I traced my fingers over the living room window, drawing my name in the cold fog frosted over the glass with rain. It would seem mother nature was shooting for a record of five solid hours filled with non-stop rain today. I'd figured out what the cause of all this rain was when the news alerts blew up my phone. We had a hurricane passing through New York. It was only what was left of the gruesome storm, but it was still brutal on us.

I blew out a breath and tilted my head against the glass, whispering to myself, "I hope you're both okay." Neither of my parents answered the phone when I called. My father was probably busy at work. My mother might've been asleep. They were both deep in the city. It shouldn't have been too bad down there. As long as the city still had power to function in most parts.

I frowned and glanced at the stairs. "Geez, they've been talking for a while now. . ." I removed my finger from the window, clicking the power button on my phone to check the time. My butt was starting to numb on the edge of this window sill. Only half of it fit. But for some reason, I sat here anyway.

I'd lost count of how long Dimitri and Vincent had been locked in Vincent's office. It was getting pretty late. What was it, nearing four in the afternoon now? It was about three something when Vincent disappeared behind the doors with Dimitri.

I had no idea what they were talking about. I assumed it had something to do with the change in sweeps today. Maybe they were lowering the number of wolves that would participate tonight. Maybe they were starting earlier than usual. Usually, Dylan was also around when Vincent was giving orders. Both of them were supposed to be the lead warriors of the pack, after all.

However, Dylan wasn't anywhere in sight. That piqued my curiosity. A lot.

"Why so gloomy?"

"Eek—!" I slapped a hand over my mouth, forcing my scream to stop. "Shit, Amaury. That was close! Vincent could've heard me."

"I apologize," Amaury said, chuckling.

"That's not funny." I huffed. "You're always scaring me when you do that."

"It's not on purpose. I can promise you that. Is there something in particular bothering you?"

"No, not really." I puffed my cheeks out, then deflated them. "My mind has been wandering a lot lately, and I can't help it."

"I'm here to listen if you need someone to. Would you like for me to listen?"

"Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about. . ." Amaury went quiet. I lifted one of my legs onto the window sill, stretching it outward. "Vincent knows about the shadows now. They all do."

"Oh? Is that so?" Amaury hummed in tune with his words.

"Yeah. He knows I didn't have anything to do with your murder now. I know we agreed that I would tell him when he learned to trust me more, but we're past the hate stage, I think. He's been opening up to me. And it feels like we've really made progress.

"It's not exactly the ideal relationship at the moment. But I think he recognizes me as his ally now. I was able to convince him the shadows exist with the help of another witness. It was some beta—I think his name was Odin? Uh, of the Lichen pack?"

"Beta Odin has seen one for himself?" Amaury's voice perked up, as if he was alarmed.

"Yes, that's right. Do you know him? Wait, what am I asking? Of course, you do."

"Lichen is a close ally of Calamitous. My father and Alpha Garrison—the former alpha of Lichen—have been close comrades and friends, for as long as I can remember from young," Amaury filled me in.

"Amaruq has friends outside of business? Huh, the more you know," I mumbled, quickly adding, "no offense, of course."

"None taken. My father is an old prune. I'm aware." Amaury's laughter was soft, vibrating in my head, easing into my heart, and filling my ears from the inside-out, like a musical note. It reminded me of Vincent's laughter. For two men who weren't blood-related, the similarities were too strong to dismiss. Their personas were alike in their own unique ways.

"Amaury, I want to . . . I think it's okay. To tell Vincent. You know, about us now. About you," I talked in broken stammers, hesitation dripping from every letter.

"Hmm." Amaury's voice was calm again. He allowed his laughter to fade, leaving a sense of understanding behind. He wasn't going to fight me on this.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" I began tracing my finger over the window again.

He hadn't said a word. The pause must've been him thinking over his answer. Finally, he said, "I think I should be asking you if you think it's a good idea."

"Well, I don't think it's a bad one."

"And you're sure you want to tell him yourself now?"

"I am."

There was another pause. This time, it was longer than the first. I heard a deep sigh in my head and stopped my fingers mid-trace.

"Genesis, when we talked that night, I gave you my own orders. But I also told you to follow your gut"—Amaury let out a gentle laugh—"you've already come a long way. Whatever you decide to do now is up to you. Continue to do what you think is right and trust your instincts."

"That makes me feel a little better." I cracked a small smile, folding my hands on top of my knee. "Now I just need to find the right time to do it."

"The right time, you say." Amaury made a noise. It sounded like the disapproving grunts Amaruq made when he was talking to me. Well, I guess I knew who Amaruq passed that down too now.

"What?" I asked, baffled.

"You're stalling."

"Am not!" I defended myself.

"You lack the courage to tell him. You're going to stall until it's too late." He was right. He knew just as much as I knew that he was right. But I was too childish to admit that to him.

I blew out a huff, squeezing my hands together. "How about you tell him then?"

"If I could, I would." Amaury chuckled.

"I know, I know. I was just . . . kidding." I sighed. "So, when should I try and do it?"

"Do it when you have his full attention. No distractions. If you wait around for the right time to come"—he added emphasis to the right time as if he was making air quotes—"I know you'll never do it. You asked me what I thought so now I'm giving you advice. Don't wait forever."

"Fine, fine. Okay. I'll figure it out. Just give me some time to think." I waved my hands around in the air, scrunching my face.

I turned my head, peering out the window at the soaked grass. It grabbed so much of my attention; my eyes had almost swept over my reflection in the glass. Two piercing golden, yellow hues glared in my direction. The eye color was so natural on my face. I hadn't recognized myself for a few seconds.

"Have my eyes always glowed the color of a wolf's when we talk?" I touched the bottom of my eyelid with my right hand, leaning in closer to the window.

"Not that I know of. Are they glowing right now as we speak?"

"They are," I hummed.

"Hmm, that may be due to the change of communication. Before, we were face to face," he replied, "now, I'm tapping into your mind without pulling you inside, through your dreams."

"I guess my eyes are going to glow as a wolf's whenever we talk now," I said.

"It is very likely. . ." Amaury drifted into another topic. "The full moon is approaching very soon."

My face settled back into a relaxed state. "Ah right, I know! We've been working on my shifts with training. Vincent told me I've improved. He said I might be able to shift on my own soon."

"You sound very happy about that," he commented.

"I am! My hard work and effort have been paying off. I took his words as a compliment," I gloated, proudly.

His grunt differed from the noise he made earlier. This time, it sounded as though he was giving me his stamp of approval. "I'm pleased to hear that. Does that mean you won't need my assistance?"

"Whoa now, I never said that. Let's not be hasty here. We make a good team, don't you think? I think it's okay to get a little help. It's not cheating if you're technically my wolf, right?"

Amaury scoffed. It was the first time I heard him make such a noise to me. And it was playful. A grin overwhelmed my face in response. But I straightened up when I heard a door opening upstairs.

"Talk to you later. I'll keep you updated," I whispered.

"Stay safe, Genesis," Amaury said.

"Understood, sir." I'd almost misheard the deep voice drawing closer from down the hall. Footsteps paraded through the hall towards the staircase. I saw two tall men jogging down each step. A small glint of light reflected off the object in Dimitri's hand. I squinted but couldn't quite make out what it was. Vincent seemed to have noticed my presence for the first time.

"Genesis? What are you doing?" he asked, glancing over at me.

"I'm waiting for the rainy day to go away," I said.

"Well, you can kiss that thought goodbye. The rain isn't supposed to slow until around seven. Then, it's said to start back up around eleven tonight," Vincent retorted.

"Urgh." I threw my head back and groaned.

Having gotten a closer look at Dimitri's hand, I was able to see it was a pocket knife he was holding. It was different from the one I'd seen him rotating in his fingers before. This one was silver all-around with black designs spread along the handle. Nice and short too.

He seemed to really like playing with sharp objects. Objects such as knives. I couldn't help but wonder how many he had stored away. And just how close were they to him at all times.

Dimitri stood quietly at Vincent's side, observing us. The pad of his thumb rubbed over the back handle of the knife in slow motion. We'd made eye contact once but he didn't say anything to me, or contribute to the conversation at all.

Out of Mariah, Claudia, Dylan, Bennett, Vincent, and the rest, Dimitri had always been the quietest of the bunch. A man of few words. I knew that. But it was still unsettling. Mariah and him were similar but different in how they expressed themselves. I'd taken note of that when I first found out they were siblings.

He knew how to shield his emotions with that ice cold attitude of his. His face. His behavior. His words. His intentions behind all of them were unclear to me. The only time we talked was when Dylan and him were training me. Even then, I could hardly get a word out of him, without having to drive the words out of him. He was even harder to communicate with than Vincent.

That was saying a lot.

"I need to go. My sister and my parents are waiting for me to be done here," Dimitri cut in.

"Okay. Take care, Dimitri. I'll see you again later in the evening." After walking with Dimitri to the door, and seeing him out, Vincent strolled back in my direction. "Genesis, I need to speak with you for a second."

"Yes? What is it?" I tossed my leg back onto the floor and crouched over on the window sill.

"I have a proposal for you." He stood in front of me. Only inches away—enough to make me hold my breath.

"Um, I'm listening?" My comment eased out more like a question.

"No one in town knows of your innocence yet. No one knows of the shadows yet either."

"Okay. . ." I trailed off.

"Tomorrow, I want you to come with me."

"Huh?"

He continued, "I want you to come with me to the pack hall. There, I'd like to make an announcement with you at my side, clearing your suspicion for good."

I stared at him wide-eyed. "Y-you're serious?"

He nodded. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and rolled my neck around. "Is that a good idea? I'm sure there'll be a lot of people who are unhappy about this. They'll probably have a few questions about what's going on. . ."

Vincent nodded and folded his arms. "I'm aware. That's why I'm prepared for that."

"Okay so, after this happens . . . then what? Am I allowed to roam town on my own?"

"Not on your own, necessarily. As you said, there are going to be people that will not be happy about this, no matter what. Some wolves will have a hard time getting used to you. That's why I've asked Dimitri to watch over you.

"He's agreed to keep a close eye out. So, whenever you leave this estate, he will be at your side at all times. And if you feel unsafe at any moment tomorrow, Dimitri is in charge of escorting you back here."

"Wait, Dimitri agreed to what now?" The words hurled out on their own.

"He agreed to keep a close eye on you. Think of him as your personal bodyguard."

"What about Bennett? I'm sure he's the better option, right? I mean, Dimitri, he doesn't even like being around me"—nervous laughter dripped from my mouth—"I'm starting to think he doesn't like me at all. He's barely warmed up to me one bit. Why would he agree to that?"

"He's only there for your protection outside these walls. Nothing more. So, don't stress yourself, by overthinking, and feeling obligated to anything else concerning him. It'll be easier for both of you that way."

"Hmph, is that what you two were talking about up there?" I frowned.

"Possibly," he said. "I understand your worry, Genesis. However, we can't avoid it forever. Unless you'd like to continue to be locked in here for the rest of your stay."

For a second, I thought about it. I thought long and hard about it. It wasn't that bad of an offer, considering all of his pack was against me, thanks to previous suspicions. But I knew he was right. Whether people knew I was innocent or not, that wouldn't guarantee how everyone was going to perceive me.

Everyone was going to have to come to their own judgements. I was sure some would accept it for what it was, and maybe even accept me. But not all were going to be as warm and welcoming to the change. I was once a human, after all too.

And most of these wolves had been so sheltered they'd never seen a human in their life. I was sure some of them wouldn't know how to react to me, or act around me, without being extra curious. Maybe even cautious.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a try." I sighed out. "I can't believe this is where we are now. . ." A small bubble of laughter filled my throat.

Vincent's eyebrow lifted up. "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm just thinking. It's funny to me, you know? You're going to stand in front of your entire pack and preach my innocence to them. And for the past week, we've been working together, figuring things out. It feels unreal to say."

"Oh?" he pressed on.

"Yeah. . . See what happens when we put our heads together and brainstorm? Isn't this so much easier for both of us?"

Vincent rolled his eyes and turned around, trying to escape before I went off on a tangent. I jogged to his side, poking him in the rib cage. He halted. I caught his eyes narrowing at me as he reached for my wrist, clenching his hand around it, and lifting it in the air.

"Would you like to keep this hand? You don't seem to enjoy keeping it to yourself."

"Admit it," I pestered, ignoring his threat.

He rolled his eyes, and turned me until my back was against his chest. "Shoo. Go somewhere." He gave my body a gentle push. I stumbled forward, stopping myself shortly before I tripped.

"You're too afraid to admit it, huh?" I taunted him.

He shot me a glance back, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you have something to do?"

"Nope," I said, popping the p.

"You should go find something to do. Like go work on your shifts then," he retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you want me to do that in your house?"

He tilted his head, flashing me a smirk. Almost like he was amused with my shenanigans. Not annoyed. He then said, "Figure it out."

"Figure it out?" I mocked him. "Are you bullshitting me—?"

Something caused me to stop. I didn't know what it was about our banter. But it was enough to drill something into my head. Something I'd forgotten about for quite a while.

"Wait a second"—I walked towards Vincent again, tugging on his shirt, and frowning at him—"shifting. I shifted. And I was chased."

"What are you talking about?" Vincent looked down at my hand, clutching onto him.

It was like the memories were flooding back in one by one, from the first time I shifted under the first full moon. How could I forget about that? It was the night Vincent found me in that cave, or tunnel, or whatever it was in the woods.

"Wow. Fuck. It completely slipped my mind," I spat under my breath, "Vincent! I forgot to mention this to you earlier. That night in the cave or whatever. When you came across me. I was chased by one of those things before then."

"Chased?"

"Yes! I have seen them in their natural state. For sure," I shouted in realization, "I didn't see it fully. But it was dark, and black, and hiding behind the trees. It was after I lost control and shifted."

Vincent placed his fingers under his chin, eyebrows lowering together closely. His face contorted into several different emotions. But he finally settled on one; confusion.

"How did you get away?" he hesitated.

"I don't know. . . I ran. And I ran. Until I found myself waking up with you standing in that dark place with me. That was all I remember. Anything else, I-I can't really remember clearly."

"Hmm, so you made it out alive unscathed?" he questioned to himself. "Does that mean there's something that stops them or that they choose when to stop chasing after someone?"

"I . . . have no idea," I mumbled. "Maybe I just got lucky?"

Vincent took a deep breath and mumbled to himself, "Just what are these thing's doing?" He snapped himself out of it and whirled around, a stern look crossing his face. "You have to keep a sharp eye out, Genesis. And let me know if anything else like this ever happens."

"I will. . ."

"I'm serious," he warned.

"I know. . . I don't plan on risking any more close calls like that."

His eyes searched my face for any signs of distrust. Even the slightest bit of reason to doubt me. When he didn't find any, he let out (what I assumed) was a relieved sigh, and nodded slowly.