Chapter 46

~Aaden POV~

I woke up enveloped in Derek's strong arms, my tangled hair laying in curls and tumbles around his head. Instantly, I missed the little bundle we kept between us, my heart clenching for half a second before I remembered that I would see him later today.

I gently moved Derek's arm from around me, surprised when he continued to sleep, and sat up. I pulled my jeans, a baggy black tank top, and undergarments from our bag and quietly got dressed. Derek usually woke up when I did, but I wasn't going to wake him if I could help it. We had had a long day yesterday.

I opened the door just enough for me to slide through and silently closed it. I headed down to the lobby, having smelled some wonderful scents from upstairs. When I reached the breakfast room, a few of our members had stumbled in, quite a few held a cup of coffee. The wolves nodded their heads when I met their eyes and I smiled and greeted them.

I snagged an apple and a banana from the fruit basket and began to head back upstairs when I felt Derek's emotions go panicky, then sour. I sighed.

"Good morning sunshine," I said sarcastically upon walking back in. "You didn't wake me." His voice was stern, surprisingly even angry. "No," I said, defensive and confused, "I thought I should let my husband sleep after a busy day and night." "Where did you go?" His tone didn't change.

"Downstairs to get something to munch on. I brought you a banana." I tossed the fruit on the bed beside him, moved to irritation myself. I took a bite from my apple. He growled then, throwing the sheets from him and standing, moving to be in front of me. He towered over me, his slight anger crashing into me. "Don't leave without letting me know anymore."

Angered, I tossed my apple in the garbage, no longer hungry, and walked to the side door, sliding it open and walking out onto the balcony. I dug my fingers into my skin, trying to control my rage. A busy, but decent day yesterday, followed up by great sex last night, and he wakes up grumpy. It would figure.

After about five minutes, he came out to the balcony also, dressed in his standard black shirt, jeans, and leather jacket, eating the banana. I resisted the urge to snatch it and ram it down his throat.

"Babe," he turned to me, but I didn't look at him, in fear that I just might punch him. He reached out then, tugging me to his side, his arm tight around my waist. "I was an asshole, I'm sorry," he said, sounding amused, "I just didn't like waking up alone and not knowing where you went." "I was gone for all of four minutes. It's not my fault you were sleeping like the dead."

He chuckled, his fingers lightly tracing my spine. He sighed, turned me and pressed his lips to mine. I hated when he did that. It immediately made me feel better. He was such a cheater.

"I have someone I want you to meet." "Oh? Who is this person?" "She's someone you'll love, I promise. She's the reason I had to take so long at Natalie's." I tried to push down the sudden possessiveness, but it sprung up and I couldn't contain it before Derek felt it.

"No worries, my love," he said, pecking my lips and fisting up the back of my shirt, "My eyes are only for you. She's family." I felt foolish. He'd never be with someone else, he couldn't. We were bound to each other. "What's her name?" I asked, suddenly really curious. A part of me hoped that it was Cora, so that I could finally meet my sister-in-law, but at the same time, it didn't feel like it would be her. Derek would have gotten to her way before yesterday.

"You'll meet her momentarily. I'll let her tell you. Come on." He said, taking my hand after throwing the banana peel off the balcony into the woods. I rolled my eyes and followed him.

When we got downstairs, everyone was alert and ready to move. We had more plans to make upon getting home, and I was ready to see Galen, but I sensed the new girl, finding her caramel colored head among the bodies of Farren, Jared and the rest of the group. The Luna in me immediately reacted to seeing her, regardless of the fact that I had yet to see her face. She was family. A Hale, a tie to his almost completely diminished side.

Derek cleared his throat and all the wolves stood, respectively nodding once more. The girl with the light brown waves stood and shyly looked our way. I gripped Derek's hand. She looked so much like a Hale, there was no mistaking her heritage. Her scared, yet warm, brown eyes hovered carefully over my figure, an instant respect being established. I looked questionably up to Derek, who, much to my surprise, grinned down at me, and began leading me forward.

We stopped in front of her and she gave a tiny smile, then scared the hell out of me by basically jumping on Derek, giving him a warm hug. I had expected jealousy to follow on my end, but it didn't. Instead, protectiveness flowed through me, bonding me to this young girl as Beta and Luna. I could tell she felt it too, because when she let Derek go, she turned to me.

"You must be Aaden." As shy as she seemed, I was floored when her strong voice came clearly. "Yes." I smiled, no longer able to keep it hidden. Without a word, she came closer, asking without speaking, and I opened my arms to her. She gave me as fierce a hug as she had Derek. I realized then that she smelled like him too, just not so ashy.

"Derek didn't tell me about you," I said, pulling back to look at her. "Figures, he always forgets to mention important things." She gave him the Hale look. I giggled. "My name is Malia. I was captured by Natalie's people about a month ago. I was on my way to join you, or at least Derek since he'd not told me about you before I contacted him. I was traveling with three others. They didn't make it. When Natalie heard that I was related, she figured that she'd keep me as a surprise."

I felt my heart turn in anger for a second remembering Natalie and what she'd done, but pushed it away. We'd gained not one, not two, but seven new members. They'd been under Natalie for a while and wanted to rebel, but were scared and young. One even included the young werewolf boy she'd had tied to her bed last night. Turned out he was fifteen, with no living family as far as he knew. He told us that his name was Oscar.

I pushed away my rushing thoughts and turned back to Malia. "Well, I'm so happy to have met you Malia. It's nice to have, not only our group, but our family extending. Anything you didn't tell her, hon?" I asked, and he shook his head before giving me a side wink. I smiled, understanding that he'd tell me later.

~Derek POV~

Aaden crawled into the backseat with me, cuddling against me. When she'd left without me this morning, I'd panicked, hoping that she wouldn't see or meet Malia before I had the chance to introduce them. I knew they'd get along, but I had wanted to make sure to be there.

But as I was about to tell her, there was a bigger surprise waiting for Malia. "So?" She asked on cue. "I haven't told her about Galen. She's spoke to me for a long time about kids, and it was supposed to be a surprise for when she arrived, it just got delayed." "Oh, she'll be so happy. Everyone loves Galen. And I look forward to having a lighter chest," she murmured the end, making me laugh. "I'll bet."

It took us another long stretch of time to reach the house, but I felt my relief and Aaden's as we pulled back into the driveway. "Home sweet home," she mumbled, pressing her lips gently to my jaw. Farren's eyes met mine in the mirror and she nodded. I knew she'd been looking forward to getting home to Spencer almost as much as Aaden and I did with our son. It was no secret anymore that they were together, it just stayed on the low end of the discussion pool.

As soon as Farren put the car in park, Aaden was out of the car and through the door of the house. I hurried to catch up, and got there just in time to see her quickly, yet gently, lift Galen from his bassinet.

"Hello, hello my darling, Mommy missed you so much!" Galen's answering gurgles charmed her, and once again, I felt pride. At four months old, Galen was stretching the seams of a nine month old's onesie. He was definitely going to be built like me, strong and independent so that one day, he could run the pack and protect his own Luna and children.

It shamed me to remember how I'd stressed Aaden to get rid of him. Had anyone been able to prove how I'd feel about him, I would never have uttered a word to her about it.

Aaden interrupted my thoughts by walking over, the baby on her shoulder. "Hey there little man," I said, beaming when he smiled at me around his little balled up fist. I took him when Aaden offered him to me, laying him in the crook of my arm before wrapping my other around my wife. I eagerly awaited Malia to appear in the door.

Amy came rushing from down the stairs, leaping into Jared's arms before he'd even gotten through the door, and Spencer came quickly down the stairs shortly after, seeking Farren's embrace, which he received seconds later. Jessica rushed up from the basement, running outside and hopping into Vlad's arms. And then there was Malia, laughing with Oscar as they came into their new home.

When she looked up, she stopped, making Oscar look up, alarmed. Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears as they landed on Galen's little body. She cleared her throat several times before saying, "Derek, why didn't you tell me?" All eyes turned to watch what was going on.

"Surprise," I said sheepishly, shrugging slightly and looking down onto the small face of my son. She walked over, almost like she was afraid he'd disappear. When she was close enough, she peered down, her eyes lighting up again when he gave her his standard, heart swelling smile. "He looks just like her," she murmured, "can I…?"

Without hesitation, I put him in her arms. He cooed, reaching up and placing semi-wet fingers on her cheek. "Hello Baby," she said, kissing his little head. "What is his name?" "Galen."

"Well, happy to meet you, Galen. I'm Malia."

**Thanks so much for reading! I hope you all like the introduction of Malia! I felt like Derek should have a family member come in, since Cora might not ever show up. Please R&R and have a good day!**