"Tim, I'm so sick of this!" I whined, "My feet hurt, my back hurts, and I am hot!" I pouted throwing myself onto the couch dramatically.

Tim walked out of his bedroom, tossing the t-shirt in his hand over his shoulder, leaving his chiseled chest and abs free for viewing. Damn, my husband was sexy, I thought to myself as he sat on the couch next to me, pulling my legs onto his lap and dotingly starting rubbing my feet. "Mmmm," I groaned in satisfaction letting my head fall back on the pillow as I enjoyed the attention Tim was giving me.

"Why are you so whiney today?" He asked.

"I'm tired of packing and cleaning, I want to be done! I'm so sick of it; I hate moving and that's all I've done for the last year is move. " I rolled my eyes at him, "You should know this." I gave him an exasperated sigh.

"You know this has been planned. We are moving back to the pack lands, to our house. The one we are going to raise our pups in. We have already been through this. You only have to move one more time. " He said, reiterating the same conversation we had over and over.

"I know." I whined again as I looked over my swelling belly. "I just don't like moving! It's so hot! You have no idea what it's like to be a human furnace in the summer. "

Tim chuckled at me as he moved his attention to my second foot. "Tell me what's really bothering you my love."

We sat silently for a few minutes, before answering. I didn't like that I was upset, I really wish I could just let it go, "I got the letter back, return to sender. He didn't even read it, Tim. "

"Ah, so that's it. I wish you would stop letting this eat you up. It's not good for you or the pups. " Tim placed his hand on my growing belly and gently rubbed it, a motion he has come to learn instantly calms me. "We said we would try to tell him, and you did. You can honestly say that you have tried. Between the emails, the letters, and McKenna's mother you have tried to reach out. "

He was right, as always, we had tried, I had tried. Mrs. Jones had even tried to reach out to him, but with no luck, every time she said he refused to even speak to her about me. I just nodded, knowing that Tim was right. I needed to stop letting this eat me up. There was nothing I could do if Tate didn't want to hear from me.

As much as there is a part of me that wanted to know him, there was another part, the protective motherly part that didn't want him anywhere near the pups. Tim and I didn't need him trying to mess up the life we ​​were building for ourselves. Not to mention the fact that there is no way I would want someone like Kimber to live in my pups either. Him not responding to me was really win-win.

"I know, thank you." I smiled at Tim, "You are always my voice of reason. I love you. " I pulled my legs off Tim's lap and set them on the floor, struggling to sit up. "Uhhh, lets get this finished. This August heat is getting to me. " I wiped the sweat that was already forming on my brow.

As we finished cleaning up the dorm, packing the last couple of boxes into the truck we drove to our new home. Well, for Allison it was new, for me it was a home that had a lot of memories, memories I was happy to be able to share with our pups as they grew up.

"Hey Tim" Linc called out to me as I walked through the packhouse. "Got a sec, I want to talk to you about something." Nodding my head towards my brother, I walked over to him, following him to his office.

I made my way over to the chair in front of his desk, plopping down. I kicked my feet up on his desk. "Get your feet off my desk." He said, shoving them off roughly. "I hate how you do that!" Leaning himself on the edge of the desk where my feet had just been.

Laughing at him I said, "I only do it since it bothers you so much." Linc rolled his eyes, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"The house." Came he simple and meaningful reply, he was talking about our childhood home. The one that meant a lot to both of us, the one that Alpha, I should have had, but now technically was Linc's. "Are you and Allison going to be moving in?"

This was kind of a thorn in my side, I wanted nothing more than to raise my family in that house. It had been something I was told would be mine from when I was young. My dad would tell me, "One day your pups will be running around here." Just thinking of those moments, made the hurt, fear, and anger flash through me about what that drunk driver had stolen from me.

I remained silent, knowing that my voice would betray me. After a few quiet minutes, Linc broke the silence. "McKenna and I are going to build a house in the open lot next to it. I want you to know I never had any intention of living there, which was always supposed to be the home you raised your family in. "

Finally finding my voice I replied, "Thank you brother. You have no idea what this means to me. " I knew he could see the tears in my eyes but being the great man that he is he didn't point it or lord it over me.

"Nothing to thank me for. I was just waiting for you to say something, but you never did. " Linc was usually a person of few words, so you often had to infer what he was really getting at which was, 'I think it's BS that I had to bring this up. You are a grown man, so grow a pair. '

I stood, giving my brother a hug. Thanking him again, now I could surprise Allison, since I knew she wanted to get a house now that the pups were coming.

About twenty minutes later we pulled up the driveway the details of the gray stone exterior became in view. In the front yard a strong and sturdy oak tree, provided not only shade to the front of the house, but had an old tire swing attached that Linc and I used to spend hours on as pups. I stopped the truck, shifted it into park and killed the ignition.

Allison groaned from the passenger seat, "Can I go take a nap?"

I shook my head at her and smiled, she has definitely learned how to use being pregnant against me. I would do anything for her and let her get away with anything. I looked at the truck, "If you want to, this is all there is left to bring in. Everything else was delivered and setup already. So, head right up to our room if you want to. "

Allison silently climbed out of the truck and walked into the house, I on the other hand started pulling the remaining items from the bed of the truck and started carrying them inside. There wasn't much just a few boxes, with each trip I would put them through the door. Once all the boxes were inside, I started moving them into the rooms that they belonged in.

The walls in the dining room were the same cream color that they had been when I was young, Allison and I had also opted to keep the same long mahogany twelve-person table. A slight stain still showing next to the china cabinet from when Linc and I were about 10 and 8.

"Will you two cut it out!" Mom shouted, "You've been at it all day! We are going to sit down and have a nice family dinner. "

Just as Mom finished her scolding, Linc lets out a forkful of mashed potatoes covered with gravy fly off his fork. Luckily, I saw it coming and ducked, the food splattered on the wall behind me. The look on Linc's face was priceless, his grin faded and replaced with a horrified look as all the color drained from his face, knowing the error in his judgment

"LINCOLN JAMES ANDREWS!" My mother roared, "Clean that up right this instant, we don't throw food at the table" I snickered at Linc as our mother scolded him.

"Timothy Michael, stop laughing at your brother." My father chimed in as he entered the dining room. "You both have been giving your mother a hard time all week, don't think I don't know that."

"Sorry Mom, sorry Dad." Linc and I said together, hanging our heads in shame for how we had been behaving.

"You boys are such a handful; You are so lucky that I love my pups as much as I do, or I would tan your pelts. " My mother added. "One day you will have pups and I hope they are just as boisterous as you are, then you will know what your father and I have been dealing with all these years."

Setting down the box I was holding I walked over and touched the stain, "Oh, I hope they do Mom. I hope my pups do. " I said speaking to the fading memory, putting a smile on my face.

I had been so caught up in my reverie that I didn't notice Allison standing in the entry way to the dining room, "You hope our pups do what?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"Drive me crazy. Put stains on the wall when they throw a meatball across the room trying to start a food fight. "

"Now why would you want that?" She asked puzzled.

I walked over to my wife, pulling her into a hug, laying her head on my shoulder, "Because that's what Linc and I did, well not with meatballs any way, but I want that. I want the crazy, I want the fun. Our pups are going to have memories of this house, our home. And when they're older and we're gone, I want them to come back to this house and remember the happy times, like I get to do. "

Moving into this house felt right. My life felt right, like everything was falling into place. After losing Nikki, my wolf, and my parents this is not something I ever thought I would have. It was the most amazing feeling to see my life coming together.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The chill was officially settling back into the air, I was thankful that the August humidity was now over. I could breathe again, having two little ones sharing your body was hell in the summertime heat. Over the last month Tim and I had settled into our home. Everything felt like it was coming together, the pups were growing just as they should, I was content and happy.

Since the pups would be arriving sometime in November, I had decided that I was going to take the semester off of school, since I would not get a chance to finish it before their arrival. Unfortunately, this meant that I would be delayed in graduating by one semester, but in the grand scheme of things that was nothing. Since I would be completing my internship rounds with the pack clinic there was no rush. My spot was not going anywhere, which was a relief. Auntie Kenz also already volunteered to babysit once I started back to school, since Tim would be taking over the University Program and would be working, it was a good feeling to know that they were going to be in the hands of someone who loved them and had their best interest at heart.

I hollered up the stairs, "Come on Tim, we're going to be late. Please don't keep the pregnant lady waiting, she wants her food! " McKenna was hosting a pack lunch today and was starting in half an hour. I wanted to get there and sat down before everyone piled in. Once the room was crowded it was hard or me navigating around thanks to my expanding belly, it seemed to be growing inches every day. A slight exaggeration, but it is the way I felt. I was no longer a young, sexy, fit she-wolf. I was a large, blue whale that was getting bigger by the day.

Tim came walking down the stairs, looking handsome as ever. "Ready, Nemo?" He said, looking at me like it was our fault that we weren't there yet.

"Really? I was waiting for you! Don't make it sound like we're going to be late because of me. " I walked out of the house, ahead of Tim slamming the door shut on the truck after I climbed in. It was only a short drive from our home to the pack house, but I grumbled at Tim the entire way. This poor man o 'mine was really taking a beating lately, but he did it with a smile on his face.

Tim parked the truck and I could see that the pack house was already busy and many of the pack were already there. I rolled my eyes and grumbled some more, looking like I was going to be struggling to get around in there. I opened the door and slowly slid out of the truck, I wasn't able to just jump out like I used to, if I dropped too quickly these days, I was prone to losing my balance.

Tim ran around to my side of the truck, "You know if you waited a second, I would have helped you?" He said a bit annoyed, getting over there just in time to make sure that my balance held.

"I know, but I am not helpless or breakable. I am a big girl; I can do things for myself." I snapped at him. I really do feel bad for snapping, I do it without realizing it. I often times find that I am one of those really stereotypically nasty pregnant women, those people that love this and think it is the most amazing thing in the world? Yeah, I think they must be on some really good drugs.

Tim didn't say anything back to me, instead he just grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. As we walked, well he walked, I more like waddled as he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. The gesture making me smile. At the top of the stairs Tim gestured for me to walk in first, so I did, to the biggest shock of my day.

"SURPRISE!" About a hundred pack members chorused at me as I opened the door, a couple of them setting off confetti cannons.

"AHHHH!" I screamed, jumping about a foot in the air and grabbing my chest. I quickly spun on my feet to go back out the door from the fright that they had given me, but my darling husband was there to stop me, spinning me back around to the crowd that was now laughing at my reaction.

"Oh my, that was the best! I got that on video!" Missy's voice rang from the back of the crowd. The months that she had served her sentencing of isolation was hard, she seemed to be reintegrating back to pack like pretty well. For the most part people had forgiven her of her crimes, but there were some pack members that were leery of her. I had forgiven her long ago, what was the use in holding a grudge, the worst thing that happened that night is I can't remember saying my vows? I know what she did was wrong, but I truly felt that she was sorry and had no ill intent behind her actions.

"You are dead to me." I scowled at Missy, but it only lasted for a second before I cracked a smile, "You know you are all lucky you didn't scare these pups right out of me." Once again everyone was laughing at my reaction.

Looking around the room there were pink and blue streamers everywhere, in the back there was a buffet table of various foods, and two tables full of gifts. Each table also had their own cakes displayed. There were also little decorations hanging from the ceiling and cute little flowered centerpieces on the table. I was truly taken back by the generosity of the pack, throwing McKenna and I a joint baby shower.

Missy looked at me, "You know you love us! Now, get over here to your chair," Pointing to a comfortable plush cream-colored rocking chair, "McKenna is going to be here any minute and it is her turn!" This got me excited, cause now I was going to be on the delivering side of the surprise and not the receiving.

Everyone quieted back down, waiting for our Luna to show up. We only had to wait a couple of minutes before the door handle started jiggling, we could all hear McKenna on the other side scolding Linc, "If I am late to our pack lunch because of you, you are in trouble." She had her back to the room and as soon as she turned everyone yelled surprise to her and more confetti cannons went off.

McKenna let off a high-pitched scream and jumped right into Linc's arms, he was now standing there holding her bridal style. Her face buried in his chest. The room once again erupted into laughter, prompting McKenna to look around the room to see what was actually happening.

"Oooohhh, you are all so sweet. A baby shower, for me?"

"And me too!" I added, "You should see the video Missy has of my entrance." Missy nodded her head, McKenna quickly booking it over to Missy, who was all too eager to share the video.

"Alright, now that you have officially scared me today, can the hangry pregnant lady get some food? If I do not eat soon, I cannot be held liable for my actions." I said to no one and everyone at the same time.

Tim nodded his head and spoke up, "Yeah people, do not come between her and her food. She may be pregnant, but she will take you down." I squinted my eyes at Tim, using my fingers letting him know I was watching him. He visibly gulped, which made me smile as I made my way over to the food table, McKenna in tow.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been a great shower; Missy had outdone herself. There were different games for people to play, my favorite but the most disturbing was the dirty diaper game, where they melted different candies into diapers and you had to guess which what it was, without eating any.

The pack members were also overly generous with their gifts, I had not been expecting to get near as much as we had. Since we had opted not to find out the genders of the pups, every gift we received had boy and girl items, we had received enough clothes and blankets to last them clear through their first birthday, maybe even their second, sizes starting a newborn straight through to 18-months. I was going to need a walk-in closet just for clothes.

That night at home, Tim carried everything up to the nursery, which was just about finished. We had painted three of the walls sage green color and hung a tree wallpaper on the fourth wall. Two dark wood cribs lined the walls where the wallpaper was, each with their own wolf mobiles hanging over. A changing table stood between the cribs and two rocking chairs, one for each of us.

The final touches would come from the wonderful gifts that the pack had given us. We now had car seats, blankets, toys, swings, bottles and bouncy chairs. We were as ready as we could be to welcome these two little pups into our lives. I found myself getting more and more excited as the days went by.