AUTHOR'S NOTE: My first fan-fiction! I've been working on the general idea for a while. I know that the whole "Kate and Humphrey's puppies" idea is a bit cliché, but trust me, I'm going to take this idea far past the first few months of parenthood.
And by the way, the packs are supposed to be separate. You'll find out why later...
R&R please, critiques appreciated. Enough of my rambling now; enjoy!

PROLOGUE

"He's impossible."

A ginger female walked over to Humphrey sadly. It was a rare sight, to see the headstrong Alphess keeping her head low in defeat, staring at her paws dejectedly. Instantly the male's blue eyes widened. "Kate? What are you talking about?"

Kate looked up at him desperately. "It's... well, you know, the one I've been training." She opened her mouth to say more, but she took a quick glance past the trees, where her three pups were playing. They were in earshot.

"Aww..." he muttered, trying to come up with something to say. He put a paw around her shoulder. "Kate, maybe he's like me; he's just not cut out to be an Alpha. Why don't you pick one of our other pups? Rose looks particularly eager to start Alpha School."

Kate glared up at him, taking a step back. "You know why I can't send her, Humphrey. I... I just couldn't."

"Then call him," Humphrey answered with a shrug, glancing over at one of their sons. "I think he'd make a good Alpha."

Kate shook her head. "There's no way. I know he wants to be Alpha, but haven't you seen how self-confident he is?"

"Isn't self-confidence a good thing?"

Kate sighed. "Humphrey... you don't get it, do you?"

"Maybe I don't," he answered. "But I don't think we have a choice."

Wearily, Kate turned in the direction of their den. "All right. I'll take him. But I'm not letting my confidence up that he'll be the greatest trainee to ever grace Alpha School as he thinks." She started to walk away.

Humphrey stared after her. He was looking around, trying to come up with something to say. "Just... y'know, don't give up on him."

Kate whipped around with such ferocity Humphrey scrambled back, pressing against a tree.

"Are you saying I gave up on our son?"

"N-no, not at a-all," Humphrey sputtered. Funny, I thought these mood swings would be over once she had the pups.

Kate jumped up, pressing her front paws against the tree so she was looking directly at Humphrey's face. "Humphrey, if you think that I gave up on him, you're dead wrong," she growled. "I tried my hardest to train him, but you know, he just so happened to inherit the traits of an omega. Nobody could ever make an Alpha out of him."

"M-Mom?"

Both wolves turned in the direction of the voice. There was their "untrainable" son, standing there in all of his short, dull-furred glory. He didn't look mad, didn't look ready to burst into tears, just stood there staring at them. "What were you talking about?"

Humphrey took the opportunity to shove Kate off of him. "Oh, hey, Matthew. Your mother and I were just having a... talk. Adult... talk. For adults. That puppies really shouldn't be hearing." He chuckled nervously, walking over to his son, trying to ignore his mate's gaze on his shoulder. "Come on, now, go play with your siblings."

As he walked away with his son, he dared to take a quick glance around. Kate wasn't staring at him anymore. She was still looking at Matthew.