| 18   Y E A R S  L A T E R . . .

K A L E B walked through the house with his youngest child Kaiden on his hip. The tiger cub was amusing himself with the toy in his hand while his father looked his mate and two other sons. Kai was only a year old and had come as a complete surprise to both Zev and Kaleb. After they had their daughter Zara they had not planned on having any more, but it seemed the Goddes had other ideas. Eight years later Kaiden made his entrance into the world. 

Kai had been Kaleb's toughest pregnancy so Atalia, who been named the new pack doctor, suggested he undergo a surgery to prevent any more unexpected pregnancies. His appearance may have come as a shock but the little tiger cub had them all wrapped around his tiny fingers in no time. He was a lot smaller than his older brothers had been at his age, especially for a tiger. It was obvious that he was a runt and that just made them all even more protective of the little cherub.

Kai had a head full of shockingly white hair and a pair of warm hazel eyes just like Zev's. They weren't quite sure why his hair was ivory in color that made his already pale skin seem paler but they figured it had something to do with the coloring of his tiger.

Readjusting his son, Kaleb slipped into the living looking around for any signs of the three large males that he was hunting down. He didn't spot their hulking figures but his eyes instead found his little girl Zara laying on the couch drawing in her sketchbook. Her head of brown curls lifted to see her Dad walking into the room. She gave him a beaming smile as her grey eyes twinkled happily. Kaleb smiled back and moved over to her. She looked just like Zev in Kaleb's opinion but his mate disagreed, insisting she took more after the man who birthed her. 

"What are you drawing?" Kaleb asked the nine-year-old. With a proud beaming smile, she held up the sketchbook showing off the doodles she penciled onto the paper. "Very nice, Zara." Kaleb complimented leaning down to peck her forehead.

"Thank you," she said giggling, a pleased blush filling her cheeks. Kaleb brushed his fingers through her riotous curls that she refused to brush. As the only girl in the house, she was a little tomboy who tried her best to keep up with her eighteen-year-old older brothers. At first, he had no clue how to raise a little girl and wished that he had his mother and Luna Eden around to help. Despite his uncertainties, he and Zev were doing a good job and the pack mothers had proved themselves invaluable with all the advice they'd given them. 

"Have you seen your father and brothers?" Kaleb asked to which he received a shake of her head in the negative as an answer. Her curls flopped into her eyes and Kaleb pushed them from her face with a smile. "Want to help me look for them?"

"Are they in trouble again?" she asked as she packed up all her art supplies and set them on the table. Nox and Nolan were notorious for getting themselves in and out of trouble with Nolan being the one who got them into sticky situations and ever level-headed Nox talking them out of whatever mess they'd gotten into. Kaleb couldn't help but laugh at her automatic assumption.

"No, but we're going to be late for Xander's birthday party if we don't leave soon." The little girl's eyes lit up at the mention that they were going to the pack house today. She loved going there which was only natural since she herself was a wolf, of course she would feel right at home amongst others of her kind. A beaming grin spread across her face revealing her two dimples. Kaleb pitied the boys who would be vying for his daughter's attention. One look at her father and older brothers and they would shit themselves. That's if they didn't tear the unfortunate soul apart first. Nox and Nolan got their over protectiveness from their father along with their absurdly large size.

"We're going to see Uncle Josh and Uncle Darren?" she inquired happily. Kaleb nodded, readjusting Kai once again. The little cub had fallen asleep, his head now resting on his Dad's shoulder right next to the mark Zev had placed on him so many years ago. A pleased tingle fluttered through him as he briefly recalled the night Zev had marked him and he marked him in return.  

"And Xander too, but first we have to track down your dad and your brothers." Kaleb reminded her. Zara gave him a determined smile before she scampered off towards the back door.

"I'll find them, Da!" she exclaimed without looking back. Kaleb just shook his head in amusement. After placing Kai in his crib that was in the living room he followed in his daughter's wake. He stepped outside to see Nox leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, Nolan was playing with his sister who had shifted into her light brown wolf, he remained in human form letting her chase him about. Still, he didn't see his mate.

"Nox," Kaleb called and his son's dark grey orbs opened at the sound of his name being called. The large wolf stood and jogged towards his father coming to a stop at the bottom of the steps that led to the rest of the large house.

"Good morning, Da." he greeted in his deep voice. Even on the top step Kaleb just barely stood at eye level with his son. Both Nox and Nolan were as tall and wide as Zev and packed with just as much muscle.  Nox brushed his ebony curls away from his face as the wind blew the strands into his eyes. He wondered exactly what it was that his Dad wanted.

"Morning, my little wolf." Kaleb greeted in return watching in amusement as his son shifted on his feet, his brows drawing together as he looked at his dad unimpressed by the nickname he'd been called since he was young. He wished his dad would let the damn name go already. Kaleb chuckled at Nox's unamused look. "Where is your father?" 

"Patrolling, he should be back soon." Nox answered, crossing his large arms. He looked just like Kaleb with his dark hair and steely grey eyes but he was built just like Zev. 

"You and Nolan didn't go with him today?" Kaleb asked curiously. 

"We did but he sent us back ahead of him," Nolan spoke up as he walked over to the conversing wolves with his sister slung over his shoulder still in her second form. Her tail whipped around as she fought playfully against Nolan's firm hold, smacking him in the face several times. Nox chuckled as Kaleb smiled at his other two children. His heart felt full to capacity and sometimes he wondered how he was able to stand the weight of all the love it held inside.

I found them, Da! Zara exclaimed still wiggling in Nolan's hold. Kaleb laughed as Nolan rolled his eyes. 

"Thank you, Zara." Kaleb chuckled, taking her from her brother. Nolan frowned as he watched his tiny father struggle a little with the weight of his little sister's wolf form, nevertheless he let the man have his way as Kaleb released her into the house instructing her to go find some more clothes to put on for the party. The little she-wolf scampered to away, headed to her room upstairs.

Kaleb turned back to his sons, Nox was leaning against the wooden railing on the steps while Nolan stood with his hands held behind his head waiting for their Dad to say something. The twins both stood at six feet and five inches and were still growing. They looked just alike despite the difference in hair and eye colors. 

"Come on," Kaleb gestured his two sons to come inside, "Go to your rooms and find something to wear for tonight." He said moving out of the way for them to come inside. He may be less than half their size but Nolan and Nox still obeyed and respected him.

"Do we really have to go to some kid's party?" Nolan asked as he passed his Dad. Nox followed behind him with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Nolan would rather stay home than go and be surrounded by a bunch of other shifters. He was a tiger after all and tigers didn't packs or crowds, they preferred solitude over most types of companionship. Being around his immediate family was different.

"Yes." Was Kaleb's curt reply and they knew not to question him further. They were going and that was that. "Besides, I thought you liked Xander, the three of you used to play together all the time." Kaleb voiced as he closed the door behind himself.

"Yeah we did, but I'm not interested in that type of play anymore, Da" Nolan smirked. Nox shook his head with a light chuckle as Kaleb gave his oldest son an unimpressed look. 

"Just go find some clothes and meet me out front in an hour." Kaleb sighed. Nolan laughed, leaning down to kiss his father's cheek quickly before the tiny man could swat him away. Kaleb shook his head, a smile breaking through his schooled features. Nox placed his own kiss on the opposite cheek before going up the steps himself. Kaleb released a sigh after they left. His sons were no longer the little tiger cub and wolf pup he'd given birth to a little over eighteen years ago. Now they were young men and he knew exactly what that meant. He would talk it over with his mate once he returned, he decided.

Kaleb picked up Kai out of his crib/ playpen and made his way to the room he shared with Zev which was on the first floor of the large house. Setting Kai down on the bed far away from the sides, he set about finding clothes to wear for the celebration. After a moment of sifting through his clothes, he felt all too familiar arms wrapping around his small waist and pulling him against a much larger body. His face flushed as he tilted his head back to look up at his mate. Zev smiled leaning down and pecking Kaleb on the lips as best he could in their position.

"Morning, my love." the large tiger greeted. Kaleb looked just as delectable as ever with his cheeks flooded pink as they were. Zev fought back the desire to bend his mate over in their large walk-in closet and take him right then and there. He would never get tired of making love to his little omega. He would even get him pregnant again if he could, he loved the sight of his mate's belly being round and heavy with the child he placed there. Little Kaiden was an unexpected surprise and he also signaled an end to couple's reproducing days as it was made clear that if Kaleb ever did get pregnant again the probability of him or the baby making it during or after birth was slim to none. He placed a kiss on his mate's mark and enjoyed the tremble that rolled through his tiny frame in response.

"Good morning, Zev," Kaleb responded before stepping put of Zev's powerful arms. "How was your run?" he asked as he went back to searching for clothes. 

"Fine. How was your morning?" Zev quipped back, falling into their normal routine of morning questions. 

"It was good, Kai was a little fussy but it was nothing too bad. Zara has been drawing all morning, she's really improving I swear her stick figures are getting more and more life-like every day." Kaleb chuckled and Zev laughed along with him. "I heard you sent the boys back ahead of you, any particular reason why?" Kaleb asked turning to look at his mate once he had found the shirt he'd been looking for. 

Zev leaned back against the nearest wall sighing. "My tiger is getting restless, I sent them back ahead of me so that I wouldn't snap at them for no good reason." He explained, his brow furrowed and lips pulled down at the edges. Kaleb smiled sympathetically. They both knew this day would come although neither of them wanted it to. 

"Our little boys aren't so little any more are they?" Kaleb spoke softly, meeting his mate's gaze head-on. 

"No, and they're not boys anymore either." Zev agreed solemnly. Kaleb grabbed one of his mate's much larger hands and squeezed it lightly.

"We'll discuss it more once we get back from Xander's party okay?" The wolf suggested. "We can talk to them about it too." Zev pulled Kaleb against him and held him by his waist.

"Alright then," he said gruffly. Zev truly didn't want to send his sons away but he knew that he had to. Having two other males around his mate and young cubs was only going to create tension. He only wanted to handle it differently than his father had, rather than fighting his sons until they left he wanted to sit them down and talk them. More so for Kaleb's sake than anything else, he didn't want to cause his mate any unnecessary stress or unhappiness. "I love you, little one," he said as he stroked Kaleb's cheek with his thumb on the hand that cupped his cheek.

"I love you too, Zev," Kaleb responded tilting his head back when Zev leaned down to kiss him. Their lips met and moved against each other in perfect synchronization, tongues meeting and twisting against each other in a dance they were all too familiar with. Kaleb's mind swirled as a soft moan slipped through his lips only to be swallowed by Zev's mouth. He pulled back, staring into his mate's hazel gaze as he tried to regain his bearings. After all these years his mate was still able to render him a pile of mush. Zev pecked his lips one last time before releasing him.

Kaleb turned back to his clothes jumping when he felt Zev's hand meet his backside.  Zev chuckled as Kaleb blushed profusely. Shaking his head he decided to ignore his mate and continued what he was doing. Zev placed a kiss on his mate's neck before leaving the closet and entering their ensuite bathroom for a quick shower. Kaleb was left to think over what they had discussed. A weight settled on his heart with the inevitable looming just outside his door. He tried to look on the bright side despite it. His sons were no longer boys, they were men. It was time for them to enter the world and find themselves. All he could do was send them off with his blessing and all the love they could carry. With a sigh, he returned his focus to what he was doing and decided to save the thoughts for later.

T H E  B I R T H D A Y   P A R T Y

Kaleb was excited to be seeing Josh and Darren again for the first time in a few months. The last time they came for a visit had been for Zara's birthday. She loved coming to the house to celebrate because everyone there spoiled her rotten. Especially the Alpha and his Lunos. They all treated her like a little princess although she wanted to be an enforcer when she grew up. 

Kaleb loved coming to visit as well, it gave him a chance to catch up with his friends and enjoy their company. Nox and Nolan would go off and play with the other pups their age. Well, they would try to, they dwarfed the others in both forms which made them very intimidating to the other children. All except Xander, the young Alpha-to-be was never afraid of them even though he was two years their junior. The three of them became thick as thieves and caused all kinds of trouble. Nolan and Xander would get them into mischief and Nox would always find a way to talk them out of it. Kaleb smiled fondly at his thoughts, just as the pack house came into view. Nikolus, the current beta, who had been standing on the porch waiting, ushered them inside. 

"The Alpha and Lunos are in the backyard." Said the tall man with curly brown hair. Zev nodded in thanks as they continued through the house until they stepped back outside. Darren and Josh were talking with of few others from the pack but quickly removed themselves from the conversation when they saw their friends. 

"Uncle Darren!" Zara squealed as she took off in his direction. The Alpha smiled, crouching with his arms spread wide. Zara crashed into his chest but the large man didn't move an inch. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight squeeze before letting her go.

"Hey, Z, how's my little warrior doing?" Darren laughed as they shared a fist bump. Zara squared her shoulders at the nickname, a broad smile stretching across her face.

"I'm still awesome," she said, flipping her curls over her shoulder. Darren laughed ruffling her hair as Josh huffed, crossing his arms.

"How come you always run to him first when I'm clearly the cooler uncle?" Josh asked, a pout pulling at his lips. Darren smirked at his mate. Zara giggled, stepping away from Darren and running over to Josh who scooped her up and spun around with her pressed against him in a secure hug. The little she-wolf laughed happily before the Lunos set her on her feet. Grabbing both their hands she tugged them over to her family smiling like a kid on a sugar high. 

Smiles spread across the couple's faces as they looked at their friends. Josh was happy to see Kaleb even though it had only been a few months. He missed gossiping with his best friend and they had a lot to catch up on. The little she-wolf holding his hand let go before running back to Kaleb who took her hand with a soft smile.  

Kaleb's two oldest sons stood back allowing their parents to catch up with their friends before sneaking away. Nolan loved Darren and Josh and all but he preferred hanging out with their son. Just as he was about to walk away, Nox raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking where he was headed. Nolan just gestured for him to follow before he continued on walking. Nox shook his head deciding to follow his brother.

"Look at you!" Josh cooed at Kai as he hid shyly under Zev's chin. "You look like Kaleb carbon copied himself!" 

"I agree, the little tike just has my eyes, everything else is Kaleb." Zev said with a deep laugh. Kaleb smiled a soft blush filling his cheeks. 

"That's true," Darren spoke up, "But the twins look almost exactly like you Zev." 

"I have to agree. It's a little scary." Josh said, blue eyes gleaming. "Speaking of the twins where are they?" Kaleb looked around for a moment but was not surprised when he didn't see their large figures. 

"I think I have a pretty good guess." Kaleb laughed. "Where is Xander?" Josh groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Darren laughed as Zev shook his head.

"The three of them are going to give me grey hair at the age of 36." The Lunos grumbled.

"Spotted them," Kaleb pointed and three pairs of eyes followed his gaze. The twins and the birthday boy were across the large field hanging out by the trees. 

"And you had the nerve to call my kids Gigantor babies," Josh scoffed "Have you seen the two behemoths you call sons?" Kaleb rolled his eyes. 

"So how does it feel to be turning seventeen?" Nolan asked as he leaned against a tree. Xander rolled his blue eyes and shrugged. The future Alpha to be stood at 6'0 and was still growing. His skin was a rich caramel, he had a head full of dark curls that he kept pulled away from his face in a bun on his head. 

"Same as when I turned 16," Xander responded blandly. To be completely honest he didn't really see the point of celebrating his seventeenth birthday. It definitely wasn't worth all of the fuss in his eyes.

"Try not to sound like you have a stick up your ass on your birthday," Nolan smirked, crossing his arms as his hazel eyes lit in amusement.

"The only thing I want to stick up my ass is your cock, but you won't give it to me so..." Xander shot back, meeting the tiger's gaze head-on. Nox snorted as Nolan's eyebrows raised before he quickly recovered.

"You're not ready for this dick, little Alpha." The tiger teased, watching as the side of Xander's mouth twitched in annoyance at the nickname. Nolan has known that Xander had a crush on him since they were young but he never brought it up. In truth, he found Xander very attractive, but he meant what he said. The young Alpha definitely was not ready to handle Nolan in bed and the tiger wasn't overly eager to fuck a minor.

"I disagree," Xander argued casually. 

"You're too young, try again in a year," Nolan said a little more seriously. Xander growled, his nonchalant facade slipping. He walked up to Nolan invading the tiger's space, they were so close their chests brushed against each other. Nolan raised his eyebrow as if daring Xander to do something.

"I know you want to, Nolan." Xander voiced with a smirk of his own. "When are you going to stop making excuses and take me already?" Nolan growled lowly at the challenge, his eyes flashing like two medallions.

"As amusing as this conversation is, I really don't want to listen to you two talking about fucking anymore." Nox said cooly before Nolan could respond to Xander's bait. Not that Nox cared whether they shacked up or not, he simply didn't need the visual in his head. The thought of it was enough to make him want to bleach his brain. Nox knew Xander had a crush on his brother longer than Nolan had, mostly because his brother wasn't as observant as he was.

Nolan took a deep breath before releasing it. "Come on, birthday boy, let's get you back to your party," Nolan said, placing his hands on Xander's shoulders and maneuvered him towards the pack house. Xander just rolled his eyes and allowed himself to be guided back to the party. He may not have gotten the response he wanted but he knew in time the tiger would cave to his desires.

Nox followed a few feet behind the two. As much as Xander wanted Nolan, Nox knew that his brother wasn't going to give in. The bastard was too stubborn. Xander could blink those pretty brown eyes of his as much as he wanted but it wasn't going to change anything. 

By the time the trio had returned the party was in full swing, the decorations were up and the tons of food that had been put out was nearly gone. Nolan removed his hand from Xander before the wolf continued to bait him. Without looking back Xander walked over to his fathers who both gave him a pat on the shoulder. The next to greet the birthday boy were his father in laws. Kaleb pecked his cheek as Zev pat him on the shoulder. 

The rest of the night the two families simply enjoyed each other's company. Kaleb and Zev agreed to stay a day or two before returning home much to Zara's excitement. Once everything dwindled down and they had a moment, Zev and Kaleb agreed to talk to their sons once they returned home.

T H R E E   D A Y S   L A T E R

The time had finally come. Kaleb had been dreading this conversation, but he and Zev couldn't put it off any longer. They had decided to talk to the twins once they came back from patrol that morning. At the moment Kaleb was in the front yard watching his two youngest playing, trying to keep his mind off of it. Zara's chestnut wolf pranced about happily as Kai tried to keep up with her on much smaller legs. Kai's coat was white with black stripes, he was about half the size Nolan had been at his age.

Zara continued playing with her little brother, allowing him to pounce on her tail. The tiny cub was still a little wobbly on his feet but he tried his hardest to pin his sisters tail. The scene reminded Kaleb of when Nox and Nolan were younger and played together. The only difference being that the two boys were rough beyond belief. If you didn't know any better it looked as if they were fighting. 

A moment later Nox and Nolan came through the trees. The large onyx wolf trotted over to his father who was laying down. He dwarfed Kaleb They touched noses in greeting before Kaleb licked his son's face affectionately. Nolan brushed passed his brother before leaning down to greet his father as well. Kaleb licked his face as well and received a chuff in response.

After a quick greeting from both of them,  the two moved towards their younger siblings. Zar noticed their arrival and darted between Nolan's legs. Nox lay on the ground next to Kai who immediately pounced on his face once it was in reach. The little cub looked ridiculously small compared to his older brother, but size didn't seem to matter to Kai as he nipped at the large wolf's face. With an amused huff, Nox pinned the tiny cub under his enormous paw. Kai wiggled futilely as he tried to escape, but nothing he tried worked. Noticing their little brother's struggle, Zara and Nolan trotted over.

Pick on someone your own size! Zara exclaimed. Nox scoffed as he lifted his paw and Kai rolled onto his belly, shaking out his white fur. 

If you say so, Nox said casually, standing up to his full impressive height. Zara crouched and growled, her tail wagging happily.  Nolan stepped forward then.

Try not to hold a grudge after I whoop your ass this time. Nolan mocked.

Nox lunged at his brother, jumping clear over Zara and Kai in the process. Nolan stepped back, barely dodging his brother's claws. He retaliated by charging the wolf but Nox sidestepped him. The brother's laughed as the took turns attacking and dodging each other. They didn't notice that they were getting closer to Zara and Kai who watched the two with rapt attention. Kaleb stood and quickly made his way over to his littlest ones in order to prevent them from being squashed by the two romping males. Kai left out a startled yelp as Nolan's hind leg touched down right in front of him, the tiny cub lurched back in surprise.

Before Kaleb could tell the two to stop Zev came barreling into the clearing his second form, a menacing snarl on his face as blood chilling snarls and growls poured from his jaws. He roared as he charged at Nox and Nolan, the two finally stopped playing and took notice of the snarling tiger. They backed away uncertainly but Zev didn't slow down, his tiger had taken control and to him, the twins were unwelcome males and a threat to his cubs.

Kaleb scooped up Kai in his jaws as he ordered Zara to stay close to him, they dashed to the porch where Kaleb set down his cub. Zara wrapped herself around her little brother as she watched her dad rush back towards her father who was mercilessly attacking her older brothers. Her little body was shaking like a leaf and Kai as if sensing the fear in the air curled further into her side in order to hide.

Kaleb ran as fast as legs would allow, he needed to break up his mate and sons before one or all of them got seriously hurt.

Nolan and Nox tried their best to avoid their father's sharp claws and fangs, they would even lunge back him in hopes it would snap him out of whatever trance he was in. Unfortunately, their tactics only succeeded in pissing him off further. Even with both of them fighting him at the same time they were no match for their father. He a little bigger than them and way more experienced, they didn't stand a chance.

Kaleb stumbled to a graceless stop in the middle of the three males. Stop! He yelled through the link and the three enormous males froze. Nox held his head low in submission while Nolan settled into a defensive yet submissive crouch. Neither of them took their eyes off of their father. Zev was finally able to regain the control he had lost over his tiger, he forced his tense muscles to relax as he stopped snarling.

Boys, are you okay? Kaleb asked padding over to the two of them. They both lowered their heads as Kaleb sniffed them in turn. They were too shaken to reply and Kaleb didn't blame them. Nolan was sporting a scratch on his snout and wasn't putting much weight on his right foreleg. Nox had a gash on his leg that was bleeding, Kaleb immediately licked their wounds cleaning them as best he could before they healed.

He vaguely felt Zev's inner struggle as he turned away from his mate and sons and shifted. He walked into the house without looking back. the twins followed Kaleb back to the porch in a tense silence. Kaleb didn't know what to do or say. He felt so devastated by what had just happened. Never in million years did he think Zev would ever attack their children. He could feel his mate's regret at his actions through their bond. Kaleb shifted on the porch, scooping up Kai in his arms, Zara stood and pressed her furry side against her father's leg, she was still shaking. 

"It's probably best, you two stay here," Kaleb spoke softly, his grey orbs full of sadness before he led Zara inside with Kai in his arms. Nolan shifted with his brother following soon after. They said nothing, simply sitting on the steps as their minds replayed what was possibly the worst moment of their lives.

"They've been in there for a while now," Nolan sighed after a while, running a hand down his face. His brows were scrunched together in concern and his warm hazel eyes were full of worry. He hadn't expected his father to freak out on them like that. He and Nox got into play fights all the time and their dad never reacted like that. The look in his eyes was like he'd never seen them before. As if they weren't his sons and Nolan didn't know which hurt more. His dads had been in the house for almost two hours, Kaleb had only come back out to hand them some shorts with an apologetic smile before disappearing into the house again. The two brothers could just barely hear their parent's talking if they listened hard enough, but they couldn't make out what they were saying.

Nox ran a hand through his dark tresses but said nothing. There was nothing to say. his emotions felt muddled and he didn't have the energy to try and sort them out. The entire situation was insane. He'd never felt rejection from his father before, so to have him attack him like he was disowning him shook Nox to his core.  His wolf was so confused, he didn't understand why their father- their alpha was kicking them out of the pack. What had they done? Were they a rogue now? There was too much uncertainty and not enough clarity. Nox clenched his fist, all he knew for certain was that nothing was ever going to be the same.

When Zev came out on to the porch he wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say. He knew that his tiger had overreacted earlier and he didn't quite know how to face his sons. Neither turned to look at him as he approached and Zev felt that he deserved that. He had tried so hard not follow in his father's footsteps but he had failed. This was not how he wanted to have this conversation with his eldest children. Without saying anything, he sat in the space between them, noticing how they stiffened.

Zev ran a hand through his shoulder-length brown hair with a sigh. "Listen, boys, this conversation is well overdue and I regret not talking to you about it early." The aged tiger began, his hazel orbs staring ahead into the night. Nolan looked at him then, eyes full of curiosity.

"Had you planned on sitting us down and talking before or after you handed our asses to us." Nolan scoffed, sarcasm dripping from every word. Zev couldn't help the chuckle that rumbled through his chest. 

"Before," he responded with a smirk. The twins couldn't help the smile that pulled at the edge of their lips. It would be a lie if they said they stood a chance against their father, even if they took him on together. He had well and truly whooped their asses and handed them back so that they could go lick their wounds in a corner somewhere. Nox shook his head, at least now he knew that their father didn't hate them.

"So why did you?" The wolf asked, glancing at his father from the corner of his eye. 

"It's not in a tiger's nature to share Nox, once he has claimed his territory and his mate and has  cubs he becomes extremely territorial-"

"We're your kids," Nolan interjected, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he clenched his teeth. 

"The two of you are not cubs anymore, boy, you are young men. Or hadn't you noticed that you're four times the size of the man who birthed you or that your siblings look microscopic compared to you?" Zev growled lowly.

 "Dad, just tell us what all of this means." Nox spoke up before the two tiger's got into another fight.

"When I was your age I went through something similar with my father. The only difference being him and I fought more than once before I finally left. I wanted it to be different between us. I planned to sit down with the both of you and talk about your lives moving forward. If today is anything to go by then it is obvious that the time has come for the two of you to move on. Nolan, you are a tiger like me, when you get older and settle down, promise me you will do better than me. Promise that you will break this cycle and talk to your son rather than drive him away with force." Nolan finally looked at his father head on then.

"I promise," he responded, his voice thick with emotion.

"Nox, as a wolf you will crave the companionship you can only receive from a pack. Finding one will be harder than you think. You are not like other's of your kind, you are nearly twice the size of an average werewolf and twice as dominant as well. You were born an Alpha despite your father not being one. As such no Alpha would allow you int his pack, you would pose too much of a threat." Zev explained, turning his head to look at his second oldest. 

"I will be fine on my own," Nox assured his father. He may be a wolf but he had never minded being alone. Zev looked at his son for a moment, staring into the wolf's grey eyes that reminded him so much of Kaleb's.

"I know you will. You both will. After my father kicked me out I spent the six years wandering around in solitude. I loved every second, I could go where ever and do whatever I felt like until I met your father, that is. When I first saw him I couldn't help but think that I wasn't ready to give all of that up, but when looked into his eyes I realized from that point forward the only life I wanted to live was with him." Zev said, his eyes glazed with memories of the past. "He has given me more than I could ever want, one day you two will meet someone who will do the same for you."

Kaleb finished putting Kai to bed, it hadn't taken long before the little tiger had fallen asleep in his arms. Once he was sure the little one was out for the night he flipped the light switch, casting the room in darkness before leaving and cracking the door behind him. Zara had been in her room since Kaleb had rushed her inside. She had never seen Zev act aggressively like that before He wasn't sure how she was handling all of it. 

Kaleb poked his head inside his only daughter's room. She sat on her bed with just the lamp on the night beside it illuminating the room. Her legs were pulled against her chest with her back against the headboard, her unruly curls hid her eyes.

"Zara," Kaleb called softly as he entered. Zara raised her head in response, revealing how puffy and red her eyes were as well as the wetness on her cheeks. "Oh, little one," Kaleb cooed, moving to sit beside her on the bed. He pulled her into his side, wrapping his arms around her as she sniffled.

"W-Why was Dad so mad at Nox and Nolan?" she asked softly, wiping her eyes. "They were only playing?" The confusion and shock were evident in her voice. Kaleb didn't quite know how to explain it in a way that didn't make her father seem like a bad guy.

"It's... a little more complicated than that, honey, just know that your Dad loves them very much," Kaleb kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Are they going to have to leave now?" Zara's hazel eyes had filled with tears that threatened to spill. Kaleb nodded wiping away her tears as they fell.

"Yes, but no goodbye is forever," Kaleb assured her softly. "Especially not in this family." Zara sniffled again, pressing her face into her father's chest. Kaleb rubbed her back soothingly and wish that they could have gone about this whole thing differently, but since when has anything in his life been easy. "Get some sleep, okay, we can talk more tomorrow."   The little she-wolf nodded pulling herself out her father's arms. Kaleb stood, pulling the comforter back as Zara laid down before blanketing her with it. "Goodnight, Zara." he said leaning down to kiss her head one last time.

"Good night, Da," she responded sleepily. Kaleb turned the light off before leaving the room in search of his mate and eldest sons. As he expected they were on the porch, he listened as the three of them laughed and joked and it reminded him of when the twins were younger. They were like Zev's little shadows, following the big man around where ever he went, it was so adorable. Those little boys were turning into men now, feelings of pride, as well as sadness, filled him at the thought.

Kaleb stepped out on to the porch and three pairs of eyes turned to look at him. He couldn't help it, the tears came before he could fight them back, they spilled down his pale cheeks, soft sobs causing his small shoulders to shake. The three males stood immediately, Zev quickly pulled his mate into his chest in a comforting embrace.

"I'm sorry, my love," Zev apologized softly, causing Kaleb to cry felt left him feeling as though he had shoved a white-hot knife directly into his own heart. The omega melted into his mate's arms, his sobs slowly turning to hiccups and soft sniffles.

"Please don't cry, Da" Nox murmured, his expression stricken. There was nothing the wolf hated more than watching his loved ones in pain. Nolan wore a similar expression, despised the fact that he was a part of the reason his father was in tears.

"Just come inside for the night, okay," Kaleb said wearily as he wiped at his eyes. He stepped out of Zev's arms before walking back inside. His emotions were all over the place and at this point all he could do was sleep, so without looking back to see if they had followed his order, he headed to his room and crawled under the covers on his bed before falling asleep.

A N   E N D I N G   A N D   A   B E G I N I N G 

The boys stood on the bottom step, each with one black backpack. They were both very uncertain about what the future held for them, but they were equally excited. Kaleb held Kai n his hip while Zara stood next to Zev, who held her hand in his much larger one.

"It's time for the two of you to find yourselves," Zev began, looking at his son's in the eye. "It is not going to be easy, you're going to learn things about yourselves that you didn't know before, find the strengths you didn't know you had as well as your weaknesses. You will fall sometimes but you will get right back up. You are my sons, and I am proud of you, no matter what."

"That was beautiful, Dad," Nolan smirked, jokingly. Nox rolled his eyes before elbowing his brother.

"What he meant was, we love you too, Dad," Nox corrected. Nolan laughed softly while Kaleb and Zev simply smiled.

"I love you, boys," Kaleb said past a lump in his throat. "I am so proud to call you my sons. You better visit once in a while or Goddess help I will hunt you both down and drag your asses back here myself" The twins nodded.
 

"Yes, Da," They said in unison. "We love you too,"

Zara let go of Zev's hand and ran to her brothers.  She wrapped her arms around Nox's leg before he crouched down to hug her properly. She sniffled, squeezing the life out of his neck. He pulled away and placed a soft peck on her forehead. Nolan was crouched as well and Zara moved into his waiting arms, they embraced and Nolan kissed her forehead as well.

Lastly, they hugged their fathers and placed kisses on Kai's face. The toddler giggled happily in response. The twins said their goodbyes with heavy hearts, before finally departing. They were sad to see the house and the smiling faces of their family fade away behind them but thrilled at the prospect of the world that lay ahead of them.

Zev pulled Kaleb into his side after their son's had faded from view, before turning to re-enter the house. He picked Zara held his free hand as she wiped at her face with the hand that was unoccupied. They stepped into the house pleased with the outcome. 

"I love you, Kaleb," Zev said kissing mate on the lips. Zara ewwed before running off to her room, causing her parents to smile into the kiss.

"I love you too, Zev," Kaleb responded once they separated. He was glad to know that their story was over and that of their sons was just beginning.

| AUTHOR'S NOTE

Finally! I have finished my first story!

Go meee! Go meee!

I just want to thank you guys. You've been so awesome and supportive and I love you all to bits. Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me! 

That's all for the Tiger's Omega! You can go check out The Alpha's Beta now! The first chapter is up, enjoy!

Love,

-J.T.