The scent of cooking meet wakes me the next morning. The warmth of the bed and blankets makes me reluctant to shake off the last little bit of sleep, but I force myself to open my eyes once my stomach starts to rumble in protest.

Seeing Rowan sitting in front of the fire, poking at something in a pan has me scrunching my brows in confusion. It takes a few seconds for the memories of last night to come back, bringing a smile to my face.

Rowan looks over at me then, a soft smile on his face. "Oh, you're up." He comes to join me by the bed, running a hand through my hair. "I made us some breakfast."

"I can tell," I murmur, eyes fluttering closed at the soothing motions of his hand in my hair. "Smells good."

"No more sleeping in," he says, bending down to press a kiss on my cheek. "It's time to wake up."

Instead of answering, I turn to capture his lips with mine. His lips are soft, the kisses chaste. But I keep leaning back until he is almost entirely on the bed. It makes it easy for me to draw him on top of me, arms wrapped around his neck.

Just when things are getting heated, Rowan pulls away from me, his blue eyes bright. Before I can protest, he is pulling the warm blanket away from me, making me cry out in shock at the cold. With no clothes on, the brisk air bites at my skin.

"I didn't get to see this last night," he says, voice soft as his hands settle on my stomach. He is laying on his front, face hovering over my barely there bump. "Hello in there," he says, lips brushing against my skin as he speaks. "I hope you haven't been too much of a troublemaker for your mama yet."

"No, she's perfect."

"She?" he says, looking up at me.

Shrugging, I run my fingers through his hair, silently hoping that our child will have his blonde locks. "Mom keeps calling the baby a she. I guess he is rubbing off on me."

He turns back to my stomach. "Well, no matter what you end up being, I love you already."

His words cause a lump to settle I my throat. Swallowing, I pull him up so that we are face to face. "Did you mean what you said last night?" My voice comes out shakier than I intended but I can't help it. "That you're choosing us?"

Rowan nods his head, leaning in to give me a soft kiss while his hand settles on my stomach. "Always. From now on, it's just us. We're a family. I'm not going back to Rosalie and Henry, no matter what anyone says."

A smile is spreading across my face from those simple words, my heart feeling fuller than before. He leans down to give me another kiss, before pulling away.

"Don't want the food to burn," he says, pushing himself up from the mattress.

While he is busy finishing up breakfast, I change into some clothes for the day. I doubt that I will be going anywhere today since it is still raining like crazy outside. But I know how Mom like to drop by unannounced, and I would really rather be dressed for that part of the day.

Rowan brings two plates over to the bed, sitting down beside me before handing me one. My stomach growls again as I take my first bite, the taste making me practically whimper. Having hot food on a cold day is amazing, and it something inside me curls at the fact that it was Rowan who made the food, who provided for me and the baby.

"Are you going to move in?" I ask, once I have finished almost all of my eggs and sausage.

"Do you want me to?" he asks, eyes meeting mine.

"Of course." He looks a little shocked at my words, making my stomach curl. "Don't look so surprised. I want us to be together just like a real couple. If you don't want to move in, I would understand, since we haven't been together for too long, but-"

"Matty," he says, cutting me off. Biting my lip, I look up at him, noticing that his eyes have gone from shocked to soft. "I would love to move in here with you. I was just surprised that you would want me to live with you so soon."

"Last night was the best I have slept in weeks," I tell him, taking one last bite of my food before setting it down. "Whenever I am with you, I- I am able to relax. You make me feel so loved, and it's like every bad thought slips away."

"It's the same for me," he says, putting his own plate down. He puts his arm around my waist, gathering me close to his side. "I would love to move in. I'll pack my stuff up later today and bring it over."

His words have me relaxing into his side, reveling in his warmth. "What do you think the others will say?"

He stays silent for a moment, causing me to look up. His face is tight, clearly not looking forward to what he is going to have to do. "They aren't going to be happy. There will probably be a lot of yelling, Henry telling me that I am being selfish and Rosalie crying. But like you said yesterday, being in that relationship is toxic. I've only been with them the past few weeks because I thought that I had to. But last night, last night I couldn't even bear the thought of spending my rut with the two of them. No matter how much my wolf wanted me to find them, the thought of being with them in such an intimate way made me nauseous. All I want is to be able to have the chance to be happy with you. I'm not going to let anyone stand in the way any longer, including myself."

"I'm happy."

The rest of the morning goes by too quick for my liking. Too soon, Rowan is giving me one last kiss before ducking out of the tent. I am not in the least bit jealous of what he is about to do, having to confront his mates.

I am not alone for too long, though, before Mom is stopping by, Noah not too far behind. This place is still so new to all of us, and while everyone has been pretty welcoming, there is still a lot to get used to. Especially with the danger of the infected and the humans. Most of our pack members have started training with the villagers, integrating our fighting and scouting techniques. It has been interesting, to say the least.

Mom is busy making us some tea when Noah comes in, a freshly baked loaf of bread in his hands. He has been extra smothering, but when he tells me that he is pregnant, it becomes obvious why he has been so overprotective of everyone. Being pregnant seems to send almost all omegas into smothering mode, the need to take care of someone becoming strong.

"Really?" I say when he tells me, taking a sip of the scalding hot tea. "How did Beckett take the news?"

Noah rolls his eyes, finishing his bite of bread. "You know how overbearing he can be when he worries. Well, now he is hovering even more. He insisted on walking me over here, but I put my foot down when he insisted on staying, even though he has training."

The thought of Beckett brooding in a corner while we talk brings a smile to my face. That man has always been the silent type, not talking unless absolutely necessary. The only person he ever seems to be gentle towards is Noah, not letting his guard down around anyone else. But, that's a good thing in our world, not letting anyone get too close.

"That doesn't surprise me at all," Mom says, straightening up the blankets on my bed. "That boy is exactly like his father. Seems tough on the outside, but the biggest softie on the inside. It always made me and Taylor..." he stills for a moment, before giving a firm shake of his head, "We always would laugh whenever Micah decided he wanted another baby, because Jesse could never say no."

"Yep, sounds like Dad," Noah says, refilling his cup with fresh tea. "And Beckett has nothing to worry about. There is no way I am having more than two babies."

Mom just chuckles. "We'll see."

Having the two of them here to visit is nice. Even though I see the two of them every day anyway, it is so easy to get isolate din this place, to feel lonely. My tent is farther away from my parents, which feels weird. Never in my life have I lived so far away from them. Thank god Noah and Beckett live right next to me. It makes it easy for me to go over there and for Noah to come over here.

Eventually, the two of them have to leave. Mom leaves after only an hour, a new record for him. Usually, he stays until he absolutely has to head back to his own tent. Noah sticks around for a while longer, and we chat about the new babies that will be coming soon. Noah has to be a week farther along than I am, his stomach just slightly more rounded than mine.

Beckett stops by to pick up Noah, which makes my best friend roll his eyes. Their tent is less than ten feet away from mine, so I can see why he is exasperated. But, he allows his mate to whisk him away anyway, pulling me into a tight hug before he leaves and making me promise to come over for breakfast tomorrow.

The silence in the tent has me uncomfortable, especially with the uncertainty of Rowan. I know that I am being overly anxious, but I can't seem to ignore that annoying voice in the back of my mind whispering that he is going to decide to stay with his mates. That the reason he is taking so long is because Rosalie and Henry were able to convince him to stay.

Forcing myself up from the chair, I wander over to the single table in here. There are a few books stacked up there, ones that I was able to borrow from the tiny library they have here. It was completely surprising when I found the place. This place seems s old-fashioned, but I seem to forget that most of the people living here are my parent's age. It makes sense that they would want to collect and share books, just like I was told they used to in our history lessons.

The book manages to keep me occupied for a solid hour, some type of romance that seems completely ridiculous, but it is entertaining anyway.

But it is the sound of Rowan coming back into my tent that has me setting the book to the side. He looks tense, a pack over his shoulder. He doesn't even pause, just dropping his bag, shedding his clothes, and joining me under the blankets.

"How was it," I whisper, running my fingers through his hair.

He sighs, burying his face in my neck. "Just as horrible as I predicted. But they were both crying, which is somehow worse than anger."

"It tears at your heart more, because you can't get defensive."

He nods, placing a soft kiss on my neck. "No matter how horrible and guilty that made me feel, I'm happy I did it. No more expectations from them to be the perfect mate. Now I can just be with the two of you," his hand settles on my stomach, "where I belong."

Smiling, I press a kiss to his hair, reveling in my happiness. No longer do I have to dread him leaving, something that I never thought possible. Pulling him closer, I close my eyes, breathing in the comforting scent of my love.