Slowly unzipping my sleeping bag, I look around the small tree house with tired eyes. The sun is just now rising, making it possible for me to take in my surroundings. Erik and Ethan are in their own sleeping bags on either side of me, while I share my large one with Olive and Grace.

It has been getting a little tight in the sleeping bag lately, with my belly and the girls growing, but I have been holding off moving them to their own, seeing as they still wake up throughout the night and need cuddles to go back to sleep.

Taylor is sleeping along the opposite wall, with Tatum and Elliot sleeping soundly to his right. Through the passing weeks, Tatum and Taylor have been growing closer, always seeming to gravitate towards each other during the day and while sleeping. Elliot has finally started to play with Olive and Grace, breaking out of his shy bubble. He has also taken to clinging onto Taylor, probably sensing the Omega in him.

By now, I am used to waking up when the sun first rises. The baby always seems to wake up at the crack of dawn and presses on my bladder until I wake up. Sighing, I carefully climb out of the sleeping bag, not wanting to wake up Olive or Grace. With a little bit of maneuvering, I am able to make my way over to the hatch door.

"Liam?" someone whispers, a sleepy rasp in their voice. Looking to my right, I see Taylor sitting up, his sleeping bag still zipped up around his legs. He blinks his tired eyes at me and runs his fingers through his bed head hair, causing me to quietly laugh at his morning appearance. "Where are you going?"

"I just have to use the bathroom, like every morning. Baby refuses to let me sleep in," I whisper, giving my belly a fond rub before swinging open the door and lowering the ladder.

"Do you want me to go with you?" he questions, already stepping out of his sleeping bag and stretching his back. These hard wooden floors are not too comfortable to sleep on. We had found some foam pads a couple of weeks ago, but they only help so much.

"You don't have to. I've been doing in on my own for weeks now."

I start climbing down the ladder, careful not to miss a rung. It is getting harder and harder to climb up and down this ladder with every passing day. My almost seven-month belly is making it harder for me to do everyday tasks, but I have somehow managed. We would have to move soon though, seeing as we will not be able to fit in this tree house for much longer. It is already crowded, there is no way we can fit all of the baby stuff in there.

"You've been going down here on your own for weeks without anyone noticing?" Taylor asks, following me down the ladder. I do not answer him until I am on solid ground, not confident enough to talk and balance at the same time.

"Well, yeah, it doesn't take me that long, and besides, I don't want people watching me while I pee," I say, raising an eyebrow at him before walking away from the ladder. He follows behind me, branches snapping and leaves crunching with every step we take.

"But, what if something sneaks up on you? You can't exactly run easily," he says, motioning to my round belly.

"Nothing has come after me yet," I say finally finding a place to stop. "Now, can I go to the bathroom in peace?" I cross my arms and give him a joking glare. He just laughs before holding his hands up in surrender and turning around, giving me semi privacy.

When I am done, I start pulling my pants back up and look at the tree next to me, noticing something strange. Stepping closer to it, I see something very familiar and terrifying. My hand reaches out on its own accord, tracing the carving in the tree.

"Liam? Are you done yet?" Taylor questions from behind me. I do not say anything, unable to speak as I stare at the image carved into the tree. "Liam?"

Taylor steps up beside me, and I can tell when he sees the carving, his breath hitching as he takes it in. It is the Warrior's carving. If this is here, then they must know where we are. Before I can start panicking, I notice something that makes me breathe a sigh of relief. Taking a closer look, I realize that some lichen has grown in the carving, meaning that it is older than I had originally thought.

"Hold on," I whisper to Taylor, studying the carving. "I don't think this is as fresh as we thought. It looks to be at least six months old, seeing as the lichen and moss are almost completely covering the carving." I rub my fingers over it again, trying to see how thick the moss is.

"We have to move," Taylor says, panic edging into his voice. "What if they come back?"

I turn away from the carving and look at my friend. He is shaking, his shoulders heaving as he fights to take in a full breath. I try to reach out and touch his arm, but he flinches away from my outstretched hand. His breathing is getting worse, and he is stumbling around, unable to stand on his shaky legs.

"Taylor," I say in a soft voice, taking small steps towards him. He has to calm down, or else he will pass out. "Take deep breaths. It's going to be okay."

"No, nothing's okay." His voice cracks at the end, and he trips on a branch, falling onto the ground. "T-They'll find us, and they'll take us away."

Tears have started to fall down his face and his eyes seem unfocused as if he is thinking of something other than what is happening right now. He curls in on himself, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

"No, no," I whisper, kneeling down next to him. "They were here months ago, but we do need to leave, just in case." I try to find a comfortable position, wincing when I kneel on a rock.

"They'll find us," he says, finally meeting my eyes. Tears fall down his face, looking out of place next to his short beard.

"No," I repeat, slowly wrapping my arms around him. He lets me embrace him and rests his head on my shoulder. Rubbing his back, I hope to calm him down. A good ten minutes later, he lifts his head from my shoulder and wipes away any stray tears on his face. He stands up and reaches out a hand, knowing how hard it is for me to get up on my own nowadays.

"We need to leave right away," he says, breaking the silence as we walk back to the tree house. I nod my head in silent agreement, knowing that it is time for us to move. Even though the tree house has been safe for us so far, we could not risk the Warrior pack finding us.

By the time we climb up the ladder, I am ready to go back to sleep. My mind is exhausted from the emotional roller coaster we just went through. Warm arms wrap around me as soon as I clear the hatch door.

"Where were you?" Ethan asks, looking over me as Erik runs his fingers along my body, checking for any possible injuries. "We were just about to go looking for you."

"I'm fine, I just had to use the bathroom," I say, pulling out of their grasp so that I can crawl back into my sleeping bag. They follow behind me and I do not say anything, knowing how protective they can be.

Grace and Olive are still fast asleep, but I do not feel like being kicked every five minutes while I try to catch some sleep of my own. Gently, I lift them up and place them together in one of my mates' empty sleeping bags. This way they are still close to me, but I can stretch out in my spacious sleeping bag.

Finally, I lay down, sighing once my head hits the pillow. Closing my eyes, I try to go back to sleep, but I can still feel eyes on me.

"Stop staring at me," I mumble, too tired to open my heavy eyelids. Hands brush against my side, over the sleeping bag and I just sigh. "Would you like to make sure the baby is okay?"

Cracking open an eyelid, I see both of them nod, giving me sheepish looks. Ever since I told them about their mom and how she had been bitten, they have become even more protective of me, always wanting to make sure that I am safe. That is why I do not complain, just unzip the sleeping bag and shiver at the cold morning air.

Their warm hands find their way to my stomach, and both of them rub soothing circles on it. Small kisses and gentle murmurs are brushed against my bump and I let out a small smile. About five minutes later, they pull their hands away and re-zip my sleeping bag, allowing me to cuddle into the warmth of my sleeping bag.

"Shirts, please?" I whisper, barely opening my heavy eyes again to gaze at my mates. Smiles stretch across their faces, Erik giving me a fond roll of his eyes before pulling off his shirt. Ethan lets out a quiet chuckle, leaning down to give me kiss before pulling off his own top. They hand their scent filled garments to me and I pull them against my nose, relaxing even more once I take in their scent. I pucker my lips and wait for kisses from my mates before closing my eyes again.

I lay on my side breathing in my mates' scents, and listening to the whispered conversation going on between Taylor and my mates. He must have told them about the carving because I soon hear the rustling of things being packed. Knowing this will be my last good sleep for a while, I let myself drift off.

The next few weeks are going to be hard. Even though we made it through the winter, it is still cold. Spring comes with lots of rain and cold winds, but we have managed to escape most of the weather in our tree house. Now, we will have to face the elements again and find a new home. At least we have more wolves now, this way we can better protect ourselves from any possible threats. But if we happen to cross paths with a large group of wolves, humans, or infected, we will not stand much of a chance.

We are about to face the hell we thought we had escaped.