"Hey, pretty girl." Jude says as he strolls into the living room, a wide smile on his face and his shirt plastered to his chest with sweat.

Damn he's beautiful.

"Hey, handsome. How was training?" I ask. He shrugs and takes a drink of my water before leaning down to kiss me quickly.

"Boring. But I'm glad to see you. What did you do today?" He asks, giving me his undivided attention. That's something about Jude I've always loved. When he talks to you, he makes you feel like the center of his world.

"I went to visit Jenna and her mom. They've been so heartbroken lately they haven't had the energy to clean, so I cleaned up for them and put something on the stove for dinner. Then I went to the hospital and visited a few people. A new pup was born and her mom let me hold her. She was cutest little thing, Jude!" I say excitedly. He grins and kisses me again. "But I missed you." I add when he pulls away. His smile is nearly blinding.

"I missed you too, sunshine." He murmurs quietly.

"Dad's on his way over." Eli says, walking into the room. He walks up to us, both of my mates stand towering over me and it makes me feel incredibly small for a moment.

"What does he want?" Jude asks and Eli shrugs.

"No idea. Go shower. You're nasty." Eli says, his face pinching in disgust making me giggle. Eli laughs and leans down, tickling my sides. Then he goes for a foot and I strike out, kicking him in the stomach. He grunts and holds his abdomen, giving me a firm look.

"Don't look at me like that. You know better than to tickle my feet. I don't feel even a little bit guilty." I say and Jude's loud laughter rings through the room. Eli huffs a little, but doesn't say anything else.

Jude disappears up the stairs to shower as we wait. Just as he comes back down, Eli goes to answer the door. A moment later, Alpha walks in the room, looking incredibly tired.

"Natalie?"

"Yes, Alpha?" I respond, standing to give him a hug. Alpha walks further into the living room, looking slightly haggard. But that's been his norm, since the attack. He wraps me in a firm embrace, kissing the top of my head before letting me go.

"I have a favor to ask of you." He says, sitting down in the chair across from me and as I sit, my mates sink in to either side of me on the couch. Jude wraps his arm around my shoulders as Eli grips my thigh.

"And what's that?" I ask. I sense both Eli and Jude on edge, apparently already not liking where this is going.

"After the attack, we need to strengthen our ties. Maybe make some new allies. I'm going to be travelling to a few nearby packs to speak with other Alphas. Form some new bonds. I would like to bring you with me. To use your gift." He says and both of my mates growl in response, but I'm just confused.

"What do you mean?" I ask, patting both of their legs to calm them down. Alpha sighs, running a hand through his hair and I see for the first time in my life the heavy weight he carries as the leader of our pack.

"In case some of them feel a little... unsure of my proposal. I thought you could help gently sway them. Not to the point where they could feel it, tell that you're using a gift, but enough that they would feel like it's a good idea. That they would agree to be our allies." He says and I nod in understanding.

"I suppose I could make them feel hopeful about your suggestions. But I can't outright change their minds." I say and he nods.

"That would be helpful enough. Anything to ensure the bloodbath we just went through doesn't happen again." He says sadly, his eyes falling to the floor. I take a little of his guilt from him, pushing joy back in its' place. He gives me a smile, some of the normal warmth glowing in his eyes again. "Thank you, sweetheart." He says, standing and crossing the room to peck a kiss to my head.

"We're going too." Jude says, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"And she doesn't leave our sight." Eli adds, tightening his hold on my leg. Alpha sighs again, but nods.

"I figured as much. You boys should get used to these kinds of things anyway. The pack will be yours, soon enough." He says, looking between the twins. The pride is evident, despite knowing they both still have things to learn. He leaves the house, but both of my mates stay plastered to my side.

"We leave in a couple of days." Eli says, leaning down and running his lips along jawline. I hum a little in pleasure, leaning closer to him. I climb into his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck and tucking my face close to him.

They have both been so busy around the pack lately I haven't gotten to spend as much time with them as I would like. I have been working hard in training, trying to learn as much as I can, get as strong as I can while also practicing my gift. I can feel it, when I pull on that well of power in me, it's growing stronger and feels more like a part of me than before. I look up at Eli and see him looking down at me. He smiles a little, but he can't mask the worry on his face about our upcoming trip.

"I'm going to run patrol tonight." He says, kissing me gently. I pout a little making them both chuckle.

"I'll be gone before you get back in the morning. I'm going over to the school to help them set up for the new year to start." I say, threading my fingers in his hair and clinging to him tightly. I hate when one of them leaves. The only time my wolf feels even a little settled is when they're both with me, within my grasp.

"I'll stop there then, to see you before I come home." Eli murmurs, pressing his lips against mine. They part easily for him, his tongue gliding over mine, making me moan into the kiss. His hands tighten around my waist as he pulls me closer to him. He pulls away abruptly, leaving me wanting more.

"Fuck I'm gonna miss you." Eli says and I giggle a little, leaning in to kiss him again. He stands and passes me off to Jude, pecking one last longing kiss to my forehead before he disappears out of the house.

I look up at Jude shyly, my cheeks blushing as my thoughts wander. He chuckles a little at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" He asks, threading his fingers through my hair and using his grip to pull my face to his. He kisses me quickly, before pulling away slightly and rubbing his nose against mine. The adorable move makes me laugh, joy bubbling up in my belly. My eyes meeting his again and the depth of love swirling in them strengthens my resolve.

"I was just thinking..." I say, twirling the hair at the base of his skull around my finger and looking away from him shyly. "If we're going on this trip, around other packs..." I continue. Jude watches me curiously, shaking me a little when his patience runs out.

"Yes..." He encourages me to continue.

"I was thinking, well... I should probably be marked by both of my mates."