Time jump: 4 months

I waited outside on the porch watching over the pups. Ziva had gone with another pack mate to visit Eyal. The packs went about their day in front of me. Some patrolled the grounds, while others sparred or simply ran around. For the moment we were all on relax mode. Our main focus was waiting for Eyal and protecting the pups. To us it was a huge deal, seeing how they are the newest generation that will keep our line alive.

Very little has happened in the past 4 months.

After the birth of Ziva's daughters, I had my twins a few days later. Two boys. It had all happened so fast, one moment I was yelling at the top of my lungs and the next I had my sons in my arms. Aaron had taken to the role of the big brother as soon as he met them. Constantly watching over them. Always a few steps behind them. If it wasn't because of school, he would never leave their side. The pups have yet to shift, but at the moment they were learning to be one with their wolves.

You see we grow at a quicker pace than normal children. It was a defense mechanism werewolves developed over time. There was a time when wolves gave birth to defenseless children and many never made it past the year. For various reasons, but the major one being hunters. So we evolved. Now our pups were born as normal children, but at a week old they shift into their wolf form. This gave the pups the ability to grow faster and able to run should there be any danger. As for the aging, it was a funky way. A month was about a year, so as of right now the pups were four years old. They will be able to shift back once they hit their fifth year if all goes well.

Looking over at the sound of growling, I rolled my eyes at Ty and Micheal going at it again. Ever since Eyal's downfall the pack had been divided. Don't get me wrong they were still a pack, but some still didn't see Ziva as their alpha. Many have accepted her, but because of what she was it made it hard. Also didn't help Ned mark the pups as part of his pack. But Ty was helping her along the way. Shutting down anyone wanting to rise above the ranking or start something against Ziva.

I on the other hand had been absent from Gibbs and his team. We still had eyes on them, but since the birth of Ziva's and I's pups, we haven't had contact with them. Which also meant that Tony wasn't aware. The excuse that was given to Gibbs was a simple call made by Ned stating it was pack issues. The only reason Gibbs and the others haven't come in search of her, was because they didn't know where the hell our compound was located.

"Where are the boys?" Clay stepped up the porch.

I jerked my head to the two wolf pups sparring in a mud puddle. "I have given up on the hope they would remain clean for a day."

Clay took a seat beside me with a chuckle. "You were pretty much the same. Your mother could never keep you clean. The moment you stepped foot outside the house, it was as if you had a magnet for dirt."

"I remember." I chuckled. "How's your mate?"

"Fed up with the pregnancy." He hummed. "But, she still has about a month or so to go."

"You learn the sex yet?"

Clay shook his head. "She wants it to be a surprise."

"What do you want?"

"In full honesty, I already have a daughter." Clay chuckled. "I'd like a boy, but it doesn't matter if it's a girl. In a way, I already have practice with the opposite sex."

"So I was practice?" I teased.

Clay laughed. "You were a pain in the ass."

"I was not!"

"You got into every mischief you managed to find. Had me and your mother on alert every time you ran off." Clay hummed. "Let's not forget the number of males I had to chase off. The times you would try to sn-" He suddenly paused a look of horror crossed his face. "On second thought I will just stick to wanting boys."

I laughed. "You knew about the sneaking out?"

"You weren't as stealthy as you thought." Clay scoffed. "I heard every step you took."

"But you never stopped me."

He shrugged. "I knew you would never wander off the pack's territory. And I knew every guy or girl snuck out with. I had nothing to worry about."

I crossed my arms with a huff. "So much for being a rebel that rebelled against her parents."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure you'll be paying that rebellions with this two." He gestured toward the side. "Especially Noah."

Looking over at Noah I watched him pounce on his clueless brother. "Believe me, I know."

Noah was a spunk of a pup. Always getting into mischief and running wild. Chasing after Ziva's pups trying so hard in getting the girl's attention. He was always the one to start roughhousing with the others. He may pick on his brother, but should anyone try that Noah was the first to defend him. He was as independent as they come. Always on the lookout for anything new to see and handle. He had all the characters of an alpha wolf.

Seth on the other hand was a complete 180 of his brother. He was always by my side or Nathan's. He was more relaxed than Noah. You rarely saw him playing with the other pups in the packs. He preferred being on his own. Every evening he wanders off into the woods with Elya. I didn't worry too much, since Ty was always with them.

At five months their coats were finally showing their true colors and markings.

Noah like his father was a dark wolf with intense bright yellow eyes. His coat itself was a dark gray almost Black phased with some white sprinkled in his coat and a white muzzle.

Seth was the complete opposite. Seth was more like me in color. Same colors in the markings and coat itself, only his were much lighter than mine. But his eyes were a bright ice blue color.

Usually, the pups would get a color that was a mixture of the parent's coats or a resemblance to the parents. Hence Noah's dark coat and Seth's replica of mine. Or my coat's resemblance to my father's. But Ziva's pups were a bit off. The girls were twins, but their wolves couldn't be any more different.

Ewa the oldest of the two was a resemblance to her father. Like Eyal, she looked like your standard Grey wolf. A beautiful mix-colored mask and her back was a swirl of black and pearl color. I hadn't failed to see the attraction Seth had taken to her.

But then there was Eyla. The girl had a stunning triple-colored coat. The base underneath her coat was black, followed by white and a light gray covering the top as a blanket of sorts. She had a black bar the width of her nose on her nose. Her ears were colored black, popping against her gray and white fur. For a pup to get a coat of that color, Eyal should have mated with a white wolf. But as far as I know, his family were all normal coats. Nonetheless, Eyla may lack the resemblance to her father, but that girl had the same personality as him.

"Alex!" Aaron came jogging over to me, panting as he gripped the railing. "Have you seen dad?"

"He's out with Aa-Hotchner and Ned. Did you need something?"

The young pup shook his head. "No, it's a man thing." With that, he took off once more.

I raised a brow glancing at my father. "What was that about?"

Clay chuckled. "How old is Aaron?"

"13." Damn, they grow up fast. Even faster when you share the DNA of a wolf. "Why?"

"Kids hitting puberty." Clay replied. "There are going to be a lot of things he can't and won't talk to you about."

Aaron had grown right before my eyes. Especially when he spent most of the time with the pack, instead of us. The one thing that hasn't changed was his wolf compared to his father. Only Aaron was an all-black wolf. In the night it was only his eyes you were able to distinguish.

'Mom!'

I jumped at hearing Seth yell for my name. 'Seth?! Noah?!' Leaping over the balcony railing shifting before I could land on the ground.

'Alex!' Clay jumped after his daughter, landing on all fours just behind her. 'Ty! Look after things!' Following Alex, at full speed, he came to a skidding stop to avoid slamming into her. 'Wh-'

'Seth! Noah!' I growled out at not being able to see my sons. 'Se-'

'Mom!' Seth broke through the line of trees, taking cover behind me and his grandfather. 'Hunters!'

'What? Where is Noah?' I scanned the area in front of me, looking for any sign of my son. 'Noah?!'

'I'm here.' I jerked my head to the left, to find Noah hiding under a bush. 'Hunters are close.'

'That's not possible.' I growled. 'We took every precaution to make sure that wouldn't happen! Clay!'

Dad leaned forward biting down on Noah's neck and dragged him towards me. 'Stay close to your mother, go back to the pack compound.'

'Dad?' I listened as footsteps got closer to us. 'There isn't any time. We need to hold them off.' I glanced back at my boys a surge of fear running through me. The wanting and needing to protect both my pack and pups was overwhelming. In the end, I couldn't put one over the other, not when they both needed me. 'Stay close to me. Do not attack. Run if you must, but do not attack. Is that understood?' Both pups nodded lying flat on the ground, trying to blend in with mother nature. Sadly, she never gave us that ability.

Standing over Noah, I watched Clay do the same with Seth. We both crouched down baring our teeth and waiting to make our move. As soon as I saw a figure break through the trees, I leaped towards it. Hooking my claws into its shoulder, I knocked them down to the ground. My teeth snapped inches from his face. 'Who are you?!'

"Alex stop! Clay!"

I froze at the recognizing the voice. 'Ziva?'

"Clay get off Tony!" Ziva ordered. "Alex, that's Gibbs!"

I looked down at his familiar face. 'Oh shit.' Jumping off the man I gapped from him to the rest. The entire team was here. 'What are they doing here?'

Clay growled stepping off Tony. 'I don't know, but they shouldn't be here. There was a reason we moved the pack compound.'

Gibbs stood up with a groan, helping Tony up as well. "You weren't kidding on the overprotectiveness."

Ziva sighed. "We all are."

Tony frowned. "We?"

"Come, I want you to meet two very special girls." Ziva met eyes with me, giving me a pleading look. "Just them."

'Fine.' Turning around I nuzzled both Noah and Seth, nudging them back towards the house. 'Let's get moving.'

'You're going to let the hunters into our home?!' Noah snarled at the team.

I chuckled head butting into his side. 'They are not hunters. They are pack mates.'

'But they are humans!' Seth yelped.

'I will explain everything in a moment. Right now, I need to change.'

I walked out onto the back patio. The team sat together on the long couch Nathan had installed. Taking a seat beside clay, I was drawn to the bloodstains on Gibbs's shoulders. An instant feeling of guilt resided in my chest. I had caused harm to my mate. My mate of all people. But seeing him once more was filling the emptiness I have had for some time now. I have been longing to see him. Smell him. Touch him. And now that I had him a few feet away I realized I couldn't.

'So who are they?' Noah trotted out of the house taking a seat beside me.

Seth leaped onto the couch laying over both mine and his granddad's laps. 'They smell funny.'

"From left to right, they are Gibbs, Tony, McGee, and Abby." I kept my gaze down at them when I spoke. "These are my sons, Noah and Seth." I refused to look at Gibbs. I wasn't ready to see the look on his face. It was one thing telling him I was pregnant. But I left for months and now that I see him again, I present my sons.

Gibbs swallowed the lump in his throat. "S-Seth looks like you."

McGee leaned closer to him. "He's a wolf boss."

"I know McGee," Gibbs grumbled. "I meant the color of his coat. Looks just like Alex's luna."

"Noah looks like his dad, only in a gray color." McGee shivered as Noah's eyes landed on him. "Including the intensity of his stare."

I chuckled. "Yeah, he's had that since he was a pup. Used to creep me out in the middle of the night."

"Can I ask why are they in the form of a wolf?" Abby asked.

"It's a wolf thing," I replied. "Wolf pups if birthed as a person, they will be born in their human form. But after a week they will shift into their wolfs. And they will remain like that until they are five months, which in human form is five years."

"So, they are how old?" McGee asked.

"As a wolf, they are four months." I gestured to Noah. "But if they were to shift right now, they would be 4 years old. Our growth charts are weird." Glancing at Gibbs, I directed my next question to him. "How did you find us?"

"We didn't," He sighed. "Ziva called and gathered us at my place. Told us she wanted us to meet some people. And I am assuming it's probably her children." Seeing the confused look on his officer, he chuckled. "You don't have a belly anymore Ziver."

I hadn't realized just how much I missed hearing him laugh. "Seth, go get the girls please."

'Sure.' Jumping off, he took off running towards Ziva's place.

"How's Eyal?" Gibbs asked.

Ziva wasn't too comfortable talking about her mate when Tony was around. "He's doing better. The doctor believes he should be waking up soon."

"He still needs to meet his girls; he isn't going anywhere." Speaking of Tony. 'Ty?'

'Yeah?'

'Take Eyal's pack out on a run.'

'Huh?'

'Tony is here. Get them away.'

'Understood.'

'I got them!' Seth howled as he burst through the doors.

Noah rolled his eyes. 'We are not blind or deaf Seth.'

"Guys, I want you to meet Ewa." She pointed to the gray wolf, then to the white and gray one. "And Eyla. My daughters."

'Who are they?' Ewa wondered, trying to catch their scent. 'I don't recognize them.'

"They are your mom's teammates," I told her.

'Oh, the agents.' Eyla hummed. 'Why does that one seem angry? He smells like Uncle Ned whenever Granddad Clay teases him.'

I snorted, catching the smirk on Clay. "Tony isn't angry, that's just his natural scent." Looking at said agent I raised a brow. "Right Tony?"

"Y-yeah, it happens whenever I am near McGoo." Tony tried playing it off. "Wait, can they even understand me?"

"Seriously?" I swear I don't know how he ever passed to become NCIS. "They are children in the form of a wolf. They can understand and speak just like you."

"Oh."

'Dad!' Noah slid as he tried to run across the patio towards the backyard. 'Dad!'

Nathan trotted across the yard, with Ned and Aaron on his tail. The three looked like a bloody massacred. Which could only mean one thing, trespassers. Stopping to greet Noah and Seth, he continued up the stairs and stopped enough to see the team. 'Good, don't let them leave.' The others followed him in.

"Oh, okay."

Not moments after the three walked out dressed, but for some reason, they forgot their shirts. Nathan took a seat beside me, while the others stood in random spots. Well Ned not so random as he stood behind Ziva.

"We ran into a few strays on patrol." He stated. "That has been handled, but we have another issue."

"What?"

"Elijah." Aaron blurted out.

Ned tossed him a look. "And he isn't alone. Nor is he just targeting us again. We picked up the scent of various unknown wolves around Agent Gibbs and his team's homes."

"They are prepping for something." Nathan jumped in. "We don't know what or who is involved, but our best guess is that they will attack at the same time."

I looked over at Gibbs, a fear overcoming me. A fear of losing him for good. "They can't go back."

"Al-"

"Can't go back?" Gibbs frowned. "I am not letting some animal run me from my own house."

"That house isn't worth your life." I snapped. "We need to keep you safe and keep our pack safe. Can't do either if we are worried about one or the other."

"We can keep ourselves safe." Gibbs snapped back.

"Jethro." I growled. "This isn't the moment for your macho pride. Do you not understand the strength of a wolf? The damage one can do? Let alone a pack of them? Put your pride to the side for a moment and think about your team!"

"Gibbs the best option would be for all of you to stay here." Ziva quickly backed me up. "We aren't asking you to step back or stand on the sidelines. But we have a better chance of getting through this if we stand together."

"I don't think having them here is such a good idea," Nathan spoke up.

I gapped at him. "What?"

"Most of the wolves here don't trust humans. They have no reason to. Having them roaming within the pack, is just an accident waiting to happen." Nathan cringed at the look he received. "Not to mention we can't keep Eyal's pack away. Eventually, they will catch wind he is here, he still in debt for the attack."

"It was self-defense!" Tony yell.

Nathan growled at the man. "I wouldn't talk if I were you. At the moment it's because of Alex we haven't torn you apart."

"Nathan." I placed a hand on his arm, glancing down at the pups. "Seth, Noah, take the girls and go find Ty. I think he was on his way to the shop."

But of course, Tony couldn't wait until they were gone to open his mouth. "You think I'm scared of a bunch of dogs? I know what a little flower can do to you." He ignored the warning growls coming from the males. "Just say the truth. You don't want us here because you're afraid your girl will finally run off with Gibbs."

I couldn't stop it even if I could have predicted it. Nathan jumped from his seat, shifting as he landed on Tony. The force combined with the weight of the two knocked the chair back and broke past the wooden railing. Tony landed on his back with an enraged wolf over him.

I know I should have been worried about Tony, but seeing the gun aimed at Nathan had my attention. Even more so when it was in Gibbs's hands. "Stop!"

"Get him to back off." Gibbs ordered.

I shook my head. "It's not that easy Gibbs. Tony disrespected me and Nathan. In front of our children."

"And you think I am just going to let him get killed?" Gibbs scoffed. "Back off or I will shoot him."

To both our surprise Seth and Noah stood on each side of me. Their eyes pinned on Gibbs as they growled lowly. "Nathan!"

With one last snap of his teeth, he trotted off into the house. I found him in the bedroom getting changed. "Nathan?"

"I want them gone." He ripped a shirt off the hangers. The hanger breaking in two. "Today."

"You know I can't do that." Hearing the loud growl, I flinched. "You and Eyal assured us Gibbs and the team would always remain part of the pack. We can't turn our backs now. It's because of me that they are in danger."

"I am not going to live in the same place as that jackass!" Tossing the shirt across the room, he stormed out. "To either of those two!"

"Nathan please!" Catching his arm, I pulled him back. "Just until we catch Elijah and his allies. Then we won't have to see them ever again. We can go anywhere you want."

Nathan sighed, placing his hand against my cheek. "You and I both know I would never do that. I won't pull you away from your family."

"I can't let them die either." I muttered.

"There have to be some ground rules." He gave in with a huff. "Tony can not be left alone. Have someone to watch over him while he is in the packs compound."

"Who?"

"There is an old friend that owes Eyal a favor. She can't handle the joke." His eyes landed on Gibbs through the window. "As for him-"

"Relax, nothing will happen," I assured him.

"Alright, now comes the tricky part."

"Convincing the team?"

"Convincing the pack."