Laying in bed as the sun creeps over the railing of the second-story porch, I trace circles on his chest. The tanned skin, the spattering of chest hair, I listen to the steady thump of his heartbeat and will myself to sleep but my body aches and I'm overcharged from a night of indulgence. Eve rests her head on my side of the best, I hear the bump of her tail wagging and admire the dog's intelligence with a chuckle. 

When Verando slept this good, there was little to wake him. Sighing, I kiss his chest as I slide out of the plush bed to grab one of his shirts and a pair of soft shorts. Running a hand through my hair, I attempt to not feel sick as I tread down the stairs to release the dog into the front yard. There would be no getting back to sleep with how I was feeling, nauseous and shakey, I was starving and yet couldn't think of a bite to eat.

I'd been spoiled from our time together in the hotel, he had been good about preparing breakfast for me, despite how he was feeling. I'd be on my own this morning, I'm sure the man wasn't fairing much better than I was.

Sipping on a glass of water, I bury my nose into the familiar scent embedded in the shirt as I press the chilled glass to the side of my neck. Crossing my arms as if I was holding myself together, the temptation to sneak back to bed was all too real, yet I knew I had a very small window if I wished to eat this morning.

My back held a steady throb as I stirred the pot of chopped potatoes and seasonings, which Rowan had shown me as an easy thing to cook that'd be gentle on my stomach. I flinch, adjusting my weight to my other heel, regretting my choice of indulging my warlord for a night of lovemaking. 

While it'd been incredible, I was beyond sore, for once feeling my age in that my battered and broken body needed a better warm-up and more thorough exercise if I was going to torture it. We were both worse for wear, it wasn't often that sex rendered me wired and unable to sleep. But I spent most of what remained of the dark hours worrying about him, me, this baby, and how others would perceive the knowledge that a man carried it.

Sighing in disappointment at how my body complained, I focus on the fact that I wasn't sick at the scent of the potatoes cooking. Normally a morning brandy or a chilled glass of white wine would suffice, but with my current condition, I wouldn't risk it. Glancing at the bottles of pills, it was a constant reminder I needed to try to eat before taking them. 

Four different medications designed to keep me as healthy as possible and help my body cope with what was happening to it. I place my hand protectively over the cuff, I'd had to many nightmares of it cracking, falling off and ruining this gift. 

Tasting the potatoes, I wrinkle my nose. Bland, not as heavily seasoned as I preferred, but it would work if it meant I could keep it down. With a slow inhale, I poke one with a fork and wave it back and forth to cool it down before popping it into my mouth. My hand travels from the cuff to rest on my navel, "Really? Potatoes?" I mutter, unimpressed. "I know you don't mean to make me sick but come now, you could at least be fair. I'd rather oatmeal than potatoes." 

Talking to the little dot made me almost euphoric, it could make any ache go away, and when I was by myself I didn't feel like such a lunatic. With each passing moment, as the potatoes browned, my mouth was practically watering. I can hardly wait, the smell was so good I eat them out of the pan despite the burn to my tongue.

Surprised to hear Verando, I glance over my shoulder as I see he's in a simple white shirt and jeans, by the expression on his face this was not a willing endeavor and he's as sore as I am. Tilting my head, he points to his ear and I know he's talking on his headset. As he grips his side, he moves to lean on the counter beside me, I rest my temple on his bicep as I stir absently while attempting to eavesdrop.

He smells good, something unique to him, that set my heart a blaze and made my wolf hum with approval.

On the other side of the phone, I could hear him speaking to Steffan. It was a short conversation, Verando often spoke very little on the phone when he could help it, especially when his mood was poor. While I couldn't hear everything, I could tell it was an attempt to convince my husband of something uncomfortable and I didn't envy my friend of that attempt. Trying not to be hurt, I take another bite, Steffan had hardly spoken to me in the last few months. 

Though in his defense, I hadn't sought him out either.

Tilting my head upward, I offer him the speared potato, smirking at the double glance and knowing he was hungry. Fenrir had destroyed his ability to be picky, rolling his eyes, he takes my offer and chews absently as he listened to the other end of the conversation.

Finally, after a few grumbles, he hangs up.

"We're retired, remember?" I tell him firmly, flipping one of the sausages on the other pan. "That conversation sounded like work. Will I need to punish you so early in the morning?"

Hugging me from behind, he growls low in my ear before kissing the nape of my neck. "You hardly slept and yet you're this enthusiastic? 'Fraid I'm quite broken this morning love, I'll have to take a rain check on this punishment. How're you feeling?" 

The strength of his arms around me, the warmth of his body pressed to mine, I lean into him and absorb every ounce of heat he was willing to give me. "You're so tall, too tall to be broken." I muse, Verando smirks, kissing my forehead as I stretch on my toes. "I'm sore, I haven't come down yet from the last few weeks, it's hard to sleep. But, I suspected that would be the case. What have you gone and done? If we're making negotiations with the outside world, when are my boys coming home?"

Taking the fork out of my hand, he spears a potato and takes a bite. "Tonic has reappeared and wants to come to see us under the guise of offered protection. Steffan wants to see you, he and Adriam have bonded... but that means he is bringing Tonic with him. What that man sees in him I will never understand, I don't think I've quite forgiven him for running off with Landon, while leaving you and the boys for dead.

Nor do I have any desire to be protected by Tonic in any stretch."

The thought makes me cringe, I really haven't spared a moment to worry about K or Landon, but I suppose that would part of our divide. We would have no reason to contact them again, would they get to stay together? Would they be alright?

He pokes another piece and I narrow my eyes at him, "You're eating this, but not things I've slaved over?" Rolling my eyes, I spoon him out some onto a plate to hand over. "Randy, I'm not going to interject too much on Tonic. I want to see Steffan, that is worth stomaching Tonic over. I've decided life is too short to hate him for how little he's done, I've learned not to rely on him. I think that is enough if it makes Steffan happy."

"Short? Have you forgotten our imminent immortality? You'll have a very long time to realize that life is infact very long and grudges are lessons in enduring that length. Eternity with a thorn is quite miserable, need I remind you. The world is vast, he can bother some other poor sod and leave me to it." I can't help but snicker at his heavy accent with his morning exhaustion. His tangled hair, his two day growth of his beard, I admire him despite his frustration with our extended family.

I'd matured since Tonic's last betrayal, too much had happened for me to care about the 'worst son' sneaking in and out of our lives as it suited him. If Legardo could redeem himself, then surely so could Tonic.

While I was sure there were a lot of hurt feelings, Verando seemed to have his rage cooled by the idea of breakfast. I was waiting for his explanation, wanting to stay on topic, and he sighs when he realizes I'm going to insist on conversation. "I think I'd eat cardboard at this point, darling--" Pausing, catching my stare of disbelief, he clears his throat, "Not that this isn't lovely. I'm just a bit less picky these days."

 Tonguing my cheek, I leave him to sit at the kitchen island and pick at my breakfast as I try to ward off any oncoming nausea with a glass of orange juice. 

"Adriam and Victor are on their way with the kids. I need to meet with the manager of this place and settle up with what is actually going on here, make sure they're people I can trust... walk the perimeter-" Verando almost stumbles trying to cross from the counter to the table, it takes everything in me to let it happen, for leaping to his aid would shame him more than the bobble. 

There was still so much he was overcoming, nerve damage, weakness from the surgery, pain associated with being pulverized by the cat and nearly broken in half. When he was still, it was hard to remember just how broken he actually was. Immeidately, the guilt washes over me, why had I pushed him? He'd give me whatever I wanted, now he was paying for it, indulging my desires wasn't worth the increased discomfort.

"No, you're not," I tell him firmly, setting my fork down and folding my hands with the determination of a war room sitting. "You're fresh out of the hospital, you're still recovering and I thoroughly used you last night, you're not leaving this house today."My voice is hard and stern, we lock eyes across the space and I note the rising frustration. 

Eve barks and I stand, pointing to the table. "Sit down." The command isn't a suggestion as I move to let the dog in, she trots inside to sit beside him, laying at his feet as he sits at the table. When I return to the kitchen, it takes everything in me to retain my hold. For while he was the Alpha in all respects, there was only one who could rule him. 

That was me, while he did as he pleased for the most part, my word influenced him more than either of us liked to admit. When it came down to it, much as he fought, snarled and growled, he would do what I asked if it came from a place of reason. Rigid in his stance, he was hurting, and battling with himself about how best to fight me on this. 

Gathering his bottles of pills and a few sausages, I set them in front of him along with a muffin and a mug of coffee. "When Adriam comes over, I'll send Victor to do a perimeter check. You don't need to be pushing yourself and the boys will be beside themselves if you try and leave. We need you here, this is not just about your injuries."

The men working here had been vetted once before and were doing a fine job all of this time, a cranky warlord could disrupt that balance and what I couldn't trust was them handling the situation appropriately if he fatigued. 

I needed to help him transition, just as I needed him to help hold me together. 

"You know, there are people who don't go to war and don't fight, they have normal jobs and normal lives... they don't even do perimeter checks." I remind him, hinting at a playful nature in my tone. Catching the eye roll, I sigh, "You were very hurt. It's going to take time to heal, those cats aren't to be underestimated." 

Where everything else had fallen to the side and we'd been able to overcome it, it would appear the one sticking factor time and time again was that the cats were pound for pound stronger than the lycans. I wanted to get to the bottom of it as much as anyone else, we needed a different force of nature to combat them and I was thankful it would no longer be Verando doing it. 

Perhaps in his prime, my warlord might have stood a better chance, but I'd seen their power and the size difference was enough to bring me pause. Even Victor might have been brought to a halt by the claws, the strength, the speed, and the bulk of the beasts. The doctor's words ring in my ears, clear as the day we heard them, we were lucky that Verando had lived. 

"You're looking at me like I came back from the dead," Verando interjects, I blink out of my stupor. 

"I'm looking at you like I love you more than life itself and.. we need to talk about what this new life looks like. We're excommunicated, again, it would seem but this seems to be for the better. Are we going to live as we are? Are we going to try and pass ourselves off as mortals...?"

I was something I'd battled with all night. This world was harsh, everyone was mostly aware of who he and I were, but our children didn't have to suffer that fate. 

Tapping his fingers absently on the table, he considers this for a long moment, swallowing his pills with a heavy sigh. "I think we should change their last names to yours, and change yours back as well. I can't do much with my own, as it's associated with Tiberius and this band, but with your last name they won't bring so much attention."

It hits me like a knife, but I could understand the reasoning. "You're not divorcing me, are you?" I manage, half teasing, half deflated. 

With a scoff, he takes a swallow of his coffee, "It wouldn't be a bad idea politically, to let you live a separate life at least on paper.. but I don't want anyone thinking you are without me and taking advantage of that. The world doesn't know that I'm in this state, it'd be best not to bring light to that if possible. Ron did us well by making it look like the majority of the hospitalization was brought on by some sort of psychosis."

"We don't know if Xaiver is going to have a wolf or not, we probably won't have a clue until he's seven or eight. For him, it might be best to allow others to believe he's a mortal. Sure he has traits but it's difficult to know it's learned behavior he gets from us. Perhaps something else to take into consideration..." 

I knew it killed him, it went against everything he'd wanted for his people when we first met, when he stormed my castle to get their rights back. But, we'd been told to stand down, did that mean going with the flow until we were told we could do otherwise? 

"There's no reason why we can't still educate them at home about what and who we are." I reassure him firmly. "Darrius is a unicorn, he's going to need as much exposure as he can get."

"We have no backing, no intel, first and foremost, learning how to be 'human' is the best option for both of them. I'm sure we will find a way to navigate it, to honor what we are.. but I'm reluctant. I grew up in it, children can be cruel and that triggers... incidents. Bloody hell..." It seemed to be hitting him hard all over again, I stand, moving to his chair to wrap my arms around him. 

"We have such a support system surrounding us, we are not alone. Our children will want for nothing." I reassure him, kissing the top of his head, it was an adjustment in our thinking I hadn't really considered. We had no grounds for the 'rights' we had been demanding anymore. We were 'civilians' and celebrities, unable to take action back against negative consequences. We could not afford to take the same stance we had before, not if we truly wanted to be out of it. 

It was the truth, the harsh truth, that our lives were about to be drastically different. We needed to do what we asked for and play the part. 

"This isn't going to be how either of us grew up. We're going to get through it." I tell him firmly, catching his chin to tilt his head up. I bend to kiss him, brushing my nose against his. 

Me, home schooled and isolated. The last son, the odd one out with the wrong preference.

Him, poverty stricken and doing what he had to to survive as a child in unwelcoming lands. 

We had so much more to offer than our childhood selves. 

The door opens and I hear Darrius, bringing a smile to my lips as the boy rushes into the kitchen to wedge himself between us and climb into his Daddy's lap. It never hurt me that Darrius cherished his father in such a way, for Xavier definitely pined for me. The youth clings to Adriam as the french man enters, he was sleeping and I resist the urge to snatch him up. Adriam wraps one arm around me, kissing my cheek as I return the gesture. 

"You both look like absolute hell." Adriam raises an eyebrow. 

"We've been brought off the front lines." I remind him, offering a smile to Darrius who grins at me from his position curled into Verando's chest while stealing a bite of his muffin. 

"Thank you, Adam, for caring for them." Verando exhales, flinching at the constant lingering gaze of the strawberry blond. "Can you resist dissecting me?"

"Nope. Get up. Let me look at you." Handing Xaiver off to me, I get a look that suggests that he won't be forgetting me either. Darrius clings to Verando's leg, sitting on his foot with a giggle as Adriam instructs the warlord to strip off his shirt while Victor enters with Steffan close behind. It would seem that Adriam was the bait, to judge our mood, before Tonic would enter for I smell the metallic scent of his prostetic limbs before I see him. 

"Can not wait seconds before unclothing people? This is why we don't get invited places." Victor complains, patting me on the back and making me cough from his strength. "Even though lycan, still soft like magic user." He chuckles, making me wrinkle my nose at him in a grimace. "Or chew toy, not sure which... Tomas said you go at each other like wild animal." 

I nearly gag, making the russian belt out a laugh and pat me once more. "Never get tired of face."

"Thanks Victor." I sigh, cuddling into the sleeping Xavier. I watch as Adriam prods the remaining incision wound, still pink and not having scarred over yet. 

"How much are you eating? Is it hurting? Can you feel this?" The french man runs through his list, touching him all over, I frown when I realize the nerve damage was worse in the right leg than I had really anticipated. His ability to feel the pin pricks was great limited from the knee down. The grip strength of the left hand was also still coming up fairly short. 

Adriam's face tells a bigger story than can be explained, Verando brushes him off, finishing his coffee. "Are you done telling me how bad it is?"

"Bad?" Darrius questions, making us all flinch. 

"Daddy's sore from training with Tomas, baby." I tell the boy, making him frown. 

"It's better than the last report, that means you are healing." Adriam determines firmly, "The eye sight as me worried, you've always had a bit of a periferal issue on the left eye but it seems to be a touch worse. Might not be as good shot as you were but-" Forcing a smile, he simply hugs the lycan, squeezing him intentionally hard enough to make him grunt. "You're going to be alright."

"Yay!" Darrius chirps, sliding to stand up, reaching up so Verando can pick him up. I frown as he moves him to his hip, surprised that it seems to be bothering him though I imagine this is coming from some residual back pain. "New house! I want to see our new house!"

Adriam nods, shooing the pair away with Victor as he approaches me, suggesting it was my turn next. Steffan offers me a reassuring smile, hugging me as soon as I take notice of him, careful not to squeeze Xavier.