Time jump:

"Mom?!" May barged into the house, rushing to her mother and tackling her into a hug.

Holding her tightly, she kissed the top of her head. "Are you alright?" Pulling away she scanned her from head to toes. Taking note of every scar and bruise.

May shook her head. "Just a few scratches."

"What happened?" Not letting her go, she walked them back to the living room.

Bobby and the rest of the team, plus Emilian and Jess walked into the house. His attention was drawn to the pack of wolves in his backyard. "Give me a mom-uff." The air was knocked out of his lungs, seconds before falling to the ground. These were the moments he was thankful for the healing. The pain in his back went away before it was able to spread. Opening his eyes he was met with bright yellow ones. "Hi, Spencer."

'You're okay!' Spencer whined, nuzzling into the alpha's chest. 'Emilian said you were hurt.'

"I'm fine." Pushing the wolf off him, he was helped up by Emilian. "A little warning next time would be nice."

"A 70-something-pound wolf running at you wasn't enough?" Jess teased.

Rolling his eyes, he ordered her out. "Have them ready to head back home in a few minutes."

"They haven't eaten yet." Athena jumped in. "They were waiting for you."

He was a bit surprised by her. But he wasn't about to question it. "Let them eat first, we'll leave in a few hours." His eyes landed on Emilian.

"I'm gonna go out..." Emilian gave a nervous chuckle. "There. Eddie, you coming?"

"Yeah." Tapping Hen's shoulder he gestures for them to follow. "Dave makes the best burgers."

Once alone Bobby took a seat across from the two females. "Nothing too bad happened. The fire was contained, but there was severe damage to the building."

"Nothing major happen?" Athena asked.

"Nope."

"Yet, May didn't react at the wolf in the house?" She pointed out. "Or the fact that you can understand them."

"Well, there's that." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "She knows about me and Emilian."

"How?"

May shared a look with him sighing. "He shifted."

"Why?"

"Emilian and I had a disagreement." Bobby grumbled.

Athena raised a brow. "About what?"

"So much for not telling her." May chuckled. "Emilian growled at me when I shoved him."

Athena gapped at her daughter. "Shoved him? Why?"

Bobby knew there was no way he would have gotten away with it. "Roof fell over us. I was stabbed by a pipe on my side. Emilian pulled it out and May reacted. I snapped and we both shifted." Athena was standing in front of him by the time he was finished. "I'm fine."

"Where?"

"Athe-"

"Bobby!" She snapped. "Where?"

Opening the side of his jacket side, he showed her the hole in his shirt. But otherwise woundless side. He had come home straight after being checked out, leaving him in his work pants and shirt. "It's healed as soon as it was out. I'm fine."

"You can't keep scaring me like this." Athena relaxed, running her finger where there once was a hole.

"I'm sorry, but this one was not my fault." He chuckled, leaning into her touch. Her scent wrapping around him. He missed being home.

"So, who are they?" May glanced at the group in their backyard.

Bobby followed her gaze. "My pack." A smile appeared on his face. "Come." Holding his hand out for her, he waited for her to take it. "Emilian."

"Ye-" He knew what Bobby was about to do. This was a bit of a big deal, for them anyways. He just didn't think it would be now and here of all places. "Dave." The older man's eyes widen, laughing before shifting.

Bobby told May to stay with her mother before shifting. 'Shift.' He ordered the pack.

Trotting over to his team, he grabbed Eddie's hand and pulled him to stand beside May. Followed by Buck, Hen, Chim, and then Lucy. He made sure Athena and May stood just in the middle and just a little more forward.

'I realize this is not the traditional way of doing this, but I'm doing it here.' Bobby stood before his pack. 'You are my pack, but they are also my pack. As of this moment, they will also be yours. Athena Grant will be your alpha female.' He glanced at the two females in his life. 'May Grant is my pup, therefore she is your next alpha to be.'

'Female as an alpha?' A brown wolf scoffed. 'It's never been allowed.'

'That changes now.' Bobby stated. 'She is my only pup.'

'Then make another!' The same wolf growled. 'She's a girl.'

Athena watched curiously. Bobby stalked towards a brown wolf in the back. Growling turning to snarls and snapping of the teeth. She jumped the moment Bobby lunged at the wolf. The noises coming from the wolves were that of a nightmare. Their teeth ripping at each other. Claws hooking onto the skin of the other. Her hands reached for May ready to take her inside.

"Don't move." Eddie whispered beside her. "They will see it as a sign of weakness."

"Wolves are fighting." Athena whispered back. "One happens to be my husband. If they get out of control-"

"It won't." He pointed to the others creating a wall between them and the fight. "They won't let it happen."

"But, Bobby just attacked him for no reason." May flinched at hearing the yelp.

"Marcus challenged Bobby's decision." Emilian shifted back, slipping his sweats on. "Marcus was ordered to stand down and he refused to do so."

"So it's a fight for dominance?" Hen asked.

The wolf nodded. "Only Marcus would think now of all times would be a good idea to challenge the alpha."

"But he was picked to take over?" Athena thought back to what Emilian had told her. "I thought they wouldn't challenge him."

"They can and many will." Emilian smirked as the fighting stopped. Bobby stood over the wolf with its throat in his jaws. "But it will take a hell of a lot to take the alpha down."

"Is he going to kill him?" Buck took a step forward, jumping back at a wolf snapping in his way. "Back off!"

"He's just preventing your interfering." Eddie rolled his eyes.

"No, he won't kill him." Emilian replied. "This was only to get Marcus back in his place."

True to his word, Bobby stepped away from the beaten wolf. He eyed Marcus waiting for his next move. Not to his surprise, the brown wolf flopped belly side up and whined. With a scoff, he walked back to the front.

'Any other objections?' The pack whined, bearing their necks. 'Good.'

"When we come up to you, don't step away." Emilian walked over to the wolves. "We will go to Athena, then May, and so on. Just do what you did to me. Run your hands up and down our necks" Shifting into his grey wolf, he leads the wolves.

Emilian began with Athena, letting her scent mark him. Moving onto May she did the same thing. The pack followed suit, except for Marcus. Bobby stopped him from going anywhere near the humans. The others weren't surprised by this move. Until Marcus could show he accepted the humans he wouldn't be scent marked by the alpha's mate and pup. It was a hard blow for a wolf. To be deprived of an alpha's touch was the same as being starved.

By the time the pack had eaten, they were scattered across the lawn. Many were asleep, a few still holding out. Bobby stood by the door looking over them. It was rare for them to feel so as ease anywhere, but their home. Feeling Athena wrap her arms around him, he covered her hands with his.

"May's been hovering in the living room for the past hour." She muttered into his back.

Bobby chuckled. "More questions?"

"Mhmm."

"What about you?" Bobby grabbed her hand, pulling her in front of him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he nudged her head back. Burying his face in the crook of her neck. "How are you feeling?"

"I've done some thinking." She whispered. "We'd have to talk some things over."

"Okay."

Looking over at May she chuckled. "She's brought out a notebook."

Bobby snapped his head up. May was writing down vigorously in her notebook. "Let's get this started."

"What hurts you?" May sat across from Bobby at the dinner table, her notebook splayed out in front of her. "Like what's difficult to heal from?"

"That would be Wolf's bane." Emilian sat beside her, nursing the same beer for the past hour. "No matter the form it's in."

"Form?"

"Wolf's bane is a purple flower. It can be made into powder or liquid. It can be mixed into anything. Hunters became creative when they discovered the effect. Mixing it the gun powder, dipping their arrows and something mixing it into their town's water supply."

She crossed something off, before writing something else down. "How does it affect you?"

Bobby thought back to the night he was shot. "It burns. I couldn't move, felt like something was holding me down. My blood was hot and I was having difficulty breathing."

"The flower starts with our nervous system and moves with the flow of the blood. Once it reaches the lungs, it attacks them directly. From there it moves to the heart." Emilian added. "We have been working on building our tolerance for it."

Athena reached for her cup of coffee. "How?"

"We have been drinking wolf's bane for the past month." Bobby answered. "They are up to three drops at the moment."

"Does it hurt when you shift?" May asked.

Bobby shook his head. "No."

"Does the color of a wolf mean anything?"

Again he shook his head. "Not that I know of. I'm a black wolf. Emilian is a gray one."

Turning the pages back and forth, she muttered to herself. "What was that earlier? The argument with the other wolf. Emilian said he had stepped out of line."

Bobby knew that was coming up. "Some of them still don't trust humans. Marcus is one of those and he has his reasons."

"Did they harm him?" May's eyes drifted to the brown wolf laying by a light gray one.

"His village found out what they were and they deemed them monsters. Killed his mother and older sisters. It's only him and his young sister." Emilian replied.

"I am going to assume he isn't the only one?" Athena asked.

Emilian shook his head. "No, we have all had our encounters. Even Bobby with the hunters, but not everyone resents them. Take Spencer, for example, he's the newest pack mate and the one who should hate them to most." He called Spencer over. Running his hand over the pup's head, he raised his head to show a scar hidden by his fur. "Spencer is the newest member. There is a reason he doesn't like to shift. The fur hides the many scars on his body."

Athena held her hand out for him, caressing his neck and back as he laid his head on her lap. "What happened to him?"

"Hunters raided his pack's home. Killed his family and took him." Emilian muttered.

"Took him?" May turned to the young wolf, hesitantly reaching out to him.

"They needed him alive." Bobby's voice was void of any emotions. "They wanted to experiment on us. See how quickly we can heal. How quickly certain body forms of wolf's bane affected us. We found Spencer a few weeks ago." Bobby noticed the hold Athena had on the pup. It was the same hold she had May in moments ago.

"How long was he in that hell?" Looking down at Spencer, she ran her hand gently over his head. As her hand ran down his back, she clenched her jaws. She felt the scars hidden beneath the fur. From what Eddie told her about Spencer, he couldn't be any older than May. "Who cares for him?"

"He was held two months before we found out about him." Bobby raised a brow, he knew where this was going. "Emilian watches out for him."

"Just him?" May jumped in, knowing what her mother was planning.

Sharing a look with Bobby he chuckled. "Eddie helps out."

"We have an extra bedroom that isn't being used." Athena threw it out there casually. "He could stay there."

Bobby took her hand in his. "Just say what you want to do Athena."

Looking at her husband and back to Spencer, she pulled him closer to her. "He's staying with us."

"Okay." Kissing her gently on the head, he turned to Emilian. "You heard the boss."

"Yes alpha." With a deep chuckle, he stood from the table. "I will break the news to Eddie."

May stared at the dozing-off pup with sad eyes. "Why would anyone want to hurt them?"

"They don't understand them." Bobby whispered. "I didn't at first. I saw this as a curse, I still do at times. But I also see it as a gift."

"May, get the room ready for him." Athena ordered, hearing the pup snore quietly. "Bobby, can you pick him up?"

"Yeah." Walking around her, he wrapped an arm across Spencer's chest and the other under his belly. "Come on little wolf." Spencer wagged his tail a few times, snuggling against his shoulder.

Emilian stood by the door, watching the alpha family walk off. Bobby may have come to them as any newborn pup would, but he's grown into the role of alpha quicker than expected. There was no doubt their previous alpha knew what he was doing.

Bobby stood by the door watching May and Athena fuss over the wolf. May pulled the blankets out, as Athena tucked him in. The alpha chuckled at the lovesick look in the pup's eyes. "'Thena?"

"Hmm?"

"He's a wolf." Bobby pointed out.

Athena raised a brow, narrowing her eyes at the pup. "Really now? I hadn't noticed is he hiding under those eyes? That fur?"

Rolling his eyes, he walked up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist. "I meant he has fur love. He's going to have a heat stroke under those blank-" He stopped the small whimper. Looking down he found Spencer snuggling deeper into the blanket. "I suppose I was wrong."

"Yes. Yes, you were." Patting him on the shoulder, she shooed them out of the room. "You need anything, let us know."

Bobby flicked the light off, closing the door behind him. He was pulled back by a low whimper. "Spencer?"

'C-can you leave the light on?' Spencer peeled out from the mountain of blankets. 'I don't like the dark.'

"Of course." Turning the light back on, he stopped mid-step. "You sure you will be okay here? We never asked if you wanted to move in with us."

'I'm with my alpha.' Spencer yelped. 'I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. You saved my life.'

"I did-"

'You did.' Kicking the blankets off him, he jumped off the bed and flopped to his back. 'You hunted down those that harmed me. I never got to thank you.'

"Go to bed Spencer." Bobby still held nightmares from that night. The only moment of peace he got was sleeping in the arms of his wife.

'Alpha?'

"Yes?"

'Can you watch over me?' He sounded so small. 'Until I go to sleep.'

Shifting into his form, he jumped onto the bed. Curling up behind Spencer, he laid his head over the younger wolf's neck. Athena showed up a few moments later with a bowl of water. Seeing her husband as a wolf was an unsuspecting shock. But in the end, she climbed into bed with them. Bobby moved from his spot, letting her lay against Spencer's back. Settling behind her, he draped his paw across her waist. Athena turned to face him, tucking her arms between them and burying her face into his chest. It was no surprise to hear May jump into the bed as well. She snuggled up close to Spencer, letting the pup move in close looking for her warmth.

Closing his eyes, Bobby cherished the peaceful moments. This was his home.