The pups whimpered, and Noah could for the first time smell a hint of fear on the human.

Sean's wolf was getting out of control. Noah didn't like smothering his pack under his dominance, but his brother was letting his emotions cloud his judgment.

Lillian clutched her pups to her, her eyes alert and focused on Sean. Her face didn't betray any sign of the fear he'd smelled briefly a second ago.

Noah let his wolf come closer to the surface. Sean and Eva stiffened, their eyes dropping to the ground. The pups hid their faces in their mother's legs.

"Sean," Noah said. "There's a situation at the border. Go check it out."

Sean looked up but kept his gaze on Noah's chest. "You aren't thinking about keeping her here, are you?"

Noah growled out loud then linked his brother. "Go."

Sean disappeared after a parting glare directed at Lillian. She returned the favor and glared right back. Noah couldn't tell if she was stupid or just too bold for her own good. She had no sense of self-preservation.

Eva looked at her mate's back with a broken-hearted expression, her hand on her belly. Noah knew Eva was aware of the history that stained Sean's view of the human race. But she was more reasonable than his brother. That was why they were good together. They balanced each other out. Eva turned to look at Noah.

"Noah," she pleaded with him. Noah settled his eyes on Lillian.

"Eva, take the kids back to the infirmary."

The scent of fear appeared again. Lillian crouched down and engulfed her children in a fierce hug.

"I love you, guys," she said, her voice thick. "You know that right?"

Elijah and Ezra looked back at Noah after she released them, then back at their mom's watery blue eyes.

"Mommy, you're not coming with?" One of the twins, Elijah, said in a small voice.

"You just go with Eva for now. Okay, honey?"

"No," they both whispered. Ezra whirled around, throwing Noah a hard glare. "Don't hurt mom. I won't let you."

Noah was torn. His protective instincts demanded he protect the two wolf pups from the hurt he would be dealing them, but they also indicated he protect the pack by eliminating the human threat. His wolf whined, unable to decide.

Eva turned away from the scene, teary eyed.

Lillian firmly turned the twins toward her again. Blinking hard, she smiled at them. "None of that, now. Everything will be just fine. Go with Eva and be good boys, okay?"

She hugged them both again, then beamed at them. "Go on, now."

Lillian met Eva's eyes as the pups walked to her, and whispered. "Please take care of them."

Eva nodded, pinching her lips. Her disapproval was written all over her face. She took the confused boys' hands and led them away.

Lillian turned her back to Noah as she watched them leave.

"I love you boys!" Lillian shouted after them. The twins looked back.

"Love you, too," they replied simultaneously.

A second after they were no longer visible, Lillian furiously wiped her face then turned to Noah.

Noah knew the logical solution to the problem. They couldn't risk letting her out there, even though Harvey had cleared her- she had no contact with any suspicious party, was not a member of any organization. She had been leading a quiet life, relatively.

"You can't leave," he told her. "The humans are still looking for you, and what you already know is too much in the hands of the wrong people."

He had received a report through mind-link when Eva and Sean were arguing. Humans were seen around the western borders. His warriors also reported that by the looks of them, they were trained men. As soon as they glimpsed the wolves, though, they retreated. They knew they'd be torn apart if they were caught.

"So you're going to kill me," she stated, her jaw set and her back straight. Noah looked at the small slip of a woman. At that moment, it felt as though she could move mountains.

"There's another option."

She blinked, surprised. Hope lit a dangerous spark in her eyes. "What option?"

"Erase your memory. Then we can let you go out there. Though I don't know how you'll manage with the humans chasing you."

Lillian looked at the trees on the side for a long silent minute.

"You can erase my memory?"

"Not me," he said, curious to know what was going in that head of hers. "Someone else."

"They'll erase everything? even the twins?"

Noah nodded, "everything, we can't risk it. The past five to six years will have to go."

She gave a humorless laugh. "And then what? I'll go out there and be hunted down by my own race, probably tortured for information I no longer have." She paused, as if speaking to herself. "And I won't even have the memory of the twins..."

She shook her head. Then met his gaze, the impact a blow to Noah's gut. "Then no. I'd rather you kill me."

Noah was shocked. He'd been so sure she would take the offer.

"You'd rather die?" he asked in disbelief. A smile tugged up her lips- lips white from the cold.

"I didn't know anything could surprise you," she whispered, then before he could reply, she shrugged. "I'd rather die than live not knowing I had two amazing boys. They're the reason I live. Without them..."

Noah gritted his teeth. The next step would be to end her. He had ended lives before, it wasn't a turning point in his life.

He should kill her. It was only one life, a reasonable price to pay in order to protect their secrets.

Elle's words from months ago echoed in his head. No one life is worth more than another. Back then, he'd thought she was making a sentimental decision. He still did. She should've let them kill Noah instead of succumbing to their demands.

But he understood Elle a little better, now. Nothing was black and white. No decision was purely good or purely evil. Reason did not always win.

When he took a step towards the woman, his wolf raged inside of him. It was the first time the beast pushed to take over his body without Noah's consent.

Noah closed his eyes tightly, gaining control over the wolf again. Then walked up to the woman until he stood not a foot away from her.

"You'll die," he repeated, looking down at the fire in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, the smell of fear disappearing again. "Take care of my boys." she smiled at him and closed her eyes.

Noah's hands lifted. One move. Quick and painless. Simple. Humans were so easy to kill. Her slender neck would break without a real effort on his part.

The wolf raged again, Noah's muscles turned rigid, fighting the beast for control. It had never happened before.

Noah's hand touched her neck. Her skin was freezing. A lone tear slid out of Lillian's eye. She bit her trembling lip and Noah followed the action. Her body was trembling, from cold or fear, he didn't know.

Noah's finger caught the tear. Her cheek was cold, too cold for his warm hand. He brushed a few stray hairs off her face. They felt as soft as he'd expected.

Lillian's eyes shot open and met his. Her delicate lips parted in a silent question. The creamy skin was scraped from the night's accident, the gash on her temple still an angry red, and her heart beat a strong, steady rhythm against his palm. She smelled of female and strength, of fire and spring.

He couldn't do it. Noah thought, relieved. He wouldn't do it.

"Who's the father?" He was as surprised as Lillian by the question coming out of his lips.

It took her a moment to process his words. "None of your business," she said with a glare, spirit coming back to her eyes.

"It is if you want your kids to live on my land."

She looked away. Noah shook his head against the urge to grip her chin and turn her head until she looked at him again.

"I don't know who he is," she finally replied. "Just that he was a wolf."

"How did you know he was a wolf?" he asked, his thumb absently rubbing circles on her neck. He wasn't aware of the action and neither was she.

She hesitated before replying. "His eyes turned amber."

As simplistic as that was, amber eyes were a dead giveaway for wolves.

"Can you live with wolves?"

She blinked, opened her mouth then closed it, then, "I've been living with wolves for five years."

Touché.

"Good." He took a step back, hesitantly taking his hand off her cold neck. "The pack will decide if you can live on our land."

"The pack- What? Wait..." She sputtered. "You can't just tell me you'll kill me then change your mind. Besides, if the rest of the pack is anything like Sean, you might as well execute me now."

A spark of amusement flared in Noah's chest. He kept his expression neutral when he shrugged. "Well, if you really want to die..."

He took a step forward and she jumped back, holding her hands up, eyes wide. "Whoa! I was just saying! Sheez, don't be so eager..."

Noah resisted the urge to smile at the utterly bewildered expression on her face. She looked like she was still coming to term with the fact she had a chance to live.

"The majority of adults in the pack are parents," he said. "It would be hard to convince them to let a human live in their midst, but..."

"Because they're parents, you think they'll sympathize with me," Lillian said, lowering her hands. She nodded. "alright. But if it doesn't work out?"

Noah didn't tell her that the final decision would always be his. A wolf pack wasn't a democracy. The alpha might discuss matters with his pack or welcome their council and remarks, but the final decision would be the alpha's. His word was law. Though Noah preferred having his pack backing his decisions.

"We'll see then," he said. Thinking about other packs that might want to take them in. His wolf shook his head at the idea. "However, you'll have to cut off all ties with the humans, Any family or friends..."

"Not a problem," she replied.

Noah nodded.

"Jake, gather the pack for a meeting," he linked Jake. "And brief them on the situation."

"Yes Alpha," came his reply. "Alpha, if I may. Are they going to stay?"

"It will be the pack's decision," Noah replied. "What do you think, Jake?"

"I think they'll fit right in," Jake replied. "The pack will be ready in twenty minutes. Sean took care of the situation at the border. The humans have completely retreated."

"Continue watching the borders."

"Got it."

Noah looked at Lillian to find her staring at him through narrowed eyes. He raised a brow, she shook her head then sniffed. "Well, let's go meet your pack. And I'd appreciate it if we did it indoors."

She said it jokingly, but Noah could see she was cold. He kept forgetting she was a physically frail human, vulnerable to the cold and slow to heal.

"Let's go," he walked away, her steps rushing to keep up with him.

Noah's wolf was behaving uncharacteristically. He never cared about much, other than the security of his pack. And now he was interested in this human female and her wellbeing. It irritated Noah. He was aware of the faint scent of blood coming off her. The soles of her feet must be scraped bare to the flesh by now.

"Can I ask you something?" Lillian said, then continued without waiting for a response. "Why didn't you get rid of me? Surely it would have been less of a pain in the ass to do that."

Her words were winded. He slowed down to accommodate her short legs. "It's not too late to do that."

"I'm just asking..." she grumbled.

"I don't want to have to explain to your pups that I had to kill their mother."

Lillian was silent through the rough walk. The sun had fully come out. But only the most stubborn of its beams penetrated the heavy cover of trees around them.

Noah's land, like most other packs, was entirely forested. The only buildings were the pack houses, and they were all log cabins. Building, plumbing and wiring were all done by pack wolves specialized in respective areas.

They hunt their meat and farm what fruits and vegetables are in season. But that didn't mean they deprived themselves of other provisions. They visited the villages bordering their territory every once in a while to see what humans had come up with and buy provisions they couldn't self-produce, ranging from toilet paper to chocolate bars.

The pack land was completely off the grid energy wise. Solar panels and other renewable forms of energy were the source of electricity and heating in most pack lands. Services like Internet and phone service were provided by a non-human company. Their forests were also off limits to humans.

Other than the lands claimed by shapeshifters, some of the forests in the country were off-limits to humans. Humans had been given control over large chunks of forests all over the country, but other than that, the woods were immortal territory. It was the immortals' way of protecting nature. If left to the humans' devices, the wooded areas would shrink until most of the planet was covered with concrete and skyscrapers.

Humans weren't happy about that arrangement, but since immortals didn't involve themselves in laws and politics, humans should count themselves lucky.

Immortals preferred to keep their interaction with humans to a minimum. So over the ages, they developed and progressed much as the humans did, always learning from the technological breakthroughs that humans made. Thus keeping their dependence on humans to things that aren't crucial for their survival and security.

A painfully slow fifteen-minutes walk later - Noah would have done the trip in under five- he and Lillian reached the pack village. The buildings were scattered along Lost Lake. The area, much like the rest of the territory, was heavily treed. Noah tried building cabins in a way that minimized tree loss. So the simple one story cabins weren't concentrated in one area.

They reached a clearing near the shore of the lake. Lillian, panting behind him, took in the mesmerizing landscape. Mt. Hood in the distance, proud and tall, watched over the pack. The blue water of the lake winked under the bright sunlight.

Noah faced the lake and waited for his pack. After a few minutes of turning this way and that, Lillian finally sat down on a fallen tree trunk.

He glanced at her. Her face had regained color, flushed from the pace of the walk. Her breathing was ragged and loud. She lifted her foot and inspected the naked bottom with a wince. She needed shoes.

Lillian sighed deeply. Noah looked back to the blue water.

"Are the boys coming?" she asked.

"Not yet."

Lillian stood up, folded the bottoms of her pants to the knees then walked into the lake until the water reached her mid calf. She turned to look at him, and Noah was again hit by the paradox that was this human woman. She looked so small against the majesty of the lake behind her, yet felt as though she could take him on and win. The blue of her eyes put the lake and sky to shame.

"Thank you," Lillian said, shifting on her feet, a hint of red coloring her cheeks.

Noah shrugged, looking at the tall mountain in the distance. "Don't thank me yet. Even if you're allowed to live here, it won't be easy for a human."

Wolves approached. He turned around as the first one emerged from the shadow of the trees. Then others followed suit.

In a minute, they were surrounded by a hundred and eighty wolves, all above the age of sixteen. The pups stayed behind with the school teachers.

Water rippled as Lillian wadded out of the lake. She stood several feet beside him, tall and proud, exuding not a hint of fear. Meeting a pack of wolves seemed like an everyday occurrence for her.

The display of strength would be in her interest. Noah, like most immortals, appreciated a backbone. His pack members crowded around them. Some of them had never before seen a human. Some had seen a few when visiting the nearby villages for provisions. Many had never before interacted with one. It was natural to see curious, suspicious and mistrustful faces on his pack mates, to hear their whispers and speculations.

"Did everyone hear about the situation from Jake?" Noah's voice boomed over the whispers.

A cacophony of "yes, Alpha," filled the air.

"Then you know why I asked you to gather here this morning," Noah said. "As much as it is hard to believe, this human woman gave birth to twin wolf pups five years ago. We had a witch check the matter this morning, and it proved true."

Wide eyes and a wave of shock rippled through the crowd. Noah continued.

"She was chased by humans who wanted to get their hands on the pups."

Furious growls and snarls from the mothers and fathers in the pack. Pups were to be protected and treasured, it was one of the few things all immortals in the world agreed upon.

"You can all guess their motive. Having a couple of young wolves in their hold to study and experiment on, to know more about Shapeshifters, to gain an advantage... Whatever it is, it means that this mother can no longer keep the pups safe in the human world."

"Pups shouldn't be out in the human world anyway," an unmated male soldier said, getting nods of approval from some. "Pups should grow up in the heart of a pack."

"Yes!" Another female warrior echoed. "I don't know how a human could have given birth to wolf pups, and if it was checked by a witch, then it must be true. But where's the father?"

Noah was about to reply when Lillian did it herself, her voice strong and assured. "He isn't around anymore. I don't know who he is."

Lillian held her chin high against the few disapproving faces, her hands fisted.

"How did you take care of them on your own? two wolf pups wouldn't be easy to handle for a human." Noah recognized the young mother who spoke. She'd given birth last month to a healthy male pup.

"I wasn't alone," Lillian said, her voice singing through the trees. "I lived with a kind old woman who helped me. She passed away last night, was killed by the men who came after the twins."

A rumble of reactions stretched for several minutes. Noah's growl silenced the crowd and shook the earth beneath them. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lillian jump and look at him with wide eyes before schooling her expression into neutrality once again. His wolf was amused.

"Anyway, as you all see, the woman has nowhere left to go. She knows too much about wolves, and is a mother of two pups. So she can't be allowed outside with her knowledge.

"I gave her a choice earlier. Either death or erasing her memories of everything she knew about the wolves, of her pups and her life with them. And she chose death."

Gasps and speculative glances, resizing the human woman. A few mothers even gave her sympathetic nods. To be honest, Noah wasn't sure any other mother in Lillian's position would've chosen death. But he had a feeling there was more to the woman than what met the eye.

"There's only one option where the mother and the pups don't end up hurt, and that is to allow her to live on our land."

Silence. As everyone took in his words in evident surprise, he continued. "However, I will not impose on you that decision. The final say will be yours. To allow her to live in your midst, or to end her life."

Wolves turned to their neighbors, discussing and arguing in a buzz of escalating noise. Lillian was stiff as a board beside him, while waiting for a ruling that would define her life.

Noah could pick up the vibe emanating from the pack. A lot of wolves had no qualms about having a woman raise her pups in their midst, even if she was human, but they were still apprehensive, doubtful.

"How do we know she's not a spy?" One of his warriors, Phoebe, spoke up. "How do we know she won't report what she learns about us to her race?"

The reply came with a stubborn frown from Lillian. "If I wanted to report to the humans, I would've done so a long time ago. I already know a lot about wolves from raising two boys."

Phoebe straightened, narrowing her eyes. "So you're saying you'd give your loyalties to wolves rather than your own race?"

"They chased me down like a rabid dog. I won't give my loyalty to someone just because we're the same race. I'm a mother, my loyalties will always lay with whomever my children are safe. And right now, it's this pack."

Noah stifled the odd and unreasonable surge of emotions. The pack was clearly divided. He could tell Lillian had won all the mothers. And winning the mothers meant winning their mates.

Excellent timing. Eva appeared, accompanied by the twins. The pack looked at the boys in stunned silence. Two identical pups who smelled of the human female.

The boys were looking at the crowd with wide blue eyes, curious and surprised. Then they spotted their mother and grinned, running to her. Lillian smiled and gathered them to her side.

"Mommy, there is a lot of wolves," Elijah said in a loud whisper everyone could hear.

"Is that so?" Lillian said.

"Uh-huh. Aunt Eva let us play with other kids," Elijah added.

"And they're just like us!" Ezra said. "Can we stay here, mom?"

Lillian was about to reply when a woman stepped forward. Mary, a respected elder in the pack, eyed Lillian with a gray gaze that had seen more lifetimes than Noah could imagine.

The corners of her eyes were wrinkled, the only sign of age she chose to display on her dark skin.

Some powerful immortals could do that; age themselves physically the way humans naturally did. But very few chose to.

The crowd quieted down, and Mary's words rang loud and clear though she did not raise her voice. "The safety of the pack will always come first. Sometimes, however, taking a risk to do the right thing is the only way we can live with ourselves and keep our pack's values and courage alive. Depriving pups from their mother could not be further from the right thing. I've seen odd things in my life. A human living in a pack of wolves does not compare. The human has my consent to live in our midst."

A pause. Then another mother stepped forward, "I second."

More mothers echoed Mary. Young and old, gradually all the mothers in the pack spoke up. And then their mates joined them. The unmated warriors were the most reluctant to agree. But when Jake- his third in command and master-at-arms- stepped forward, the majority of the warriors followed suit.

"We're behind you, Alpha," Jake said, his flippant smile firmly in place.

Noah took in his pack. The majority welcomed Lillian and her pups. But not everyone. He noted the faces that stayed skeptical, then nodded.

"It is decided, then," he bellowed. "The pups and their mother will integrate the pack."

The pack cheered. The mothers surrounded Lillian in minutes. A radiant grin split her face, one that made her suddenly look too young and too innocent.

Noah turned from the scene, his eyes landing on his brother and Eva. They were a good distance from the rest of the pack, cloaked in the shadows of the trees, arguing.

Eva threw her hands up and stalked away from Sean, heading toward Lillian. Sean did the same, heading in the opposite direction, deeper into the forest.

Noah quietly slipped away and followed his brother. He found him on a trail that looked upon the lake.

"Why did you do it?" Sean asked without turning, his eyes focused on the other side of the lake where the pack was celebrating. "You're not used to taking unnecessary risks."

Noah stood next to his brother, allowing his gaze to land on the woman with the strength of a wolf in her heart.

"I couldn't do it." Noah was always honest with his brother. "Even if I could, my wolf wouldn't let me end her life."

Sean's head whipped his way, a frown marring his features. "That's a first," he mumbled. "What did Harvey say?"

"She's clear."

"Does he know the identity of the father? What was a wolf doing, sleeping with a human, anyway?"

Noah considered telling his brother, but held back. It wasn't necessary for him to know, and Lillian obviously didn't want to share her story. "It's complicated."

Sean narrowed his eyes. "You're not saying something."

Noah growled. "And I won't. It's her decision. Don't go sniffing around Harvey either, he won't say a word."

Sean cursed under his breath, then sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"They're not all the same, Sean," Noah said softly. "Just like we're not all the same."

Sean fisted his hands, but kept quiet.

"If you're not careful, you'll ruin what you have for a past you can't change."

Sean's eyes fell on Eva. His expression softened, turned regretful. He slapped Noah on the back and disappeared into the forest.

His brother had always been more hot-blooded. Noah never had strong reactions about anything. His brother had always been the passionate one. Noah did his job as Alpha, took care of his pack and their needs the best he could. It worked for him. So far, no one had complained.

His wolf was the same, a more instinctive and feral version of his human half, but equally as level headed and coldly calculative.

Until this morning.

Noah clenched his hands. He turned around and headed for the borders. He might as well do a border scan since his wolf was too agitated.

He shifted mid run and sprinted through the trees. Stretching his legs, he moved in the opposite direction he really wanted to go.

*** *** ***

Hey hey hey! 

And we're back with another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! 

Thoughts? 

Don't forget to vote and comment. I appreciate it! 

Follow me on Instagram if you haven't already! (username: when_mia_writes)

Much love <3

M.B.