Things have settled down significantly over the years, the infected slowly being killed off so that it was rare to see one so far out in the woods. Humans had been virtually eradicated, packs being stronger and able to survive, and most not accepting humans onto their lands. Pack lands have grown significantly, but still leaving plenty of neutral territory.

But this year is important. It marks a decade since the outbreak, and in celebration, many packs have come together. The four packs located in Northern California and Southern Oregon have come together to kick off the first ever Mating Ceremony since the outbreak.

There are too few of us, though, for the ceremony to be kept within packs. All of our packs had been destroyed by the infection, leaving many straggling werewolves. Most of us have come back together to form stronger packs, and ours is no different.

Members of four different packs will be participating this year, on our pack lands. They started arriving early this morning, and we have been working hard to get them settled. All of the packs had sent every unmated member over the age of eighteen, the required age to participate.

The only members of our pack who are participating are Sarah and Tomas (who were children without parents when they joined us ten years ago), Levi, Megan and Jane (the two wolf hybrids, who I personally can't see finding mates, since the two of them are both ambivalent to everything), and Peter (a single omega with a two-year-old son who only joined us a few months ago).

The rest of us have been busy getting everything prepared. Especially with children running all over the place, attempting to 'help'.

Speaking of children, it seems way too quiet in the house. Walking out of the house, I try to find one of my rambunctious children. My eyes land on Elva, a girl who is way too sarcastic for only being six years old. Jesse says she gets it from me. I can't disagree.

She is busy with attempting to make flower crowns, only sparing me a brief glance before returning to her task. Theodore- Liam's second youngest- and Elijah- Taylor's middle child- are both concentrating on their own crowns, too used to all the adult members of the pack treating them like their own children in order to be nervous.

"Where're your brothers?" I ask her, taking the crown she hands to me. "It's too quiet out here for them to be up to something good."

"Noah was fighting with Gwen, and then he ran away."

My heart sinks at her words, eyes already flicking around to try and find my oldest. Gwen tends to be one who doesn't shy away from speaking her mind, which has resulted in a lot of arguments lately. Alpha Seren says she reminds him of his late wife, who was just as opinionated. She doesn't let her being two years younger than Matty get in the way of her bossing him and everyone else around.

Standing up from my crouched position is a little difficult. Being six-months months pregnant can do that to you. After having Elva only three years after Beckett, Jesse and I had decided to wait a while longer before trying for any more kids. We were still planning on waiting for another year or two, but my heat six months ago had been a bit rougher than usual. Suffice to say, I ended up pregnant again.

It doesn't take me long to find Noah. He hides in the same place every time he gets really upset. That's what concerns me when I find him in the tree house Alpha Seren and Jesse had built a few years ago. Gwen must have said something that really upset him.

Grabbing the string that is tied to the tree, I give it a brief tug, hearing a bell ring from above me. A familiar head peeks out the window, and a few seconds later the ladder rope is dropped down. This has always been my least favorite thing to do, but if my baby is upset, I'll be damned if I let my fear of a swaying ladder keep me from getting to him.

Thank god Jesse is busy helping Erik and Ethan with security. I have a feeling he would not approve of me climbing a swaying ladder while pregnant.

By the time I make it to the trap door, I am feeling nauseous. The door swings open with ease, and it takes a bit of maneuvering, but I manage to climb through.

The sight that greets me breaks my heart. Noah is sitting in the corner, his arms wrapped around his legs as he looks out the window to the right of him. The midday light makes it easy to see the tear tracks on his face and the pink-puffiness of his eyes and cheeks.

He doesn't even move when I walk over to him, staying still as I sit down next to him. "What happened, peanut?"

He sniffles, taking a long time to answer, but I wait patiently beside him. "G-Gwen said that you aren't my mom and- and Dad isn't my Dad." He looks up at me then, his brown eyes shiny with tears. "Is that true?"

"Oh, peanut," I whisper, wrapping him in a tight hug. "We've talked about this."

"B-But she said that you c-can't be my mom because you didn't give birth to me."

My heart stills in my chest, and I wrap my arm around him, pulling him tight against my side. "That isn't true at all. Someone else may have given birth to you, but that doesn't make you any less my son. Your father and I have raised you since you were born and you are our son, no matter what anyone says."

"Really?" he whispers, allowing himself to be cuddled into my side. It has been a while since he has let himself be cuddled, getting into the rebellious stage where he thinks he doesn't need affection.

"Of course. You do not need to give birth to be a parent, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Your mother knew that you were right for us and that we were right for you, so even when she came back, she knew that we were your parents, even though she was the one who was pregnant with you and gave birth. There is nothing that will ever make you not be our son. We love you, peanut."

He sniffles again, laying his head against my shoulder. We sit there together in silence, listening to the birds chirping outside and the voices shouting in the distance. My eyes are just starting to droop as it is about the time that I usually take a nap when the door opens again.

Both of us startle at the smack of the door hitting the floor, an angry Beckett climbing through. He looks so much like Jesse, the only thing he got from me being his dark hair. But the most recognizable thing he got from his father is his quiet persona and overprotective aura.

His dark brows are drawn together, barely sparing a second to close the door before coming over to his brother and pulling Noah into his arms. Beckett has always been so protective when it comes to Noah, not even liking it when the other children spend too much time with his brother.

Noah sniffles again but allows his brother to pull him close, relaxing easily enough into Beckett. Leaning over, I press a kiss against each of their heads, pulling Beckett into a side hug before leaving the two of them alone.

"The feast is in an hour, and I expect to see the two of you there. But until then, you guys are free to hide up here," I say, giving them one last smile as I climb through the hatch.

"Thanks, Mom," Noah whispers, while Beckett just nods his head. The motion has the light catching his hair, making me realize that parts of it are wet. Suspicion is already starting to settle into my mind because if there is one thing Beckett refuses to do, it is letting someone get away with anything.

It is really starting to heat up outside, and the walk back to the house takes a bit longer than usual. By the time I finally break through the tree line and get to the house, I see that the last pack members are arriving. Liam is talking easily enough with them, his youngest fast asleep in his baby carrier as Liam shows the pack members where they will be staying.

"Micah!" he yells, waving at me. "I was just about to come looking for you."

Once he gives the last person their assignment and a key to the house where they will be staying, he makes his way over to me. Darcy doesn't even flinch at the loud outburst of her parent, too used to it to be surprised.

"I was looking for you, too," I say, thinking back on Noah's crying face. "Did you hear about the fight between Gwen and Noah?"

He lets out a long sigh, letting his clipboard fall to his side. "What did she say this time?"

"Something about how Noah isn't mine and Jesse's son since I didn't give birth to him." Crossing my arms, I raise a brow at the other omega, knowing that his daughter had to have heard that bit of information from someone. "Why would she say something like that?"

"Oh, Jesus. I swear that girl is going to get herself into some real trouble some day." He gives a small shake of his head, motioning for me to follow him back to the house. "Earlier today, she got in a spat with one of the pack members that came. It was an unbonded beta with her daughter, and I told Gwen that she should go talk to her, introduce her self so that she felt welcome.

"Well, apparently the other little girl heard Gwen call me mom a few times and didn't understand. They got into an argument about it and when Gwen asked me why she calls me mom, I told her it was because she grew in my tummy and I gave birth to her." He pauses outside the front door of the house, turning to look at me. "I didn't know that she would interpret that as meaning that you can only be someone's mother if you gave birth to them. But knowing her, I am not surprised. I'm sorry, Micah. I'll talk to her."

My anger dissipates and my arms fall to my side. It is easy to see that Liam is genuinely sorry and not just trying to defend his daughter. "Thank you."

"Once I explain everything to Gwen, I'll have her apologize. She shouldn't have said that to Noah."

Nodding my head, I give Liam a gentle hug, making sure not to squish Darcy between us.

Walking into the house is like entering a madhouse. The feast starts soon, meaning that everyone is trying to finish all the last minute things that have been put off until now. Liam immediately enters the fray, going to find Gwen, who is currently playing with Elva and Theodore, directing them to save her from the infected in her imagined game. She looks resistant at first, but he manages to pull her away.

The next hour goes by quickly, almost too quickly if you ask me. Trying to keep a six-year-old from squirming away so you can fix her hair is difficult enough, but add in being pregnant to the mix and it becomes a whole new level of difficulty.

By the time we are walking out of the house and down to the open field where the feast is being held, I am completely exhausted. Elva reluctantly holds my hand, wanting to skip ahead with the other children, but I like having her close.

The scent of roasting pig wafts through the air, greeting us before we even make it to the open field. Some music is playing, a few people from a different pack having brought their instruments just for the occasion.

Walking into the field is like walking into a different time period, a decade ago when we weren't being hunted by the infected. A huge bonfire is roaring, rocks around it to keep it from getting out of hand. The pig is being cooked in a pit with hot coals, having been slowly roasting since last night. The musicians stand to the left of the field, children dancing in front of them.

The sight brings a smile to my face. This is a real celebration, not the quiet ones we have had over the years. But this does come with a cost. Our security is ramped up, several pack members missing as they have to watch the fence line.

But Jesse greets me at the edge of the field. Elva immediately wiggles her hand away from mine, throwing herself into her Daddy's arms. She has always been a daddy's girl, ever since the day she was born.

"Feeling alright?" Jesse asks, winding his arm around my waist and pulling me against his side as he settles Elva on his side.

"Just tired, but everything here looks amazing. You guys did a great job." Leaning up on my tip toes, I press a soft kiss against his lips, smiling when he pulls me into another one, only letting me go when Elva starts to pull on his shirt.

"Daddy, can I dance?" she says, looking up at Jesse with her big blue eyes.

"Sure, love."

She lets out a delighted squeal, bringing a smile to my face.

"Have fun," I say, giving her a kiss on the cheek and pinching Jesse's ass as he walks away.

"Watch it," he growls, trying to look scary.

But I just laugh. "Hey, you can't have an ass that great and expect me not to pinch it."

He just shakes his head, the edge of his lips twitching, as if he is fighting a smile. With my own wide smile, I watch as they walk over to where the other kids are dancing, Elva bouncing with excitement the entire time.

The sight is cut short, though, by a loud shriek coming from my right. My head whips over before I even have a chance to think about what is happening. Did an infected manage to break in? Has someone been badly hurt?

But instead, I see Gwen soaking wet, her bottom lip wobbling as she looks up at the tree she was standing under. "That was mean, Beckett!"

"That's payback for making my brother cry," he says, dropping the bucket he had been holding. "Next time, it won't be water."

Liam beats me over there, wrapping Gwen in a blanket as she cries. "See Gwen, this is why we don't be mean to people. It isn't nice when they are mean to us, right?"

"R-right," she warbles, wrapping her arms around Liam's neck so that he has to pick her up.

He gives me a fond roll of his eyes before turning away to carry her over to Erik, who takes her with ease.

Crossing my arms, I look up into the tree. Beckett has his war face on, not an ounce of shame on his face. Letting out a long sigh, I just shake my head. "Get down from there before you hurt yourself." He hangs from the branches, and I go to grab him around the waist, helping him down. "Now, where's your brother?"

"He's helping Ethan set up the last few games."

"Mm-hm," I say, settling my arm on his shoulder and guiding him back to the rest of the festivities. "And does he know about this little prank you pulled?"

For the first time today, Beckett looks a little chagrined. "No."

"Well, you better go tell him before he hears it from someone else. We don't want another incident like what happened during Christmas." That had been a hell of a day, with Noah refusing to speak to Beckett after he had gotten too overprotective again. That was one of the few times I had seen Beckett want to cry.

His eyes widen slightly, and he gives a quick nod of his head before running off to find his brother. With him gone, my hands fall down to my stomach, rubbing where baby is currently pressing a foot.

Taylor calls my name, waving me over to where he is standing next to the food. It is easy enough to walk over there, taking the offering of roasted pork he hands me and turning back around to watch the festivities. Everyone is smiling, letting go and enjoying the celebration. For the first time in a long time, we are able to let go of what happened long ago, looking forward to the future instead of always looking back at the past.

*****

I know it is a bit confusing with the mention of all the children, so I thought I would mention them here:

Liam/Erik/Ethan:

Matty (10), Gwen (8), Theodore (5), and Darcy (4 months)

Tate/Taylor:

Rosalie (9), Elijah (5), and Sebastion (9 months)

Micah/Jesse:

Noah (9), Beckett (9), Elva (6), and Coralie (in utero)

Avery/Nik:

Rowan (8) and Henry (8)

Darcy is Liam's last baby, and Avery will have no more kids. Taylor will have one more, while Micah has a few more.