By the end of August, Gale was fully in charge of the pack. I hadn't laid eyes on his friendly face- not even for a second and the loneliness was beginning to set in.

By mid september, the beta duel had been lost and won. Thawn Hazelwood, an insufferable, repulsive boy in his late teens, was now second in command of the Elder pack and I didn't have to speak to Gale to know how much he hated it. I guess it was either him or Autumn Clearwater a.k.a Thawn's super obnoxious girlfriend so, I'm kinda with Gale on that one.

By the end of September, autumn had begun and the white elderflowers that used to litter the forest had been replaced by an array of golden, orange leaves.

And I still hadn't see Gale.

He no longer lived with his parents or brothers, he didn't even seem to live in the Alpha house either. I visited a few times, but even at midnight, he was never there.

It came to mid-October and I was beginning to lose all hope of seeing my best friend again, except for the occasional glimpse at a pack meeting.

One particularly sunny morning, I left the loneliness of my bedroom and walked with no particular plan or direction into the forest. My spirits were torn to shreds and I had no motivation in the world. I ambled for a few hours before slumping down by a tree and pressing my forehead against my knees.

I'd lost the only thing I had and there was only one place I could think to do.

Go to our special place.

The water was as blue as ever. The sand was as soft as ever. In fact, everything was the same as ever. Except for one thing- I was alone. I hadn't been alone since I was five years old.

I sat down on the sand staring out to the lake and the trees on the other side. After a few minutes, I threw my back onto the sand in frustration and allowed the tears to fall unable to take it anymore. 

I missed him. I missed him more than I'd missed spring in winter.