"Is this a sign of us getting old?"

"What?"

"Us lying down in bed even when we're up."

"No. This, my love, is called relaxing. It's our time together until the kids either barge in here, yell, or break something." Flora pecked his lips. Dorian leaned forward trying to kiss her but she pushed him back down.

Flora hovered over Dorian kissing his lips then sucked on the nape of his neck. He groaned in content. "Flora, the kids could come in."

"Will they? I happened to have locked the door unlike you." Dorian placed his hands on Flora's waist then trailed down to her butt. He smacked her ass making her giggle. She slowly started to grind on him.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked as Flora continued her assault on him. "We have to stop baby. I have to go do a perimeter check."

Dorian grabbed Flora's hands. "I have to go. There've been some sightings of some half-shifters." Flora laid her head on Dorian's chest not wanting him to leave. Lately, she'd been relying on him to take care of the kids after long shifts at work. She enjoyed his company and always wanted him to be around her.

"Do you have to go? Why can't they send someone else to check?"

"Well, it's not quite fair for everyone else to do everything while I'm always with my family. I know how to protect myself. Besides if anything threatening is out there I rather kill it before it gets anywhere near my family."

Dorian placed his hands on Flora's hips looking at her. Flora sighed, "I know I'm acting selfish but I really don't want you to go. I don't know what it is but I feel like you need to be here and stay with me and the kids."

Dorian shifted on the bed making Flora get off of him. She handed him a shirt to wear while he tossed her a dress. She looked at it and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know I'm not going anywhere today, right?"

"I know. When I get back I want to greet my wife in a beautiful dress." Dorian kissed Flora then pulled on his pants.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know."

Flora started to make the bed with the help of Dorian on the other side. Just then the doorknob twisted and turned but wouldn't open. Then a chorus of consistent knocks ensued. Dorian unlocked the door letting the kids run inside. Just before they could jump on the bed Flora stepped into action.

"No, jumping on the bed." Nial tested the waters with his mother and hovered his foot over the bed. He smiled as he watched her stern reaction. Dorian picked up Nial tickling his sides as he ushered the kids out of the room.

"Why do you always test your mother's patience?" Nial laughed as his father carried him down the stairs.

"Are you leaving dad?" Nolan asked looking up at him.

"Yeah. Hopefully not too long though. While I'm gone you all need to be good for your mother."

"Why can't I go with you?" Lillian asked. She always wanted to be by her father's side. She wanted to be fierce and invincible just like him.

"You know why you can't go with me. It's too dangerous and you're too young to be hunting."

"But you told us that you started hunting at our age. You were always your other side instead of your human one."

Dorian sighed trying to make his daughter understand. "The way I grew up was a different time and it's not the way I want you and your brothers to grow up doing. I didn't have my mother because she died giving birth to me and my father left to start a new family. I didn't have what you have now. I'm going to raise you right and keep you safe. One day I'll explore the world with you but that's still a ways away lilypad."

"But-"

"I have to go sweetheart. I'll be back soon." He kissed Lillian's cheek then kissed Flora on the lips. "Love you."

"Love you too. Be safe."

Dorian kissed both his son's foreheads before leaving and waved as he went out the door.

"Alright, breakfast or cereal?"

"Cereal!" Nolan and Nial said at the same time.

"Really? No pancakes, french toast, or omelette?" The boys shook their heads and headed into the kitchen. "Lillian, come on. It's time to eat."

Lillian watched her mother walk away then looked to the front door already making up her mind. Flora ate cereal with her boys and started cleaning up when the boys started arguing over something.

They started fighting on the floor rolling around. "Hey knock it off! Both of you." She separated them huffing at their stubbornness as they continued glaring at each other. "Go get your sister. Tell her to come and eat."

Nolan went upstairs while Nial walked to the living room looking for their sister. Flora scrubbed the counter cleaning the boys' mess.

"Mom Lillian isn't upstairs."

"Or in the living room."

Flora's heart started pounding in her chest. "Go put on your shoes." They simply just stared at her. "Now!" They both hurried to put on their shoes and ran back to their mom. Flora grabbed the dart gun that Dorian gifted her for whenever he's not around. It was filled with sleep darts and ready to shoot.

Flora tucked it in front of her pants and grabbed her boys' hands as they walked outside. "Do you remember your hiding spots if something happens?"

"Yes."

"Do you smell your sister anywhere?" The boys took a moment sniffing the air. "She's using the tunnels."

"What tunnels?" The boys looked apprehensive but told her anyway.

Flora looked at every access point where each tunnel began and ended. In the distance, she saw a small figure walking. They all ran towards her. Lillian heard movement behind her and grunted as her brothers tackled her to the grassy area. Lillian squirmed as they held her down.

"Alright, that's enough. Lillian, what were you thinking? You could've been hurt." Flora dusted Lillian off. Lillian pulled herself away harshly. They all started walking back to the house with tension high in the air.

Lillian's grip on her mother's hand tightened and she started digging her fingernails into Flora's wrist as she saw their home come into view. Flora pulled her hand back feeling the sting. As soon as Lillian got loose she walked in the other direction.

"Lillian come back here now!"

"No, you never listen to me."

"Stop being ridiculous, now get back in the house."

"Tilda said that taking a stand for myself is brave," Lillian said facing her mother huffing from how angry she was feeling. Flora's angered spiked at the mention of Tilda.

"Since when have you been talking to Tilda? Don't talk to Tilda ever again."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"I'm your mother."

"I wish Tilda was my mom instead of you!" The boys by Flora gasped, looking at their sister in shock. The fact that Flora's own daughter resented her as a mother hurt but her saying that she wished Tilda was her mother was like throwing her heart into a fire, painful and excruciating.

"Well that's too bad," Flora said grabbing her hand walking them to the house. She yelled and screamed at her. She even tried to bite her own mother. "Lillian stop," Flora said when she opened the door. Lillian was still fuming, just outside the door while the boys watched from the couch that they were occupying.

"I'm going to have a talk with your father and see what he says about your new attitude."

Lillian's expression showed worriness and anger. Flora turned her back to take her phone off the counter.

Lillian was panicking, her father will surely have her mom's side. In her anger, she picked up at random rock and threw it as hard as she could at her mother. It was when she heard a sickening crack and watched her mother's body hit the floor extremely hard that she realized that she actually hurt her mother.