We ran for a while, and we all heard when Erubus started running after us, but Nix snorted. We were far enough away that Nix had a n. She ran for a little while longer and then she dove into a bush. "You turn Megan.''


    "What?" Megan jolted up, but Nix was already running back to us and then she pushed Megan forward. "Nix, what are you doing?"


    "It''s your turn to run. Now go." Nix chuffed out augh as she pushed Megan to the front, almost forcing the shift from her form to Megans. Then I watched as Nix ran to the candle and added another.


    "What are you doing?" I walked over to her and watched as the second candle ir to life.


    "Changing our scent." She looked at me like I was dumb, and in that moment, I felt it.


    "Why?"


    "Because we can''t have the same scent, and I want to see how this male treats my soul sister." Once the candles were strong, she turned back to Megan, who had just finished shifting. "Now, run and be free, Megan."


    Megan was frozen on the spot for a moment, but then the wind rustled through the bush and she took off. Wind ruffled her fur and, for only the second time in Her life, she was free for longer than a second. Her thoughts, which she usually kept to herself, were rushing through all our minds. She was so carefree and open with us; it hurt my heart.


    "I''ve neglected her again. Even knowing she is here, I''m still neglecting her." I sat down with a heavy heart.


    Nix came over next to me. "It''s really hard to bnce all of us. And Megan and I both understand that. We just spent months ignoring you, so I think you get a pass this time." Sheid down next to me and we watched as Megan had her first run at the school.


    "This is amazing." She ran for a little while before Erubus finally caught up to us and skidded to a stop in front of


    1. us.


    "Wait." He finally looked up, and confusion sprang into his eyes. We all heard him take a few deep breaths. "Who are you?"


    "My name is Megan...who are you?" Megan backed up a step. She was nervous.


    "You shouldn''t have given him your name yet. He should earn it." Nix called out, but Megan snorted, making Erubus tilt his head.


    "He won''t want to earn my name, Nix." Megan called back as she settled on her haunches. She waited for him to


    answer.


    "I''m Erubus. I thought you were someone else." He settled across from us and tilted his head the other way.


    "Sorry to disappoint," Megan offered.


    But he reeled back instead. "You didn''t. I''m sorry, I''m just confused. It''s nice to meet you, Megan."


    "Nice to meet you as well." She stared at him for a moment and then stood. "Well, if there isn''t anything you needed, I will get going."


    "Wait." Erubus stood with Megan, and he stared into her eyes. "Why do I feel like I know you?"


    Megan trembled ever so slightly. "I don''t know. We haven'' met before." The lie rolled off her tongue. But she called back to us. "Not a lie, not exactly."


    Nix looked at me. “She is ying semantics, and apparently we have all grown closer since we woke. We can hear each other''s thoughts." I just nodded, but turned back to Megan.


    Erubus came closer to her. She froze as he buried her nose into her neck and Nix tilted her head, considering some new thought that she held back from us. “You smell wrong. His wrongs had Megan pulling back. 1


    "I''m sorry." She turned to leave, but the male jumped in front of her.


    "Who is your human?" He came closer, but Megan backpedaled.


    "I''m sorry, what?" Megan panicked. "What do I say to him" She screamed back at


    us as she looked everywhere but at the male in front of her.


    "Your human? What''s her name?"


    "Don''t tell him." Nix called back. "You deserve to be chased, Megan. If he wants to know, he will work for it."


    "I''m not you." She whispered back to us, and Nix recoiled.


    "Why do you say it like it''s a bad thing? Megan, you are amazing all on your own."


    I pushed closer to the front." You kept us alive."


    Nix came closer with me. "You are smarter than me. You are emotionally more developed. I might be the alpha, but you are the glue that''s holding the three of us together, Megan. Without uyou, we would have gone to the goddess. This time, and thest."


    "What?" I turned to Nix, but she looked away.


    "I''ll exinter. But right now, you need to realize your worth. If he doesn''t want you, even as a friend, he isn''t worth our time," Nix called back and then she turned to walk away.


    I felt Megan decide. "A friend told me that if a male wants to know the name of my other half, then he has to work for it." Then she took off, leaving him alone in the clearing,