Sean clung to his dad, nuzzling his head against his neck. His dad pulled him closer, his hands rubbing his arm and leg when he asked him curiously. "Mark didn't force himself on you, did he?" Sean shook his head, answering softly as he adjusted his legs over his dad's lap. "No. I... It's a long story... and... Dad, I could really use some advice." His dad turned off the TV, then told him as he wrapped him up in a large quilt that smelled like pine needles. "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything." Sean whined a little as his uneasiness grew. He didn't want his dad to think that he was stupid or that he had raised him wrong. Avoiding his dad's eyes, he started with the festival and explained the situation with Bill turning out to be Mark. He'd expected the story to be long, but it really didn't take long to sum it all up. The hardest part was just explaining why he felt so reluctant to do anything with his life. Explaining his fear and restlessness. When he finished what he could, Sean slipped off his father's lap to pace the room a bit as he finished off. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I should be happy, right? I should think that having puppies is..." Sean rubbed his stomach, before dropping his hands at his sides weakly with a lost puppy look.

His dad adjusted the blanket over himself, while informing him casually. "The only people excited for puppies are the ones that planned for them. For the rest of us... it's a lot of sleepless nights wondering if we are doing the right thing." Sean hugged himself, mumbling out. "Did you plan for me?" His dad locked eyes with him, answering honestly. "No. You were a surprise. And I spent many hours pacing a trench in my mother's carpet while trying to decide if I wanted to have you or not." Sean shrugged, reluctantly asking. "What made you decide to have me?" His dad smiled warmly upon answering. "It was a lot of things. The biggest one was the thought of raising you. To see what a part of me and a part of your mother would create. You always see puppies... but it's a different feeling when it's your own. The thought of you needing me... There was just nothing like it." Sean put his hands on his stomach, uttering out softly. "I don't feel that..." His dad reached out for his hand. Taking it, Sean let him pull him closer. His dad moved a hand over his stomach, causing Sean to flinch. Giving him a smaller smile, his dad told him gently as he lowered his hands. "It's still early for you. How long ago did Mark... lay with you?"

Sean liked that his dad tried to make mating with Mark sound more casual. Sitting down on the edge of the sofa bed, he told him a little ashamed. "At the festival. When we went to see the fireworks at his tent. The moon went behind the clouds and it was dark... I kissed him and... It was wrong, I know." His dad chuckled lightly, asking a little sarcastically. "What was wrong about it? Did you hate it?" Sean lifted his head to lock eyes with his dad, blurting out. "No, but Bill was an Outsider... At least, I thought he was. And even knowing that it was Mark now... I didn't mate with him in front of the pack and now everyone is going to think that the puppies aren't his." Turning to look away, Sean added grimly. "I just thought that you'd be ashamed of me..." His dad playfully fist-bumped his shoulder, before chuckling out with a small blush of his own. "Your mother was an Outsider. My mother didn't approve of her. My father tried to chase her off. Everyone told me things about her... but I judged her for myself." Sean raised an eyebrow, uttering out in shock. "She never told me that." His dad shrugged, relaxing back against the sofa bed as he told him. "It was never important. I don't care if your mate is an Outsider or apart of the Pack. All I care about is if they treat my puppy well."

Sean smirked, while his dad added swiftly. "Besides, after the way those assholes acted during your Presenting... I'd never let you mate for their amusement. It's better that you got Mark all to yourself. Even if you didn't know it was him. Which was a blessing too. Everyone was trying to track him down. Now I know why we couldn't find him or you. Using a Scent Blocker... Sneaky. I tried to track your scent but kept losing your it..." His dad flashed him a wicked smirk that made Sean blush. His dad told him more seriously after. "I probably could have found you sooner, but I spent a while snarling at Cliff over the Pack's behavior. By the time I had calmed down... Mark was missing, and tensions got high." Sean bit his lip, saying flatly. "The doctor said that my puppies will have to be tested to prove they are Mark's... He acted like I had a choice but... I didn't." His dad huffed, grumbling out. "Ya, that's normal. Pack leader pups are always tested to stop people from trying to question the parentage." Hefting a sigh, Sean asked his dad grimly. "How am I going to tell Mark? The whole Pack is going to be freaking out about Zedekiah... and this will only screw everything up."

His dad nodded subtly, telling him brutally honest. "Ya. Especially, since in a month or two you could be going into labor." Sean met his dad's eyes with his terrified ones, blurting out. "That soon?!" His dad chuckled, asking a little stunned. "What did I send you to school for?" Sean blushed, mumbling guilty to him. "I might have faked being sick that day... I... I didn't think..." Leaning forward, his dad kissed his forehead, before informing him clearly. "Since you conceived on a full moon, by the next full moon you could go into labor. Otherwise, it could take another month. Three tops." Sean shrugged, leaning back from his dad as he whined out. "I thought it would take nine months! I don't understand..." His dad waved a hand, correcting coolly. "No. No. You are thinking about pure blooded humans in the past. With the blood of the wolf in our system, our gestation period is much shorter. Our puppies are smaller than a human baby, but our pups grow quickly with a good diet. Our puppies are usually ready between fifty-eight to sixty-eight days. Our human bodies need more time to prep for a birth. However, our werewolf bodies are bigger and change under a full moon. So, our werewolf bodies change and adapt faster. Which allows us to give birth faster if the puppies are ready."

Sean got up off the bed, uttering out in a broken voice. "Are you telling me that I could go into labor as Zedekiah is attacking the pack?!" His dad nodded, answering promptly. "Yes. It is a good possibility." Sean exhaled, running his shaking hands through his hair. His father let him pace around the living room a bit, before telling him very gently. "I would normally be against this... but I think you should wait to tell Mark. I have a feeling that his father is going to be putting enough pressure on him and I think it would be better if you gave him your support and love. But left out this bit... Just until after." Sean crossed his arms, shrugging out timidly. "But... won't knowing just make him fight harder?" His dad sat up a bit more, his voice calm and collected when he said seriously. "Normally, yes. But you could be going into labor DURING the fight, if there is one. And judging by... 'Bill's' fighting style... Mark could have lost that fight with Nathan because his focus drifted to you. If that happens when he's fighting Zedekiah..." Sean hugged himself tightly, finishing for him grimly. "It could cost him his life." Sean leaned his back against the wall next to the TV, asking his dad a bit brokenheartedly. "What do you suggest I do...?"

His dad grinned, confidently telling him. "You know Mark better than I do. If he'll listen to anyone, it is you. My only advice is to stop stringing the poor pup around by his leash and tell him how you feel about him. If he knows that you love him... The support and love you give him will have a stronger outcome. Because he'll be fighting for you. He'll do his best to come home to you." Sean scoffed his foot on the floor, mumbling out. "Dad... I... I don't know what I want..." His dad rolled his eyes, telling him sweetly. "Yes, you do. You're just scared of getting hurt. And after the way these fleabags have treated you... I don't blame you. But you've let them snap at you long enough." Sean rolled his eyes, mumbling out through a growing smirk. "You always said to be the bigger wolf and walk away. That yelling at them only gave them more fuel to fight me with." His dad let out a low playful growl, before reluctantly admitting out through his teeth. "Yes... I did. In my day it worked because there were people that could tell the difference between a good dog and a bad one. Nowadays... I'd just like to swat these lazy hounds across the face with my newspaper." Sean chuckled very softly, listening to his dad tell him openly. "I've tried to hold my tongue and play nice... but I'm done rolling over for them. And you should stop too. It's having a negative effect on you, and I don't want you to live your life thinking you have to walk on eggshells around these people."

Getting up from the sofa bed, his dad stood up proudly and added in a firm tone. "I'm not the only parent concerned that the pack is dividing. So, I called a few of my friends. Tonight... We're going to have an Omega Jamboree... for the first time since I was... younger." Sean rolled his eyes; he couldn't imagine his dad any younger than he was at this moment. Giving him a shrug, Sean anxiously said. "I've never heard of an Omega Jamboree. Why did they stop doing them?" His dad picked up the book and put his blood test papers back into it as he answered through a low growl of disapproval. "An Omega Jamboree used to be a social event where all the Omegas in the Pack got together to talk and party. It was a way for us to bond without the Alphas and Betas breathing down our necks or starting shit. But Cliffton's dad put an end to them because he felt it was unfair for Omegas to have an event that was unsupervised by Alphas and Betas. I think he was just jealous that we could have fun WITHOUT them." Sean raised an eyebrow, asking a little impressed. "And all the Omegas in your day got along?"

His dad huffed, putting the book back on the shelf as he honestly stated aloud. "No. We had our arguments, but we... got over it. We didn't hold onto shit like your generation does. You disagree with someone, you flipped them your middle finger and walked away. Otherwise, you got into a fight and your teachers or parents would force you to play together for a week!" Sean shivered, saying a little shocked. "That sounds awful... How did you not kill each other?" His dad set to work folding the sofa bed back into a couch, while replying coolly. "You'd be surprised what people learn about each other when they are forced to do things together. The biggest scam in history is thinking that we have to label people and avoid them because they don't match our label. People will tell you that an Alpha that excels in sports can't be friends with an Omega that excels in his studies. Yet, it is our differences that make us a stronger force to face down. If we were all the same... We'd learn nothing. Your mother sucks at tracking. But I'm pretty good at it. I can't swim worth a shit. But your mother can. Neither of us can run fast... but YOU can."

His dad straightened up, turning to face him as he said confidently. "I learned a lot about my bullies from spending time with them. Ninety percent of the time we ended up friends after." Sean raised an eyebrow, chuckling out. "And the other ten percent?" His dad blinked, lifting his chin as he said with a blushing chuckle. "We don't talk about them." They shared a laugh together, before his dad moved closer to coax him into a hug. Kissing his temple, his dad told him warmly. "Come on. Get changed into something comfortable. Then I'll take you to go meet my friends." Pulling from him, Sean went upstairs and changed into some loose pants and a shirt that was just as loose but was comfortable on him. He loved how soft and breezy the fabric was on him and after his stressful day... he liked feeling free in his clothes. As he made his way back down the stairs, he froze. His dad was exiting the laundry room and pulling on a shirt that was a bit more like dress casual than lazy casual. However, it was his dad's abs that got his attention. He'd never seen his dad shirtless. He always wore shirts that hid his arms and torso well. So, he had never realized how muscular his dad looked. He didn't have enough muscle to rival a Beta, but he was muscular enough that it would give Betas and Alphas pause.

His dad quickly pulled on his shirt without noticing him and Sean saw the healed scars of what looked like large claws down his back from shoulder to hip. He even got to see the bite mark at the base of his neck where his mom had laid claim to him. The bite looked a little fresh, making him wonder briefly if his mother had mated with his dad at the festival and just renewed the mark. His dad grabbed his collar off a table to buckle it back on as he called up without looking up the steps. "Sean?! You ready?!" Sean slowly made his way down the last few steps, asking a little curiously. "Dad...? Where did you get that scar?" His dad chuckled, shooting back innocently. "Your mother. Are you ready?" Sean put a hand on the banister, correcting gently. "Not that one. The one on your back." His dad's hand grabbed the door handle but didn't turn the knob. Without looking at him, his dad softly replied over his shoulder. "Oh. That... happened a long time ago." His dad started to open the door, but Sean moved closer to keep the door from opening wide enough for him to escape. He was too curious about it now. Without saying a word to him, his father exhaled heavily and regaled to him a bit reluctantly. "After I gave birth to you... a rival Alpha tried to kill you. I got in the way and your mother killed him."

Sean swallowed, asking in a wispy voice. "How did that happen? Why would they...?" His dad closed the door, before telling him in a whisper. "I was reckless and stupid. The guy found out that I was a Delta and wanted me as his own. He tracked me down. Waited for me to go into labor and tried to get rid of you. So, that he could take me for himself. I was unclaimed when I had you. You were his rival's puppy... he didn't want you. Just me. But I refused to let him have you." Sean put a hand on his dad's arm, feeling him shake a little. His dad took a deep breath to stop his shaking, before stroking his cheek and telling him with a bright smile. "I learned a lot that day... and I've never regretted my choice to save you. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Because everything good in my life started with you." Sean's eyes teared up a bit from how that made him feel, while his dad told him with a warm distant look. "I tried to run away when my dad chased your mom off. She was so mad... I thought I'd never see her again. I didn't even tell anyone that I was pregnant. I left the Valley and got a few miles out before I went into labor. Your mother heard from a friend of mine that I had run away. Seeing her fight for us... I realized that I wasn't lost. I knew what I wanted. I just wanted to know if she wanted it too."

His dad patted his cheek, telling him with a beautiful smile. "That's how I know that you aren't lost either, Sean. You know what you want... You're just afraid that you're the only one that wants it." Without another word, his dad opened the door and beckoned him out to the garage where his dad's car was parked. To Be Continued...