Ruby was still living out of boxes. There was no guarantee that she would be staying, and despite it being two weeks since she had rented a U-Haul truck and moved across the country, she still couldn't stop the feeling of anxiety from creeping up her throat.

She didn't have a permanent home, not yet. And no matter how much money in tips she collected, stashing in a hidden spot in her apartment, she still didn't feel like it was enough. Even with her paycheck from her event job, she still felt like a failure.

Everything will be fine, she told herself. Even if Atlas terminates your lease, you have some money. Could hole up in a motel for a little bit until you found something else more permanent.

And every night, she scrolled through Apartments.com, looking for something else. It was tiring, but it was necessary.

"So we're thinking of putting you on the Wilson Wedding," her boss was saying. Ruby blinked to attention, listening to her boss a little more closely. "With help, of course. You wouldn't be alone, but it would be a great jumping off point for you."

Ruby found herself nodding. This was what she moved for. No matter how much her mother wanted her to stay back in South Dakota, no matter how much her mother had begged her not to leave, Ruby knew she had to escape her hometown.

She felt free here.

"That sounds perfect." Ruby's boss handed her the Wilson file, which included the date of the wedding, a few venues they had looked at, and other details. She found herself smiling. "A wedding on the water would be beautiful."

Her boss was nodding. "Isn't it crazy how we can just go to the ocean whenever we want? We just... live here."

Ruby agreed, except she hadn't made any time to make it down to the coast, not since she had moved there. She would add it to her list of places she would love to visit when she was more settled. "When do I meet with them?

"I have a meeting set for tomorrow. I want you to review their file today and be prepared to take next steps with them tomorrow. We need to settle on a venue for them, and start thinking of caterers and entertainment."

Ruby settled into her cubicle, pressing the phone to her ear. She figured she might as well call venues and get some mock prices out of the way, and see who was actually available on the date the Wilsons' wanted.

She got to work, calling the venues, finding herself lost in dates and prices, and she didn't even notice the commotion on the other side of her cubicle. By the time she finished the phone calls, she pushed back her chair, craning her neck to look out her open doorway.

Some of her coworkers were whispering about something, their heads bent together in glee. "What's going on?" Ruby called out, standing from her chair. "Is everyone okay?"

"More than okay!" One of her coworkers giggled. "Take a look at that hot client out there! We're trying to see who has first dibs!"

Ruby leaned over, getting a good look at the person in the lobby, his hands casually tucked away in his jeans, a cowboy hat resting on his head.

Ruby knew him from the restaurant. He had come in with Atlas, and she hadn't seen him since. But, she could understand the excitement, because he was good looking. As if he knew she was looking, his eyes slid to hers, a smile curving over his face.

"Darlin'," he greeted. "I didn't know you worked here."

Ruby could feel her coworkers take an immediate interest in their conversation. There was a whisper behind her head. "Wait Ruby, you know him?"

Ruby offered the man a smile. "I do. It was nice seeing you!" She spun around, moving back to her cubicle, mind whirling with the possibility that he would tell Atlas where she worked. Was that ridiculous, feeling nervous about that?

"Ruby!" a coworker hissed, standing in the cubicle doorway. "You know that man? Are you hiding?"

Ruby didn't know very many names yet. She gave the girl a sheepish smile. "I've met him like, once. I don't really know him."

Another coworker poked her head in the doorway. "So what you're saying is you don't want him as a client? Because we would totally understand if you did. Since you know each other."

Ruby shook her head. Waved her hand at them. "He's free game for you guys."

They squealed and left her cubicle alone. The silence felt a little bit lonely in that moment, and she made a mental goal that she should befriend her coworkers here. She wanted to belong somewhere, and why not here?

By the time five o'clock hit, Ruby was powering down her computer. She said goodbye to some of her coworkers and made her way out of the office, pulling at her pencil skirt. While her outfit was professional, it wasn't comfortable. Her blazer felt too hot and heavy in the late afternoon heat, and her heels felt like they were designed to make her break an ankle.

She pressed a hand to the side of her office building, wrestling the heels off of her feet. She stuffed them into her work bag and replaced them with flipflops. Then, she reached up and took her hair out of the bun it had been in, massaging the space that felt sore and raw.

She closed her eyes, blowing out a sigh. She had the night off from the restaurant, and she figured it would be a good time to hit up the library. Maybe do more research on the Wilson Wedding. She wanted to look at some old newspaper clippings in the archives to see the old wedding announcements.

When she opened her eyes, she yelped in fright at the sight of the man from the restaurant standing there, leaning against an old, beat up truck. He was smiling under the brim of his cowboy hat. "You scared me!" She accused, placing her hand on her chest, feeling her heart race. "What are you doing here?"

The man stepped forward, tipping his hat at her. "I decided it's about time we were formally introduced. I'm Brody."

Ruby's hand stayed curled against her chest. She truly had no clue what he was doing there, terrifying her on the street. "I'm Ruby."

"I was certainly surprised to find you working here." Brody's gaze traveled up the office building. "I thought you were a waitress full time."

"No, I got that second job so that I could save up more money. In case I need to pay more in rent." She wondered briefly if Brody knew that Atlas owned her building and was planning on kicking everyone out. Would it matter if he did know? Ruby wasn't sure.

"Do you want a drive to wherever you're heading?" Brody tilted his head towards the truck. "I really didn't mean to scare you. And I haven't been standing here all afternoon, either. I figured you may be out at five."

Ruby didn't peg Brody as a stalker, or even a dangerous person. But she still wasn't going to get into a stranger's truck.

"No thanks. I'm going to walk." She flashed him a quick smile before she started her journey to the library. The best part about living in a city was being able to walk everywhere, and disappear into the crowds.

Brody caught up to her quickly. "I'll walk with you, then. You never know who is lurking on these streets."

Ruby raised her eyebrows at him. "I think you're the one lurking on these streets."

Brody laughed, elbowing Ruby in the ribs. "You're funny. I like that."

"Thank you, for what you did at the restaurant." She ducked her head. "You didn't have to be so... nice."

Brody tilted his head at her tone of voice. Embarrassed, ashamed, upset. Atlas is an idiot, he thought to himself.

"He's not usually that crass." Brody winced, because it was a bold face lie. "Or, I guess he usually isn't that bad in public."

Ruby didn't care how Atlas was in public. She didn't want to care about him at all. Didn't want to know facts and tidbits about his personality. She crossed her arms, hugging herself. "He can be mad at me all he wants, but I'm not going away. He can't make me leave this city, even if he wants me to."

He probably wants me to move out of the state, she thought.

"Where are we walking, anyway?" Brody asked. He felt the hair on the back of his neck raise, knowing someone was watching them. His eyes cut around the busy afternoon streets, but he couldn't detect anyone.

"Atlas, if that's you on my ass, I swear to god," He sent down the pack link.

"What are you going on about?" Atlas responded, his tone curt. He was clearly busy, and definitely not stalking the streets.

Brody gave another look around, shifting himself closer to Ruby, who was completely unaware of what was going on. She was saying something about weddings, but Brody tuned her out. His eyes cast another glance.

"What are you doing, anyway? You're not at the pack house?" Atlas again, this time questioning. "If you're out on another random errand while we have work to do, I am going to castrate you Brody."

Brody cast another anxious glance around, his gaze snagging on a man up ahead. He was lingering by the crosswalk, staring at them. Brody could smell him immediately, knowing exactly what he was.

"There's a rogue wolf in the city." Brody shot it down the pack link to everyone. "Outside of the supermarket. The one across from the library."

Then, in a low tone, he said to Ruby: "Go inside the library without me. Don't look at me, don't act like you know me. I have to handle something."

Ruby felt fear settle in her gut. She wanted to look at Brody, but the command in his voice had her looking straight, focused on nothing but the library doors. Every step she took brought her closer to her destination, but anxiety was wrapping around her throat.

She would have to ask Brody about it later, because he had already separated himself from her, slowing his pace, making it more obvious they weren't walking together.

She pushed open the library doors, the chill of AC racing down her skin, but she didn't feel relieved. She felt scared, and she wasn't even sure why. She forced herself to continue down the library hall, towards the old computers with the newspaper archives.

Brody continued straight past the library. "What is the status, Brody?" It was Atlas. "I'm on my way, but I have to finish something first."

"Finish it after. Ruby is here, with me. And I think he saw her." Brody slowed his steps, but the man was heading towards him anyway, eating up the distance between them. Brody had to be calculating; he scanned the rest of the streets, trying to determine if there were more rogues.

"What is she doing with you?" Atlas's voice was lethal down the link. If Brody hadn't been his friend since childhood, he may have been terrified by those words alone. But Brody knew Atlas wouldn't hurt him.

"I ran into her. We were walking to the library. But the rogue saw her, and I don't have eyes on her anymore. You need to get here." Brody smiled at the man in his path. It wasn't a very pleasant smile. They were in public, surrounded by humans. Brody had to play this smart.

"Fucking hell. This is what I meant when I said I couldn't afford to have a human mate!"

Brody tuned Atlas out as he greeted the rogue. "Hello. Interesting, seeing you in our city."

The man held his hands up in mock surrender, but the smile on his lips was easy, relaxed. "No need to flip out. I'm just passing through. You understand, right?"

"That you're in our territory? I understand perfectly." Brody's answering smile was all bite, his teeth sharp. "I suggest you keep moving through, before my Alpha gets here."

The man flashed his own teeth. "I'm not afraid of your Alpha." Then, he cast a look towards the library behind Brody. He tilted his head. "Who is the human you're hiding?"

Brody let a predatory grin cover his face. He stretched his arms out. "I'm a man. Can I not enjoy the company of a woman? What, you're telling me you've never chased one before? It's quite a thrill, considering they don't put up a fight, not like our women." Brody winked. "If you want to partake though, I'd pick a different city."

"I didn't realize you were quite so nasty in the Canes Venatici Clan."

"We're many things in the Canes Venatici Clan. Nasty isn't one of them. How about we go for a walk?" Atlas stepped up behind the rogue, slinging his arm around the man's shoulders in what would appear to be a friendly gesture. The passing humans didn't look twice at them.

The rogue stiffened. "I have no issue revealing your identity to these passing humans," he hissed.

Atlas let a single claw creep out of his finger tip, dragging across the delicate skin of the rogue's throat. He leaned into the man's ear. "How about this then. You even think about shifting, and I murder you here in plain sight. I will not hesitate. I can clean up a murder charge."

Atlas began walking with the man, moving quickly to the outskirts of the city where he could be dealt with. Atlas shot Brody a look over his shoulder. "Scout the area. See if there are any more of them."

Brody forced a nod. "Sure thing, Boss. Just so you know, the rogue asked about her. He knows something is up."

Atlas didn't respond, but it weighed heavily in his gut as he tugged the man out of the city streets. His mind whirled, and he swallowed the feeling he had in his chest. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch, and it was all because of what Brody said: I think he saw her.

"Fucking hell," he muttered, shoving the rogue to the ground as soon as they left the busy trafficked streets. "What a mess."