I pressed my lips into a thin line while I looked at my mom and then at Katie.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I had a small feeling that there was going to be a war between us and them.

Mom sighed and moved a hand across her face, looking exhausted. She knew what I was thinking, and I had a feeling that she was thinking it too and had been thinking it for a while.

"If there was a war, do you know when it will happen?" I asked, and she shrugged and pursed her lips in annoyance.

"I want to say that it might be around the time when she's born." She looked at her belly while she moved a hand across it, and I pressed my lips into a thin line, nervous and worried about her and my unborn sibling.

"Do you think that she will be like us?" Katie asked, her voice barely above a whisper, and Mom nodded in confirmation.

"I have no doubt in my mind," she said with a small sigh and another shake of her head. "I would be surprised if she wasn't."

"And if she isn't?" I asked and raised an eyebrow.

"I will be happy if she isn't," she admitted before she shifted in bed and cleared her throat. "I know that she will be more of a wolf because of her dad, but she won't have to deal with the hunter part of things."

"Couldn't she hold the gene to be a hunter?" Kaitie asked, her voice barely above a whisper, and my mother nodded in confirmation.

"She can," Mom confirmed before she shifted around some more in her bed, trying to get comfortable. "You also have that gene."

Katie pressed her lips into a thin before she nodded and stayed silent.

"And will my kids have it?" I asked, and my mom nodded in confirmation. I bit back a small sigh before I shook my head and moved a hand through my hair. "Damn," I said, and she chuckled and dipped her head.

"I know," she said with a small hum in her voice, "but we'll make sure that everything is settled first before that happens." She smirked and winked, and I couldn't help but blush and look away from her.

"Mom," I complained, and she grinned amused. "Please."

"What?" she asked and cocked her head while she studied me, and her eyes sparkled with amusement. "It is going to happen, Daniel. I hope you know that."

I didn't say a word and shook my head while Mom sighed and grew serious.

"Now, is there anything else that you need to ask me?" she asked while she looked between us, and I pressed my lips into a thin line but stayed silent, not sure what to ask or what I wanted to know.

Mom hummed and slowly nodded. She didn't say a word, and I had a feeling that she knew that I didn't know what to ask.

Katie shifted on her feet, and she cleared her throat while her cheeks grew red. She cleared her throat again and looked between the two of us before she looked at the ground. "Ummm will I have to start training?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," Mom said and nodded, not letting me answer. "You will have to start training and learn how to fight. I will help you train to be the Luna of the pack before my mate and I retire or die, but you are going to have to have someone else train you how to fight and fight well."

I shifted on my feet and pressed my lips into a thin line, not liking the idea of her learning how to fight. I wanted to protect her myself and didn't want someone else to do it for me. "M-"

She raised her hand, and I quickly closed my mouth and pursed my lips in annoyance. "She needs to learn, Daniel, and you know it." She looked at me with hard eyes, waiting for me to confirm what she said.

Finally, I bit back a small sigh before I slowly nodded, knowing full well that she was right. "I don't like it," I admitted while she chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"I know," she said and cleared her throat while she licked her lips. "I don't think your dad likes it that I know how to fight either, but sometimes a Luna has to protect her pack too, no matter what the Alpha or Warriors say."

I pressed my lips into a thin line before I slowly nodded.

"Will you teach me other things?" Katie asked, her voice barely above a whisper, and my mom looked at her with a small smile on her face.

She slowly nodded. "Of course," she said. "I will see what I can do to help you whenever my baby is out of my belly." Pain flashed across her face, and she placed a hand on her stomach. "Ok, Baby," she said, her voice barely above a whisper and filled with pain. "There is no need to kick my bladder. It's not in your way and not full of anything."

"Are you ok?" I asked, and she chuckled and slowly nodded. I furrowed my brows and cocked my head while I studied her. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," she said. "I can't wait for this baby to come out." She chuckled and looked at her belly. "Maybe then I can start getting more energy."

Pain and guilt flashed through her eyes, and I couldn't help but frown, worried.

I didn't like how she felt guilty about something that she couldn't control, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was something different than what we thought, especially since this has been happening for a while even without the baby.

Could her genes be attacking each other and trying to wake up..?

I blinked and blinked again when that thought crossed my mind, and she looked at me and raised an eyebrow as if she knew that I was thinking something important.

"What?" she asked, her voice soft. "What is it?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line before I shook my head and cleared my throat. "What if your genes are attacking each other?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, and she raised her eyebrow higher.

"Explain," she said and dipped her head closer to her chest. "What do you mean?"

I hesitated and cleared my throat while I shifted on my feet. "You have both Hunter and Werewolf genes inside of you, correct?" I asked and raised an eyebrow, and she nodded in confirmation. "They are both inactive, right?"

"From what I can tell, yes," she replied and nodded again. "Why?" She raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me.

I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "What if for some reason they are starting to wake up and attacking each other?" I asked. "What if that is the reason why you are feeling so weak and not just pregnant with my little sister?" I gestured to her belly, and she looked at her belly before she looked at me. "Could that be a possibility?'

I hated sounding so hesitant while I looked at her, silently praying that she would know what I mean and be able to do something about it.

My mother stayed silent before she looked at her belly again. She rubbed her stomach before she cleared her throat and looked at us with a grim smile on her face. "I am going to have to think it over," she said before she cleared her throat again. "I think it might be best if you two get some rest. We can discuss more about this later."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and was about to say something when Katie grabbed my hand and pulled, silencing me. I looked at her, and she looked at me with wide eyes filled with concern and fear.

"I am pretty tired," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her cheeks turned red, and she cleared her throat and looked away before she looked at me again. "Can we go to bed, please? Like she said, we can talk about this later."

My mate bit the inside of her lip and stared at me, expectantly, and I had a feeling that she was praying I would cease my fighting and do what she wanted.

And so, with a soft sigh of annoyance, I slowly nodded. "Ok," I said before I cleared my throat and looked at my mother. "But this isn't over," I warned, and a smile flickered onto her face.

"Of course, Alpha," she said amused before she cleared her throat and grew serious. "Sleep well, the both of you. We'll talk later. I promise." She smiled at my mate and winked, and I pressed my lips into a thin line, annoyed.

"Ok." My mate nodded.

"I love you both," she said and turned her gaze to me, "never forget that."

I bit back a small sigh and slowly nodded. "I know, Mom," I said and walked over to her while I released my mate's hand. I gave her a hug, and she hugged me back, her grip as strong as ever. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said and placed a kiss on the side of my head. "Now, go and let us rest because I have a small feeling that this might be the last day to do so without a care in the world because I have a feeling that the fight will be coming sooner rather than later, and we need to make sure that we are ready for whatever is coming our way."

I pulled away from her and placed a small kiss on her forehead, not saying a word because deep down, I believed her.

This was the calm before the storm, and I couldn't help but pray that no one was going to lose their lives during these dark days that would find us soon.

Goddess, protect my pack, I silently prayed while I walked over to my mate and took her hand in mine again. I pressed a small kiss on it before I led her out of the room, and she followed with her cheeks turning as red as her hair, especially my mate and my mom.

I didn't know what I would do without them...