After the battle, it is like a heavy weight is lifted off of all of our shoulders. All of the humans who had attacked us were killed, none were able to slither away in order to regroup and attack us again. With that threat gone, it was decided that we would make the journey back to our own lands.

A few had been opposed, but we knew we couldn't just stay here forever. This place is nice, but it isn't home.

So, we have spent the last week packing up all of our stuff in order to make the journey back home. A few of the guards from this place are going to join us for the journey back. Even a few of the other shifters had decided to come, but most chose to stay.

Suffice to say, it has been stressful. Dad and Papa have been trying to coordinate everything, wanting the journey to go as smoothly as possible. And they have been having Rowan join them as much as possible. They had chosen him as their successor after the fight. Because of it, they have been training him, and mom has taken to training me to take over as Luna.

It's utterly exhausting.

"Here, love," Mom says handing me a cup water and sitting down on the blanket next to me. "How is little Aren doing?"

We both look down at the nursing baby. He is wide awake, little hands laying on my chest as he eats. Even when he isn't eating, I find it hard to put him down. He has already lost one parent. I don't want him to ever fear that he could lose another.

Elias is content to share, at least for now. We'll see how he gets when he is older.

"Pretty good." I murmur, brushing a finger over his dark, wispy hair. "He is still a tad underweight, but he is doing much better than before. Taylor just told me to let him nurse whenever he wants and for however long he wants."

"And Elias? How is he doing with all this."

Shrugging, I look in at where Elias is asleep on the blanket between us. He is curled up on his side, a light blanket over him to stave off the slight breeze. "He's been doing really well. Having Rowan around more is really helpful, too. The only problem we've had is that my milk supply is a little low. It's getting better, and Taylor has been helping me to build it up. But Elias gets cranky when he is trying to sleep and can't get anything from me."

"You should talk to Micah. He went through the same thing with Beckett and Noah. He'll probably be able to give you some advice and support."

Nodding, I look up at him, a small smile on my face. "I'll do that."

We are both silent for a moment, taking in the summer air. Neither of us moves until someone calls our name. Looking behind us, I see that Noah is making his way over to us, Rosalie trailing behind, with Aria in her arms. The little girl is giggling as Rosalie bounces her, bringing a smile to my face. She and Henry have been doing so much better since the mate bond got restored. They're healing.

"Come on, we're about to head out. The alphas are looking for you, Luna."

"I'm still not used to being called that," Mom murmurs, pushing himself up from the blanket. "I better get over there before they manage to derail everything." He leans down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I'll see you in a little bit? Gwen is getting your siblings out there, so don't worry about them."

"Yes, Mom."

He smiles at my exasperated tone before walking away. Noah comes over, transferring a still sleeping Elias into the baby basket and laying the blanket over the top, protecting him from the sun.

Looking down at Aren, I see that he is still wide awake. Knowing that he will protest as soon as he is unlatched, I get the sling all situated before slipping my finger in between his mouth and my nipple, breaking the latch. Just as I predicted, he starts to whine. But I know that he is full, so I just pat his back. He buries his face into my chest, finding comfort in my scent and eventually calming down.

"Here," Rosalie says. Looking up, I see that she is holding out a bowl full of still warm fish, some carrots and potato as well. "Better eat before we head out."

"Thanks." Taking the bowl from her, I quickly eat, finding myself famished. With everything packed up, we walk back to the village. A few people stop us to say goodbye, some giving us little goodies that we eagerly take.

We finally make it to the top of the same hill where the battle had been. All the bodies have been cleared out, and the only evidence that there was ever a fight are the blood stains that haven't been washed away yet.

"Good you made it." Gwen comes over to me. "All the stuff is packed up, just have to load everyone onto the bus and then we're out of here."

"Why aren't you down there getting on the bus, then?"

She just looks at me. "Theo and Darcy are already in the bud. But I wasn't gonna head down there without my big brother."

Smiling, I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into a side hug. She rests her head on my shoulder, and we watch as the others start to walk down the slope. We only move when Dad starts yelling our names from the bottom of the slope.

"Better get down there before he sends Mom to come and get us," Gwen says, and that kicks us both into action. Mom would come all the way up here to get us, and then scold us for worrying him.

We both walk over to the makeshift trail that winds down to the bottom. Since the hill is so steep, the trail winds back and forth, so the incline isn't so bad. Noah is waiting for us at the end of the trail, Elias still fast asleep in the basket.

"Anyone else up there?" he asks, walking with us towards the bus.

"No, I think we were the last ones."

"Good, let's get out of here."

Just as we predicted, everyone else is already on the bus. The two guards that are accompanying us are even sitting in their jeep, waiting for us to get going. Mom has his arms crossed, leaning against the outside of the bus. He has an unimpressed look on his face, not having to say a word to get his displeasure across.

"I know, I know," I say, hurrying to get on. "We took forever, but we're here now."

Mom just hums, taking the seat next to Taylor as we head to the back of the bus. Unlike the one we used to get here, there are only seven rows of seats. The rest of the bus is filled with our supplies.

Rosalie and Henry are sitting together in the seat closest to the back. Noah and Beckett are sitting across from them, Noah's basket in Beckett's lap while Noah nurses Aria. The little girl is practically asleep, which is good for the journey that is about to come. We don't know what obstacles we will face out there, so it is impossible to say how long it will take us to get home.

Dad and Papa clamber back up on the bus, Papa sitting down in the driver's seat. Mom stands up then, s piece of paper in his hands. "Alright. We just want to double check that everyone is here before heading out." He reads down the list a few names standing out. Ellen, Noah's birth mom is coming with us, and so are two of the children that Rowan rescued from the humans.

Taking a peek over at Noah, I see that he doesn't seem surprised by hearing Ellen's name. He must have known about it beforehand.

Once all the names are read, Mom nods at Papa before sitting back down. With everyone here, we can actually leave.

"Hey, love," a familiar voice says. Turning, I see Rowan emerge from behind some of the supplies. "Sorry I didn't meet you earlier. I've been stuck back here strapping everything into place."

"It's fine," I murmur, giving him a soft kiss before pulling him down onto the seat directly in front of Noah and Beckett.

"Here," Beckett says, handing Rowan the basket with our son inside. He doesn't say anything else, too busy taking a now sleeping Aria from a tired-looking Noah.

Rowan doesn't protest, but Elias is woken from the movement. He was able to stay asleep the entire trek here but wakes up from being handed off. That's my son, for sure.

He whines just as the engine of the bus turns over. The roar of the engine has him crying, face scrunched up in terror.

"Oh, little love, it's okay," I murmur.

Rowan is quick to pick him up. Elias cuddles into his chest, resting there as Rowan rubs his back. The sight of the two of them taking comfort in one another brings a smile to my face. The adopting of Aren into our family has brought the previous baby discussion to a halt, and I can't find any disappointment in me. Having a newborn again is a great enough birth control for the two of us.

The bus starts moving and we are off, the village we had lived in growing smaller and smaller as we move away from it. It is still sad to be leaving, but I can't wait to be home again, having a real room with a real bed.

The journey is slow, yet fast at the same time. None of the children like being stuck on the bus, so there is plenty of crying. Elias gets cranky after the first hour, still tired from being woken early from his nap. He cries the entire time I unwrap Aren from the sling, handing him to Rowan. But he calms down as soon as he is snuggled close to me, nursing tiredly with a blanket tucked around us. Rowan wraps his arm around us, and I end up falling asleep against him.

It is only the bus coming to a stop that has me waking. Elias is fast asleep against my chest, Aren in the basket and Rowan holding all of us.

"Why're we stopping?" I mumble, pushing myself up. "Are we here?"

"Mhm." Rowan brushes the hair out of my face, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Some of the others are opening the gate, but we should be there soon. The plan is for all of us to stay in the pack house tonight and then we'll scope out the rest of the property in the morning."

"Sounds good to me.

Jesse and Papa are climbing onto the bus, the headlights the only illumination as we drive through the gate. Jesse hops back off the bus to close the gate and runs back on, before Papa drives us down the familiar path.

It feels like forever that we are driving, but all too soon we are in front of the pack house. "We are going to scope out the place. Everyone else, wait here." Dad, Jesse, Taylor, Tate, and Nik all climb off the bus, while Papa takes guard in front of the door.

"Do you think there's anything in there?" I ask.

Rowan shakes his head. "I have no idea." His fingers run through my hair. "I hope not."

Just when we are all starting to get antsy, Taylor steps out of the front door and waves us inside.

Papa turns to look at all of us. "Let's go." He opens the door then, and we all follow him off the bus.

The house is just as I remember, darker and dustier, but still the same.

"The place is empty, all the locks are still in place. So we are safe in here for the night." Taylor walks in behind us, locking it behind him. "Everyone can do their own thing. We'll have breakfast down here and then start strategizing on how to get everything back to how it was before."

Everyone drifts off then, some going into the living room, while others head upstairs. Rowan grabs one of the lit candles on the dining room table and then takes my hand. Together, we walk up the stairs to one of the empty rooms.

Noah and Beckett are in a room on the fourth floor, so we just take the one next to theirs.

We both move slowly, undressing and then slipping under the covers. Both babies are fast asleep between us, and I can't help but smile.

"We're home," I whisper.

Rowan smiles, twining his fingers with mine before bringing it up to his mouth in order to press a kiss against my skin. "Yeah, love. We're home."

*****

There is only the epilogue left! I can't believe it!

I'll have it up as soon as possible.