**BOOK THREE**
Still grieving the loss of his mate, twenty-four-year-old Tatum Knowles isolated himself from the rest of his pack. With the strength of both his pack and himself being questioned by those around them, the last thing Tatum planned to...
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Waking up next to Tatum was something I could definitely get used to. My eyes lingered on his sleeping form, and I couldn't help but smile. He looked peaceful. It was a rare sight to see since he usually woke up before me.
My hand slowly raised to brush his dark hair out of his face. He shifted slightly before calming down and leaning into my touch. I missed this. I missed him. It wasn't even as if we had been apart for that long, but knowing that we'd worked everything out and were together made me feel much better.
It had been roughly two weeks since the Fen situation. I decided to wait until after Nolan talked to the pack in order to leave, I needed to make sure everything went well. And while there had been some issues and concerns, I trusted that Nolan could handle it, though it would take the pack time to adjust.
Then there were Eli's parents. They originally weren't on board with the switch, which hadn't come as a surprise to me. Eli was their only kid, and if they could, they would protect him from all the hardships and ugliness in the world. After everything that happened, they most definitely didn't think that it was a good idea for him to go, and, while I don't know what exactly Eli had done, after a week of talking with them, they finally agreed—albeit reluctantly.
I didn't know how long I lay there, but after a while, I decided that I should get up and start the day. However, as I began to pull away, Tatum's arm wrapped firmly around my waist, effectively stopping me.
"Where are you going?" He mumbled as I turned toward him.
"To get food?" I responded. "You know, as most people normally do in the morning."
Tatum rolled his eyes. "It's only morning, and you're already starting."
"Starting what?"
"Being a pain in my ass."
A grin slowly took over my face. "I can do that too. I mean, I wouldn't want to hurt you, but I'm sure we can work something out, no?"
Tatum stared at me for a minute before dropping back against the pillow. "Not even going to feed me before you try to get in my pants?"
"'Try?'" I scoffed. "I think I've already succeeded multiple times."
Tatum didn't refute the claim. Instead, he lightly pulled me toward him and kissed me.
"Maybe one day, Nix," he teased before getting up. "Come on. Let's shower and get ready."
"Get ready for what?" I asked as I followed his example and stood up. I moved toward my unpacked bags on the floor. Normally, I would've unpacked yesterday, but that was far down my priority list.
