Hey guys! how was your week?

This chapter is not edited! so if you notice any mistakes, please let me know! 

Much love <3

M.B.

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Lillian was a cover hogger.

Noah yawned, stretching his arms up. Dawn light filled the room, casting everything in shades of gray and blue. They'd forgotten to pull the curtains the night before because they'd been... busy.

Noah turned his head to look at Lillian. She sprawled on her back, the covers pulled up to her chin and her face turned his way. Her dark lashes cast soft shadows on her cheeks, and her pink lips were slightly parted, blowing out soft breaths.

Noah snuck his hand under the cover. She frowned. He felt her stir through the bond. Cracking one eye open, she chuckled softly. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Noah said. "Don't you have training with Kate?"

Her eyes shot open. She sprang up in bed, looked at the window and cursed. Throwing off the covers, she scrambled out of bed. Noah crossed his arms behind his head, enjoying the view.

"She's going to kill me if I'm late," she said, running into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

Noah went ahead of her to the kitchen. His house already bore traces of her and the twins. Their scent was intertwined with his, and he saw them in every corner. The black couch was now covered with a colorful quilt, and a wolf plushie sat on it. The plushie was a gift from Mary, one of the pack elders, who liked to make them. The wolf was brown and looked like Lillian's wolf, with white paws, a white tail and white-tipped ears.

The dining table was one of the new additions to his growing house. Lillian had requested he make one, and he had. It seated six people. Two small bows were on it, and arrows scattered next to them. The twins must have left them that way yesterday. All the pups were given different weapons to try out in order to see which one they would prefer. Noah tried to make his wolves well-rounded in combat. When they couldn't shift, they should be able to fight in their human form and know how to wield different weapons. The pups would start with bows and arrows and slowly go through the range of weapons as they grew older.

Noah started the coffee machine. Uneven footsteps. He turned to find Lillian, fully dresses and hopping on one foot while trying to put on a sock on the other.

"Coffee?" He asked.

"No, gotta run," she said, slipping on her sneakers by the door. She waved at him, opened the door and had one foot outside before she ran back inside to him, kissed him and then left. He could hear Kate outside teasing her.

"I see the honey moon phase hasn't ended yet," Kate called out.

"Shut up, Kate," Lillian replied, jogging down the steps. "Someone who was caught making out in the woods by the pups has no room to speak."

"It was one time! Pups weren't supposed to be there," Kate grumbled, her voice fading as they walked away.

Noah took his coffee to his office. He needed to check some paper work Sean had sent him two days earlier. He'd been putting it off. He hated paperwork.

When the sky outside lightened and the sun streamed in through the window, warming up his office, Noah stretched and gladly left the office.

Soon the twins would be awake and Lillian would come back starving. He started on breakfast. The smell of sugar and butter filled the kitchen. Before long, pancakes were stacked in a towering heap. Four wolves would finish it in a flash. He set aside a few for Lillian because he knew the twins would devour the rest.

He'd just started on eggs when the twins stirred in their room. Their door was open, and he heard the sound of wrestling and little growling.

"Pancakes are ready," Noah called.

Their footsteps skittered on the floorboards, squeaking as they skidded to a halt by the kitchen island. Two bright-eyed five year olds peeked up at him.

"Pancakes?" Elijah asked, his eyes zeroed in on the stack. He and his brother jumped on their stools. Their hair stuck out in all directions, and a Ezra had a streak of blood on his cheek.

Noah wet a paper towel and moved toward him. "Are you hurt?" He asked, wiping the blood to reveal smooth skin.

"Oh, we were just wrestling," Ezra said.

"No claws in the house," Noah said. "Your mom won't like it."

"Sorry," Elijah said, blinking his blue eyes. Noah kissed his head then Ezra's, breathing in their scents.

By the time he was finished with breakfast and the table was set, the pancakes had vanished. Noah sat down just in time. Lillian burst in through the door, her hair clinging to her face and neck and her cheeks flushed.

"Breakfast," she said, her eyes flashing amber for a second. "I'm starving."

She kissed Elijah's cheek and then Ezra's.

"Mommy, you're sweaty!" Ezra said.

"Is that so?" Lillian said and proceeded to wipe her face against Ezra's. Ezra growled and tried pulling away in vain. Elijah chortled, and Lillian changed her target.

"Ewww," the twins said, wiping their faces when Lillian finally took mercy on them.

She sat down next to Noah and kissed him.

"Gross," the twins said as one.

Noah pulled back and smiled at her. "Your pancakes are in the oven."

"Oooh." She grinned and jumped up, retrieving the plate of warm pancakes.

"How was training?" Noah asked as they dug in. The smell of warm food, his mate and his pups in his home was something he'd never thought he'd have so soon. He was lucky.

"Good. Kate was brutal," Lillian said before shoving a forkful of eggs in her mouth.

"Mommy?" Elijah said, throwing his brother a glare when Ezra tried to take some of his hash browns.

"Yes, baby?"

Elijah and Ezra both looked at her. "Is Noah our dad?"

Noah's fork froze. Lillian choked on her food and coughed. Noah rubbed her back and pushed the glass of water closer to her hand. She took large gulps of water.

"Alrighty, then," she whispered in his mind. Noah sighed. It was a conversation he and Lillian had anticipated having with the twins.

Lillian put her fork and leaned forward, looking between the twins' eyes. "Why are you asking?"

"Because we live together," Ezra said.

"Like Elias lives with his mom and dad," Elijah added.

"Well, is he?" Ezra asked.

"Do you want him to?" Lillian asked.

"Yeah!" They both replied.

Noah's heart felt like it was overflowing with love. He out down his fork and put his trembling hands on his thighs under the table.

"Then he is," Lillian said. "He's going to be your father from now on."

"But Jackson said your dad is someone who helps bring you in this world," Ezra said. "Did Noah help?"

Lillian and Noah shared a look. Lillian smothered a smile. "Where did he hear that?"

"He said he heard his mom say that," Elijah said.

"Ah, I see," Lillian glanced at him. "Um, a little help here?"

Noah cleared his throat. "Jackson is right. A father can be someone who helps bring you to this world. But there are other kinds of fathers. Someone who loves you and cares about you the way a parent should care for their child can also be your father."

Noah didn't know if the twins understood where he was going with this. They didn't seem to care, but they nodded, looking impatient. "So can we call you dad?"

Noah's heart almost stopped. He wanted to scream and laugh and cry at the same time. Lillian squeezed his hand under the table. "If you want to," she said.

"Yeah!" They both responded with matching grins, looking more excited than he'd ever seen them.

"Good, you guys do that," Lillian said, breathing out. "That went better than expected, don't you think?"

"Definitely," Noah replied, smiling slightly to himself.

Ezra and Elijah shared a conspiring look. Then Elijah looked at Noah with big blue eyes. "Can we have more pancakes, dad?"

Lillian and Noah laughed. "You little devils," Lillian said.

*** **** ***

"I think Jasmine is pregnant," Robert said.

Lillian's head snapped up as she stared at him from under the brim of her straw hat. "Damn, boy. You work fast."

Robert glared at her. "It's not like you and Noah are having tea parties every night."

Lilian pointed her scissors at him. They were in the field. The weather was growing colder already, and the water of the lake looked dull and gray under the clouded sky. "Don't change the subject. Why do you think she's pregnant?"

He stooped down to pick up a massive basket full of greens. "She's been acting weird," he said, heaving the basket on his shoulder. "I think she wants to surprise me."

"Just because she's acting weird doesn't mean she's pregnant," Lillian told him, rolling her eyes.

Robert growled at her. He was meeting her eyes more confidently now.

Weeks after shifting, the people closest to her no longer darted their eyes away when speaking to her. That had been the thing that saddened her the most about becoming a werewolf, and now it was mostly gone. Jennifer had been right, things did get better.

"Don't growl at me, young man," Lillian told him with a grin.

"I just have a strong feeling, okay?" He said walking away to the shed. Lillian stood up and dusted her pants, which only served to further dirty them since her gloves were coated with soil. She picked up the tools, put them in their box, and hauled it up.

"Instinct?" Lillian asked, following him.

He nodded, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Instinct."

She shrugged. She'd learned not to underestimate werewolf instincts. They put the tool box in the shed, and Lillian picked up another basket they'd filled in earlier, then they were off to the pack kitchen.

"So, do you think I should act surprised?" He asked, looking like a tortured puppy with pleading gray eyes.

Lillian chuckled. "I don't know Jasmine that well, so I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"Come on," Robert groaned.

"Nope. Not butting in in your relationship," Lillian told him.

"What if she's mad that I ruined her surprise?" He asked.

"Then you'll learn that you have to act surprised next time," Lillian said. "Relax, Robert. She loves you, you love her, and you're going to become a cute little family. The hiccups along the line are what give life its spice."

He grumbled something under his breath about useless female advice. A few pack members were carrying what looked like giant freezers to the pack house.

"Freezers to stock meat," Robert said, following her gaze. "There's going to be a big hunt soon. Gearing up for winter."

Lillian nodded. They delivered their hoardings to the pack kitchen. As they stepped out of the kitchen, Lillian heard two voices arguing. Robert gave her a wide-eyed look and gave her a salute. "Good luck, Alpha."

He ran out of the pack house even before she could form a reply. "Coward," Lillian mumbled and went to investigate the reason for the arguing.

She found Melinda and Larisa in the second floor of the pack house, right next to the room that served as depot for all sewing and knitting material. They kept rolls of fabric, yarn, thread, and all kinds of tools. The two females were standing toe to toe. A couple of male warriors were walking down the hallway, their eyes widened when they saw the two females. They looked down and hurried away.

"Good luck, Alpha," one of them whispered in her mind. Pack members have started calling her Alpha as if she'd been one her entire life. She took it all in strides. She knew how rank was important to the stability of a pack. Having a pair at the head of that structure strengthened it.

Lillian glared over her shoulder at the two warriors. "At least stay to help."

"No way will I get involved in a Melinda-Larisa fight, Alpha," he replied, already disappearing down the steps. Ugh. Male wolves were cowards. One of the juvenile girls peeked out of the room, relief written all over her face when she saw Lillian.

"What's going on?" Lillian asked her, standing in place and observing the two women from afar for a minute. They were so busy in their stare off they didn't even notice her.

"They're fighting over rolls of yarn, Alpha," the girl said, her eyes begging. "There's only three left of the color they wanted. What should I do?"

Lillian winked at the young girl and nodded her head to the side. "I'll take care of it, go take a break."

The teenager couldn't be told twice. She ran downstairs and Lillian was left with the two women.

Most of the rooms on this floor served as storage rooms for things like clothes and spare furniture and kitchen appliances and such. The hallway usually teemed with people who needed things for their house. Now it was empty. It seemed everyone was steering clear of the women.

Lillian walked towards them, her footsteps light on the wooden floor. "Problem here, ladies?" Lillian asked. The two women didn't even move, locked in their stare off. Lillian sighed.

Unlike Noah, she had to work for her dominance to shove outward. She pushed her wolf to the surface, and the two women froze, their eyes flickering her way then away.

"Alpha," Melinda said, looking down. She was a mother of four pups. Larisa was a mother of two. She usually saw the two women together often around the pack.

"So, yarn?" Lillian asked, glancing inside the depot room.

"I need at least four balls of that color, I already started on matching sweaters for my pups."

"She used all the previous yarn of that same color, already," Larisa said. "It's not fair for her to take the rest as well."

Yarn. I couldn't believe I was meditating a fight between two grown women over yarn.

"Where's this special yarn?" Lillian asked.

Larisa went inside and came back with a box with three rolls of yarn the color of soft salmon. Well, at least it was a cute color.

Lillian took the box. She gave one ball to Larisa and another to Melinda. She took the leftover ball of yarn and put the empty box back inside. "I'll hold on to this one, and we'll order more of the same color," Lillian said, looking between the two women. "So, what's really going on here? I know you're not actually fighting over yarn."

Larisa frowned. Melinda pursed her lips and looked away. Lillian growled.

Melinda crossed her arms. "She might have forgotten my birthday."

"What? No, I didn't-" Larisa's eyes widened. "Oh."

Lillian sighed and looked between the two women. "Well, now that you know, work it out, girls," Lillian said. "And make sure to apologize to Andria. You guys scared her."

Melinda and Larisa nodded, fiddling with the yarn in their hands and looking embarrassed.

"I have successfully meditated a fight over yarn," Lillian told Noah, jogging down the steps to his office. "I know you must have heard them? Why didn't you step in?"

"Because I would've said something like 'fighting over yarn is childish', and then the two women and all the knitting fans in the pack would be mad at me for months."

"It happened before?" Lillian asked, getting inside his office after a light knock. Lisette was sitting behind Noah's desk, and he stood over her shoulder, looking at the screen of the laptop. "Yes. Melinda and Larisa are good friends. But when something happens between them, instead of arguing about it or talking it out, they find an unrelated matter to fight over."

"I didn't know that," Lillian said, going to stand in the open window. "There's so much I still don't know about the pack."

"You'll learn," he said. "You're already better than me at it."

Lillian stared through the window, the lake a gray smudge through the trees. Sometimes it felt like she'd been part of this pack her entire life, others she felt like a new member. But it was home, and with every passing day she felt like her human life was so far behind her, she could barely remember what it felt like to be human.

She didn't hate her previous 'humanness'. It made her who she was right now, and it gave her a different perspective on life compared to other immortals. But she was grateful she was now an immortal, especially a wolf.

A breeze blew her hair back. Her wolf settled in the back of her mind, calm and peaceful. She checked on the twins. They were on their way from the training grounds with a group of pups.

"I'll take care of the rest," Noah said out loud. "It's lunch time."

"Okay," Lisette said softly. Lillian glanced at the girl with a smile and waved as she left.

Noah joined her by the window, standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her middle and put his chin on her head. "Good day?"

"Hmm," she replied. "The twins were in the training ground again."

"Yes. They'll be visiting more often, watching fights and sitting in on lessons, so when they reach the age when they should start sparring, they'll be ready."

Lillian hummed. She wasn't particularly eager about the time they would start sparring. But it was years later, and hopefully by then, Lillian would have more faith in her babies' healing abilities as werewolves.

The clouds overhead darkened, and drops of rain dotted the window sill next to her elbow.

Noah stretched his arm out the window, his palm up. "It's going to be a cold winter."

Lillian leaned back against him. "Why do you say that?"

His body tensed. The bond twisted with anger. Lillian swiveled around and looked at him. His eyes glowed. "What is it?"

He clenched his jaw. "Alpha Albert is near the border."

Alpha Albert. Ashton's father and the twins' biological grandfather. Lillian's blood boiled, her wolf pushing forward. "What does he want?"

"Let's find out," Noah said.