Today is the first day back at school. It has been a hectic week since the outbreak, and the pack has been in constant defense mode. Our pack is relatively small compared to others, with only twenty-one families. This makes it a little harder for us to defend ourselves, seeing as there are not that many fighters.

There is a total of only fifty-something children who will be attending the pack school. All of us attended the local public schools here in Medford, Alpha James making it a requirement for us to graduate high school and attend the local community college. It is going to be strange being surrounded by all of my pack mates, no humans in sight.

I drop the twins off at the day care that is being held in the basement. It takes a little while for me to wrestle them off of me and sneak out the door, but with the help of one of the betas in charge, I manage to do so. After climbing up the stairs, I make my way up to the second level, where the new classes are being held.

Knowing how some of the others like to pick on me for my Omega status, I try to keep my head down and go unnoticed, but of course that never works.

"Hey Fairy, what are you doing here? I thought you would be taking care of those brats your parents left you with," Jace Browne, one of the pack betas, says. He is an intimidating wolf, towering over six feet and wide shoulders giving him the appearance of a living bulldozer.

It is relatively easy to ignore him and walk into the room that is marked 'High School', noticing how old school desks had been brought in. The room is impressively dark, even though there are some lights on, due to the thick curtains covering the windows. One of the new rules the Alpha put into place is to have all windows in the house covered until the fence is built. Covering the windows prevents anything from seeing into the house, making it safer for us to move around.

Our pack has always used solar panels and windmills to generate our electricity. The Alpha set them up a while ago to cut down on some of our costs. They are coming in handy now, seeing as all of the main power grids have been knocked out. The ability to generate our own electricity has allowed us to live our lives relatively the same as before the Outbreak. Now, we just have to be conscious of our food consumption and making sure our territory is safe.

I make my way to the back of the classroom and sit at a desk located in the far corner. Hopefully, I will go unnoticed. Staying quiet, I try to tune out the rest of my classmates as we wait for the teacher to arrive.

"Okay, everyone, take a seat," someone, I am assuming the new teacher, says. I look up to see Luna standing there, her bright red hair tied into a messy knot on the top of her head. Knowing not to disrespect her, everyone scrambles to their seat as quickly as they can.

"As you can see, we have a very small class, only fourteen students. I will be your new teacher, and it is my job to make sure everyone here is safe. Now, does anyone have a question?"

Nobody says anything, so she continues.

"There will be new rules from now on, and everyone is expected to follow them," she says as she walks to the whiteboard in the front of the classroom. She continues to speak as she is writing. "First rule, nobody in this classroom is allowed to leave pack lands. It is far too dangerous outside our borders. The second rule, everyone will be attending daily training sessions. I know we only had these sessions once a week before, but we need everyone to be prepared in case of an emergency." She pauses for a second and turns to see if we are all listening.

We are.

Satisfied, she continues. "Third rule, everyone here will be participating in the next mating ceremony." Groans can be heard throughout the classroom. "Yes, yes I know, not everybody is excited about this event." She stares pointedly at her sons. "But it is now mandatory."

Luna sets down the marker and turns towards us. "Each of you will be given a schedule that you will have to follow. Some of you will be given jobs setting up the houses, while others will be given fence building duty. Now, please come and collect your new schedules, and you can leave."

I wait until all my classmates have grabbed their schedules and shuffle towards Luna.

"Liam, how are you doing? Are your parents still refusing to take care of the girls?" she asks me with concern. The look she is giving me conveys her sympathy and honest curiosity about my well-being.

I look up into her bright green eyes that match her sons'. "Um... Everything is going okay, I guess. My parents haven't talked to me since we got here."

"Oh sweetie," she says, voice gentle. "If you need anything, anything at all, just ask me, okay?"

I smile at her and nod my head. She returns my smile with one of her own and hands me my schedule.

House Setup, I read as I exit the room. This is going to suck.

*****

"Hey Ethan, are you going to come to my place after school today?" Jenny, one of the many beta girls in the pack, asks.

"I have fence duty right now, but I'll see what Erik and I can do afterward," I respond, giving her my signature half-smile.

She is rubbing all over me and explaining in vivid detail everything she is going to do to me once my twin and I meet up with her. She knows that I am the one who always gives into her flirty ways, all she has to do is rub me the right way or bat her makeup caked lashes at me. Erik is the calmer one, even if he does get angry every once in a while. He is not so open to flirting with everyone but does like to sleep around. I have no problem sleeping with any and all people, and Erik relies on this tidbit in order to get some action.

Just then, I see Liam leaving the classroom and moving towards the stairs. He is looking down and walking as quickly as he can without running, his eyes never straying from the handout my mom had given us.

Oh, this is going to be fun...

"Liam!" I yell, catching everyone's attention as I move towards him. "Where do you think you're going in such a hurry?"

He keeps his head down as I step in front of him. By now, my classmates are whispering and starting to walk towards us.

"Are you going to answer me?" He turns to run for the door, but Jace trips him, causing him to stumble and fall right into his muscled arms. Everyone laughs when Jace picks the omega up and throws him down the stairs. But I find myself unable to watching as he struggles to stand up, my wolf telling me to go help him, but I decide to ignore his whimper and make my way to my room, leaving Jenny behind.

*****

Slowly, I walk down to the main level of the house to get some ice. I know my arm is broken and my face is severely bruised. My body will be fully healed in a week or so, but it would be a very painful healing process. While we may heal faster than humans, we are not able to heal instantly. Rather, it takes us about half the time to fully heal compared to a human.

I keep my head down but my ears open as I listen to the conversation happening in the front of the room. The Alpha is talking to all the scouts, including my parents.

"Everyone, listen up," the Alpha says. "We all know the necessary supplies that have to be found on this trip. Try to stay together and in one piece. Keep out of the way of the infected, we do not want to engage them if we do not have to. Try not to get bitten, that seems to be how this disease is spreading. Move out."

I grab my ice and decide to pick up Olive and Grace before making my way up to my room. It takes me a couple minutes to stumble down the stairs, my ribs twinging in pain with every step I take. My arm is held close to my chest, trying to prevent the throbbing limb from accidentally being bumped against something.

"Li!" my sisters scream as soon as I enter the room. I try to hide my wince when I bend down to give them a one-arm hug, but they always notice when something is wrong with me.

"Li, boo-boo?" Grace asks.

"Just a little boo-boo, sweets."

"Kiss?" Olive asks.

"Sure, Olive. I bet it will make it all better." I smile as they each gave me a kiss on my bruised cheek.

With that, we make our way up to the room.

*****

We are all sitting in the main living room eating dinner when the scouts return. They all look exhausted. I did not notice at first that there are fewer people than who had left this morning. Only when I hear my father yell, do I know something is wrong.

"You piece of shit son!" he yells, barreling towards me.

I have barely looked up before he is grabbing me by my hair and dragging me outside. I try to grab his hand and pry it out of my hair, but with my broken arm, it is difficult. I look around the room and everyone seems to be in shock, so shocked that they are not even moving.

"I can't believe your mother let you stay in our house once we found out you were an omega. You are ungrateful! You are horrible! No one will ever be your mate because they will reject you!" he screams. He is punching me and kicking me with every word he says, his face red from his rage and his blue eyes glaring at me. I try to fight back, but it is no use.

"Stop! Stop! Please, stop!" I mumble. It is hard to talk when I am being punched repeatedly. My mouth is full of blood and dirt, making it hard for me to breathe.

"Your mother is dead because of you! It is all your fault. If she wouldn't have been distracted by finding you something for your birthday, she would still be here!"

By now, I am laying in a heap on the ground, trying not to pass out from the pain. A few seconds later, the kicks and punches are not coming anymore. I look up to see Luna squatting in front of me, blocking me from my father.

"If you touch him again, I will kill you myself," she practically growls. I can tell from her deadly calm voice that she is serious, and not afraid to take on my enraged father.

"You whore, this is my son and my business. Not yours!" he yells at the top of his lungs, spit flying from his mouth in his rage.

"What did you just say to my mate?" the Alpha says in a calm voice. By this time, I am barely conscious and my eye is starting to swell shut, so I do not really see what happens next.

All of a sudden, everyone starts screaming.

"The infected! They got through the borders, somehow!" someone yells.

I feel myself being carefully picked up and pressed against a soft chest. The person carrying me walks quickly before passing me off to someone. Pressing my lips together, I try to hold in my whimper as I am jostled.

"Take him and all of the children down into the basement and guard the door," Luna says to the person holding me.

"Yes, Mom." Oh great, I am with one of the twins. I would not be surprised if he just left me out here to be attacked by the infected, but instead, I feel him moving towards the house.

A couple of minutes later, I feel myself being set onto something soft, probably one of the many couches in the basement, and a blanket being pulled over me.

"My sisters," I murmur, too exhausted to open my swelling eyes.

"They're down here, too, don't worry," a deep voice says.

I crack an eye open to see Erik standing over me, while Ethan is standing behind me holding my sisters. After that, I do not remember anything.

*****

For the last week or so, my wolf spirit has been antsy whenever I am anywhere near Liam. At first, I thought it was because he is an omega and my wolf did not like him, but now I am not so sure.

When I saw him getting beat up by his father, my wolf was going crazy, and I barely restrained myself from running to him. Now, as I look down at him sleeping on the couch, my wolf seems to be angered by his broken body, but also at peace from his near proximity. I have no idea what is going on with him right now, but it is confusing the hell out of me.

"Do you think he will be alright?" I ask Ethan.

"I really don't know. His body looks like it has been beaten to a pulp."

My hand finds its way to his hair, and I start to smooth it out of his face. I cannot seem to stop, as I stare transfixed. I only stop when I notice his sisters trying to climb on top of him. Ethan must have set them down. Carefully, I help them to settle under the blanket and relax into his side. In his sleep, Liam puts an arm around them, and the two little girls fall asleep.

We are down here for maybe an hour before the fighting from outside finally quiets down. I watch as the door knob jiggles, and someone knocks.

"Boys, let me in. It's okay, all the infected are dead," my mom says from the other side of the door.

I look at Ethan and he nods his head. He reaches the door, opening it for our mom. She rushes in and looks around the room, making sure everyone is okay. When her eyes land on Liam, she hurries over to the couch as quickly as she can. It seems almost instinctual the way she crouches down and starts checking over all of his broken body.

"It looks like he has a lot of broken bones and bruises. His arm, collarbone, leg, and a few ribs are all broken. I need to reset them before they heal wrong. You boys hold him down."

I move to his shoulders, and Ethan moves to his feet. We hold him down as our mother moves his sleeping sisters and places them on another couch. She comes back and begins to work right away. First, she starts with his leg and works her way up. Liam had woken up as soon as she touched his broken leg and is now screaming as she moves the bones back into place.

"Stop! Stop! It hurts! Please stop, I'll do anything," he screams. Tears are running down his and my mother's face. I am barely holding back myself back, my wolf spirit stronger than it has ever been before, and I can see that Ethan is having the same problem.

Finally, my mother is done, and Liam lays there whimpering. My mother kisses him lightly on his bruised cheek. She grabs his sleeping sisters and places them around his trembling body. He seems comforted by them and falls into a restless sleep. After a few tense minutes, my mother turns to me.

"He shouldn't be left alone right now. It is going to take at least a week for his body to heal enough for him to walk, and he shouldn't get out of bed until his bones are healed."

"He can stay in our room," Ethan says.

My mom and I look at him with shocked expressions on our faces. He, also, seems to be surprised by what he said, but he does not take it back. Slowly, I nod my head and look at my mom.

"Yeah, he can stay with us. I will go and grab his sisters' cribs and move them into our room."

Mom watches us with assessing eyes for nearly a minute, before finally murmuring a quiet, "Fine."

Ethan walks to the couch and picks up the two little girls while I pick up Liam. We make our way out of the basement and into our room without anyone bothering us. Nobody seems to care about the injured omega. I guess I did not really start to care until about a week ago. Before he had just been a small figure in the background that some of my pack mates liked to torment, now, it feels like he is a part of me.

Luckily, we have a king sized bed since there is a shortage on the number of beds in the house. Originally, we had twins, but our mom had made us switch mattresses once more people started to filter onto pack lands.

Gently, I lay Liam down and watch as Ethan lays his sisters next to him. They seem to squirm until they have as much of their tiny bodies plastered to Liam as they can. I walk out and get the cribs from Liam's room and move them into our room. Ethan has already changed into some sleep shorts and is crawling into the bed by the time I return.

He looks at me and says, "I think we should just let the twins sleep here tonight since they seem to calm him down."

Nodding my head, I change into my own pajamas. I climb into the bed on the other side of Liam and get comfortable. Ethan pulls up the heavy blankets, and it seems like everyone is fast asleep in a matter of minutes.

*****

The picture at the top is of Ethan.