Walking outside with only a pair of somewhat small swim trunks feels amazing in this summer heat. Without a calendar to reference, it is impossible to know what month it is, but summer feels like it has come out of nowhere. One week it was still pouring down rain and cool outside, and the next it is bright sunshine and warm breezes.

I'm not complaining, though.

It feels great to be outside again, especially since I was starting to feel claustrophobic from being stuck indoors. The warmth of the sun helps to wash away some of the stress that has been building up in my body. My muscles actually start to relax for once. With every step I take, the tension in my body melts away.

With only a towel in one hand and a water bottle in my other, I walk over to the creek that runs on the property. I know Taylor likes to go there when he is feeling overwhelmed, so I decided that it would be a good spot to spend my day.

Away from all of my pack mates.

Especially Taylor and Jesse. Taylor, the over caring person that he is, has been hovering over me for the last week, ever since I told him about my pregnancy. It is as if he fears that I am just going to break any minute, and he is determined to try and catch all of me once I fall apart.

Now Jesse, he is just making me more frustrated with every passing day. He is becoming even more squeamish, his eyes widening slightly as if in fear when I try to get close enough to talk to him. Whether he is afraid of me or something else, I have no idea.

Shaking my head, I try to clear those thoughts away. Today is one of the nicest days we have had so far this year, and I am determined to enjoy it.

It takes me about ten minutes to make it to the stream and looking around, I can definitely see why Taylor likes to visit this spot in particular. Everything about it is relaxing, from the slow trickling of the water over the rocks to the way the birds are chirping in the trees.

There is even one of those wooden reclining chairs, worn cushions that look like they may have been dark red in their prime but are now a muted pink. Tate must have brought it out here after finding his boyfriend laying on the ground for the third time, seeing as he is always worrying about Taylor and his well being. Thank god for that or else I would have had to lay on the pebbled ground.

Not wasting another minute, I make my way over to the chair, wiping off the few leaves and twigs that had fallen onto it before laying my towel over the back.

The bubbling water of the creek is calling my name. I set my water bottle down next to my kicked off shoes before making my way down to the water.

The first touch of the water against my toes causes a shiver to run through my body. It isn't too cold at all, but it definitely contrasts with the warmth of the mid-afternoon sun.

Slowly, I wade into the water, stopping to adjust to the cool temperature once the water reaches my waist. Goosebumps spread across my skin, and I decide to get the rest of this over with. Taking a deep breath, I duck under the water, staying there for a few seconds before letting myself slowly float back to the surface.

The sun heats my skin as I float on my back in the water, my eyes closed to the world around me. Birds chirp in the trees, and the wind rustles the new leaves.

It is comforting to be surrounded by the sounds of nature, and I don't have to worry about some infected stumbling upon me while I am relaxing.

A fluttering in my stomach causes a smile to spread across my face. With one hand, I rub along my barely there bump, while using the other to keep me afloat.

This has been happening every once in a while for the past few days. The first time it happened, I thought something was wrong and almost had a meltdown while trying to find Taylor. He had looked at me worriedly at first, but once I told him what was going on, he just chuckled. It took him a couple minutes to calm down and actually tell me what was happening.

Apparently, that feeling of butterflies in my stomach is the baby moving around. Taylor had said that it is still too small to truly kick, but as the weeks go by, the movements will become stronger.

Now, whenever the fluttering occurs, I can't stop a jolt of happiness from running through me, and my hand always finds its way to my bump, rubbing it in an attempted form of comfort. To both me and the baby.

My smile falters slightly, though, when I think about the fact that Jesse should be here for these types of moments. Just thinking about him brings an ache to my chest. He should be here because he is this baby's father. Even if he doesn't want to be with me, he deserves a chance at being with his own child.

A heaviness settles in my stomach when I think about telling him about the pregnancy. But it isn't just about me anymore. There is someone growing inside me who deserves both of their parents, especially when they still have them. So many people now, including me and most of my pack mates, don't have their parents.

I won't be selfish and deprive my baby of something they deserve, something that they have a chance of having in a world that likes to strip all happiness away from a person.

With a long-winded sigh, I let myself relax back into the water. No use wasting my relaxation time worrying about something that is inevitable.

By the time I am snapped out of the meditated state I had been in while floating in the creek, I find that the water isn't even cold anymore.

Blinking open my eyes, I look around me, trying to find the source of what broke the peaceful drifting I had been doing.

My brows crinkle in confusion when I don't immediately recognize where I am. Looking over at the shore, I don't see the lounge chair, and now that I take in the rest of my surroundings, I see that I have drifted farther than I had originally planned.

The fence that surrounds the pack lands is in view, a few meters away from where I am now standing in the creek. My heartbeat picks up at the sight of the wooden barrier, the only thing that is separating me from potential dangers. The last time I had come this close to the fence, the claiste version of Zalo and Bethany had tried to attack me.

Something thumps on the ground, snapping my gaze over to the very right of the fence. Trees line the other side, making me think that maybe a branch had fallen and hit the ground. That hopeful guess is thrown out the window though, when the hushed sounds of people talking carry in the wind, making it easy for me to hear them.

"Are you sure this was the right way?" a high pitched voice says. It sounds like it belongs to a teenager, probably a girl.

"Yeah, the mutt followed the scent out here just last night. It couldn't have gotten too far." This time, the person speaking sounds like an older female, her voice raspy, as if she has smoked too many cigarettes in her life.

"Maybe we should just turn back, we have been out here for hours and haven't found anything."

The voices are becoming louder as the two people walk closer to the fence. Taking a subtle sniff of the air, I try to catch their scent, wanting to know what they are. Every muscle in my body freezes when I don't immediately catch the distinct smell that distinguishes a werewolf among our three categories: alpha, beta, and omega.

There is only one reason for this. They must be human.

My heart speeds up even more, feeling as if it is about to gallop out of my chest at any moment. Despite the warm sun shining down on me, a chill runs through my body.

Humans are never good. The fact that every single one that my pack mates or I have come across has been crazy makes me want to shrink into a tiny ball. I don't allow myself to move, though, too afraid they may hear me.

"We can't let one of those beasts go, you know that, Megan. They are too dangerous for us to allow them to run free."

My eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. Despite the fear running through me, I am still curious as to what the humans could be talking about.

Infected, both human and werewolf, are something that is better left unbothered, especially if you can get by them without them seeing you. Claistes are more dangerous than the infected but going in search of one seems like a stupid idea.

Tate and Ethan did it just last year, and they had both been gravely injured by the feat.

Perhaps the humans know something about the claistes that we don't and are able to take them on. That is the only thing that allows their words to make sense, seeing as there are no other creatures out there.

"But there are plenty more on the compound, and besides," the high-pitched voice pauses a bit, dropping in volume significantly and making it hard for me to catch the rest of her words. "It is inhumane to keep them chained up like the generals do. Maybe it isn't so bad that this one got away."

The sound of flesh meeting flesh rings throughout the forest, silencing the chirping birds for a few seconds before the normal sounds of the forest resume.

"Those beasts don't deserve kindness. How can you say that, Megan, after what they did to your parents?" The gruff voiced female says, her voice becoming louder with every word.

"Those ones were infected, they weren't-"

Another slap cuts off the younger girl's words.

"If you say anything about those creatures again, I'll make it so you can't walk for the next week before delivering you to the generals."

The younger girl doesn't say anything else, smartly listening to the other woman and her threats.

"Now come on," the older woman barks out, her words harsh. "We need to get back to the compound before the sun sets. We'll come back tomorrow morning."

Looking up at the sky, I see that the older female is right about the sun setting. The sky is a mixture of reds and oranges as the sun sinks lower in the sky. I had been out here longer than I intended, and I should get back before someone starts to worry.

Turning my attention back towards the fence, I listen as the two humans turn around, heading back in the direction they had come. Their footsteps become quieter as they move away from the fence until they disappear entirely.

My shoulders slump as soon as they are out of earshot, and I allow myself only a few minutes of reprieve before carefully walking through the creek. It takes a little while, around a good thirty minutes before I make it back to the lounge chair and my towel.

The sun is much lower now, the sky changing from red to purple as the night takes over. Quickly, I grab my towel, wrapping it around my shoulders to fight off some of the evening chill. Without the sun, the temperature is dropping, now much cooler than it was just an hour ago.

After slipping on my shoes and taking a quick look around, I start back in the direction of the house. Luckily, there is still enough light for me to see where I am going, so I am not tripping over any above ground roots or some randomly placed rocks.

By the time that I make it back to the house, the sun is almost completely set.

Stepping into the warm house staves off the goose bumps that were spreading across my skin, and a soft sigh slips from between my lips.

"Looks like you finally made it back," a voice that is solely Taylor says from in front of me. "I was getting worried, thought I might have to go out and find you myself."

The smile slips away from Taylor's face when he gets a closer look at me. In only a second, he is by my side, his face scrunched in worry as his eyes scan over my face.

"Are you alright, Micah? You look like you've seen a ghost?" When I don't say anything in response to his question, he puts a gentle hand on the bottom of my back, leading me towards the living room. Once there, he guides me to one of the couches, covering me with one of the blankets draped over the back. Luckily, my swimsuit dried out on the walk back here.

"Micah?" Taylor says, his voice soft as if I am a wild animal that he is afraid of spooking. "What's wrong? What has you so freaked out?"

Pursing my lips, I try to figure out what to tell him. Should I tell him about the two humans that I had heard, or would that be causing him to worry over nothing? It isn't as if they had seen me or talked to me at all. In fact, the main topic of discussion was never clarified. All they had said was that they were looking for some kind of beast but never distinguished what type of beast.

Looking over at Taylor, I can see the genuine worry in his eyes. He has been through just as much as I have, with the whole messed up past with the Warriors, probably even more. Even if I don't feel like sharing what happened earlier today, Taylor deserves to know of any potential threats. Besides, he may have a better idea of what they were talking about and what we should do about it.

With a heavy sigh, I flop back against the couch, resting my head against the soft cushion. Fixing my eyes on the curtain covering the window by the fireplace, I tell Taylor about the people I had encountered, emphasizing the fact that they were human and searching for something.

Taylor is silent for a few minutes after I stop talking, and when I look over at him, I see that his brows are scrunched together again, and his eyes are fixated on the coffee table. It is obvious that he is deep in thought, so I don't say anything as he ponders over everything I just told him.

"I think we should tell Alpha Seren about what you heard," he finally says, breaking the silence we had been sitting in. "He may know more about the humans and what they may be searching for." He looks up at me then, the confusion clear on his face. "Are you sure they were human? I thought that this disease caused all the humans to go crazy."

Nodding my head, I meet his eyes. "I'm positive. I couldn't smell anything that would distinguish them as werewolves."

"Alright," Taylor says, his voice much quieter than before. "Let's get you some dinner and then you can talk to Alpha Seren."

Taylor stands up from the couch, helping me up as well. My mind wanders as I follow behind him, thinking about how strange those humans had been.

Nothing good seems to come from strange things in our world. These humans popping up out of the blue is the strangest thing we have seen in a while.

With a weary sigh, I smile as Taylor hands me a plate piled high with food, trying to shake off the foreboding feeling creeping up on me.

*****

A/N: The picture at the top is of Micah.