KARA/CAROLINE

After breakfast we called Catherine and Blake and told them the good news. The pack walls were smell and soundproofed for werewolf noses and ears, but I swore I could hear her yelp of joy from clear into the next wing.

The next thing I know, she's breaking down the door with Blake on her tail.

When I opened the door, not a second later she was wrapped around me and ugly crying. William smirked to me and let Blake in. Blake gave him a good handshake. "Congratulations man."

Will gave a single nod. "You too."

Catherine's tear-streaked face leaned out to mine, sniffles starting. "So when are you due?"

I lead her over to the couch and handed her a tissue box. William came and sat beside me over the arm rest. He put his hand on my shoulder and I covered it with mine. "Not sure. We only realized today. I haven't put the date in a calculator yet."

She dashed her phone out of her pocket. "Tell me the date of your last period! I'll figure it out for you!"

Blake chuckled and sat in our easy chair. "Don't worry about it, babe. I can tell you two exactly when you'll have the babies."

We both turned. "What? Why?"

He made a groan of an exhale and looked at William with an anxious expression. "There's a total lunar eclipse March eleventh next year."

Will's eyes went wide. "Oh, dang. A blood moon. Seems our luck."

Blake nodded. "And Andrea didn't shift at the last full moon either."

Will rubbed over his forehead. "Shiiit. All three?"

I looked up at Will, "what's so bad about that?"

He chuckled. "With all the havoc you and Eric caused growing up, we might be getting paid back for that. Sounds like an alpha, beta, and now high tech will all be born in the same month. And if Blake's prediction is correct, you'll all likely give birth on the blood moon. Meaning trouble's a 'comin."

"What?" My head started to panic. "What's coming?"

He scratched over my back calmingly. "Don't sweat it love. It's just superstition. Those born under a blood moon will be tricksters of the highest sort. Just means we're in for a fun eighteen years with another little Kara to raise. And add another Eric and another Catherine, this pack is doomed."

I giggled. "Will there even be a pack by then? I give it ten years tops."

He chuckled. "You might be right about that. I'll get rid of all the teddy bears and drapes right now."

"You better."

Blake laughed and then spoke up. "Alright girls, well you two spend some time gossiping up all the things the pack will have to babyproof for our blood babies, we need to get to work."

William checked his phone. "Yeah, we need to go, Eric will be waiting to finalize the patrol routes."

"Alright," I nodded and leaned up for a quick kiss. "See you. Love you."

"Love you," he kissed again and then grabbed his things next to the door.

Before he headed out on Blake's tail, he turned and threatened, "you two are banned to Loa or closer. Hear me? I'll come after you. Don't think I won't. I've got my own pregnant mate to worry about." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "You already know I'm driving ten feet passed Loa now."

He chuckled. "You do make life more interesting Kara."

"Just you wait until you have three little blood babies running around!" I yelled to the closing door.

"Bye love."

I turned back to Catherine and we immediately broke into a fit of giggles.

"Okay, so blue or pink?" Catherine asked with a raised brow.

"How about sage?" I asked, remembering a color from the commissary.

"Oh that would be so pretty!" She fumed to herself then. "Why didn't I think of sage?"

I shrugged, "cream is pretty too." Too basic for me though.

"Okay, let's do it!"

"Alright. William already had the workout equipment moved to the gym, but there's still some shelving units in there with his random treasures. We can box those up and put them in the library for now. He'll go through what to keep later. Then maybe we tape everything and head down to lunch, grab paint from the commissary on the way back up? Paint in the afternoon?"

"Sounds like a plan girl!"

After lunch, we said goodbye to the few other ladies and their children at our table and then tidied up our lunch trays. We headed to the commissary downstairs, while the majority of traffic was headed back upstairs. But I always felt like eyes were on us. Ever since William announced me at the first pack dinner we went to, I constantly felt like people were hoping I'd sing again.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

We hit ground floor and headed through the commissary. I was aimed for the paints, but Catherine made a shopping trip of it, heading down all the baby isles and going through maternity clothes.

I guess I knew what it was like to be excited about being pregnant because a maternity shirt with a silly slogan ended up in my cart.

Great. Now I was the pathetic one too.

Maybe I was just holding onto it until I get a bump.

Yeah. That's it.

Slightly embarrassed, I looked around trying to finally catch the eyes of the non-existent people that were still watching us.

When we finally made it over to paint, a flash of a red apron and curly auburn hair had me calling out, "Bree!"

She turned back to the isle and smiled. "Kara! Hi."

"Hi. Catherine this is Bree. Bree, this is Catherine."

They gave their nice to meet yous.

Bree looked over the paint wall. "Did you need me to order anything?"

I shook my head. "Nah, we're going for sage today. But I did get the living and master painted." I pulled pics up on my phone and started scrolling through them.

"Oh goodness, it looks so beautiful. I love the color."

I grinned. "Thanks."

"So what's going to be sage? Master bath?"

"Oooh," I admired. "I was thinking second bedroom, but master bath would be good."

Catherine cut in on my behalf. "She's painting the nursery! She's pregnant!"

Bree's eyes went wide. "What? Wow! I'm so happy for you! That's lovely news."

I gave a side look to Catherine wishing she hadn't said anything. Bree was already a bit touchy about being not mated, but I plastered on a grin. "Thank you. We're really excited."

She pointed at the gallon. "So just one gallon? Or two to be safe?"

"Let's go two. I may paint the bathroom too."

"You got it!" She grabbed a step stool and got up to the first can and placed it in the cart just fine, but she had to grab the other gallon reaching clear to the back and when she brought it out, tripped on a loose apron cord and started falling backwards.

Before we could even prepare to dash forward to steady her, she was already safely cradled in a man's arms.

Catherine and I stood there blinking at the rapid change of events. Bree reaching, Bree falling, and then a man instantly there.

Bree twisted up to her champion's face and gasped. "Mate."

Jeremy got a wide grin and gazed down to the beauty now in his arms. "Mate."

When I finally got my bearings of the situation enough, I cried out, "Jeremy!?"

He didn't turn from Bree's gaze, but smirked. "Hey there brat."

"What are you doing here?"

He let Bree down to her feet and, without looking, thrust a hand with the paint can at me. "Catching a fallen angel."

My head finally caught up and grabbed the can with a smile. "Aww. She's your second chance?"

I opened my mouth to tell Catherine that a wolf could be fate mated again in certain instances, like a rejection or early death, but snapped it shut before anything could come out. She seemed to know more about wolf life than I did at that point.

"I'm Jeremy," he told her with a low seductive voice.

She visibly swooned. "I'm Bree."

"No," his hand stroked through her curls, "you're my angel."

She was quiet a moment, surely stunned. "Okay."

Catherine and I giggled.

"Bree, this is my uh, brother-in-law, beta family Jeremy."

"Nice to meet you," she said holding her hand out in awe.

"Pleasure's all mine angel." He grabbed her hand and kissed it, eyes still on her.

The two stared dazed at each other for a few more seconds when I finally remembered it was weird that he was just instantly there. "What are you doing here?" I asked again looking around for an abandoned cart he might have had, but then knew the answer to my own question. "You were following us. You're on 'no girls out of the county' duty?" I chuckled at my sweet man. Of course he'd sick his brother on us.

Bree's spell was finally broke over him and his eyes came to me. "Spy Extraordinaire at your service madam."

I shook my head with a smirk. "Great. Well, why don't you walk us to the front and Bree can check us out and then you can stay and check her out."

His eyes went visibly up and down her. "Done and done."

She giggled and gave him the same once over.

Catherine started pushing the cart and I turned to make sure they were following.

Jeremy held his hand out and open to Bree and she reddened placing her hand in his, but they did start walking so we headed to the front and loaded items up on the table.

Bree moved around to the cashier's spot and finally lost some of her quiet awe while ringing up our items. But her glance moved to Jeremy standing at the baggage every other item.

Between Catherine and I, we could grab all the bags, but we still went for the elevator.

"Bye Jeremy!" I called out. "Bye Bree!"

Their eyes were locked on each other, but both gave a half-hearted wave as the elevator doors closed.

Catherine and I looked at each other and started another fit of giggles.

"That was toooo cute!" She gushed.

"I know right? Now you know what you and Blake looked like."

She shoved me. "We weren't that bad! And what about you and William? I bet you were just like that. All gooey eyed and pathetic."

My eyes went to the ceiling as I remembered. "I think I was a little star-struck."

"Yeah, me too," she conceded.

We walked back to my room and abandoned the paint when William's link caught me.

Kara?

Yeah?

I need you to come down to council room two.

"Hey Cat, guess we'll have to finish painting later. Will needs me." Okay. What's up?

I just gave sponsorship to two werewolves to come on pack property.

Alright? Do they need to be healed?

No. You know them. One's your dad...

He paused.

And the other's, the vet.