I slept for what felt like a few minutes. When I opened my eyes, It was still almost dark outside. The sun hadn't gotten over the mountains yet. I sat up and yawned, strectching my muscles. I carefully stood up as to not wake Lilly and the pups and limped outside to sit in the cool morning air and watch the sun come up. A few minutes later I heard Winston wake up and come out behind me.

"Morning, Cody." He said, yawning. "Morning. Lilly still asleep?" I asked. "Yep. You know, I'm real proud of you."

"Why's that?" I asked. "You've made Lilly so happy. You guys have your own family now and I know you'll always be there for them. I couldn't of asked for a better son-in-law." he said, hugging me. "Thanks, dad. I couldn't of asked for a better father-in-law." I said. We sat out there a few minutes later until I heard small squeaks coming from the den. "Sounds like the pups are awake." Winston said, smiling. I nodded and limped back in to see them crawling around. They were shivering since it was still rather cold.

I laid down in front of them and curled around them to keep them warm. Onyx stepped on my broken leg, making me loudly wimper in pain. It got Winston's attention and he came back in to us. "Who was that?" he asked. "Me...Onyx stepped on my leg." I said, smiling weakly. He chuckled and said "Gotta watch them. They may be looking for Lilly for breakfast."

"Yeah, probably, but I don't want to wake her up. She looks so peaceful right now." I said, admiring Lilly. "Well, it's either that or get your leg stepped on again." he said, laughing. I nodded and said "Lilly...Time to wake up." in her ear. Her eyes slowly opened to see me in front of her. "Hey, babe. What time is it?" Lilly asked, yawning. "Early...Pups are getting hungry again." I said, smiling at her.

She looked down at her stomach but didn't see them until she looked next to me. "I take it they decided to go to you?" she asked, smiling. "When I got up, they were crawling around and shivering. I laid down to warm them back up." I said.

"Aw, poor babies. Okay, come on back over to mommy." she said, picking Krystal up and setting her next to her stomach. I put Onyx there too and they started nursing again, making Lilly giggle. "They look so cute when they're doing that." I said.

"Yeah they do. I wonder how Salty and Janice are doing. Wonder if she had them yet." She said. Like our minds were read, Salty came up outside with Winston and said, panting, "Sir...Janice...Pups...NOW!"

"Wow, right now!?" Winston asked. Salty nodded and said "Humphrey's...there...right now." Winston nodded and went back to Eve to wake her up. "Eve, we need you right now. Janice just went into labor." he said, nudging her awake. "Right now!?" she asked, getting up.

"Yes, ma'am. Right now. Humphrey and Kate are with her right now." Salty said. "Alright, let's go. Lilly, will you guys be okay here?" Eve asked. "Yeah, we'll be fine." she said. Eve nodded and took off with Salty and Winston to his den. "You know how they say "speak of the devil..."? I asked.

"Yeah, why?" Lilly asked, smiling. "Kinda odd for Salty to run in just as we were talking about Janice having the pups, don't you think?" I said, laughing. Lilly started laughing too and said "Yeah, it was. Ouch!" she said and looked at Krystal. "What's wrong?" I asked, conserned.

"Krystal bit down a bit. Hurt a little bit." she said. "Oh, did my little girl hurt mommy?" I asked, teasing her. "Yes, she did." Lilly said, putting on a fake pouting face. "Good job, Krystal." I said, laughing. Lilly hit my shoulder and said "Ass..." and laughed too.

About a half hour later, Eve and Winston came back. "How're they doing?" I asked. Eve smiled and said "They're doing great. Janice had two pups as well...Rose and Linda."

"That's great! I'm sure all our pups will love playing together when they're older." Lilly said. I nuzzled her neck and said "I'm sure they will. Onyx looks like he's going to be playful later on." Lilly smiled and said "Why that?"

"He crawled onto my leg earlier. My broken leg." I said, smiling at him. Lilly giggled and said "Aw, poor baby! Do it again!" I laughed and said "Hell no! That hurt!" Eve and Winston laughed too and Eve said "Okay, you two. How about we all get some more sleep? It's still real early."

"Good idea, honey. See you guys later." Winston said, laying down with Eve. Lilly laid her head back down and fell asleep after a few minutes. I did too, but my leg was hurting again.

4 Weeks Later

Lilly and I were laying outside our den, watching the pups run around in the grass, chasing each other. Krystal had Lilly's eyes, that beautiful lavender. Onyx had my eyes, deep ocean blue. My leg was a lot better now. I could stand on it and walk, but still with a limp. I couldn't run yet. Eve gave birth a couple days ago to a boy, Colt. Winston is so happy he now has a son. Salty and Janice were back at their den with Kate and Humphrey, letting the pups all play together.

"Hey, slow down!" Krystal yelled at Onyx. He laughed and said "You gotta catch me first!"

"I WOULD if you'd slow down!" she yelled, trying to keep up with him. He was faster then her, but she could jump a lot farther, and she jumped and landed right on his back. "I told you to slow down!" she said in his ear. She got off him and he got back up and tackled her, starting a fight. He bit her leg, making her yell in pain. "HEY! Onyx, knock it off!" I yelled, making him jump off her and lay down, trying to hide from me.

I sighed and said "Onyx, come here, buddy." He slowly walked over to me and laid back down, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. You hurt Krystal. Just be more careful, okay?" I said, rubbing his back. He nodded and said "I'm sorry, Dad. She got me a little mad."

"It's okay. She was just playing. You know that." Lilly said. "I know, Mom. Sorry, Krystal." he said. She just rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "Krystal..." Lilly said. Krystal turned back around and said "It's okay. I forgive you."

"Good. Now, you two get ready. We're gonna go see Aunt Kate and Uncle Humphrey in a few minutes." I said. They ran over to the shallow area of the creek and started washing up. "Did I over react?" I asked Lilly. She looked at me and said "No, you didn't. I was about to yell at him too."

"Yeah, but you saw him. He was so scared of me. I feel like I hurt him." I said, hanging my head. Lilly rubbed my back and said "He knows you were just protecting Krystal. He knows you'd never do anything to hurt him. At least on purpose." I had tears in my eyes and said "You and Krystal go see Kate and Humphrey. I'm going to spend some time with Onyx. We'll meet you guys later, okay?"

"Sure. I think he'd be glad to hang out with his dad." Lilly said, kissing me. I wiped my eyes and said "Thanks, love. Onyx, can you come here for a minute?" He jumped out and shook the water off and walked over to me. He laid down in the grass and said "Y-yeah, Dad?" I sighed and asked "Son, are you afraid of me right now?" He started tearing up and said "A l-little. You r-really scared m-me.", almost crying.

"Come here, buddy." I said, patting the dirt next to me. He got up and walked next to me and laid down. "Onyx, you know I'd never to do anything to hurt you, right?" I asked. He nodded and said "I k-know.", starting to cry. I laid down too and pulled him to me. He broke down crying into my neck. I looked at Lilly and she was in tears too.

"Onyx, look at me." I said. He looked up and I said "I would never hurt you. I might get a little mad sometimes, but I'd never hurt you. When I heard Krystal cry out, I got upset you hurt her. I'd do the same thing if she hurt you." He sniffed and wiped his eyes and said "I know, Dad. You j-just scared me."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Tell you what, if you want, how about we go for a walk and meet Mom and Krystal at Aunt Kate's den later? Just you and me. What do you say?" I asked, smiling at him. He smiled weakly and said "S-sure. You're not going to get mad again, are you?"

"No, I promise I won't. In fact, I've got a surprise for you." I said, scratching his back. His foot started tapping against the ground and he said "What is it?" I looked at Lilly and she was smiling with tears in her eyes. I looked back at him and said "Well, it's a surprise. If I told you, I'd have to kill you." His eyes went wide and he tried backing away from me, but I held onto him and said "It was just a joke."

"Cody! That's not funny!" Lilly said, giggling. "Well, apperantly it is!" I said, laughing. Onyx started laughing and said "I know it was just a joke." About then, Krystal got out of the water and shook off. She came over and laid next to Lilly and said "So, you guys aren't coming with us?"

"We'll catch up later. Onyx and I are going to have some father-son time." I said. "Okay, Dad. Should we go now, Mom?" Krystal asked. "Yeah, we should. See you two in a little while." Lilly said as they got up. She kissed me goodbye and they walked off.

"So, what are we going to do, Dad?" Onyx asked. "Well, first, I need to wash the dirt off. Just lay down on the bank. I'll be done in a few minutes." I said. We got up and went to the water and I hopped in while Onyx laid on the bank. I rinsed the dirt off and saw him staring off into the trees to his right, not paying attention to me. I smiled and splashed a wave of water onto him, surprising him.

"DAD! What was that for!?" he yelled, shaking off again. "Lesson one...Never get distracted." I said, getting out and shaking off. "Lesson one? What's that supposed to mean." he asked, sitting down. "I'm going to teach you a few hunting skills. Sound good?" I asked. His eyes lit up and he said "Yeah!" I laughed and said "Good. That was lesson one. Hey, there's something behind you..."

He turned his head and said "I don't see anyth-" I pounced on him, cutting him off. He got scared and yelled "What are you doing!? I'm sorry, Dad!" I got off him and said "I wasn't going to hurt you. What was lesson one?"

"Never get distracted?" he asked and it suddenly hit him. "I got distracted..." he said, hanging his head. "It's okay. Beginner mistake. Let's move on. Do you know lesson two?" I asked. He shook his head and I said "Lesson two is be silent. I'm going to lay down in the grass. You try and sneak up on me from the forest, okay? If I hear you, you get to try again."

He nodded and said "Got it." I smiled and said "Okay, go hide while I lay down." He ran off and I laid down, waiting for him. I lay there for a few minutes, looking around for him. Surprisingly, I didn't hear anything except the birds and creek. I was starting to think he'd got distracted when I felt something land on my back. I jumped up and yelped, scared. I spun around and saw him sitting in the grass, laughing like crazy.

"Okay, that was really good! Which way did you come from?" I asked, sitting back down. "I went into the forest and circled around to behind you. I almost stepped on a twig, but caught it." he said, smiling. "Very good job! Ready for the next lesson?" I asked. He quickly nodded and we walked into the forest. I was looking around when he asked "Dad, what are we looking for?" I was about to tell him when I saw it. I quickly laid down, pulling him down with me.

"There. See that rabbit?" I wispered, pointing ahead of us. "Yeah, why?" He asked, looking at it. It had it's back to us. "Lesson three...Stalking. Sneak up behind that rabbit and kill it." I said. He looked at me with wide eyes and said "You want me to kill it? I'm not a hunter."

"If you can get that rabbit without it seeing you, you could be. So what's it gonna be?" I asked. He thought for a moment and started slowly creeping forward to it. The rabbit turned it's head to look behind him. Onyx ducked down into the grass and sticks, hiding. The rabbit looked around for a few seconds and turned back around.

Onyx continued to creep behind it and looked back at me. I nodded and so did he. He turned back to it and pounced. He landed on it's back and rolled it over, biting down on it's neck until it was dead. I stood up and said "Very good job, son! Your first kill!" He turned around and tried to say something, rabbit still in his mouth. I laughed and he dropped it and said "Thanks, Dad! That was sooo cool! I thought he'd hear me."

"You did very well. He didn't even get a chance to run. How do you feel now?" I asked. He ran over and hugged me. "Great! I never thought you'd teach me to hunt. I thought we were all Omega's?" I sighed and said "I was supposed to be an Alpha." He sat back, looked at me and said "Really? Why didn't you?"

"It was when I was in my old pack. See, I'm not from this one. My mother tried to get me to go to Alpha School, but I refused. I don't like fighting or hurting others. Eventually she gave up and just taught me hunting skills so I could survive on my own." I said.

"So, you were a lone wolf?" he asked. "For a few days. About a week after she finished teaching me, our pack was attacked. They killed everyone...even..." I said, tearing up. He knew who I meant and said "I'm sorry, Dad. What happened to your dad?"

"I never knew my father. My mom said he was a mistake. He ran off before I was born. If he couldn't accept being a father, then I don't WANT to know him." I said, rubbing his back. "Is that how you and Mom met?" he asked.

I smiled and said "Well, kinda. When the attack happened, my mom told me to run west and find this pack and talk to Winston. His second in command, Hutch, found me by the river and took me to him. We talked with Eve for a while and they accepted me into the pack." I said.

"You mean Grandma and Grandpa?" he asked, smiling. I nodded and said "Yep, the very same." "So, when DID you meet Mom?"

"After we talked, they asked if I was an omega. I told them yes and they said there was a group of omega's by the pond. I went over and met Salty, Shakey and Mooch. We were about to go log sledding when Mom came over to us." I said, thinking back to that day. "You know how they say "love at first sight"? He nodded and I said "Well, that's what it was."

"Wow, really? Did Mom fall in love with you like that, too?" he asked, wagging his tail. "That I can't tell you. You'd have to ask her." I said. "Wow, Dad. I never knew all that."

"Well, now you do. Feel like learning a few more things?" I asked. He stood up and said "Hell yeah!" I looked at him in shock and he said "Oops...Sorry, Dad." I laughed and said "Just watch it next time. Mom won't want to hear you say that."

"Got it. So what now?" he asked. I thought for a moment and said "Let's see...We covered distractions, being silent and stalking...Hm, I guess that's it."

"What about defence? In case I come across another wolf?" he asked. "I'll let Grandma or Grandpa teach you that. I'm not very skilled in fighting." I said. "Think maybe you should learn at least a few things in order to protect yourself and us?" he asked, smiling. I thought about it and said "You know what? You're right. I'll ask if they can teach us both when you're a little older. Sound good?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Dad! Should we go over to Aunt Kate's den now?" he asked. "Yeah, good idea. Grab your rabbit. Something to show off with." I said, laughing. He ran over and picked it up and we started walking to Kate and Humphrey's den. "Hey Dad?" he asked out of the blue.

"Yeah, son. What's up?" I asked. "Would you ever leave Mom and us if it got too hard?" he asked, shocking me. I stopped and said "Son, listen to me. I would NEVER leave you guys. I love you guys too much and couldn't live with myself if I left. I'm not a coward, like my father. If I feel overwhelmed, I can ask Grandma or Grandpa to help me out. They'd be happy to."

"Thanks, Dad. I just wanted to know that you'd never leave." he said, continuing to walk again. "It's okay. I won't." I said, walking next to him. A few minutes later we got close to their den and I got an idea.

"Hey, Onyx. Let me take the rabbit and you go around to the side. I'll distract Mom and Krystal while you jump them. Don't jump out until I say "I don't know." I said, smiling. He got excited and said "That sounds fun! I'll go to the other side behind them." He dropped the rabbit and ran off. I picked it back up and walked to where they all were sitting. They were talking and laughing when Lilly saw me come up alone.

"Hey, babe...Wait, where's Onyx!?" she asked, getting worried. "Uh...I don't know..." I said, lying. Her eyes went wide and she yelled "What do you mean you don't kn-" as Onyx jumped on her back, scaring her. She shot out from under him and spun around to see him there laughing.

"What the? Where did you come from?" she asked, still scared. "Behind you." he said, still laughing. "I taught him some hunting skills. One of them was being quiet and sneaking." I said, smiling. She started laughing and said "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, Mom. It was Dad's idea." he said, looking at me. Lilly glared at me and said "Oh, so it was your idea, was it?" "Gee, thanks Onyx." I said, smiling at him. Lilly hit my shoulder and said "Jerk..." and walked back over to Krystal and Onyx and sat down. I dropped the rabbit next to Onyx and Krystal asked "What's with the rabbit?"

"Onyx's first kill. He did very well. Never even heard him coming..." I said, proud of him. "Good job, Onyx!" Humpherey said. "Yeah, great job! Rabbit's are pretty hard to catch if they hear you." Kate said. "Thanks, guys." he said, smiling.

"Well, what are you two waiting for? Dig in!" Lilly said. Onyx and Krystal started eating the rabbit while we all talked. "What all did you guys do while you were out?" Lilly asked.

"I just taught him some skills...And we talked for a few minutes." I said. "What about?" she asked. "He asked how come I wasn't an Alpha and how we met." I said, nuzzling her.

"Didn't scar him too much, did you?" she asked, giggling. "Of course not. You think I'd tell him about that?" I asked. "Tell me what?" he asked. I looked at him and said "Nothing important. You done already?"

"Yeah, I wasn't very hungry." he said, sitting next to me. "Hey, Kate. Where's you guys' pups?" Lilly asked. "They're with Mom and Dad. They wanted to spend some time with them." Kate said. "Oh, okay. You guys wanna go see them?" Lilly asked. Onyx and Krystal started wagging their tails and said "Yeah!"

"Okay then. Let's go." I said. We all walked to Winston and Eve's den and went up the slope and inside. Eve saw us walk in and said "Hey guys." Lupa, Candice and Colin spun around to see their parents there and ran over to them.

"Good to see you guys too!" Kate said, laughing. "Everything alright here?"

"Yep. We were all just talking. Where've you guys been?" Eve asked. "Over at our den for a while." Humphrey said. "Hey Winston?" I asked. "Yeah?" he said.

"In a couple weeks, do you think you could teach Onyx and I some defencive skills?" I asked. He looked surprised and said "Well, sure, but why?" "Well, I want to be able to protect them and Onyx wants to be able to defend himself if he needs to. I was teaching him some hunting skills earlier and he got a rabbit." I said.

"Well, good job! If you guys really want, I guess I can. I'll ask Tundra if he could help out." Winston said. "Thanks." Onyx and I said at the same time. We all kept talking for a while until it was dark. Colt woke up and was hungry again and Kate and Humphrey's pups were getting tired.

"Well, I guess we'll be going now before they fall asleep." Kate said, standing up. "Okay, see you guys tommorow." Eve said, laying down with Colt. "Do you guys wanna head home yet?" Lilly asked. Krystal and Onyx yawned and I said "Seems like it. Goodnight, guys."

"See you later. Take care." Winston said, walking over to Eve and laying down with her. We all walked out and back towards home when Krystal asked "If you guys are going to be learning how to defend, does that mean you'll be gone a long time?"

"No, we'll still be here. Onyx and I will be away a little while longer during the day, but we're not going to leave." I said. She nodded and we got to the den a little while later and went inside. "Hey Mom?" Onyx asked, sitting down. "What is it, honey?" She asked, laying down with Krystal. "Well...Is it okay if..." he started, looking nervous.

"If you what?" I asked. "Is it okay if I sleep with Dad tonight?" he quickly asked, like he wasn't sure If he was allowed to. "Of course you can. Why'd you get so nervous?" Lilly asked. "Well, you always have us sleep next to you...I always thought that's where we're supposed to sleep." he said. "Honey, you can sleep with either of us. It doesn't matter." she said. He smiled and laid down next to me, leaning his head against my shoulder.

"Why'd you want to sleep next to me all the sudden?" I asked, smiling. "I don't know. I just did." he said. "Seems that father-son time really got to him." Lilly said, laughing. I smiled and said "Seems like it." He fell asleep rather quickly along with Krystal. Lilly and I stayed up with each other.

"Do you remember when we first met?" she asked. I smiled and said "Of course I do. Why do you ask?" She looked me in the eyes and said "Because it was right then I knew I loved you. Silly, huh?"

"Nope, not at all. It was love at first sight for me too." I said, licking her cheek. "Remember our first howl?"

"Yeah I do. That was so great the way you stood up to Carlos like that." she said, smiling. "And I'd do it again." I said, nuzzling her. She yawned and laid her head down. "I'm tired...I think I'm gonna go to sleep now." she said. I kissed her and said "Okay, love. I am too..." I laid my head down on my paws and closed my eyes, falling asleep.