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Dair is never far from me, always brushing his arm against mine, or flooding my senses with his calming scent that blends so well with the natural world around us. His presence alone seems to balance my conflicted hormones, like he’s a tether keeping me grounded while the bond inside of me tries to pull me back to Ferris. I repeatedly remind myself that Ferris made his choice, and it wasn’t me.

As the day goes on, Vale gets brave and starts asking questions about shifting. I used to think that Vale’s sunshine would darken in the Wilds, but she actually looks even brighter out in nature. However, it becomes obvious that there’s a lot for her to learn about her own body, and I’m thankful to learn alongside her so that I can understand Dair and his people better.

Tore continues walking as he explains, “There is no closer relationship than the one between a shifter and their wolf. The wolf expands your senses and bolsters your strengths, making you the best version of yourself.”

“The way you speak about the relationship between wolf and shifter is really beautiful,” I tell him.

“Tore works with young shifters,” Dair explains, pride for his friend evident in his voice. “He prepares them for their first shift and helps them through their early years of bonding with their wolves. His wolf is one of the most patient I’ve met, perfect for working with the clan pups.”

Vale whips her head toward Dair in shock and nearly stops walking. She exclaims, “There are children in your lands?”

“I haven’t seen a child in over a decade,” I add, amazed.

“Yes, we have several families with pups,” Dair says. “Every year our numbers grow, both in births and new arrivals.”

My voice is small when I ask, “Your territory is safe enough for kids? Even without a wall?”

“Wolves always protect their own,” Dair says. “Always.”

We walk for another few hours until the sun begins to kiss the treetops. Ahead, there’s a paved road just on the horizon, marking our proximity to the city outskirts. Dair decides that we’re close enough and directs us back into the now thinning forest to make camp. After the two tents get set up, Tore leaves to hunt while Vale and I set up a small campfire to begin boiling water. We want the fire ready to cook whatever Tore manages to find, but small enough that it won’t be smoking after dark. The last thing we need is someone from the city tracking us down.

“It feels weird to be out in the Wilds,” Vale tells me from across the small fire. “When I was inside the wall, my wolf felt very far away. I knew she was in here”—she pats her chest—“but she wasn’t vocal the way Clay always explained his wolf was.”

“And now?” I prompt.

“It feels like I can finally breathe. Like my bones are stretching for the first time in a really long time, and the relief is nearly overwhelming. My wolf is closer to the surface than ever, but I don’t know how to connect the way Tore explained.”

“Maybe you should ask him?” I suggest.

“Wh-what? I couldn’t—” Her stammering is cut off by a distinctly animalistic yip.

Dair stands from where he was organizing his backpack, a hunting knife at the ready, but when a large reddish-brown wolf bursts into our campsite with several rabbits in its bloody maw, Dair visibly relaxes. I avert my eyes as the wolf’s body begins to shift, focusing instead on the completely enthralled look on Vale’s face that is quickly overtaken by a bright pink flush.

“Saw a few deer,” Tore says over the soft sounds of getting dressed, “but I knew that was too much meat to properly prepare given our short stay at this site. Figured these will do instead.”

He holds up the rabbits, and I blurt, “I’ll clean them! It’s been a while, so it will be good practice.”

I clean the rabbits, showing Vale a few tricks that I remember from being in the Wilds as a child, while Tore updates Dair on what he saw and smelled on his hunting trip. From what I can overhear, Tore didn’t find evidence of any recent Biter activity and only found a few older abandoned campsites.

My memories of living in the Wilds as a child are painted in dark strokes of hunger, fear, and icy adrenaline. There were moments of warmth, like the feeling of being smooshed between Mother and River, or happy days playing in lakes, but when I look back on that time, all I feel is dread.

I was prepared to be met with the same crushing feeling of anxiety from being back in the Wilds, but being out here is something entirely different now. Maybe it’s because the land itself has changed, becoming lusher and more inhabited by animals.

As I look across the fire at the smiling, laughing faces of our ragtag group, I have to wonder if maybe the difference has something to do with them. In my periphery, I can see the large, distracting body of Dair sitting to my left, and I allow myself to wonder if maybe the reason this all feels so light is actually because of him.

The rabbits roast quickly, the scent of rich, oily meat enough to make my stomach cramp with hunger, so much so that when they’re done, I eat my portion before it even has the chance to properly cool. After we eat and extinguish the fire, Tore disappears for a short while to run a perimeter.

When he returns, we all argue over who is sleeping in which tent but ultimately decide that I’ll be sleeping with Dair so that he can tend my now aching bite, much to Vale’s mortification. “You’ll be fine,” I whisper into her ear as we hug goodnight. She pinches my side in retaliation.

Dair exchanges a loaded look with Tore and ushers me into his tent, which is surprisingly tall enough that I can nearly stand. “Was today’s pace alright?” Dair asks as I dig through my backpack.

“Yes,” I assure him. “Other than some stinging in my neck, I promise I’m okay.”

“Good,” he says, laying out a thick roll of blankets for us to lie on. “Now come here,” he says, lying sideways to make room for me to nestle next to him.

I abandon my bag and crawl the short distance to cuddle into his side. His large hand gently moves my hair away from my neck, exposing my bite to the chilled autumn air. He places a soft kiss over the healing scar and whispers into my skin, “It’s looking much better.”

I melt into the blanket like a puddle as he gently nips the skin with his lips. “Can I tend your bite, omega?”