"You didn't say anything about climbing over your shoulders!"

Lillian's voice was shrill, her wide eyes following the other couples participating in the game.

They were currently on a wooden raft, floating on the lake, along with a dozen couples. The females were in the process of climbing over the males' shoulders.

Noah suppressed a satisfied smile. He might have forgotten to tell Lillian this small detail earlier, afraid she wouldn't want to play because of it. Now it was too late. They were in the center of the lake, where they had swam to the raft.

The rules of the game were simple; push other couples off the raft and into the water. The last couple standing is the winner. Of course, the female had to be sitting on the male's shoulders, which made the game more interesting.

"Rules," Noah said, crouching in front of Lillian, his back to her. When she didn't make a move, he looked over his shoulders and raised a brow. Her eyes narrowed. Mumbling something about sneaky wolves, she put her hands over his shoulders, pushing him down further.

"Sit down. You're too damn tall."

He did. He smothered a satisfied growl when her legs wrapped around his neck. Because they had to be in the water, she had changed into a tank top and running shorts. She was going to dump him in the water herself if she knew what he was thinking.

"Okay?" he asked, his hands going to her knees, the skin soft and delicate. So vulnerable. He only had to squeeze a touch too hard and her bones would break. Noah would never hurt her, he'd cut his hands off before ever laying a hand on her in harm, but that didn't mean others would do the same.

"Wait! What should I hold on to?"

"Wherever you want." Noah stood to his feet. Lillian made a strangled noise before putting her hands on his head. She didn't need to hold on to anything, her weight was laughably light for his shapeshifter strength. But he didn't tell her that, he wanted to feel her hands on him.

"I swear to God, Noah. If you drop me on purpose, I'll dump you in the water myself and save everyone the trouble," Lillian said, tugging at his hair. Noah's lips twitched. Her words echoed his earlier thoughts.

The couples nearby watched them with barely concealed smiles.

"Wow. Johnson and Kate are no joke." Lillian said.

Noah agreed. The two sibling warriors were towering over everybody else. Each one of them was already taller than their peers. Put on top of each other, they were massive.

Johnson usually participated in this game with Anna. But since she was pregnant, she didn't participate for the sake of Johnson's sanity. Male wolves were protective by nature. Male wolves with pregnant mates were maniacally overprotective.

"It makes them a target," Noah said.

Proving his words, just when the referee, who was swimming by the raft, whistled the beginning of the game, two couples zeroed in on Johnson and Kate.

"Hey! Not fair!" called Kate, tangling arms with another female who was on her mate's shoulders. Noah, taking advantage of everyone's attention being stolen by Kate and Johnson's struggle, moved swiftly to the couple nearby.

Lillian, forgetting all about holding on to him, pushed the distracted woman just as he did the same to the man. Their victims were the first two to hit the water.

The loud splash caught everyone's attention. Johnson and Kate, taking advantage of the diversion, pushed another couple into the lake.

The screams and sound of laughter mingled with the splashing of water as two more partners followed. Noah tried to keep his strength under control to keep the odds fair to everyone else, but when one of the other couples attacked him, the female pushing at Lillian until she almost tumbled off his shoulders, his control slipped and he sent them flying.

"Wow, that was close!" Lillian said, laughter in her voice.

"Hey, you guys!" Kate bellowed, pointing to Noah and Lillian. "Alpha will get us all into the water if we don't get rid of him first!"

Just like that, all eyes fixed on them. Two minutes later, Noah and Lillian were swimming into the water.

Noah lost Lillian somewhere along the way down. He emerged from the water, pushing back his hair. A second later Lillian's head popped up. She coughed, laughed, then coughed again. She looked around, when she spotted him, she grinned and swam his way. "That was fun!"

He nodded, feeling a sense of rightness. The other couples who had preceded them to the water were either playing around or cheering on the players still in the game.

"Look." Noah nodded to the raft, where Kate and Johnson were being cornered at the edge by the rest of the couples. Kate's strategy fired back on them.

Lillian laughed when the couple dropped to the water with a big splash.

"Serves you right, Kate!" Lillian called when the blonde female came up for air.

"Bite me, midget!" was Kate's reply. Lillian laughed.

Noah saw the ball heading straight to the back of Lillian's head, his wolf's reflexes enabling him to catch it in his hand before it made contact.

A strangled noise from where the ball had come from, then, "sorry, Alpha!"

Lillian looked over her shoulder, completely oblivious. Noah turned around, then threw the ball to the wolf swimming toward them. There was a game of water polo going on halfway across the shore.

"Be careful," Noah linked the man, getting a nod in reply.

Lillian stopped him before he turned around. "Hey, do you have a spare spot?"

"The numbers are balanced, but If Alpha also joins, it'll be fine."

Lillian looked at Noah, wide eager eyes blinking at him. "Will you?"

Noah's eyes flickered away. Damn it. If she asked him to claw his eyes out with that look he'd probably do it.

"Sure," he mumbled, and was rewarded with a brilliant smile.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in the water. Noah was surprised to discover she was fiercely competitive. Only when the sun was crawling down the horizon did Lillian and Noah swim to the shore. He could tell she was tired. Her muscles were almost quivering.

"Sean, could you get me a towel please?" he asked his brother, slowing his pace to match Lillian's.

"Eva already got it for you," Sean said, a flicker of amusement leaking through the link.

When Sean had smelled Noah's scent on Lillian, he was pissed that Noah hadn't told him about the mating game. Eva had kept it a secret. Surprisingly, Sean wasn't against the idea.

"If she makes you happy." Sean had only shrugged. "I don't mind her."

Did she make him happy? Noah didn't know. But he definitely felt more alive with her around.

"You don't have to slow down for me," Lillian said now. "I can get to the shore just fine on my own."

"I never said you couldn't," Noah replied. Lillian's lips thinned, and she increased her speed. It only lasted for a few seconds before she slowed down again. She was too tired.

By the time they reached the shore, he spotted Eva with a towel. She waved at him, then hung the towel on a low tree branch before disappearing in the crowd.

Once their feet hit dry land, Noah retrieved the towel and went back to find Lillian leaning her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

Noah wrapped the towel around her shoulders. She stood up, and the towel slid down. Before it reached the ground, Noah caught it and wrapped it again tightly around her.

"There," he said. She clutched both ends of the towel to her chest, glancing up at him with an odd look.

"Thank you," she murmured, shivering. The evening air was too chilly for her.

"Come on, you'll catch a cold."

Lillian nodded and walked with him. "You're not cold?" He gave her a look that made her roll her eyes. "Of course not. Why am I even asking?"

Shapeshifters naturally ran on a higher temperature compared to other immortals.

The crowd dispersed as the day waned on. Pack members responsible for the dinner feast rushed to the pack house. Lillian and Noah found the twins sleeping in a pile of pups near a food stall. Their clothes all but gone, Noah guessed they'd shifted at some point.

Lillian grinned, shaking her head. She shared a sympathetic look with a woman who also picked up her sleeping child out of the sleeping heap.

Noah picked up Elijah while Lillian carried Ezra. The pups stirred a little, then went motionless. They were completely spent.

"Lillian!"

Both of them turned at Anna's voice. She was jogging their way.

"Hey," she said when she finally reached them. "Kate and I will get ready at Jennifer's. She told us to bring you along."

"Oh?" Lillian looked at the twins. "But the twins-"

"I got them," Noah said, holding his free arm out for Ezra. "I'll watch over them until you get ready."

"Are you sure?" Lillian said, looking uncertain. He nodded. Lillian hesitated, looking between her children and him.

"They'll be fine with Noah," Anna told her.

"Okay." Lillian sighed and gave him Ezra. Anna basically dragged her away.

Noah went to Lillian's cabin, his shoulders pillowing the twins sleeping heads.

The cabin's door was unlocked, as was custom in all other houses in the pack village. Since the village's outer perimeter was always patrolled, there was no need to lock doors. Pack mates trusted each other in a way that might be considered foolish for outsiders, but only those who belonged to a pack would understand the unconditional faith they shared. A pup, for example, was cared for by everyone, and not just the parents.

Lillian's hesitation to trust him with the pups made sense. She was human. Like most mothers, leaving their child with a man, even if he was an acquaintance, was something inconceivable. Noah didn't take offense. She would get used to their way of life on her own time.

Lillian's cabin smelled like home, sugar cookies, coffee and laughter. The fire and spring of her scent cradled the twins' still growing smells of pine and rain. The cabin was small, the open kitchen already bearing marks of the little family of three. A table cloth stitched in bright colors, child drawings on the fridge, a colorful apron hung on the wall by the oven, an open book upside down on the coffee table.

Everywhere he looked, Noah saw their imprint. The twins' room was easily recognized by the scent. Noah wanted to nuzzle the pups, to bathe them in his scent. But they might not be comfortable with him around. Not yet.

When he went to put the pups on their beds, Elijah gave a sleepy growl and clung to him, his little claws digging in the back of Noah's shoulder. Noah gave a contented sigh and went back to the living room. Sitting on the couch with the twins still in his arms, he leaned back and settled them until they were lying comfortably on his chest. Skin to skin, his wolf pushed forward, nuzzling at their hair, rubbing his cheeks against their heads.

Noah smoothed his hands down their backs and dozed off.

*** *** ***

"Isn't it a bit too much?" Lillian asked when Kate whipped out a curling iron and stood behind her.

"Nope, just leave it to me," Kate said. "I know how everyone usually dresses this night of the year."

"True. It's more of a party, really," Anna said from where she was doing Jasmine's makeup on the bed. "It's probably the only event when we get to really dress up."

They had raided one of Jennifer's guest bedrooms. A nondescript room with a bed, white linen, a vanity and bedside tables. Lillian had followed Anna to find Kate and Jasmine getting ready. Jasmine gave Lillian a small, but genuine smile when she greeted her, but otherwise kept quiet.

Sitting at the vanity with Kate doing her hair, Lillian looked at the mirror. Kate was still in her swimming clothes. Anna was all dressed up in a flowy, off the shoulder floral dress that touched her shins. Her hair was put up in a bun, and her face was still make-up free. Jasmine looked beautiful, her soft brown skin glowing in a long-sleeve fitted red dress, the material a soft velvet that highlighted her curves. Her short black hair was wavy, and her face already beautiful under the mercy of Anna's make up skills. Lillian couldn't wait to see Robert's face.

When Lillian had mentioned that there was no need for her to get all dolled up since she didn't exactly have a dress, Kate snorted and pushed her into the shower, telling her that her mother had it all under control. Apparently, nobody said no to Jennifer.

Lillian had obeyed with a smile. To be honest with herself, she loved the mood in the room. She'd never had a chance to live the experience of getting ready to a party with her girlfriends. She hadn't gone to college, and her high school experience was mediocre, at best. She had gone to an elite high school under a scholarship program. Nobody associated with her, and those who did had nefarious motivations. Lillian shook off memories of lonely lunch breaks and cruel pranks, and focused on the present.

Dressed in a fluffy bathrobe with her hair already dry thanks to Kate, she let the blonde warrior do her hair.Lillian's brown locks already looked so different, wavy and with more volume Lillian could have ever hoped for.

Anna did her make up next.

"Nothing too heavy," she said much to Lillian's relief. "Just a bit of color."

Lillian only had a hint of a blush, mascara and soft pink lipstick on her face when Anna was done.

"You look beautiful."

Lillian almost jumped at the soft voice. She met Jasmine's gaze in the mirror. It was the first time she heard the warrior speak. Lillian beamed at Jasmine. "You too. You're glowing."

Jasmine smiled and picked at the lap of her dress.

Just in time for Jennifer to knock on the door and usher Lillian outside with a crook of her finger.

She led Lillian, still in her bathrobe, to the master bedroom. It was a large room with a double king-sized bed, a fluffy, blue blanket thrown on it, next to pillows in pastel colors.

A dress was laid down on the bed. Lillian ran her hand over the material. A pastel blue silk. It was a wrap around dress with short sleeves and a long round skirt. It looked delicate and breezy.

It was breathtaking. "Wow, it's beautiful..."

"You like it, good." Jennifer said, walking out of her closet with a pair of white low heeled sandals.

"Are you sure? I mean it's gorgeous. What if I ruin it, the twins-"

"Will be out of the way for the rest of the evening," Jennifer said, a hand on her hip. "The elders of the pack volunteer to keep an eye on the pups during the party so the young can have their fun. So you don't have to worry about them. Now, let's get you inside the dress. Hopefully, it fits."

It did. Lillian ran her hand down her sides, her lips curving into a smile.

"Perfect."

Lillian looked at Jennifer's reflection in the full length mirror. "Thank you, it's amazing. I'll try not to poke any holes in it."

"Don't worry about it, it served its time," Jennifer waved her off. "Now go get the twins ready, Anna said they were napping."

"Yes, Noah is keeping an eye on them."

Jennifer's wide grin stuck in Lillian's mind as she walked to her cabin. The night had fallen in the time they took to get ready, and lights flickered all around the pack village. Looking around, Lillian knew she wasn't over-dressed. The girls and women she could see were all dolled up in fancy dresses, full length gowns and short dresses, matte and glittering, it was an unfamiliar sight in the village.

The lights were off in her cabin. She eased the door open and flicked on the light, thinking the boys were in their room. She was shocked into a stand still at the sight. Her heart ached.

The twins were sprawled over Noah's massive chest. He was leaning back on the couch, his hands on either of the boys' backs, the three of them deep asleep.

Lillian bit back a smile, the twins were still butt naked. But considering the amount of heat that Noah's body usually emanated, they were probably warmer than she was.

Noah's eyes flickered open when she tiptoed her way to them. He saw her, and gave a sleepy groan she'd never expected to hear from him. The twins stirred.

"Mommy?" Elijah mumbled, looking at her through half-closed eyes.

"Yes sweetie?" Lillian said. Sitting beside the trio, she brushed Elijah's hair back.

"You're pretty," Elijah said, leaning his head on Noah's shoulder as if he'd done it a hundred times before.

Lillian chuckled. "Why, thank you."

An intense gaze caressed her face. Lillian looked up to find Noah's amber eyes on her, pinpricks of light igniting his gaze.

"Thanks for looking after them," she told him.

His jaw clenched, eyes dipping to her lips for a long moment that made her shift in her seat. He looked away with a nod.

"Mom?" Ezra mumbled, climbing over Elijah and crushing him in his attempt to get to her.

"Alright, boys," Lillian said, hugging Ezra to her chest. "Let's get you dressed up, you're a mess."

"We're naked." Elijah giggled. "You don't like when we're naked."

Lillian's sigh was exaggerated. "Well, today is a special occasion, so you're off the hook."

Elijah sat up, his hands on Noah's chest. "But Noah is always naked!"

Lillian choked, feeling her face warm up. "Um, he's always wearing shorts. That's not naked."

"So we don't have to wear shirts?" Ezra perked up, his eyes wide awake at the mention of less clothing.

Lillian didn't like them prancing around naked. She guessed it had to do with her human upbringing. She just couldn't stop worrying that they'd be cold, even though her brain knew their bodies ran on a higher temperature.

"We'll see about that," she said, narrowing her eyes at Noah who was at the origin of the argument. His dark eyes crinkled suspiciously at the corners. Oh, now he had a sense of humor.

"Noah, you're the alpha!" Elijah said, blinking those baby blues. "Can't you tell her to let us be naked?"

"Do what your mom says," Noah said, tapping Elijah's nose. Elijah's shoulders slumped, but he didn't look too disappointed, having no doubt sensed his mother's immovable stance on the subject. He wasn't really expecting Noah to make a difference.

Good, Lillian thought, satisfied. If Noah had undermined her word in front of the kids, there would have been blood spilled.

After getting the boys into sweaters, pants and shoes, Lillian took them out to wait for Noah who had gone to change. He'd told her to 'wait for me, please'. Since he was so polite, she thought she'd wait for him.

She had just closed the front door behind her when Noah walked up the front porch's steps. Lillian somehow kept her jaw from falling. He was dressed. Granted, it wasn't anything close to a tuxedo, but a black t-shirt, jeans and walking shoes were a big step up from his usual shorts-only wardrobe. She'd been beginning to think the man didn't own clothes.

Not that Lillian often minded it. The way his muscles flexed and relaxed when he moved around was a mesmerizing sight.

Banishing all thoughts of bulging muscles and defined pectorals out of her mind, Lillian watched as he plucked the twins off the ground, putting each one of them over one boulder-like shoulder. For some reason, that was better than any half-naked image of him.

He was good with them. He was good with all the pups. Noah was stern, aloof, even gruff at times. But he treated the pups with a gentleness he displayed nowhere else.

Lillian had always worried about the boys growing up without a male figure in their life. Coming to the pack, that worry was snuffed out of existence. They were surrounded by other wolves, male and female, old and young. And having Noah being an even closer presence in their life further settled her heart.

The pups all gathered in the pack house's dining hall. The tables were set with food, mostly the children's favorites. Already, some of the pups were surrounding a couple, begging for a story. Noah put the twins on the ground.

"You be good, okay?" Lillian said, crouching down to brush their hair back. She dropped a kiss on their cheeks before setting them free.

When she stood up, Noah was speaking to a woman. With her pearly white hair and smooth black skin, the woman was striking. But one look in her black eyes and Lillian felt the heavy weight of centuries press on her bones.

"Lillian, this is Elda," Noah said. Elda's black eyes glimmered with an innate light.She smiled and it lit up her whole face.

"Hello-"

Lillian's words died out when the woman stepped closer and cupped her face. Standing motionless, Lillian waited as the woman stared deep into her eyes. Her smile widened and she patted Lillian's cheeks.

"Ah, you will be good for us, child," Elda said with an accent Lillian couldn't place. She swung her gaze to Noah. "You take care of her, boy."

Noah nodded. "I will."

"Alright, go on, now. We'll watch over the pups," Elda said, waving them away with a slender hand.

When Lillian and Noah were heading to the party location, she asked. "How old is Elda?"

Noah cocked his head, thinking on his answer for a long minute. "I think she's in her eighth century."

Lillian's eyes widened. So much time lived, so much lost. She must have witnessed wars, seen the features of the world slowly change, history being written. So much life. And so much death.

"Wow," Lillian breathed out. "I can't even imagine..."

"Then you'll be in for a surprise when you meet Arthur," Noah said.

"You mean lord Arthur? The one from the Five?"

At Noah's nod, Lillian's brows shot up. The Five were the closest thing to legends they had in their day and age. "Is it true he's the oldest vampire?"

Noah frowned, his features sharper under the shadows of the night. "You don't know the Story of Origins."

"What's that?"

Noah shook his head. "Anna will tell you. It's a story we grow up hearing, so it must have slipped her mind to share it with you. To answer your question, yes, Arthur and the rest of the Five are the oldest vampires. Though vampires is not really an adept term to describe them."

Lillian shuddered. She'd never met a vampire upclose before. The fact that they fed on blood made the creatures slightly revolting. But then again, she was thinking as a human.

"What are they like?" she asked.

"Vampires?" She nodded. Noah shrugged. "Immortals, like every other race. But their numbers are the biggest worldwide, so they're the strongest in a way."

Lillian hummed. The more she knew about their world, the more she became aware of her ignorance. Now the years she spent living without that knowledge seemed like such a colorless, dull time.

"Have you ever thought of applying to be a vampire?"

Lillian cocked her head. "I've never considered it. Thinking back, I never wanted to live forever." Sometimes, she'd felt the need to end it even earlier. Lillian shook her head. The black hole of despair and depression was all too familiar. She had reasons to live, now. She had a life, and people she could call friends. She had the closest thing to a family she'd ever come to.

"And now?" Noah asked. He stopped walking. Lillian faced him, the shadows on his face from the soft lantern lights putting his scar into sharp relief. Lillian could hear faint music playing. They were close to the party, but the path Noah led her through was empty.

"I don't know. The idea of drinking blood to live seems a little off-putting."

Noah stepped closer until she could make out every feature of his. "The twins will watch you die."

Lillian smiled. "I'm their mother, I'm supposed to go before them. Besides, they have each other, and they'll have people they love in their lives. It would make the loss less painful."

The strands framing Lillian's face swayed in the gentle breeze. Noah's chest expanded with a deep breath. And beyond the brightness of his gaze, beyond the solid exterior, Lillian glimpsed shadows of pain and hurt so deep it made her throat tighten. His lashes came down, breaking the spell.

Clearing her throat, Lillian smiled in an attempt to lighten the sudden heavy mood. "But I haven't decided anything yet. Is there a way to be a shapeshifter? maybe I'll consider it."

"It's not done anymore," Noah said. "Theoretically, the transformation into a shapeshifter should be possible if there's enough shifter DNA in the bloodstream. But a large percentage of humans die during the transformation. It's too violent for the human body."

"It has been attempted?" Lillian asked.

"Yes, a long time ago it was as common as vampire transformations. But since the survival rate was too low, it's been forbidden."

"How much was the survival rate?"

"Under one in ten thousand, probably less."

"Well, then. That's a big no. What about witches and fae?"

Noah shook his head.

"Oh, well," Lillian shrugged. "There's always the option of just staying human, but-"

"No, you won't."

Blinking, Lillian thought she'd misheard. "What?"

"You won't stay human," he said. "You can't die."

Lillian snorted. "Noah, you can't just order me into changing my race."

A hard set jaw, squinting eyes, a mulish expression on his face. "You will not die."

Rolling her eyes, Lillian did an elaborate curtsy. "Yes, your highness."

Noah's growl was low and deep. Lillian gave a gleeful chuckle, she liked riling him up. "Why do you care anyway?" she asked flippantly.

"I do." Gentle fingers gingerly brushed a lock of hair away from her face, leaving a trail of heat behind. "I care about you."