No one caught the feral wolf. The patrols had chased it past the territory lines, but had been too hesitant to go further for fear of leaving the territory wide open. They'd had no choice but to let it scamper off, free to infiltrate another territory.

Alpha Mark had been infuriated. Even Harley's less sensitive ears caught the yelling through the walls during the meeting that night.

The wolf simply ran off and disappeared.

The next morning, while the pack dealt with upping patrols and security, Harley locked herself in her bedroom. The incident with the wolf had reminded her too much of all she'd lost.

She instead curled up in her bed and began her next romance book. Cam had let her off training this morning, which was fortunate because it saved her from having to get on her knees and beg him not to make her go out there again.

The air conditioning kicked on when the heat of the day seeped into the air and made the outside rather damp and sticky. Though she liked the refreshing nature of air conditioning, she hadn't been able to stand it as long as she'd have liked. She didn't run as warm as the wolves. Since she wasn't yet a permanent fixture in the pack house, mentioning for someone to turn down the air was not an option. Asking them to turn down the air in their own home would be rude.

Instead, she opened her single window to let heat in and sat at the edge of the bed so that she could peer out the window at random intervals. The wind was strong today, and rustled the trees in a way that soothed Harley. Along with the songs of the birds and the whirl of a lawn mover, the outside world produced wonderful normal music. She needed to hear everyday sounds to remind herself of where she was--safe, in the pack house.

Safe.

Around noon, a light rap on the door had her glancing up in surprise. She'd told Bailey and Cam earlier that she'd rather not be bothered today. Should she just ignore it and hope they go away?

No Harley, you're a new part of the pack. You need to be present and polite."Come in."

Will stalked through the door, stopping her thoughts and catching her by surprise. When did he get back? How did she not hear the hustle and bustle of pack members excited for his return like last time? Did he just get back? Her eyes started to take in his features, his frame. No major outside injuries, at least none she could easily detect.

She didn't have time to look at much else because he swept up in front of her and reached forward to tilt her chin back. He nudged her head left, then right. Bewildered by his sudden presence, she followed along. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Are you okay?"

Will stepped back and traced her body with his eyes all the way down to her bare toes. "Harley." He said her name on a strange half-growl--a warning.

Why did he care so much? "I'm okay." She couldn't help but reach out to grab his hand. It was warm and leathery--like the bottom of her feet. Worker's hands. Fighting hands. "How are you? How was your trip?" She patted the bed for him to sit down--not even caring that they might not be at this level of friendship yet. This sharing details and feelings kind of friendship.

Will's eyes were focused. Evaluating. As if he was gauging her health more than paying attention to the conversation. Especially as he replied, "Good. Successful."

He'd been sent out to find rogues and ferals. Ferals like the one she'd faced in the meadow yesterday morning. She tried her best to ignore the fear and unease that crawled through her veins like ivy. Icy, paralyzing, ivy.

She didn't want to know much about any rogues. Yet, playing ignorant seemed like a bad idea. Being blind to the ways of the world could sometimes do more damage than good. Like living at the very edge of the territory and not knowing that a small pack of rogues were tearing through neighboring territories. "Did you get them?"

Will frowned, his eyebrows together. "I wasn't sent there to take out rogues. Just investigate a situation."

What? "But why couldn't the closer packs do that? Why did they have to bring in a rogue hunter to investigate?"

"It was a big group. The Alphas in the neighboring packs brought in hunters just in case something went wrong."

That almost never happened. Alphas didn't send out for help for investigations. Packs assess the situation on their own and then call in for help when necessary. Sometimes even when the situation was bad, help wasn't called. Alphas had a lot of pride. Calling for help, though it sounded ridiculous to Harley, was seen as weak by other Alphas. As leaders, Alphas were responsible for keeping their members safe. It was what made packs a unit. The Alpha of a pack, as the strongest wolf, provided a safe environment for each wolf and in return, got financial support, loyalty, and even love.

Every wolf depended on love. Because wolves ran so heavily on emotions and physical affection, it was vital for them to be around family. Pack. Familiarity. It was ingrained in wolves to be a unit, to love each other. Which was why rogues weren't as prevalent. Though it was rare, even rogues sometimes formed a pack--for that pack unity.

Harley never quite felt that unending need for unity. But she did understand loneliness. Understood the deep, cold ache that settled in your chest. Understood the numbness that threatened to disconnect you from the world. She'd do a lot to escape that feeling.

Which was why every day, she'd begun to thank the heavens for Bailey, Cam, and Will. She didn't show it often, but she was grateful to them for refusing to let her lock herself in her bedroom and never come out.

"Did you find anything out?" She picked at a stray thread in her comforter.

"Not particularly." He admitted, and rubbed a hand down his face. "It's like poking a lion with a stick--we were just trying to feel out the danger."

Her face scrunched. "I'm not an expert, but I don't think it's safe to poke a lion with a stick."

Amusement danced in his eyes, but his expression remained stoic, "It's not."

A small stone dropped in her stomach. "You don't have to go back, do you?"

"No. Not yet." He shifted on the bed, sitting cross legged. "You going to tell me about the visit you had yesterday?"

To her dismay, the blood drained from her face. She did not want to talk about the rogue. Not when the fear still tightened her chest and affected her breathing. Especially not when Will would be able to see how it still haunted her. She'd already had a panic attack in front of him. He didn't need to see just how much the past mingled in her life.

"I thought Alpha Mark filled you in." That was the first thing she'd had him promise--that he'd be the one to tell the people who needed to know about the incident. It was why she'd sat in his office for an hour yesterday, going through any and every detail.

"I want you to fill me in."

She didn't have to tell him. If she were stubborn enough, she'd tell him to go back to Alpha Mark and not say another word. She didn't have to relive the rogue, and the rogues before him. Didn't have to hear the loud bang, feel it slice through her chest as her home burst apart and she fell and fell...But Will was Mathias' best friend. He was her closest tether to her family. Aunt Tracy and Uncle Eric never bothered to treat her like a blood relative, but Will, even with the small amount of time she'd been here, had treated her more like family than her actual family.

In a weird way, she almost felt like she owed it to him.

"Cam was running through exercises with me and it came out from one of the bushes." She finally said. She couldn't look at him, afraid his expression would somehow bury her in emotions, and instead focused on a spot near where the white wall met the carpet. "It just kind of looked at us and then ran."

"What did it look like?"

"Tan and white." Most shifters were some combination of tan, white, grey, or brown. It was rare to find a completely dark wolf or pure white wolf around here. Maybe up more in the north, but not here.

Will adjusted his position, getting more comfortable, and Harley dared to look up at him. He was far away, his eyes distant, thinking. "Cam didn't recognize him? He didn't say anything about it being from another pack?"

She shook her head. "No. It had the feel of a rogue, you know? Pack wolves have a mission, they always know where they are and where they need to be. This guy seemed...lost."

His eyes shot to her then, and his lips hinted at a smile. "Lost?"

She shrugged. The wolf was intent at first, but then he did seem lost. Confused. Like he didn't know where he was. Or what he was doing. Maybe he'd begun to turn feral. Was that how the process worked? She'd always thought it was a quick, snap transition, like the wolf decided to take over and leave the human aspect behind. Not a slow descent into madness.

"And what about Cam? What did Cam do?"

"He went on offense." She told him. "Maybe that's why it skittered off."

A cloud passed over his face then, and he stood up. "Maybe." He said, though the word was empty. "I need to go finish up some paperwork."

He was leaving? A part of her hated the thought of him going. Another part felt relived. She focused on the second part. "Okay."

Before he left, he rubbed a hand on the top of her head...just like an older brother. "Leave this room sometime today, alright?" A command.

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered, scowling internally. She'd do whatever she wanted today. After all, it was her day off.