The Crescent War

Chapter Three

“Well, a bird, bird, bird. Bird is the word!” Alex sang as he came prancing into our family's room with an arm full of towels and other products. “Shower free?” He asked but didn’t wait for an answer as he continued singing and locked himself into the bathroom.

“I can’t wait to go back home," I decided and snuggled up against Daniel where we were lying on our bed with the kids taking a nap on the bed next to us.

“Me too.” Daniel agreed.

“I wonder when Isabella will call... I’m worried as hell, Dan.”

“She’ll call soon,” Daniel promised whilst kissing my forehead… and even though I knew he didn’t know for certain, it made me feel a little better with my husband’s reassurance.

“I hope so. That way I can ditch my cell phone and we can find somewhere more permanent for a while.” I absentmindedly trailed my fingers down my husband’s bare chest, drawing patterns, and enjoying the warmth seeping into me.

“The house by the lake is free," Daniel offered, entwining his fingers with mine and bringing them up to his lips to kiss my knuckles.

“You know how much I’d love that place but it belongs to the pack. It’d be one of the first places the cougars would look.”

Every year Daniel and I had managed to spend at least one weekend together at the lake house as a romantic getaway from all the chaos back home. It would be an ideal place to go because everything we needed was already there but it wasn’t safe and I kind of liked the idea of keeping my visits there strictly between me and my mate.

“I can’t believe we’re running. I’m f*****g alpha and I’ve ditched my pack.” I could feel Daniel’s anger through the bond but I knew it wasn’t directed at me nor our kids, it was directed at the cougars who were pretty quickly ruining our life and tearing our family apart.

“You’re keeping your children safe, Dan," I reminded him.

“Keeping you safe too," Daniel added. “Isabella said they want you dead just as much as they want our pups with them. I’d run my whole life if it meant keeping you safe.”

“This isn’t permanent,” I really hoped I was coming across as believable because I was barely holding it together. “The kids will be fine. I’ll be fine. You saw how I handled that cougar back there. I can defend myself and my family. The cougars won’t get away with killing wolves no matter what the circumstances. The council wouldn’t allow it nor would any wolves roll over without a fight. We’ve got eternity to live out our lives together. This is just a rocky start, is all.”

“It’s more like a mountain range,” Daniel corrected, pouting in a way that was damn cute but he was still pissed under the surface.

“But we’ll get through it,” I told him confidently. “We always do.”

“And we always will.”

“Ugh, your romance ass pansy crap is disgusting!” Alex wrinkled his nose in distaste when he emerged from the steamy bathroom, dressed in a towel that really left nothing to the imagination. “Get the hell up and get changed. Roseanne has agreed to babysit so us adults are going to hit the town and get royally drunk.”

“Have you forgotten that we’re running for our lives?” I rolled my eyes at Alex’s stupidity but drinking my body weight in alcohol sounded like a beautiful idea.

“No, but if we have lives worth saving then we have to actually live.” Alex pulled the towel away to dry off his hair causing both Daniel and I to slap our hands over our eyes to avoid our pack mate’s nakedness.

“You have no shame, do you?!" I groaned as I tried my hardest to erase that image from my mind.

“Nope.” Alex laughed as he opened the adjoining door and stepped into the other room. “I picked up some clothes for you two at the store."

“Please tell me you didn’t,” I would have actually cried if Alex had bought one of us something awful like a gimp suit.

“Relax, I got you some nice shirts to go with the jeans you bought. I have to be seen with you so I can’t have you looking like total idiots. Now hurry your asses up because the tequila won’t drink itself.” He disappeared without leaving time for argument, shutting the door quietly behind him.

“So…” I was still staring at the door as if some life changing epiphany would occur.

“So, I guess we’re hitting the town tonight.” Daniel supplied.

“Yeah… I guess we are.”

“I’ve never seen you drunk before.” Daniel grinned.

“Well it’s hard to get drunk when you keep knocking me up!” I full out laughed as Daniel tickled me, squirming in my mate's arms in a useless attempt to escape.

“You weren’t always pregnant!” Daniel argued, his eyes turning dark. “You think we got time before we have to leave?”

“Nuh-uh, the kids are right there.” I was fairly confident that my husband had absolutely no self-restraint.

“They’re asleep!” Daniel smiled into a kiss but a small voice cut him off.

“Not all of us...” Alec mumbled, blinking open sleepy eyes to glare at us both. “I swear Mom and Dad if you guys have s*x while I’m in the room I will unleash everything Uncle Alex and Shawn have taught me.”

“Whose idea was it to have kids again?” Daniel asked me as he ignored his son.

“Your knot made the decision I think,” I replied, enjoying the look of disgust I received from Alec.

“Can you just tell me I’m adopted and get it over with?” Alec pleaded.

“Sorry son, but you’re a hundred percent ours,” I flashed him a dazzling smile before giving Daniel a peck on the lips. “I think we should get dressed.”

“Tequila is calling us," Daniel agreed, nodded. It was going to be one interesting night.