Alpha Andrew Rowan sighed and scrubbed at his face, sometimes he felt more like a mundane CEO than the Alpha of the third largest pack on the continent. Sitting in his office, he signed the paperwork Luna Marigold had left for him. Running a pack the size of Darkwood, as well as the Darkwood Lumber business always was more than a two person job. The Alpha and Luna did most of it, but they each had an assistant, as did the Heir Alpha pair. At the pack hospital, their surviving son, Blake, and his mate, Cerese were expecting triplets at any time. Births of twins was rare among werewolves, but his lineage seemed to have a set every generation, however triplets had not happened in almost a thousand years.

By morning, the Darkwood would have three new members, yet his grandchildren's survival worried him. Cerese had an uneventful, healthy pregnancy, and was expecting two boys and a girl. The first daughter born to the Darkwood alpha line in more than two centuries was a blessing in troubled times.

If they survive. Andrew struggled not to let his despair overcome him because the werewolf population registry would not even record their names until the first full moon after their first birth anniversary.

After the Fifth War plagues had come and gone, the after-effect was that the majority of conceptions failed to make it to birth, fifty percent for non-humans and eighty percent among humans. Added to the many miscarriages, was the grieved fact that many plague-weakened infants died in the first year and no one knew why. Those were just two of the hurdles that faced by the children of the Supernatural and Human populations. In the world after the Fifth War, children were considered a commodity more valuable than any wealth and they faced threats of kidnapping from rogue wolves, renegade vampires, and malevolent humans. The world was not a safe place, in spite of the illusion the governments were creating. The Guardians, a global security force of Humans and Supernaturals, did their best to keep the peace and hunt down the evil that grew in the decades after the Great Fifth War and depopulation of the Plagues, but it still spread. The old hatreds reinvented themselves under new names and banners, calling to those who were weak, hateful, or power hungry.

Alpha Andrew was startled from his musing by the chime of the vidcom. Through the pack link, he heard Marigold announce the birth of Blake's first son called Coen. A familiar face appeared as he tabbed the connect button. It was his foster brother and best friend, Alpha Lloyd Dark. They were raised together by Lloyd's grandparents after his parents and pack's deaths during the fourth war had decimated nonhuman populations. The

"Hello, brother, how's my favorite mangy old dog?" Andrew teasingly snarled into the phone.

"As good as you, you flea-bitten mongrel," Lloyd taunted back, then added, "I have good news. Lily had a girl just a few minutes ago!"

Andrew grinned, "Granna would be proud, we're grandfathers on the same day. Blake's son was born just as you rang. They are calling him Coen. We're still waiting on the other two, a boy and a girl."

"That is good news. Another set of birthday sharing Alpha-borne for the Darkwood Pack. Granna must be overjoyed." Lloyd chuckled at the mention of his late grandmother. "Oh her name is Trinity Celeste, Desa just told me to make you make sure Marigold knows."

"The triplets are being born," Lloyd murmured to Desa.

 Andrew could hear her sweet voice in the background, and happy clap. Desa was a Fae-Shadow-walker hybrid, and one of the gentlest, most joyful souls he had ever met. Lloyd had despaired that he would never find a mate, and then he had rescued a lone hybrid from renegades, and a year later, they had a daughter. Many of the old timers in the pack were against his union to a non-werewolf, so the close foster brothers created a place for the new family and for other mixed mates with hybrid children at an abandoned vineyard that bordered the Darkwood territory on unclaimed lands. The new Darkwood Clan grew rapidly as others banished from their packs or cast out of their covens found it. The name was changed from the Darkwood clan to the Darkstone clan when they discovered Desa and Lloyd's daughter Lily was the mate of Constantine Charlain, the thirteenth son of the most powerful Master vampire on the continent, a shadow- walker named Lord Cain Charlain of the Bloodstone. Lord Constantine was a shadow-walker as well, and had four previous wives who were human, and twelve half-human children over his two-hundred-year life. None were left after the Fourth and Fifth Wars. He had been a broken being until he met Lily.

"That's a lovely name, Marigold will be happy for you both," Andrew paused as Marigold spoke to the pack again. "And speaking of my lovely mate, she just informed me that young Callen has arrived and that if I do not arrive at the hospital soon, I will be coming to live with you."

Lloyd barked a laugh, then said "I'll link you when we get back to the Darkstone."

"Why are you at Bloodstone?" Andrew asked as he shoved the last of his paperwork into a folder. Andrew missed the days when he and Lloyd could just speak through the pack mind link, but time brought change, and they been forced to separated pack and clan because of the prejudices of the old ways.

Andrew watched his foster brother shrug as Lloyd answered, "Because little Trinity is the thirteenth daughter of a thirteenth son and that has some special meaning. Nightwalkers, who knows... but Lord Cain insisted, and Cons could not refuse."

"Is Constantine happy to be a father again?" Andrew asked.

"And terrified, but she seems strong." Lloyd nodded then added, "We will pray for the triplets to be strong as well and that someday this cursed plague will spare our children's children." He voiced the hope they both held. None knew where the child-killing plague came from but all species suffered because of it.

'Andrew! Tell Lloyd goodbye and come to the hospital.' Marigold snapped at him through their mate-bond and he must have cringed because Lloyd chuckled.

"Tell Marigold to be nice to you. May the Moon Goddess bless Blake and Cerese with strong pups." Lloyd and Andrew wished their farewells. "May the Sister Goddesses bless Lily and Cons with a strong daughter."

Marigold nudged him again. 'Your granddaughter is here,' then she demanded, 'Call Lord Cain and wish him congratulations before you come to the hospital because you know Lloyd will forget to pass on our well wishes.' His Luna was a stickler for the lost art of etiquette.

Andrew groaned but complied. As the vidcomm beeped, he was secretly grateful when Lord Cain's second answered.

"Bloodstone Mining, this is Prometheus." Andrew welcomed the old shadow-protector's voice. It wasn't that he did not like the six-hundred-year-old royal vampire, but Cain made Andrew uncomfortable in a way unfamiliar to an alpha werewolf; he made Andrew feel like prey.

"Prometheus, old man, this is Alpha Andrew Rowan, calling for you master. Luna Marigold and I wish to congratulate your coven. My foster bother just informed me the birth of his and Lord Cain's newest grandchild." Andrew announced jovially.

"It is good to hear from you, Alpha Rowan. My master is with the child now, a thirteenth daughter of a thirteenth son is an auspicious event. I shall pass on your salutation, and, in return, offer congratulations on the birth of Alpha Blake's triplets. It is a good day for coven, pack, and clan in our alliance," Prometheus' formal style speech had always amused Andrew, and once again he wondered how old Prometheus was.

"Yes thank you, it is a fine evening for all of us," Andrew responded, "Have a pleasant night, Prometheus."

"And you as well, Alpha of the Darkwood," Prometheus ended the call without saying goodbye, vampires never said goodbye.

Andrew stripped quickly and stuffed his clothes into a pouch without folding them, it was a short run to the center of town. He shifted to his brown wolf, picked up the pouch in his teeth, and left via the packhouse's canine door. Darkwood Lumber dealt with a lot of mundanes who knew of werewolves, but many of the urban people visited the picturesque forest in the fall did not. While having large canines running loose in a rural town was not unusual, having naked people going in or out of buildings would draw unwanted attention. Marigold had proposed the solution decades ago and now all public buildings in Darkwood had large canine doors discreetly attached to small 'shifting rooms'. The shifting rooms also contained sweatpants and shoes, shorts, and tee shirts in various sizes, and for security reasons, the rooms were reinforced concrete with steel doors.

Andrew opened the hospital shifting room door, dressed albeit rumpled, and strode purposefully through the building following his mate's and his son's scents. Everyone nodded and stepped out of the way respectfully. Many murmuring congratulations as he hurried past. He surveyed the birthing room. Their human doctor was standing next to Marigold speaking in low tones, while Cerese was asleep on the bed with Blake holding her hand. His son's peridot eyes shined with joy as they met his father's brown ones. Both their children had gotten some shade of Marigold's green eyes. He quietly stepped to where his mate stood over the sleeping babes, he dropped his nose into the soft brown waves of her hair and inhaled her scent. After five decades together, the silver was threading its way through her hair, but she was still the fairest flower in his world. In front of them, two strong alpha pups and a delicate luna pup slept.

"Good news, Alpha Andrew. All three of the infants are strong and show no sign of the illness," Dr. Reynolds announced in relief. Reynolds was a human mated to a pack member; they were the happy parents of two lovely girls who had survived the illness. It seemed hybrid children faired better that pure-blood children.

Marigold looked up at him with happy eyes, "Maybe the Infant Plague is finally over and our children are safe."

Beyond her, Andrew noticed that Dr. Reynolds frown slightly at her words and look back at the children, before he retreated to the door. The two men knew what many did not, that whatever the plague really was, it was now part of their world and was not going away. "Only time will tell, my love, but tomorrow we can celebrate, and in a year, we will present their names to the Scribes of the Council of Alphas, to be added to the lineage of the Darkwood," Andrew announced boldly.

Marigold squeezed him, and wiped a tear of joy away, "We are blessed by the goddess." Andrew kissed her forehead before glancing back down at their future.

He had to agree, "Yes we are blessed."

"I wish Granna Dark was still with us," Marigold sighed wistfully, "She would laugh about you and Lloyd becoming grandfathers on the same night."

Andrew smiled again, "She always did call us the cliche."

Marigold giggled, she was one-hundred-two, and still the same happy young girl inside that he fell in love with, in the days after the Fifth War. "Well, the two of you always do seem many things at the same time whether you plan it or not. Are Lloyd and Desa happy about Lilly's daughter?"

"Yes, very happy. I haven't heard Lloyd that happy since Lily made her first year. Her name is Trinity Celeste."

"What a pretty name."

Nodding once, Andrew added, "Lord Cain insisted the child be born at Bloodstone Castle because she was the thirteenth child of a thirteenth child."

Marigold rolled her eyes, responding, "Vampires and their numerology." Wolves did not understand the superstitious ways of walkers.

<^><^><^><^><^><^><^>

In the hour before dawn, Lord Cain waited on the highest tower of the Bloodstone Castle, while his son, Lord Constantine, and their most loyal, Prometheus and his son Epimetheus stood silently by him. Once this castle was far from shore, now the rising ocean levels, brought the waves to the foot of the Stone Mountains. Eipmethius' grandmother, Alya, a queen of the Fae, and Lord Cain's younger half-sister Levena, queen of the vampires, both examined the newborn. Nearly five hundred years ago, the queens were made blood sisters as infants to ensure the peace between the kingdoms of the Light and the Dark was not broken. At the time, no one had realized both females were seers of their peoples.

"She is the first of her kind," Alya said with certainty, "She will be the strongest of her generation, if she survives."

"We shall see, sister," Levena responded, "There are many who will seek her death, I see great love and great sorrow in her future."

"Great power and great pain," Alya finished with a scowl as she held a mirror above the infant's head. They watched the possibilities of her future.

Together, the ancient queens turn as one to face the three shadow-walkers and the day-walker.

"She is the first of her kind, she must be protected. If you cannot sacrifice to do so, then you must give her to one of us," Levena demanded.

"But, Aunt Levena, there are many walker-werewolf hybrids like her in my clan. It is no sacrifice to keep her safe," Lord Constantine refuted them. He did not want his only surviving child taken from him.

Levena touched her nephew's cheek with tears in her eyes. "She is not like the others, dearest Constantine. She will make our people stronger, or she will destroy them. It is her heart which will decide their fate."

Alya frowned at him, then turned to his father, repeating, "She is the first of her kind. She is special. She must be protected. If you cannot to make the sacrifice to do so, then you must give her to one of us."

Lord Cain looked between the most powerful females on this world as his heart pounded fearfully, then he bowed deeply, "It will be done, your majesties. I pledge my coven and my blood in oath."

Epimetheus and Prometheus, both knelt and spoke together, "It will be done as our Master commands." The queens simply nodded.

Alya held out her arms and Epimetheus rose to hug his grandmother. She kissed his cheek and looks at him with adoring eyes, "Keep her close to the light, Methius. Teach her inner shadow to be an angel instead of a demon as your mother did with you. Help her be strong when her grief comes." She coldly looked over his shoulder to Prometheus. "You have done well with my grandson, assassin. Your change will be accepted. Keep this child safe and your crimes forgiven. My daughter would approve."

Prometheus bowed again. "You are gracious, my queen, for I know that you did not approve of Gianna being my beloved. I vow to protect Princess Trinity with my life and my blood." She nodded as if satisfied then patted her grandson's cheek and vanished in a shower of sparkles, followed moments later by Levena in a swirl of shadow.

Breathing out, Lord Cain picked up his granddaughter, looking at the beautiful child with love. She wrapped her tiny hand around his finger in her sleep. "And so the evolution begins," he pronounces. As dawn paints the eastern sky, the shadow-walkers retreat from the tower, leaving only the young sun-walker, fae hybrid to greet the day.