"I cold, Tate," Elliot says from behind me. We have been walking for two days, Liam's scent getting stronger and stronger with every mile we cover. The thick underbrush of the old growth forest is making our trek a long and tedious one, but we march on determined to find our mate.

"I know, peanut, I know," Tatum says.

Turning around, I see Tatum take off the scarf he is wearing and wrap it around Elliot's much smaller neck. We managed to find some thick jackets in a thrift shop next to the convenience store where we found Tatum and Elliot. All of us have on black jackets and wool hats, but there had only been one scarf left. Seeing as it was too big for Elliot, we had given it to Tatum, figuring that he would need it more. Elliot does not seem to mind the bulkiness of the scarf, though. Probably because he had tucked the scarf into Elliot's jacket, making him look like a black marshmallow.

"I think we're almost there," Erik says. He is behind all of us, making sure nothing can sneak up and catch us unaware.

The sounds of the infected cut through the air. I turn my head in the direction of their moans. It sounds like a small hoard of maybe five or six, small enough for us to survive if they attacked our group, but big enough to challenge us.

Erik and Tatum hear them too. We start to walk away from their sounds, not wanting to have to fend them off if we do not have to, when the sound of someone struggling can be heard over their moans.

"Get away from me, you freaks," someone says. We take off in the direction of the sounds, all of us silently agreeing to help this person. There, standing with their back against a tree, is a teenager, around the same age as us.

"Stay here," I say to Tatum, not wanting him to have to leave his brother unprotected. Erik and I are each holding a metal bat, and we smash in the rotting heads of the nearest infected.

These infected are slower than the others we have encountered, making them easy to pick off. In a matter of minutes, the corpses of the infected are laying on the ground. Blood paints the ground and the surrounding trees. Luckily, none of it got onto our faces.

Huffing, I turn towards the teenager and catch his scent. He is a wolf, and a rare one at that, considering he is an Omega. But that is not what surprises me the most. Liam's scent coats him as if he has been near him recently. I walk up to him, grabbing his arms and scenting his neck.

"Hey! Get off of me," he says, trying to wiggle out of my grip, but it is no use. My hands tighten once I confirm that it really is Liam's scent that I smell on this other Omega.

"Why do you smell like my mate?" I growl, shaking him a little bit out of anger and frustration. His eyes squint as he takes me in. He seems satisfied by what he sees and smiles at me, and then looks over my shoulder at my brother.

"So you're Liam's mates," he says, a small smile on his face. "We've been waiting for you guys for a while, which is a risky maneuver seeing as we had to leave Liam's scent unmasked."

"You know were he is?" Erik says, coming up to stand behind me. The Omega nods his head and once again tries to wiggle out of my grasp. This time I let him go. Rubbing his arms, he takes the both of us in.

The sound of someone moving through the brush causes Erik and me to pick up our baseball bats, ready to kill anything that is dangerous. The rustling gets louder until Tatum comes into sight, Elliot in his arms. We drop the bats and I motion him over.

"So, which one of you is Erik and which one is Ethan?" The Omega asks, picking up a backpack I had not noticed was leaning against the tree. "And who are they?" He points at Tatum and Elliot once they make their way over to us.

"I'm Erik," my brother says from beside me, "and he is Ethan." He motions his head in my direction.

"And them?" He waves his hand at the beta and his brother. The beta and omega both have odd expressions on their faces, taking each other in. A smile crosses Tatum's face, and the omega is still wearing his own small smile.

"I'm Tatum, and this is my brother, Elliot," Tatum says, brushing the dark curls sticking out of his hat away from his face. His blue eyes are locked onto the omega's brown ones. They are completely focused on each other, not noticing anything else around them.

I clear my throat, breaking their locked gaze. "Okay, now that you know our names, what's yours?"

The omega looks over at us, adjusting the beanie he is wearing before sliding his gloved hands into his coat pockets. "Taylor. Let's start walking back, I don't want to be out here at night time, and it looks like it's going to rain."

I look up at the sky and notice the dark clouds rolling in. We probably have about twenty minutes before the downpour starts. Together, we follow Taylor back to wherever he is staying.

"Have you guys come across any other wolves or humans?" Taylor asks, quickly looking over at us before turning his gaze forward again. The terrain is not too bad in this area, but the fallen trees and underbrush make it hard to navigate the forest.

"We came across a couple of humans but never interacted with them. They never saw us, but we saw them. They're more aggressive than they used to be, but seem to be handling the infected well," Erik says, climbing over a log and reaching back to grab Elliot from Tatum so he could climb over, as well.

"The humans have definitely become more aggressive, but they seem to stay away from the woods and congregate in the cities," Tatum says, taking Elliot back. I readjust my hat, trying to keep my ears covered from the gathering wind.

"Do you have many supplies?" Taylor looks over at us again, taking in our backpacks. "We've been running low. That's why I'm out here."

"We have some food, but not much," I tell him. Finally, the underbrush seems to clear a little bit, making it easier for us to walk. The omega nods his head and stops at a large tree, a soft whistle leaving his lips. A minute later, a ladder drops down, and we all look up. There, hidden in the pine branches, is a tree house. It is hard to make out from the thick branches, making it unnoticeable unless you are looking for it.

"Here we are," Taylor says, climbing onto the first few rungs and pulling himself up.

Erik, Tatum, and I exchange glances, but all shrug. The dark clouds are getting closer, meaning we only have a few minutes before the rain starts.

Tatum climbs up next, Elliot zipped into his jacket so that he can use both hands for climbing. Elliot looks indifferent, his arms wrapped around his brother's neck and watching the forest as they climb higher and higher.

I go next and Erik is not too far behind me. The ladder sways a little bit from the wind, causing my heart to skip a beat. The tree house has to be at least twenty feet off the ground, making the climb a little frightening the higher we go. The hatch swings open and Taylor climbs through.

"Liam, I have a surprise for you," Taylor says as Tatum climbs through the hatch. The ladder is swinging even more, the wind picking up.

"Who are you?" a familiar voice says. Before Tatum can answer, I climb through the hatch and pull myself into the tree house. My eyes meet the startled blue ones of my mate. I hear his breath catch and his eyes look surprisingly wet. I smile at him and let out an 'oof' as he throws his body into mine. I wrap my arms around him as I fall back onto the floor.

"Hi love," I say softly, running my hands through his dark hair as he buries his head into my neck. I can feel wetness, alerting me to his crying. His quiet snuffles make me smile even wider, knowing that he is trying to catch my scent. Erik finally climbs into the treehouse, and Taylor pulls up the rope ladder and closes the hatch.

"I-I m-missed you both so much," Liam mumbles into my neck. Erik pulls me into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around both of us. I can feel the baby bump pressing into my stomach. Running my arms down my mate's side, I stop them on his stomach.

"Your stomach is so much bigger, love," Erik says, staring down at where my hands are resting. By my estimation, Liam is about five and a half months, give or take a week. His bump fits perfectly in my hands.

"I know that, you don't have to tell me," he says, pulling his head from my neck and playfully glaring at Erik. We all start laughing but stop once a loud clap of thunder shakes us to the core.

"Okay, all the windows and curtains are closed, the hatch is closed. I think we're all set to ride out this storm." Taylor pulls out a spray bottle and hands it over to us. "All of you need to mask your scent so that we don't attract any unwanted guest. We already put ourselves at risk so you could find us. Luckily, the storm will wash away any traces of Liam's scent outside."

He sits down on a crate and turns the gas of a camper stove on and lights it with a match. A kettle is placed on top of it to warm up.

Liam pulls off mine and Erik's hats and runs his fingers through our hair before giving both of us a quick kiss on the lips. Little feet run over towards us, and next thing I know, we are being climbed on by Olive and Grace. Erik wraps his arm around them, helping them keep their balance.

"We all missed you," Liam whispers before laying his head on my chest and smiling over at Erik. Olive and Grace start babbling in their own language, giving Erik and me a kiss on the cheek before waddling over to some toys laying on a thick blanket in the corner of the tree house.

"Tea?" Taylor asks, pouring a light brown steaming liquid into some mugs. He does not wait for us to answer, just hands all us our own warm cups. I wrap my cold fingers around it, soaking in the warmth the cup is emanating.

Liam sits up, but does not get off my lap, instead just turning so that his back is pressed up against my chest. He grabs me hand and places it onto his round belly, and not even a second later, something bumps against my hand.

Startled, I look down at where my hand is lying, my eyes widening once I realize what had just happened. The baby had kicked. The tiny baby my mate is pregnant with just kicking my hand.

Liam just lets out a quiet laugh when he sees my expression. "He's been doing that for a while now."

"Is the baby moving?" Erik asks from behind us, a sense of awe in his voice.

"Yeah, love," Liam says before grabbing my brother's hand and it placing it next to where mine is laying. The baby moves again, bumping up against our hands and causing us all to laugh.

"Wow," Erik breathes, his eyes not moving from our mate's stomach.

"He?" I ask, looking into my mate's eyes.

"Definitely a boy," Liam says.

"How do you know that?" My confusion and doubt must be evident on my face because Liam narrows his eyes at me before speaking again.

"I'm carrying him, so I know what gender he is going to be," he tells me, daring me to object. I do not say anything, just playfully roll my eyes before going back to looking at his round belly.

The storm rages outside, the thunder booming. Little whimpers are coming from Elliot. Tatum is doing the best he can to soothe him, but it does not seem to be working.

Olive and Grace do not seem bothered by the thunder but seem to sense Elliot's distress. Together, they walk over to him. Grace holds out a plush brown teddy bear, and Elliot's cries soften. Slowly, his little hand grabs the teddy and pulls it against his chest. His brown eyes follow the girls as they make their way back over to the blanket with their toys, mesmerized by the two girls.

"So, who are you, again?" Liam asks, looking over at Tatum. "I didn't hear you before. The whole seeing my mates thing surprised me." He gives the beta a reassuring smile.

"Um, I'm Tatum, and this is Elliot," he says, gesturing to his brother who seems to be very content with watching the girls from afar. "A-are you pregnant?"

We all stay silent for a few seconds. I guess he would not know about an Omega's ability to have children, seeing as no one really does.

"Yeah," Liam tells him. "Part of being an Omega allows me to bear children. Terrifying but interesting at the same time."

Tatum nods his head before finally breaking his gaze away from Liam's stomach. He clears his throat before settling against the wall behind him.

"Wolves are so freaking weird," he mumbles while resituating his brother so that they are in a more comfortable position.

"Too true," Taylor says from his spot by the girls, a smile on his face. We all mumble our agreement before falling into a comfortable silence.

We sip our tea, listening to the storm outside and watching the girls as they play and talk to each other. Finally, after five weeks, Ethan and I are reunited with our mate, and we have managed to gain some new pack members along the way.

*****

The picture at the top is of Elliot