It's been over two weeks since Ellie's attack and there has been no sign of Cortez or any of his rogues. The pack is still on high alert as the warriors train harder in preparations for a fight. We all know it is coming. We just don't know when.

I have spent every moment lately with my family. I am completely enrapt in my daughter. I had missed so much of her life so far. I never had got to see her first steps, or hear her first words, or even take her to her first day of school. But I know that I will be there for every first she still has.

I will be there when she gets her license, when she falls in love, when she goes off to college. As I watch my little girl so focused on her games, I promise myself that I will be there for the rest of her life. To watch her grow, to see her future, and I will have Ellie right beside me through it all. My perfect mate.

"What are you thinking about?" Ellie whispers to me as she places a light kiss on my cheek.

I pull myself away from my thoughts as I look back down to her and give her a light smile, "The future," she gives me a confused look before I continue, "Our future, our daughter's."

Her face lights up in a smile, "I love you."

"I love you too," I tell her, kissing her lightly. I pull her closer to me on the couch as we both just sit in comfortable silence before Walker and Sawyer come bursting through the door.

"I didn't say that!" he yells to her, his voice almost pleading.

"Well it's what you meant," she counters back at him.

"No, it's not."

"What is going on?" I shout. Knox growls in the back of my mind at our interrupted time with our mate and daughter.

Ellie and Sawyer stare at each other for a second before Ellie pushes herself out of my arms and wraps Sawyer into a hug. Sawyer squeezes her back like her life depends on it as Ellie turns to Walker.

"You are an idiot, Jason Walker" she growls out.

Walker stand there in shock as he watches his mate and mine, "What did I say that is so bad?"

"Why don't you think about it for a while and we'll see what you come up with," Ellie snaps as she takes Sawyer upstairs.

We watch them retreat before I turn to Walker, "What did you say to Sawyer? I have never heard Ellie use your full name."

He shakes his head in confusion, "I have no idea. We were fine."

"Well, what were you talking about when she got angry with you?" I ask him as Zea jumps onto the seat next to me to be a part of the conversation.

"We were just talking like we always do. I asked about her day and we talked about her training with the pups when she just snaps at me and starts crying. Then she got angry. I don't know what I did wrong," he explains to me.

Why would Sawyer get upset with him? I think to myself.

What did he say about pups? Knox comments. Oh god, that explains why Ellie is just as pissed now.

"Walker, what did you say about the pups?" I ask him.

"I don't know. She asked how I feel when I train the pups and I told her the truth. That I hated training, which she knows, and then she freaked out on me. Asked if that meant I don't like pups and stormed out. I don't understand what I said that made her think that or made her so angry," he says.

I shake my head at him as even I know he made a colossal mistake, "Walker, by chance did Sawyer ask you about the pups because she wants to know how you feel about having kids?" I ask him, trying to nudge him there.

"She knows I love kids, but I just don't like training them. What's the big deal?" he says, clearly not understanding.

I shake my head at him, "God, Ellie is right. You are an idiot."

"What?" Walker almost screeches, "What is it that I'm not getting?"

"She asked how you feel about kids because she's pregnant," I tell him.

I watch as every muscle in his face seems frozen in time as the realization hits him. Then, as if the truth finally set in, I watch as joy, fear, and shock all seem to crowd his features before he stands up quickly and bolts for the stairs, "Sawyer!"

Zea laughs as we watch him go. Within a few minutes, Ellie comes back down, "I'm assuming you had to tell him," she laughs.

I shake my head and smiles at her as she joins us on the couch, "I tried to let him get there on his own, but he just couldn't put it together."

She laughs at that, "Yeah, I didn't think he would, but I am surprised you knew."

"She asked him about how he feels about having kids. It doesn't take a genius."

"I suppose not," she tells me, "I like to hope that you would have had a clue as to what I was talking about."

"I am positive that I would have known," I tell her.

"Oh really?" she says, "Because I seem to recall that I was easily able to pass my morning sickness off as my hatred for fish."

"Well, one instance does not mean that I wouldn't have known," I tell her playfully, "I do wonder though, how would you have told me?"

She smiles as she thinks back, "I actually thought about getting one of those t-shirts that say best dad or telling you over a nice dinner. I even thought about just blurting it out. Granted these thoughts were all had literally seconds after taking the test, so I didn't have a lot of time to think of ideas."

"I don't know," I tell her, leaning over and kissing her mark, "I like all of those ideas."

She laughs again before pushing me back slightly and looking down at Zea, "Hey sweetheart, do you want to help me get dinner ready?"

Zea smiles and nods her head vigorously. She truly does love the kitchen.

"While you guys work, I'm going to get some of my own work done," I tell Ellie as I stand up and I pull her into my arms. Before she can say anything, I pull her closer for a kiss, smiling when I pull away.

"Alright, you take care of pack business," she smiles at me before giving me one last kiss and walking away, but not before yelling to me, "But you better not be late for dinner."

I laugh as she walks out of the room, "I wouldn't even think about it."

*****

I spend an hour in my office working on the paper work for the pack when Walker comes in and starts pacing around the room, "I mean I've always wanted kids. I love kids and I can't wait to have kids with Sawyer, but what if I'm not ready. I mean I've never been a dad. I don't know how to be a father. I didn't exactly have the best role model growing up. What if I'm not good at this? I mean-"

"Walker!" I yell, causing him to halt mid pace and stop his rant. I motion for him to sit down and thankfully he does, "Take a deep breathe."

He does as I say before giving me a look that I have never seen in my best friend before, "What if I'm not good at this?"

I give him a light smile, "Walker, you have wanted nothing but a mate and pups since as long as I can remember. You love children, and you will be a great father."

"How do you know?" he asks me.

"Because of how you are with Zea. You aren't your father, Jason. You never will be. That kid just got the greatest parents it could ever wish for," I tell him. God, when did I become so sappy.

Walker smiles at me, "Thank you man. You're right. I have nothing to worry about. You and Ellie will help us with this whole parent thing, right?"

"Of course."

"Good," he nods his head as his smile grow even brighter, "I'm really happy."

"I know," I tell him before handing him a stack of papers, "and I'm sorry to break that happiness, but we both still have paperwork to take care of."

He groans as we both get to work.

Reid calls me in the pack link, worry evident in his voice.

I ask him.

"Sound the alarms for rogues," I tell Walker as I link all of the pack warriors to prepare for a fight at the north border.

Moving quickly, we are both outside and had shifted within minutes, racing towards the border.

I call out to her.

She asks me, panic and worry clear in her voice. She probably heard the alarm.

I tell her as I push myself to run faster.

I cut her off with a growl, I tell her, trying to get her to do as I say.

she says,

I tell her before closing the link.

Knox pushes us to go faster. He knows these are probably the same rogues that want Ellie and Zea, and neither one of us is going to let anything happen to them.

When I reach the border, I see all of my wolves standing at the ready. They face the trees and wait for the attack. Seeing Reid closest to the border, I move to stand in front. I scan the forest behind the border, unable to see any rogues, when a slight movement caught my eye.

I let out a low, menacing growl as more than fifty rogues step closer to the border into view, but not one of them cross the line.

It is like they are waiting for an order. I look over each and every one of them. None of them hold any power. None of them are Cortez or any of his warlocks. They are just his foot soldiers.

It's a stand still. Every warrior is ready, growling at the sight and each rogue growls back. The tension can be felt in the air. I am about to order the attack when a howl echoes through the woods. Every single rogue stops growling the second the sound reaches our ears. Taking one last look at us, they start to retreat into the forest.

I stare perplexed as I look over to Reid.

He asks me.

My words are cut off as I feel pain shatter through my body. Every inch of my skin burns as I almost collapse to the ground in a whimper. The pack moves closer to me, knowing something is wrong but not knowing what.

Walker yells to me.

I want to reply, but I can't. The pain just grows stronger. But the stronger it grows, the more familiar it becomes. I had felt this kind of pain before. It's pain that isn't mine.

Only one thing crosses my mind as I push myself off the ground and take off for the house.

Ellie.