"What do you mean you got lost?" a voice yells from the front seat of the car. Blinking open my eyes, I try to wake up from the few hours of sleep I had managed to get while we were driving.

"What else does lost mean, Liam?" a voice I recognize as Alexis yells back. "It's not like I am from Oregon, and all the roads we needed to be on were too cluttered with cars. I thought I would try the back roads. But then..."

Sitting up in my seat, I am able to get a clear view of Liam shaking his head in frustration. His jaw is tight as he glares out the front window. I must make a sound because they both look back at me.

"Oh hey," Liam says, some of the frustration from earlier slipping away, but not all of it. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better, but still tired," I mumble while attempting to wipe away the last remnants of sleep from my eyes. A coffee sounds amazing right now.

Matty lets out a small cry and Liam looks down at the baby, attempting to shush him, but Matty is having none of it. His cries start to get louder and Liam looks like he is about to snap in frustration.

I hold out my hands, gesturing for the baby. "Give him to me, I'll take care of him while the two of you tell me what's going on."

Liam is wearing a guilty face but hands Matty over to me. That's when the bad smell hits me. Ah, so that's why he wasn't calming down. Reaching into the backpack closest to me, I rummage around inside until I find a diaper. Thank god Liam and I had thought to stash some in every pack instead of just making one of the packs a designated baby junk holder like Erik had suggested.

As quickly as I can, I change Matty's diaper, tying up the dirty one in an old plastic bag in order to trap the smell. The baby seems somewhat happy after that but doesn't truly let his cries die out until he is laying on my chest, staring contently out the window.

"You're always so good with him." Looking up from where my hands are brushing through Matty's dark brown hair, I am met with the sight of Liam, looking at me with sad eyes. "You have so much patience with him. I feel like the entire time I am holding him, all he does is cry until I give in and nurse him. Then he will be happy for a few minutes and then just starts crying all over again."

"Liam," I say, my voice soft. "You're an amazing father. Babies are always frustrating if you are with them all the time, you know that." I flick my eyes in the direction of his little sisters sleeping in the backseat. "Once we get to your old pack lands, you will have some more room and more people to help you out, just like at the old house."

The sad look on his face is replaced with the frustrated one he had been wearing earlier. It's weird to see Liam so upset by something. Usually, he is the one making sure that everyone else is in good spirits.

"What is it?" I question, my brows scrunching together in confusion. Matty must feel me tense up because he lets out a small cry of disdain. I rub his back, shushing him until he is comfortable again. I look back over at Liam. "What has you so upset?"

"That would be my fault," Alexis says. Her eyes meet mine briefly in the rearview mirror but then return to the road. She doesn't talk again until we are parked along the side of the road, car engine turned off. "I managed to get us lost in the middle of fucking nowhere."

"La Grande," Liam says as a way of explanation. So, truly the opposite of where we want to be. Liam's hometown in the southwest of Oregon and Alexis had managed to get us to the northeast of the state.

"Okay, let's not spend all of our time getting even more pissed off at each other. Let's just fill up the tank, reroute ourselves on the map, and be on our way."

Liam gives me a shaky smile and nods his head, relaxing into the passenger seat. We get all of about three seconds until all of the tension comes flooding back into the car. Alexis attempts to turn the engine of the car over, but it doesn't start. Instead, it stutters before letting out a loud groan and dying out completely.

"Please tell me that didn't really happen," Liam says, his eyes closed as he rubs a frustrated hand over his face and through his hair.

"Uh, well..." Alexis tries to turn the key again, and this time, the car doesn't even attempt to start. "Looks like we are not going to be going any further in this car."

"Of course we manage to get stuck on the complete opposite side of the state than we need to be. Just our luck," Liam says, letting out a frustrated groan before letting his hands drop away completely from his face.

"What are we supposed to do now?" A voice says from the backseat. All of us are taken by surprise if the way we jump in our seats and whip our heads around says anything.

Micah is looking between us, his blue eyes half mast as if he is still half asleep. Elliot has himself draped across Micah's lap, while Olive is snuggled up to Avery and Grace is lying in between the two omegas. Meeka is laying on the floor between the two pilot seats, just as asleep as the others.

"Jesus, Micah, give us all a heart attack, why don't you," Liam says, his hand pressing over where his heart is probably trying to make its way out of his chest.

Micah cracks a smile. "You guys were too focused on your conversation. I've been awake ever since Matty started crying."

Matty lets out a small cry at the sound of his name as if trying to say it isn't his fault he had to cry. I pat his back, but he doesn't seem to want to be soothed because his cries only become louder.

Liam lets out an exhausted sigh, holding his hands out for Matty. I give the crying baby one last kiss on his downy hair before handing him over to his father. The baby rubs his face on Liam's chest, seeming to get more upset the longer he goes without what he is so desperately looking for.

Matty's cries continue to grow louder as Liam pulls the lever to lower the seat, making it so that the baby can lay on his chest without sliding off. As soon as they are in position, the omega lifts his shirt, helping Matty to latch onto his nipple. The baby's cries cut off instantly, replaced by long swallows as he eats his fill. His hands are laying flat on Liam's chest as he looks up at his father, blue eyes filled with contentment.

"You don't have to worry about him not loving you, Liam," I whisper next to his ear so that no one else can hear my words. Liam gives me a wary smile before looking back down at Matty.

I sit back in my seat, feeling weird without holding a child in my arms. I let out a long sigh as I scramble to come up with a plan in my head. "Okay, here's the plan." Everyone looks over at me, waiting for me to continue. "As soon as Matty is done eating, we are going to wake up the others and be on our way. In the mean time, we are going to look at the map and find the quickest route to Medford from here."

Alexis nods her head, pulling the map out from the side compartment on her door. While she is looking at that, Micah and I start packing up all of the things that had managed to be pulled out of the backpacks, not wanting to forget anything important. Matty finishes eating about ten minutes later, and Liam gets him secured against his chest with the wrap he had been using before.

A little over five minutes later, we are all out of the car, Avery and the little ones still half asleep. With one last look through the van, I make sure that we aren't forgetting anything. I spot Elliot's stuffed bear, Blue, and quickly grab it. I would never be forgiven if I had managed to forget the little boy's favorite toy. Elliot lets out a cry of glee when I hand it to him, making it give Meeka a kiss on the top of her head before snuggling it to his chest.

"It shouldn't take us too long to get there," Micah says from where he is walking with Meeka beside him. "We'll be there before we know it."

*****

We were so fucking wrong.

We have been walking for weeks. My whole body is aching from all the walking and fighting we have been doing. While we all thought we could make it down to Medford in a little over a week, we are just now walking into the town three weeks later. We ran out of food a couple days ago, and my stomach has been cramping hard since yesterday morning.

Rubbing my hand over the slight swell of my abdomen, I try to soothe the hard clench of my muscles. All I want to do is give up. To curl up under the shade of one of the few trees we see along the road and lay there forever. But Liam would never allow me to do that. Whenever he sees me slipping into that state, he will strap Matty onto me, knowing how much just holding the baby can cheer me up. It is getting a little uncomfortable for Matty though since my stomach has grown slightly. Just enough of one so that my pants are becoming too tight and starting to dig into my skin.

Now, we have finally made our way to where we are supposed to be, on the last stretch of the journey. Liam had said only an hour ago that we are on the last bit of road leading out to his old pack lands. The thought that I will get to see Tate soon calms the cramps in my stomach slightly, and a flutter comes from inside me. I know it is too soon to feel the baby kick but sometimes it sure does feel like it. My hands gravitate towards the bump, rubbing over the fabric of my shirt as it pulls tight across my skin.

The setting sun casts a pretty orange flow through the multicolor leaves of the trees lining the road. Summer is coming to an end and fall is in full bloom. Soon, the days and nights will become cold again, even though it feels like summer started just the other day.

A groan from the distance snaps me out of my musing. Turning, I try to find the source of the noise but am unable to see anything through the thick tree laden forest.

"Did anyone else hear that, or am I just going crazy from lack of food?" I question, eyes scanning the forest around us.

Someone grabs onto my arm, startling me a little bit, but when I turn around, I see that it is just Liam. His brows are scrunched together in worry as his eyes flicker across my face as if trying to figure out if I am alright. "I didn't hear anything. What did it sound like?"

Another moan rings out, this time a little louder than before. Liam's face turns in the direction of the sound, and I follow his gaze. There coming towards us- quicker than I like- are about twenty or so infected, stumbling through the trees with too much ease.

"Oh god," Micah says from behind us.

Avery's eyes are wide as he flicks his gaze down the road we are walking on. "How much further until we reach your pack lands, Liam?"

Liam looks around, up and down the path. He seems to be calculating in his head. "About a half a mile away. We can make it if we run."

"Yeah, let's do that," Micah says, not wasting another second before bending down to pick up Olive and starting down the road in a steady jog, Meeka keeping step with him.

"Now he's got the right idea." Avery scoops Grace up in his arms and runs after Micah.

Liam looks over at me as I haul a confused Elliot up into my arms. "Come on, we're almost there."

Nodding my head, I finally turn my gaze away from the approaching infected so that I am not running backward. Elliot is holding onto my neck tightly, and my arms wrap around his back, keeping him just above my bump as I run after Liam. Matty is crying loudly, despite the fact that Liam is trying to soothe him. That is a hard task to do, though, when one is running away from danger.

It feels like we are running for hours when really it is only a matter of minutes before a fence comes into view. The moans of the infected are a little farther away but are quickly approaching again once we stop outside the entrance of the gate.

"Open it up!" Liam yells out to Micah, who seems to be struggling as he is hanging halfway over the gate, Olive holding onto Avery's pant legs as she watches us approach.

"I'm trying!" Micah yells back, his tone laced with anger and frustration. "It's locked, and I can't get it to budge.

"What the hell?" Liam says. "I don't even have time to question how this fence is even here right now, but the fact that it is locked is making even less sense."

"We don't have time to dwell on the right now," I say from best Liam. The infected are in view again and are closing the distance between us quicker than I have ever seen them do before. It is almost like they are excited to see us: fresh meat for them to attack and eat. "Let's just go over."

"Yeah," Avery says. Micah looks back over at us, nodding his head before swinging himself over to the other side of the fence. He must be standing on something, because he is able to hold his hand out over the fence, despite it being taller than all of us.

"Hand me the little ones," he says, fingers wiggling. Avery quickly hands over Grace, who is still in his arms. Micah takes her from him, disappearing from view for a second as he sets her down on the ground.

"Move faster, move faster," I say, voice loud with fear as the infected become only twenty feet away.

Liam and I quickly move over to the fence, and Avery helps Liam climb over with Matty still strapped to his chest once both Olive and Grace are on the other side. I lift Elliot over, eyes not wavering from the infected that are now only ten feet away, only letting go of the child once I feel hands slip under mine.

"Come on, Taylor," Liam's voice calls over the fence.

"Help me with the dog," Avery says, looking up at me from where he already has a hold on Meeka. Without wasting another second, I help him lift Meeka over the fence. She jumps from our arms as soon as she is over, leaving me with scratches along the length of my arm.

The infected are only an arm's length away by the time Avery and I are pulling ourselves over the wooden fence. Liam wraps his arms around me to help me over, but something grabs onto my leg.

Liam holds onto me tighter than before. "Come on, Taylor, you can make it."

Gritting my teeth, I kick my leg out, trying to dislodge the decaying hand attached to it. A ripping sound is the last thing I hear before I go tumbling onto the right side of the fence, barely missing Liam as he tries to stabilize me. Through all of my flailing, I manage to land on my side instead of my stomach, which is a blessing in disguise. My breath is knocked out of me, though, and I have to fight to get air in my lungs.

"Oh my god, Taylor." A voice says, but I can't focus on it. It sounds as if it is floating over me, or as if I am underwater.

Something hits my chest and all of the air comes flooding back into my lungs. Gasping in a breath, I open my eyes to see Liam kneeling next to me, while the others stand in a protective circle. The worry on my best friend's face is soon replaced with a look of relief.

He reaches out a hand, giving my arm a hard pinch. "Don't scare me like that. I thought you died."

I roll over onto my back, pulling in another lungful of air before lifting myself up onto my elbows. Looking down at my legs, I see that one of the legs of my pants is ripped. "Well, I almost did."

Liam holds out a hand, helping me to clamber to my feet. "Come on, we're almost there."

Together, we walk down the gravel driveway, barely noticing when the rock transitions into dirt. A large house comes into view, then, and the front door swings open. Out steps Ethan, three people I have never seen before, and then Tate.

A disbelieving smile spreads across my face at the sight of my boyfriend, and an even wider one spreads across his. He and Ethan both run down the stairs, but while Tate comes over to me, Ethan makes his way over to his own mate.

Tate wraps himself tightly around me, burying his face in my neck. "I thought that when you didn't show up weeks ago that something had happened."

One of my hands finds its way to his dark curls, while the other rubs up and down his back, trying to reassure myself that he really is here. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Tate pulls himself just far enough away so that I can see his amazingly blue eyes. The love shining in them is overwhelming. I can't stop myself from surging forward to capture his lips with mine. It's a desperate and reassuring kiss at the same time, and Tate pulls away with one last nip to my bottom lip.

A deep voice calls out to us from the porch. "All right everyone, let's continue this reunion inside. Don't want to be out here when it's dark."

Tate pulls away from me just for a second, that way he can pull a sobbing Elliot into his arms. The small boy seems overwhelmed by his emotions, his fists clenched tightly in his brother's shirt as he buries his face into Tate's neck. Tate places a kiss on his head before wrapping his free arm around my waist, leading us into the large house.

"I missed you so much," I say into his shoulder, placing a kiss where my lips are rubbing against him.

Tate looks over at me, the love in his eyes stronger than before. "I missed you more, lovely."