Emily sat in the sitting area of the Alpha apartments, staring at an appointment card in her hand. She didn’t have a clue on what she was doing. Her brain kept telling her this would kill her, and she kept reminding it that wasn’t the case. That fact changed as research and knowledge grew. Why did she let James go into the office with her? She couldn’t keep this to herself now because he knew. Emily wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about this yet. She needed to wrap her head around it. With her life turning upside down and just getting a handle on that. This was like falling into a pit someone was filling with dirt while she was trying to climb out of it.             Now it wasn’t just the two of them during it out to find a common ground. How would this work for the future? For crying out loud, no one knew how far a

             Damon wiped down the outside table on his private balcony. He’ll enjoy summer mornings out there with his full family. Before the chaos of pack life took over, he missed sitting out here with his breakfast. He could see his peace being shattered by Penny and reminders from Eva. The two interacting out here while they tried to get ready for the day.             Some people would hate that. Damon would probably act like he did eventually, but deep down, this was the life he wanted. He chose, and now he just needed to convince Eva to make it permanent.             With Penny here, life would change again, and he wasn’t sure how Eva would handle it. Was she prepared enough to handle getting to know him and a lively pup running rough-shod over everyone’s lives? He&

They both agreed, get away from the work. It was too much, and they were both climbing the walls. Janine realized what tonight was for the pack and Haden agreed they’d adhere to the traditional gathering of her pack. He’d go as her guest. Basically, once a month, the pack came together and spent time with each other. Often this was the time for announcements, celebrations of the minor achievements of various members, recognition of pack birthdays, introductions of new members, airing of grievances informally, and all that drama. Janine, at this point in time, needed to hear about someone else’s drama and forget about hers. “Are you ready to go?” Haden leaned against the bathroom door frame and watched Janine fiddle with her hair. She felt self-conscious of the streaks of grey appearing in her hair. Janine knew she’d have to come to terms that she was now firmly in the elder status of the pack, and she’d be treated differently because of it. “Yeah, I

Emily thankfully settled onto the slipper chair in her closet, happy to take her shoes off. In the last few weeks, everything changed. Being poked and prodded almost daily as the doctors tested and adjusted things until they were happy with the results of one thing or another. James was going overboard and completely unwilling to error on the side of caution. But so far, his prayers have been answered. Emily felt their pups move inside of her yesterday at the ultrasound. He had her favourite foods made that night to celebrate. Emily hadn’t been able to eat much, though she tried hard to. She’d been suffering pretty terrible morning sickness, though it struck at any hour. Emily now frustrated herself with her own forgetfulness. Especially with remembering to take the bag with her that carried everything she might need just in case. Of course, by the time she remembered she’d forgotten it, she’d need something from it. James somehow kept his promise,

Haden knew the time came for him to name his successor. There were a few people in his sights. But one stood out. Sadly, it wasn’t his daughter. She’d quieted down with her human, but he couldn’t have a human as Alpha for his pack. He needed someone who could see to the safety and prosperity of the pack. Someone who would take his place in a responsible and mature manner while being young enough to give the pack a dedicated leadership that was stable. Trust was such an important thing. Watching Janine putter about, walking along the paths, chasing her wolf, and everything else reminded him that his heart wasn’t in leading anymore. Wolves lived such long lives, and without the kill or be killed mentality, they lived far longer than humans. This became an accepted practice. To pass the position on before you died. The old alpha became a mentor to the new one. Haden was tired. Tired of the stress of keeping up with all the politics and changes in the needs of others und