Somehow, Henry and I had ended up together at the back off the crowd. It really should not be so surprising, since I dislocated my shoulder while trying to get here, and Henry still feels the need to be as close to me as possible. Even though he still isn't talking to me.

It hurts for me to be this distant from my brothers. Being twins, we have always been close. Henry was the collected one, the one Mom and Dad could count on to always listen, and I was the wild. It worked, though, because we balanced each other out.

This trip has forced us to be as close as we used to be, relying on each other to get out of some sticky situations. We were supposed to be gone for two weeks but only lasted out there for a week before we had to come back.

Running into a wandering pack of shifters being overrun by infected had us jumping into a situation where we barely made it out. In fact, one of Jordan's men did not make it out. He had been bitten by a werewolf infected while saving Grace and her daughter.

One of the werewolf infected had run straight at me, and I hadn't been able to jump out of the way in time. The memories of him hitting my shoulder and the distinctive pop that came with dislocating a bone still makes me cringe.

By the time we make it to mouth of the cave, there seems to be some kind of commotion going on. A ton of people have crowded around, waiting for the newcomers.

But perhaps the most surprising thing is what is going on with Noah and that woman, Ellen, who we had saved. None of us know much about her except that she is quiet. But, she is saying something to Noah that has the omega looking completely confused.

Erik has pulled himself away from where he was talking to Jordan, coming to stand next to the woman. "Ellen?"

The woman gives a small nod of her head, and Noah just gasps. His eyes are wide, and it is clear that some sort of understanding has come over him. Beckett, who had been at the front of the group, rushes over to his mate, who seems on the verge of collapsing.

Erik is quickly ushering Ellen and the mates away, leading them down the worn path. The whole ordeal has me completely confused, and the pain in my shoulder is just adding to my frustration.

Matty startles slightly when I wrap my good arm around his waist. He had been busy watching his best friend stumble after his Papa, brows wrinkled in worry. But, he leans into me once he realizes it is me, tilting his cheek up when I go to kiss him.

His scent is a warm comfort, and it has only grown richer with his pregnancy. Henry doesn't even look at either of us, just walks down the path to his own tent. I have no idea whether or not he realized that Matty is pregnant, but I find myself not caring. My wolf has been calming down around my mates, instead curling in delight whenever I am with Matty. For once, my wolf and I are in total agreement.

"What was that all about?" I ask, hand coming to rest on the gentle curve of Matty's bump. He seems to have gotten bigger, just in the week that I was gone.

"That woman, Ellen, is Noah's birth mom."

Pulling back in surprise, I look down the path before turning back to Matty. "Really?"

He nods. "Yeah. He's been wondering about her, especially lately since he is pregnant himself."

"Damn."

Matty hums, before giving himself a gentle shake and looking back over at his aunts and uncle.

"Come on, Mom will be excited to see you," he says, and they all give exhausted smiles. They have been out in the madness for months, ever since our pack lands got overrun. They had just met up with Ellen's group a week or so before we found them. But they have constantly been on the move, a necessity when it comes to the hordes of humans and infected wandering around out there. Staying in one place for too long can get you killed.

Matty pulls away from me, but takes my hand, leading the others down the path. It is just starting to snow when we make it to Matty's parents' tent. He easily pushes the flap to the side, poking his head in.

"Mom?" he calls out.

A few seconds later, he is pulling himself back out of the tent. "Come on in."

He pulls me through the door, and we step aside while the others climb into the tent. Liam comes walking into the room, drying his hands with a towel.

"Matty, what is-?" his eyes move from his son to his sisters. The towel drops from his trembling hands, and he is immediately running across the room, grabbing his sisters in a tight hug.

They both hold him close, all of them crying. Elliot walks up to them leading them over to the couch that sits in front of the fireplace. The thing is old and worn, but that just makes it even more comfortable. Together, they sink down onto the couch, and Elliot just sits in the closest chair, daughter fast asleep in his arms.

The whole sight is heartwarming, and before long Gwen, Theo, and Darcy wander into the room, probably to see what all the commotion is about. More squeals of delight ring through the room, and eventually the crying dies down.

Olive takes her daughter when she wakes up, the toddler clearly scared from all the noise. She probably associates loud noises with fear, since she had been out in that world too. That was a first for her. It must have been such a shock. Seeing her cry tugs at my heart, especially since she had always been such a happy, giggly baby.

Olive just holds her close, trying to calm her, but Ellis just continues to work herself up. Olive just looks even more exhausted, and she just lifts her shirt, allowing Ellis to comfort nurse. I could have sworn I heard Matty telling me months ago that they were attempting to wean the baby, and were almost there. But, that seems to have been thrown out the window.

Liam voices my exact thoughts, the softness in his tone making the words not nearly as harsh sounding.

Grace just brushes Ellis' hair away from her face, patting her back as she nurses. Olive just lays her head back on the couch, clearly not wanting to have the conversation.

"It was a thing of survival," Elliot says, watching his mates. "There wasn't much food out there. And the infected seemed to find us whenever she cried."

"She was just so scared," Grace says, looking up at her brother with wide eyes. "This was the only way we could comfort her."

Liam just nods his head in understanding. "You know I will stand by you know matter your decision." He smirks then, looking over at Matty. "Hell, Matty nursed until he was three. You won't see or hear any judgment from me."

Matty rolls his eyes, pulling away from me. He walks over to his aunts pulling them each into a tight hug. "Rowan and I are going to head back to my tent for some sleep. We'll see you guys in the morning, when the sun is actually up."

Elliot speaks up from the chair he is sitting in. "Do you want me to fix your shoulder for you?"

I just nod my head, walking over to where he is sitting. I had forgotten that he has been training with Taylor for years now to become a healer. He grabs my arm, carefully pulling it straight out and back, before giving it a rough jerk. The pain flares in my arm, and a few choice words slip from my mouth. The sharp pain disappears though, and is replaced with a dull aching. All in all, it feels much better.

"Thanks," I say, reaching out a hand to shake Elliot's. He just rolls his eyes, pulling me into a side hug before going over to the couch to join his mates.

Matty is waiting for me at the door, grabbing my good hand and pulling me out of the tent. "I feel like I am about to fall asleep standing up." He leads us down the path to the tent, not seeming to be bothered by the falling snow. "Even all this excitement can't keep me awake."

Chuckling, I pull his hand up, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. "Both of my loves need their sleep, nothing wrong with that."

Matty looks exasperated but just smiles anyway. It seems that most of the crowd has started that had gathered around the caves have started to wander back to their dwellings. The path is mostly empty as we walk all the way across the village to get to our tent.

It is pretty cold inside, no fire or anything. Matty shivers as he makes his way to the bed. Letting go of his hand, I move over to the woodstove. It doesn't take too long to get a small fire going, the crackling of the fire a comfort in the quiet air. The tent will still be pretty cold, but by the time morning rolls around, it will be much warmer.

Matty is stripped down to his briefs when I finally get the fire built up. His eyes are half-lidded as he watches me strip, shivering when I lift the covers to climb in after him.

"You're cold," he mumbles when I pull him close to me, but he doesn't move away.

"Sorry."

He just hums, head tucked against my chest. It feels wonderful to have him in my arms again. Having to go a week without him had been hard, knowing that I couldn't be there to protect him if he needed me.

Matty smiles against me, pulling my hand from his waist over to his stomach. "She's moving."

My breath hitches, and I wait anxiously to feel my daughter's movements, but nothing happens. Matty frowns then, hand coming up to cover mine. "I-I forgot that you probably won't be able to feel her yet." His fingers brush against my skin, feather soft. "But it sort of feels like she is tickling me, like little flutters."

"At least I know she is safe inside you. I'll try to wait patiently until I can feel her, but no promises."

Matty just laughs softly, fingers still brushing against my hand. The warmth of the blankets compares nothing to the warmth inside my heart, my two loves here in my arms.