed his eyes before glancing over at me. He closed the distance between us and took a seat by my side.

"Where are you going?" He asked again.

"To my pack," I told him. There was no use in sugarcoating it. "My beta needs to speak to me, and it's important."

Nixon frowned before meeting my eyes. "I'll come too."

"Nix—"

"No," he cut me off and crossed his arms. "You don't get to tell me I can't come after yesterday."

"It should only be a day or two," I sighed. "I'm not even going to pack much because I'll be right back. Stay here; you don't need to come with me."

He looked like he wanted to argue, so before he got the chance to, I leaned in and captured his lips.

"It better be just a few days, Tatum," Nixon said.

"It will be," I assured him. "While I'm gone, you can use this time to make up with Nolan."

Nixon's brows furrowed. "I didn't tell you about that."

"I'm not blind, Nixon. I can tell that there's clearly something going on. Talk to him."

Nixon bit his lip but nodded. I knew his relationship with his brother was undoubtedly one of, if not, the most important thing to him. I knew the argument had to be weighing on his mind in some way, and with Nixon being as stubborn as he is, he needed that push to go and see Nolan.

"I will," he said.

Thinking about Nolan and him made my mind travel back to Reo and to Cloud as well. I really did want to see them both. I was tired of the arguing, the miscommunication, and the ignoring—all of it. First, I'd speak to Reo about whatever was making him worry, and then I'd sit down with the both of them and have our long overdue talk.

I didn't want to sit around moping all day. I wanted to get back up, to go home and get my pack together, and to be able to say that, for once, everything was okay. I knew it would take time to be able to reach that stage, but what was a better time than now? Waiting wouldn't do me any good. I needed to take that first step—the first step to getting my life back into order.

Then there was Nixon. What we had was still new, and I didn't know what it would develop into, but I wanted to stick around and find out. However, I knew that we couldn't ignore the fact that was looming over us forever: we were from different packs. A long-distance relationship wouldn't necessarily be an issue if we discussed it, but it couldn't work permanently. As of right now, while we still didn't know just how serious this was, it wasn't the biggest issue, but it would be in the long run, and I knew that when I came back, the two of us would need to sit down and discuss it and see where each other was at in terms of thoughts.

"If you're planning on getting there sometime tomorrow, then you're going to have to leave soon," Nixon told me.

I glanced at him, and I hated the expression on his face. I hated the fact that I needed to leave so soon after what had just happened—what we had just told each other.

I grabbed his hand and held it tightly. "Just a few days," I reminded him. "I'll be back before you know it."

Nixon nodded and gave me a small smile. "And I'll be right here waiting."