Flash back to Tilly after leaving.
I wasn’t supposed to be out that night.
The pack house was loud.
Too loud.
Voices.
Expectations.
Responsibilities I hadn’t even agreed to—but somehow still carried.
So I left.
Just for a walk.
Just to breathe.
I didn’t expect to find him.
“You always run out here when it gets too much?”
I froze.
Then turned slowly.
He leaned against a tree like he had always been there.
Darren.
I had seen him around before.
Never like this.
“I’m not running,” I said.
He smirked slightly.
“Sure.”
I should have walked away.
I didn’t.
“Just needed quiet,” I added.
He nodded.
“Yeah,” he said.
“I get that.”
That surprised me.
“You do?” I asked.
He pushed off the tree, stepping closer—but not too close.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Being around people all t
