Sean sat against the door of the car with his feet up on the seat. Hugging his knees, he listened to his father growl out softly to his mom as she drove. "The nerve of him! Coming out fangs bared like that. I swear his Luna needs to put him on a leash!" His mom chuckled softly, calmly slipping in cautiously. "They are worried about Mark. Everything rides on him. They lose him... This pack is going to be hurting." Sean felt a stab of guilt. His dad shook his head, telling her firmly. "If Mark and Cliff fall, the next leader falls to you as his second." His mom tapped her fingers nervously on the wheel, mumbling out. "I don't even want to think about that. Right now, we need to focus on Zedekiah." His dad snorted, grumbling out. "You know what this Pack's problem is... With each generation we grow more distant from each other. Remember when we were puppies? We did things together." His mom looked at his dad briefly, saying flatly. "We do things together." His dad shook his head, telling her seriously. "I'm not talking about the Festivals. Remember all those Team building exercises in school? Pairing Alphas, Betas, and Omegas into teams and working together to go on scavenger hunts? We learned that we had different strengths and learned to rely on each other. We learned that we were in the Pack together. We didn't separate the puppies from playing together after their scents came in. We were forced to play together."

His mom chuckled, saying softly. "Yes. But it was dangerous. Alphas and Betas can't control themselves around-" His dad growled softly to cut her off, interjecting gruffly. "Ya? And who decided that? When we were pups how many incidents do you remember? When did our Alphas and Betas become savages?! I remember going into Heat and not running for cover! I was taught to USE my voice. We were taught to PROTECT OUR OWN! Our pack motto means nothing to this generation! Look at Cliff! How much pressure is he under? How much pressure is he putting on his son to support a Pack that is growing more divided by the day!" Sean perked up with a timid look, causing his mother to shush his dad. Giving his dad a soft glare, she discreetly told him. "I know you are upset... We all are. But let's not talk about this now. Ok?" His dad shifted in his seat to face her, saying much calmer now. "Laura... You are Cliff's second. I know you see it and I know you feel it. You saw what happened at the Festival. Our Pack is not unified anymore. We are a Pack divided by our generations. We are not the Pack we once were." Laura pulled into the driveway, parking the car a bit roughly. Then looking at her mate, she snapped out. "There is nothing we can do about that now! We agreed that Sean-"

Sean's dad leaned closer to her, cutting in swiftly without any trace of anger in his voice. "I didn't agree for them to isolate my son and treat him like an Outsider." She backed off, her expression softening to a guilty one. While his dad told her gently. "Laura, we can't fight a war... When we already have one going on within our walls. Sean isn't the only Omega dealing with this crap and it has to end. I'm tired of the Zeta Council and Cliff avoiding the problem. If his Luna doesn't know how to fix this problem, then 'I' will. I'm done rolling over. I'm getting fucking sick of this shit. Tell me that I'm wrong?" When she didn't say anything, his dad got out of the car, telling her seriously. "You and the others can worry about Zedekiah... but I'm going to call the Omegas together. It's been too long since we've had a proper Pack meeting." His mom nodded but said nothing. Getting out of the car, he followed his dad inside the house. His mom waved to them, then drove back out to return to the hospital. Her job as Cliff's second was more important now than ever.

As they ventured inside, his dad went off into the kitchen to use the house phone. He'd never seen his dad so upset. Trudging into the living room, Sean thought about watching TV until he heard his dad chatting about him over the phone. Hearing his dad talk about him getting fired and hired in one day was just too painful to listen too. So, grabbing a bowl of popcorn, he went up to his room. Curling up in his bowl chair, he started watching a movie until the excitement of the day drained him enough that he fell asleep. Although, while his body was completely relaxed, his mind wasn't. His dream took him through the events of the day in flashes before going to a scene that felt wrong. He was trying to go see Mark in the hospital and was allowed to see him. Upon reaching the room, Sean grabbed the doorframe in utter shock. Mark was hooked up to every machine, but they were all flatlining. Screaming for help, Sean ran for the bed until he was grabbed by the shoulder and turned around. As he turned, he caught the brief sight of Zedekiah before a knife was shoved into his stomach. Gasping sharply, Sean jerked up in his bowl chair with quivering whines.

His thrashing knocked the bowl of popcorn off the chair as his hands went to his stomach. His hands ran over his stomach, searching for a wound. When he woke up enough to realize it had been a dream, he exhaled and relaxed. Panting heavily, he rubbed his stomach to remove the ghostly sensation of the knife. Glancing at the movie playing on the TV, he cringed as someone was stabbed in the gut and scrambled out of his chair. Rushing up to turn off the TV, he jogged out of his room and wondered downstairs. His hands were shaking against his stomach, and he felt sick. He didn't know when the movie he had been watching turned into a horror movie... but it wasn't what he needed right now. As he inched into the living room, he saw his dad napping on the fold out couch bed with a DVD of his favorite cartoons playing. He couldn't help smiling. He could see where he got it from. Creeping up to the couch bed, Sean eased onto it and laid down with him with tiny whines. Without making any sound, his dad's hand curled around his waist and pulled him close. Sean snuggled back against him, trying to muffle the sounds of his sniffling. His dad's hand rubbed Sean's chest, asking him in a sleepy voice. "Bad dream?"

Sean nodded, prompting his dad to say gently. "You're safe here." Watching the old cartoons, Sean found himself calming down enough to say anxiously. "Dad...? In the hospital... they took blood from me and said that there was an abnormality. Do you know why they would have said that?" His dad's hand stopped stroking his chest abruptly. Sean lifted his head a little, asking a little broken heartedly. "Dad? Is there something wrong with me...?" His dad propped his head up on his hand, answering him firmly. "There is nothing wrong with you." Sean looked into his dad's eyes with his fragile ones, getting him to add gently. "What I'm going to tell you... I want you to keep within our family. Ok?" Sean blinked, shrugging out confused. "Why?" His dad brushed Sean's bangs away from his eyes, before telling him openly. "Because it will put a target on me and you." After pausing a moment, his dad told him a bit reluctantly. "I guess your old enough now that you should be aware of it." His dad slowly sat up, climbing off the bed to walk to their bookshelf. Removing an old leather bound book, he asked him coolly. "Do you remember the story that Cliff's dad told every Bunny Festival?"

Sean smirked, chuckling out. "Which one? The one about the starving wolves and the fat Bunny that left chocolate? Which is a morbid kid's story by the way. Since he brings us chocolate, but his reward is that we eat him..." His dad laughed, before sitting down and correcting. "Not really. It's a story about a bunny that was trying to distract wolves from eating his kind by tricking them into eating treats and getting sluggish. But as you know, bunnies populate fast. Without us to weed them out, they'd overrun the farms. Don't you remember that part?" Sean shook his head, mumbling out guiltily. "Guess not. I was usually eating a chocolate bunny by that part." His dad rolled his eyes, before handing him the book. Sitting up, Sean looked over the title. Raising an eyebrow, he asked him. "What is this?" His dad pointed to the book, informing him coolly. "That is the original story of Noctiluna and Endymion." Sean shrugged, mumbling out. "So? What does this have to do with-?" Sean stopped as his dad reached out to open the book and pointed to a word on the page. Sean stared at it confused as he said softly. "But... Endymion was an Alpha... That's not... I don't..."

His dad leaned against the back of the couch, crossing his legs as he got comfortable before regaling to him. "Every story has a different rendition that has been told throughout time. This is the original. Endymion wasn't an Alpha. He was an Omega. Think about it. Noctiluna fell in love with his 'beauty'... Which back then was another way of saying he had a beautiful personality. He was someone kind and funny. He fell in love with her scent. A scent that calmed him. That made him feel safe with her. Have you noticed that Omegas desire scents for comfort more than Alphas and Betas? When Noctiluna's father took her away to do her job... What was it that brought her light back? Was it his looks? His strength? His scent?" Sean ran a hand down an old drawing of a howling wolf on a cliff, answering softly. "It was his voice." His dad nodded, telling him coolly. "Noctiluna fell in love with a loving man, and he became the first Omega. He didn't pick his Luna. His Luna picked him, and he chose to be with her. He loved her so deeply that he refused to leave earth out of fear that he'd never see her again." His dad turned the page of the book, showing him that there was more to the story.

Pointing to the next chapter, he told Sean warmly. "What they leave out is this part. After Endymion died, Noctiluna dragged the clouds across the sky to shroud her from the sun god's view. Allowing her to sneak down to earth so that she could see him one last time. Upon returning to earth, she discovered that when she wasn't in the sky, Endymion would change from beast to man. It says that when she cried over his body, her tears turned his eyes blue. A piece of her fusing with him that caused him to resurrect as the North Star. Where she renamed him 'Polaris' to keep the Sun god from finding him. Then took him back with her, where she could rotate around him in the sky until all life ends... because her world revolved around him. Together, they shined brighter. The large moon becoming known as the first Alpha who fell in love with the brightest star in the sky... her Omega. Polaris. It says you can tell they are happy when you can see her dress of many colors flow across the sky from how fast he spins her. Something we refer to today as the Northern lights."

His dad turned to the last page, continuing softly. "It is said that when Polaris and Noctiluna descend from the sky to possess an Alpha and Omega pairing during their mating... that there is a chance that they might get a descendant of Polaris. They'd know because they'd have a puppy with a piece of the moon in their eyes. Blue Eyes." Sean sat very still before huffing out uneasily. "Are you telling me that you believe this?" His dad pulled a piece of paper out from the front of the book, showing it to him as he told him. "The abnormality in your blood... It's due to my rare blood type. I'm not an Omega. I'm a Delta." Sean looked over the old DNA test that his father went through when he was pregnant with him. Along with an old newspaper clipping about the extinction of the 'Delta' werewolves as a result of pack wars breaking out to claim them as the more desired of the Omega breed. Having a lesser form of the Betas traits with the breeding and nurturing capabilities of the Omegas. His dad locked eyes with Sean, telling him very gently. "To the rest of the world, the Deltas don't exist anymore... but you are a stronger version of an Omega. My mother used to say that when Noctiluna infused Polaris with the moon that the first Delta was born from their passion. We were born from an Omega's desire to live a fulfilled life. You can choose not to believe the stories... but I'm sure you and others around you have noticed things that set you apart from other Omegas."

His dad smiled a little, telling him sweetly. "It's why men like Nathan and Mark are so attracted to you. They may not know it... but the wolf in them can sense it. Puppies they'll have with you will be strong and natural born leaders." Sean bit his lower lip, mumbling out to himself. "But that means..." His dad let a warm smile spread across his face as he told him with a little chuckle. "That Packs were run by Omegas? Ya. My mother always said that behind every strong leader is a strong hearted Omega. Omegas don't jump into fights. We nurture. We put our families and friends first. We bring out the true strength of others by giving them hope. We remind them what they are fighting to protect. We make them laugh and smile. Because if we didn't... they would give up. It's what makes Omegas so special. We are not the strongest or the fastest. But we don't have to be because we have them. When they fall apart... it's OUR job to nurture them back onto their feet. Our job to love them and give them the strength they need to make it through the day. So that when we fall... They'll be there to do what they can for us."

His dad rubbed his arm, telling him sweetly. "You think being an Omega is a curse... but that's only because you haven't seen what happens when Omegas stand their ground. We go through Nesting and Birthing pains. We get bitten trying to train our stubborn puppies or by our mates. They see us deal with a lot of pain on a regular basis. So, when we truly get hurt... You'd be amazed what happens to an Alpha and Beta that holds a deep love for you. I've seen it happen... and I'm sure you saw it with Mark and Nathan." Sean closed the book, taking a deep breath before forcing himself to say aloud. "Speaking of Mark... I need to tell you something. I... I don't want you to be upset... but..." Tensing a little, Sean blurted out. "Dad, I'm pregnant." When Sean got no response, he looked at his dad. His dad looked calm but said a little shakily. "Ok... By whom?" Sean swallowed, uttering out a bit meekly. "Mark..." His dad let out a loud sigh, blurting out with relief. "Oh good... Don't scare me like that. Sweet, Luna... Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Sean blinked, asking a bit confused. "What...? I thought... Why would you say that?"

His dad blew his bangs out of his eyes, chuckling out. "I thought you were going to say Zedekiah knocked you up and Mark was concerned about what to do about it. So, honestly... anything compared to that nightmare I can live with." They both shared a look before bursting into fits of giggles. Shaking his head, he hugged his dad. He didn't realize how badly he needed a good laugh. To Be Continued...