Josy It has been fourteen years since Malik went on assignment for the Council, and the only contact I have with him is through Ivan. Two days ago, Ivan brought back a young She-wolf, and as always, we do everything we can to help. I just hope Malik will be able to come home soon; I want both my boys to find happiness. Conan and Marc are helping me to get the last few things in order before I am going to turn over the diner and motel to them. No, I am not going to quit working. I am just nearing the end of my pregnancy, and Mano feels better if I take it easy until our young are born; he is even more overprotective during my pregnancies. Marc is one of the people we took in at Malik's request, and I cried when Conan told me that Marc was his Mate. A lot of Malik's so-called victims found their Mate within our Pack; Kanoa found his Mate four years ago. The Council has been bringing us newborns ever since we settled down here, and with a few same-sex couples, there is always a loving family waiting for them. I hear the bell above the door chime, and I take a look at the time to see if it might be Mano; he told me he would come get me if I took too long. At first, he wanted to come along, but I was able to convince him to stay home and finish the last details of the nursery. "Aunt Josy." I hear Ivan yell, and in all these years, there is only one reason for him to sound like that: Malik has reached out to him for help. I slowly walk out of the kitchen to ask him what is going on, but the second he sees me, he says, "Hurry up, Aunt Josy." I look down at my huge belly with a smile on my face. "Sorry, Aunt Josy. Conan, get the door." He grumbles before he picks me up and runs out of the diner. Like his Uncle, he acts as if I am feather-light, but I can guarantee you that is not the case. There are four young growing inside me, and I look like a whale, not that they seem to notice. I try to ask Ivan what is going on, but I decide to link Mano when he refuses to answer me. "Malik came home with four Pups; two of them are newborns." He answers me, and I wonder if they are victims of Night Shade Pack too. Malik is pacing back and forth on the front porch, but he stops dead in his tracks when he sees us. I see a panicked look on his face when he sees us approach the cottage. "What happened to Aunt Josy?" He yells at Ivan, and I smile when I realize that he doesn't know that our family is expanding again. "I am fine, Malik. Just not as fast with four young growing inside me." I answer him. A megawatt smile appears on his face as he steps off the front porch to take me out of his Brother's arms. "How are you feeling, Aunt Josy?" He asks the moment I am in his arms, and I nuzzle his neck to inhale his scent, something I have missed doing over the years. I know he won't be staying long, and I plan on enjoying every moment I have with Malik. He might be an adult, but to me, he is still that little Cub I met up in the tree all those years ago, and no matter how old he becomes, he will always be my Carebear, just like Ivan. The Pups he brought home are doing fine, and something tells me to keep them together, that they shouldn't get adopted. Malik leaves after dinner, and I hope he will be able to end this assignment soon; I want him to come home. The Council has every file on Malik's so-called victims, and they have gathered every piece of information they could. The only problem is catching Calliope, her Mate, and Wenonah at the same time; they hardly ever leave the Pack together, and the Council wants to take them all down at the same time. Malik will save as many people as he can until that day arrives, and we will take them in, give them a place to hide. "Aunt Josy, Malik wants to talk to you." I hear Ivan say as I watch my four youngest Cubs and Pups running through the backyard; I hold out my hand for the phone, and a smile spreads across my face when I hear his voice. By the time I finish the call, I am in Mano's arms and tears are running down my cheeks. After five years, we finally have answers, but not the kind of answers I had been hoping for, and I hope I can tell Alpha Lakota what I just learned. "Ivan, can you look after the little ones? I need to talk to Alpha Lakota; she needs to hear what Malik had to say." I ask him as I get up from Mano's lap. I link Lakota and ask her to gather everyone in her office. "Malik just called." I say as I walk into the Alpha office; Mano closes the door behind me, and I crawl onto his lap before I tell them what I found out. "Darrion and Deimos are Alpha Pups; Hercules and Livy are the only members left of their Pack. There was an attack on White Horn Pack, and even though Malik doesn't know the details, he told me that no one survived. We have all heard about the trials that are taking place, and this is connected somehow. The Council has Calliope, her Mate, and Wenonah in their dungeons; Malik will stay until the trials are done and will inform us if there is something else we need to know." I say, and a few things about Darrion and Deimos make sense. Our entire Pack is complete again, and at midnight, the Days of the Full Moon start. I have been sending up prayers to the Goddess to grant Malik a Mate; I want him to find the happiness Mano and I have and the happiness Ivan found four years ago. Mano and I have a surprise for our youngsters, and I can already see the look on Jazzy's face when she hears it; it will be the same look she gave me four years ago. We are expecting another addition to our family, and after we found out we are expecting four more young, we decided this will be the last time; our family is big enough. All our young carry the names of Mano's family members, our way of honoring the family they lost almost thirty years ago. Every unmated Pack-member is gathered in the clearing by the Pack-house, and Lakota tells us her thoughts as she remembers the years we have been here. She speaks out the hope that our Pack will be welcoming youngsters soon, and Mano shouts out, "In two months, Alpha." The entire crowd goes silent as Jazzy turns towards me, and I am laughing my ass off at the horrified look on her face; she still doesn't get why we still want young. "Another four, but then our family is complete." I say as I look at Jazzy, and I hear Malik laughing as she slowly shakes her head. Many Pack-members come over during the evening to congratulate us and offer their help if we need it.I hear Nyla squeal, and I follow her line of sight to see Mara walking in her direction; Mara has been studying medicine. She has traveled around a lot over the years, and this is the first time she is home during the Days of the Full Moon. "Aunt Josy, tell me that Mom is kidding." She calls out as they walk towards us. "No, Mara. She is not kidding; another four on the way." I say, and I see her eyes widen when she sees Malik next to me. "Malik, you're home." She whispers as she jumps into his arms; he chuckles as he wraps his arms around her, and he tells her that he is home to stay. Until the day Mara went off to the Council for her studies, they were inseparable; she was there when Malik shifted for the first time, and she helped him a lot with controlling his Bear. Nanuk was a little difficult after their first shift, but somehow Mara was always able to calm him down, and when Ivan shifted for the first time, she was there too. Nanuk and Ungnyeo were two totally different Cubs, and Mara helped Alice with documenting everything about their shift and development. "Hello, Mara. How are your studies going?" Malik asks, and soon they are talking about her studies and travels, neither one of them aware that midnight is approaching. Nyla and I sit back to watch the two of them, and both of us are hoping that the Goddess paired them together. Only Mano knows that we suspect that they are Mates, but neither one of us can explain why we feel that, and we decided to keep it to ourselves. Lance is counting down until midnight, and my eyes are glued to the two people in front of me, hoping and praying. Nyla and I start cheering the moment they realize that they are Mates, and Ivan is watching his big Brother as Malik takes off with Mara in his arms. This time, the Days of the Full Moon gave our Pack seven fated couples, and within six months, there were sixteen young born, including my four little ones: two Cubs and two Pups, a male and female of each kind, and I love my huge family. Malik and Mara had a Pup and a Cub, and Ivan will become a Father for the first time in three weeks. I smile as I see Ivan hovering around his Mate, and through the mind-link, I ask her if I need to put him back in his place, making her giggle. I have visited my old Pack a few times, but I don't miss it. This Pack is my home, this Pack is my family, and here I am at peace.