Collecting myself, I wiped at the wetness under my eyes furiously, angry that I let such an influential memory resurface. I told myself I wouldn't let those thoughts in my mind anymore out of a fear of becoming a shell of what I once was and felt-happy, carefree, loved.. Nowadays, though, the weight of my own and others' actions weighed down on my shoulders, pulling me to the ground unforgivingly. Less and less did I feel like the optimistic, enthusiastic girl from a few months ago-helping her mother in the shops every day of the week and laying on the bed with her brother when he would come in to her room to comfort her from the nightmares plaguing her dreams.

Get it together!

Standing to my feet I subsided the gnawing sadness in my heart and walked to the oak-accented bathroom. Shutting and locking the door behind me, I hesitantly glanced in the mirror with squinted eyes.

My hair, which clearly showed that it hadn't been washed in days, lay in ugly and greasy strands down my scalp. Oil and sweat from the previous day shone on my forehead while smeared mascara hung in pigmented rings beneath my eyelashes. Mentally groaning at the small red acne marks along my jaw and hairline, I decided there to take a shower as soon as possible. First, though, I'd need clothes, so tip-toeing into Eric's room I stole a shirt and pair of shorts from his closet. Planning on wearing the same bra and tossing the underwear into the trash bin, I quickly locked myself back inside the bathroom and stripped off my grimy, mud stained clothing. After fiddling with the nozzle for a few minutes, I finally succeeded in turning it on hot and stepped in, shutting the clear glass door behind me.

Stinging water ran down my back in waves as dirt and muddled water emptied down the drain. Massaging some shampoo and conditioner into my hair soothingly, I couldn't deny the faint feeling of nostalgia for Tiberius. He's my true mate-the one I was destined to be with ever since I was born. It's not so bad to feel this way for him then, is it? I asked myself.

The truth was, I couldn't answer that. He killed Mahala, my best friend and practically sister. He ripped her from her family and Gail-Oh Goddess, how must he feel? To have your Alpha, your closest friend, kill your mate? Is he even still in the Alpha Mansion?

Thinking about Haley's family led me to think about my own; How was mom? Isaac? Does he miss me? Does she worry about where I am?

'Don't be stupid Ellie, of course they do,' Nikita scolded me. 'They're your family and blood, and you haven't talked to them in how long? You know as well as I that you need to reconnect- and don't let that bastard Tiberius get in the way, either.'

Sighing and nodding my head, I silently agreed that she was right. Why should I let Tiberius get in the way of my family? Then I decided what to do.

Scrubbing my face, arms, and legs clean while taking off a layer of dead skin, I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my body, wringing out my hair out before drying myself off. After I changed and brushed my hair back into damp waves, I brushed my teeth with a spare toothbrush and smiled at my new reflection-instead of the grimy girl from before under a curtain of oily hair, there stood the glowing woman with a purpose again. Yes, I had acne from the lack of bathing and yes, I was emotionally damaged, but none of that would matter soon.

"Hey Eric?" I called out throughout the house to no avail. The only sound I was answered with was a small round clock hanging above the mantle and fireplace, it's mindless ticking echoing in the living room. Then I remembered that this morning he said he was going for a walk; maybe he was still outside? Walking over to the front door and grabbing a coat from the rack beside it, I slipped one arm in when the door suddenly opened, blowing frigid air into the room and spawning goosebumps on my skin. Eric, dressed in a bulky brown coat, boots, and a matching hat shuffled in rigidly. Giggling at his odd stepping pattern that resembled a penguin, he turned to me and smiled, noticing me for the first time.

"Oh hi!" he laughed, grabbing the hat and tossing it onto a table. "It's a bit cold out there now, but I fed your horse and made sure he was nice and warm," he smiled while taking off his coat.

"Oh, thank you! I almost forgot about him," I admitted, shivering inwardly because of the air even though the door was closed. Mentally deciding when to tell him my plans, I was answered.

"It's no problem. So, I was thinking about your stay here, and-" I cut him off before he could have the chance to say that he wanted me to stay longer.

"Oh really? I was too! See Eric, I love it here and I'm so glad to find out I have an Uncle so generous and caring like you, but I need to go back. I spent way too long away and I can tell I'm drifting away from my roots. I need to go back to my mom."

His warm smile suddenly dropped into sadness and his eyes lost a little of their spark. Immediately feeling guilty for wanting to leave just a day after him saving my life and offering me a warm place to stay, I pushed those feelings back and looked past the present, instead to seeing my family again.

"Oh!" he exclaimed with false happiness, obviously trying to hide his disappointment. "Well I- I hope you have a safe trip. I'll go saddle your horse and get you a bag of clothes to take with you," he said as he started to turn around.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping you could keep the horse! I mean, I know you don't have any neighbors or animals to keep you company, so I just thought that Leo could do the job for you," I explained, smiling at Eric's dimples.

"Really? Oh Ellie, you don't have to do tha-"

"Yes, I do. You've given me food and clothes and a warm place to stay, not to mention you saved my life! It's the least I could do, giving you my horse. Please say you'll take it. I don't want to leave you, Eric-"

"Please, call me Uncle," he smiled.

"Uncle," I corrected contentedly, " but I have to, and knowing you have something from me that can keep you happy means so much," I started to tear up. Seeing my unshed tears, he immediately rushed over and engulfed me in a warm bear hug, drowning out my sadness and replacing it with ease.

"Please pleeasssee don't cry, Ell," he begged, one hand around my shoulders and the other resting on the back of my head while I was crushed comfortably against his chest. Sniffling, I chuckled wetly at his actions; the way he held me and said Ell reminded me of my father greatly. The only thing different from then to now is that I'm too big to wrap my legs around Eric's waist as he would haul me off to bed.

"Okay," he whispered after a few minutes, "let's get you some clothes."

Getting together an old leather backpack, we both filled it with some of Caylee's and his clothes that would last me on my 53 mile trip East to the Dewitt territory and around the Alpha Territory; two pairs of Caylee's pants and a pair of shorts, two T-shirts from Eric, and two pairs of underwear and a clean bra I added from Caylee's dresser. Handing the bag back to Eric, he slipped 18 pieces of dried Deer Jerkey safely into one of the pockets and struggled to zip the packed bag up.

"I'm sure you'll come across some streams, but I'll slip a few bottles of water in here if you want," he said as he started to open the fridge.

"No, I'm sure I'll be okay. Thank you Uncle," I whispered. "For everything."

"Please, don't thank me-Thank you. You let me take care of you and you gave me a chance to explain what happened in the past. It was amazing getting to finally meet you after all this time." Coming in to hug me one last time, he kissed my forehead lovingly and pushed me off towards one of the other rooms to shift so he could adjust the backpack onto my Wolf body for easy travel. Once I did, I came out and lifted my paws so he could loop the two straps under my armpits and strap the backpack onto my spine inbetween my shoulderblades. Backing away so he could inspect his work, he nodded his head approvingly and scratched behind my ears.

"Just call to me if you need any help and I'll come running, okay? Promise you'll come visit sometime."

'I promise,' I replied through mind link. Smiling, he opened the front door and stepped aside so I could slink by. Jumping off of the front porch and sinking my paws into the freshly fallen snow, I adjusted my eyesight so I was comfortable with the brightness around me. Walking towards the East treeline, I glanced back at Eric once more to see him waving sadly, tears making his blue eyes red. Leo would be safe with him, I knew, and would keep him company. I truly felt bad that he lived alone so long, but leaving Leo made it a little better.

Throwing my head back and howling a sad farewell to Eric into the setting sky, I kicked my back paws into the frozen ground powerfully and ran into the trees, hearing a responding whinny from Leo and howl from Eric.