"So this is your first time in a tent, huh? What do you think?" He waved a hand at the surrounding pillows, sleeping bags, extra blankets, and the surrounding tent itself. It was the smallest one they had, and the only one that could fit in the backyard. A two-person tent. For him and the wolf pup, it was definitely large enough.

The young shifter sat right outside the tent, and poked his head inside, only to back away with a series of sneezes.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we took this one out.' Crawling on his hands and knees, he exited the tent. "Better than the house, though, right?"

The wolf pup gave a single nod. Large ears flicking back, the shifter darted towards him, only to skid and hide behind his legs.

Frowning, he heard a vehicle drive up their driveway and park. He glanced down at the pup. "It's just Uncle Nicky. He's back from picking up Jax and Kaylee from school."

He didn't know whether the pup believed him. In any case, he headed towards the wooden porch and the pup stumbled after him. Pulling the sliding door, he stepped inside and took off his shoes, watching the pup skid to a halt. Shoes on the doormat, he crouched down, meeting the pup's yellow eyes.

"Want more water?"

Head shake.

"Want anything to eat?"

Head shake.

"Sure you don't want to come inside?"

Vigorous nod.

And that was why he went through setting up a tent in March, while there were still snowy patches and the snowbanks hadn't melted yet. The wolf pup gave the same reaction to the house as he had to the cabin. He wouldn't enter, and he wasn't about to leave the young shifter outside alone all night. Still, at least Uncle Nicky's cabin wasn't surrounded by other houses and noises that seemed to startle the young shifter every other second.

"Alright. I'm going to leave this open in case you change your mind-"

The pup snorted at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You won't, but I'm doing it anyway." Straightening, he went to the kitchen to wash hands. He was drying his hands when he heard the creak of the front door opening.

"Where's the fur ball?" Came Jax's yell.

"Don't call him a fur ball!"

"Why not? He's covered in fur, isn't he? Unless Tory shaved him so he wouldn't have to vacuum every day."

Eyes narrowed, he crossed his arms over himself and stood in the doorway, gaze locking on Jax's grinning face. "I wouldn't shave anyone!"

"He knows that. He's just trying to get on your nerves," Kaylee sighed, shaking her head. Moving around their brother, she came down the hallway towards him. "So is what Uncle Nicky said true? That he was running away from someone and they used silver on him?"

Shrugging, he glanced over his shoulder at the pup, who was leaning forward, yellow eyes locked on Kaylee, and black nose twitching. "As far as we could tell. I wish the crows knew more, or that he'd shift and talk to us, or come into the house, or at least eat something."

"He's not hungry?"

"I know he is. I've heard his stomach grumbling."

At Jax's snort behind him, his shoulders tensed.

"What, did Tory try to feed the poor kid a salad?"

Jaw clenched, he shot Jax a look. Really?

"Jax, that's enough. Leave Tory alone," Uncle Nicky called from the hallway.

Jax stuck his tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes back.

"Kaylee, can you keep an eye on him while I talk to Uncle Nicky?" He waved a hand in the young shifter's direction. "I don't want Jax to...well..." Who knew what Jax could or would do if there wasn't anyone there to keep an eye on him? The pup must have been overwhelmed enough, and he didn't want Jax to make it worse.

And Jax could make anything worse when he put his mind to it.

"I will." Kaylee smiled and settled down at the kitchen table, right by the sliding doors.

He returned the smile, shot Jax a look, and took a breath as he headed down the hallway to Uncle Nicky. Time to argue the wolf pup's case. Again.

"We're not going back to my place."

He stopped short. He just opened his mouth, and Uncle Nicky hadn't even looked up at him! How did Uncle Nicky know what he was going to say?

A glance in his direction, and the corner of Uncle Nicky's mouth curled in a smile. "If it will make you feel better, you can say it anyway, but my mind is set. We're waiting for Fran to come home. Unfortunately, that's going to be longer than usual, but we'll manage without her."

He frowned. 'We'll manage without her?' How could Ma make that much of a difference? How could she help anymore than he and Uncle Nicky already tried to? He shook his head, momentarily squeezing his eyes shut, and got his thoughts in order.

"He's not comfortable here, Uncle Nicky. He's overwhelmed, and Jax is only going to make it worse. I know it! I think it would be better if we had stayed back at the cabin. We could call Mr. Fletcher. They could post a police officer outside your place to make sure we're safe."

Uncle Nicky tossed his keys into the air a couple of times before he stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. "What if we take the little guy to the Laguardias? Maybe he'd be able to relax after being around other wolves, and if we're lucky, he'll finally eat something."

Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Kaylee was actively blocking Jax from going out into the backyard.

Yeah, that about did it.

"Get in the car. I'll go out back and bring him."

Il Forno Dei Lupi.

Translation?

The Wolves' Oven.

A perfect name for the restaurant and cafe the Laguardias owned, considering they were an Italian family of wolf shifters. Il Forno Dei Lupi was one of the places he had been to ever since he was a little kid, so while Uncle Nicky drove, he sat in the back seat with the wolf pup, and stared out the window.

But the lull of familiar streets and stores wasn't enough of a distraction, and his brain did cartwheels in this free time, endlessly going from one question to another. How was Ma supposed to help? Who was it the wolf pup was running from? Why didn't Uncle Nicky want to go to the police?

And the worst part?

None of these questions were getting answered.

Uncle Nicky wasn't talking, and if his Uncle wouldn't enlighten him, what were the chances that Ma would? What if he told Jax and Kaylee about this when he got home? He could let Jax harass Uncle Nicky for answers, and maybe they'd get lucky and Uncle Nicky would break under Jax's ceaseless interrogation.

If only his schemes worked out.

"Hey, kid, you alright? You're being quiet."

He met Uncle Nicky's gaze through the rearview mirror, giving a nod, and flashed a smile that disappeared the second he looked away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Don't worry about the pup, okay? We'll figure this out. Nothing's going to happen to him, okay?"

"Whatever you say, Uncle Nicky."

It wasn't long after that that Uncle Nicky pulled up to the sidewalk and into a parking space. Once the SUV was switched off he got out and carried the pup, blankets and all. Uncle Nicky pressed the fob, locked the SUV and hurried ahead of him to hold open the door of Il Forno Dei Lupi.

Stepping through the double doors, he rose onto his tiptoes, trying to spy a familiar face. He couldn't see anyone through the stocked shelves, and they were too tall for him to look over. He huffed and stepped aside to let Uncle Nicky pass.

"I'll go see who's in the back," Uncle Nicky frowned, clapping a hand to his shoulder.

He watched his Uncle ventured down the main aisle and disappeared behind the swinging doors behind the counter. The wolf pup squirmed in his blanket nest, head turning this way and that while his nose twitched and his ears perked up. The corners of his mouth twitched, eyeing the shifter in his arms. At least it didn't seem like the pup was afraid of meeting unfamiliar wolves, and hadn't put up a fight to enter the building. If anything, the pup was curious. Uncle Nicky wasn't back yet, might as well give the pup a tour.

"So this section we're in is actually the marketplace. They sell their popular dishes and baked treats from the restaurant and cafe here. Through the doors here," he backed into the swinging doors on their left, "is the restaurant, and through these other doors, is their cafe." He cut through the marketplace and nudged open the swinging doors on their right.

While the restaurant had been decorated in darker tones with the walls painted to resemble an Italian vineyard, with dim lighting, and larger table settings, the cafe was its opposite. It had smaller, circular table settings, bright lighting and warm tones that complemented the series of baked goods and sweets on their walls. His mouth watered at the sight of the painted cannoli.

It had no right to look so good.

"Salvatore, what brings you here? Who is that with you?"

Face heating up, he shut his mouth, blinking rapidly. Shit! He hadn't noticed there was anyone else in the cafe! He turned on his heel, and smiled sheepishly at the orange eyes that bore into him, topped by a bushy raised eyebrow.

"Oh hey, Vinny," he cleared his throat and ducked his head, looking down at the wolf pup in his arms. "Uh...I don't know who this is exactly. He hasn't shifted or anything. I was out for a run by Uncle Nicky's place and I found him alone."

Vinny hummed, folding up his newspaper before taking a sip of his espresso. Easing out of the small chair - how the heck did he manage to do that so gracefully? - he shook out his jacket before he folded it over his arm. "And you and Nicky want us to take him in?"

"No! We're looking after him."

His face heated up again when Vinny stared down at him. Damnit, why was everyone taller than him?

"Uncle Nicky insists on waiting for Ma to come home. We just thought it would make him more comfortable being inside if he were around city wolves, you know?"

Vinny hummed, eyeing the wolf pup, who was oblivious to the attention.

He held the young wolf up towards the older wolf. "Do you smell anything on him? We're thinking it might have been other humans that had harmed him."

Vinny's stare intensified, only to be accompanied by a sigh and a brief glance upwards. A silent prayer. The sort of thing Ma did when she was asking for patience. Usually for Jax.

Uh oh. Had he just offended Vinny? Had he said something wrong?

"I'm not a tracker, Salvatore. You're better off asking my sister. Her nose has been quite keen after having her second litter. Other than the crows and your family, all I'm picking up is blood."

"Where is the povero bambino?" A voice cried from the marketplace.

"Ma's on her way. Brace yourself," Vinny chuckled.

He barely had time to do just that before bony hands clamped down on his shoulders, pulled him down so his cheeks could be kissed. "Hey, Nonna Antonella. How are you?"

She insisted they call her grandma, and right now grandma ignored him and zoned in on the bambino in his arms.

"The povero bambino," Antonella cooed, fishing the wolf pup out of his blanket nest. She cradled the pup in her arms, his wagging tail smacking into her side. With tears in her eyes, she disappeared through the swinging doors.

"I hope you know you will not get him back."

"We're not?" He squawked, whirling around to face Vinny.

"He's joking, Tory," Uncle Nicky smiled, shaking his head. "We'll get him back later. Antonella is going to look him over and see if she can get him to eat anything. She also said she was going to see about getting him some clothes from your sister."

"Going to be a couple hours at least," Vinny nodded, running his fingers over his jaw. "What are you going to do while you wait?"

Uncle Nicky shrugged, looking at him. "Are you hungry? We could eat something and do some shopping while we're here. Antonella should be done by then."

"You could do that, or there's a surprise I've been meaning to show you. I've been waiting for you to come by, but you don't call, you don't write..."

He frowned, glancing between Uncle Nicky and Vinny. While the wolf's intensity - and let's be honest, everything about him - was intimidating, Vinny had brightened at the sight of his Uncle. While Vinny had been closed off around him, his energy was different now. More like an excitable puppy, wagging tail and lolling tongue, now that he was around his favourite person.

Yeaaah, that would definitely offend Vinny.

"Sorry, I've been busy with work," Uncle Nicky laughed. "I'll at least try to return your text messages."

"You're always busy with work. When are you going to start looking after yourself?"

And now Vinny was a grumpy, huffy puppy that wasn't being given treats -

Yeah, okay, that's enough!

"You two can go!"

The pair of adults looked at him at his outburst - Uncle Nicky's brow furrowed, and Vinny winced, rubbing at his ears.

Gulping, he took a breath and pushed on. "Vinny can take you and show you this surprise, and I can stay here in case Antonella needs help."

"Antonella won't need help and I don't want to leave you here alone," Uncle Nicky frowned.

Vinny waved a hand, shrugged on his jacket and picked up his briefcase. "Salvatore won't be alone. The rest of the family is in the back. Salvatore could go back there to chat or help out. They won't let him near anything sharp."

He crossed his arms over himself. Really? They were making it seem like he was the most accident prone human on Earth and had to do everything in their power to protect his fingers.

Vinny placed a hand on Uncle Nicky's shoulder, but his Uncle remained unconvinced. The wolf glanced in his direction, eyes narrowed a fraction before he let out a soft sigh. "Perhaps it would be best if Salvatore came with us. Who knows, maybe he'll be able to convince you to go through with this when I've failed."

Uncle Nicky frowned. "Go through with what?"

Vinny grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

Uncle Nicky shook his head and rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. "What do you say, kid? Let's go see this surprise."

No.

He really didn't want to.

Vinny wanted Uncle Nicky all to himself, and he was butting in, but Uncle Nicky had already flung his arm over his shoulder and led him out of Il Forno Dei Lupi. Nonna Antonella and the wolf pup were nowhere in sight.

Getting into Uncle Nicky's SUV, he gladly took the backseat and zoned out while Vinny directed Uncle Nicky to the surprise. He couldn't be sure how long the drive was, but he was startled when the SUV came to a stop. He got out of the vehicle when he saw Uncle Nicky and Vinny were exiting.

He frowned when Vinny briskly walked ahead of them and waved them over to the storefront that was for lease, and pulled out a set of keys from his pocket.

How was this a surprise?

But glancing up at Uncle Nicky, he saw his Uncle's frown and resigned expression.

Vinny unlocked the door and waved them in. "In you get!"

"Vinny..." Uncle Nicky shook his head. "We talked about this."

"You won't take a look?" Vinny pouted.

Glancing between the pair, he shrugged and walked in. They were here. He wanted to see what this surprise could be. Not that he could see much of anything when he stepped in. The setting sun and the paper taped up covering the glass took care of that.

"I'll get the lights!" Vinny marched in ahead of them.

After a moment the lights came on, and he blinked slowly, brow furrowed as he eyed the....restaurant? How was this a surprise? He frowned, looking up at Uncle Nicky, who was also frowning, had his arms crossed and stared at Vinny, who was leaning against the kitchen window in the back.

"So, what do you think?" Vinny grinned at his Uncle.

"You already know what I think."

"You won't even consider it? Take a look around?"

"Consider what?" He glanced between the adults. "How is this a surprise?"

Uncle Nicky's jaw worked, and it was Vinny who stepped out of the kitchen to answer him. "Your Uncle had this dream to open up his own restaurant using your family recipes."

Family recipes? The ones from Uncle Nicky's cookbook? He glanced at his Uncle, but Uncle Nicky stared at Vinny, who continued on with a bounce in his step.

"I also have it on good authority that the tenets in the apartment above us won't be renewing their lease this year! It'll be perfect! You could sell that plot of land and move into the apartment."

"It was a long time ago, and I've said no multiple times since then."

"It wasn't that long ago," Vinny muttered, averting his gaze.

"We were in high school!"

"So? You don't like mediating, and it's never too late to pursue your dream!"

"It's a drastic change of careers at my age, Vinny, and with my back, I won't be able to stand on my feet and run the place."

"I offered to give you the bite. You won't have those aches and pains then and you'd be able to run -"

"I don't want to outlive my family, Vincent!" Uncle Nicky's pale face was a blotchy red, and a muscle twitched in his jaw.

Oh.

He was already the shortest one here, but right now he wanted to shrink and disappear. This conversation was too personal and not one he was meant to hear. Well, he couldn't actually shrink or disappear, but maybe he could get out and give the pair some space. Step by step, he backed away, with Uncle Nicky and Vinny still staring at each other.

He got to the door, only to freeze when Uncle Nicky rushed out past him, the door slamming open as he exited. Behind him, Vinny stood in the middle of the empty restaurant, gaze locked on the worn tiles. Outside, Uncle Nicky started the SUV.

"You shouldn't keep your Uncle waiting, Salvatore. I apologize for bringing you into this." Vinny headed towards the back, and a moment later, the lights flickered out.

Backing out of the empty restaurant, he held the door open, but Vinny was nowhere in sight. Glancing in Uncle Nicky's direction, he bit the inside of his cheek, hesitating before he climbed into the backseat.

The silence between him and Uncle Nicky continued and stretched even after they returned to Il Forno Dei Lupi and picked up the wolf pup from Nonna Antonella. She had her older grandchildren load up the SUV with boxes of clothes and cooler of meat for the pup, and he couldn't see past Uncle Nicky's strained smile when Nonna Antonella placed an additional box of food and treats for the rest of them.

Afterwards, she explained how she had checked over the young shifter for other injuries and had given him a bath. While the old she-wolf was glad to report the pup's paws were healing, her chin trembled at the mention of the scar the silver left behind. And unfortunately, when her daughter dropped off the clothes for the pup, the scents she caught were human, but they were too faint.

The wolf pup fell asleep next to him, the hide toy still in his mouth. He glanced in Uncle Nicky's direction, his mouth dry, and if he tried to ask the questions, they'd most likely get stuck in his throat. Why had Uncle Nicky never mentioned he had dreamed of opening a restaurant? Why was he a mediator if he didn't like it? How come it sounded like Vinny had brought up turning Uncle Nicky before?

How come he was going home with more unanswered questions than when he had left?