Camila practically bolted through the doors of the hospital. The sliding glass opened too slowly. The twenty-second elevator wait was torture.

She was painfully aware of the fluorescent lights, yet the darkness of the ascending box. Painfully aware of the ticking time. And painfully aware that she looked and smelt atrocious. She forced herself not to look in the mirror of the elevator but couldn't escape the smell of the old tee, the sweat on her skin and the taste in her mouth. But none of it mattered. Her best friend was awake.

Trying to re-direct her anger from Mason for meddling and channelling it into feelings of joy, she raced through the hallway and didn't bother knocking before opening the door to Liberty's room. Due to her acute sense of hearing and the general loudness of her friend, she had heard her before she had entered the room. The sound of her voice stilled something within her heart.

Stepping through the door her eyes flickered across the room. Her brain processed the newborn in the cot. Patrick trying to calm Sammy who was jumping on the bed and then finally the tired but smiling face of her best friend.

"What took you so long Bitch!"

Patrick glared at Liberty amidst laughter while simultaneously Sammy squealed, "Mommy said a bad word!"

"We're wolves, Pat. What do you expect?"

Before Camila could launch herself into Liberty's embrace Patrick scooped up Sammy in his arms and started walking towards the door. With a wink in her direction, he said, "Let's give the girls some alone time Sam."

Camila felt tears pricking her eyes as she stepped closer to Liberty and hugged her from above her hospital bed.

"You have no idea, how glad I am to see you, Lib."

Even though she was probably in unimaginable pain she smiled. "Me too Mila."

"How are you feeling?"

"Grateful. Utterly and entirely grateful to be alive and breathing." She said this with such humility that it made Camila's eyes well with tears.

"I'm grateful for you Mila. Pat told me how you've been a rock for everyone. I've kept you from your pack for so long, I-"

Just as Camila was about to chastise Liberty for being absolutely ridiculous, her sleeping god-daughter had started to wail.

Camila picked up the swaddled bundle and tried to shush her to no avail. She looked at Libby in dismay.

"She's a loud one. Takes after you."

Libby began to laugh but stopped herself, wincing in pain.

Camila tried rocking the screaming child back and forth but the screaming only worsened.

Libby stretched out her arms. "Let me take her."

Camila hesitated. "Are you sure Lib?"

Liberty rolled her eyes tiredly. "I'm so sick of everyone treating me like I'm made of glass. She's my daughter for wolfs-sake."

With no further protest, Camila gently placed her in Libertys arms. After a kiss and a few gentle whispers, the crying ceased and a peaceful silence settled over the room.

"Baby-girl just needed her momma."

"Sorry Lib, I just don't want you to overdo it."

She pulled her daughter closer to her chest. "I know, of course I know. It's just frustrating when everyone is constantly watching, waiting to see if I'll break...But still, I shouldn't have snapped."

Camila sat down on the chair next facing Liberty's bed and grabbed her hand.

"Snap all you want, scream at whoever you want you. I'm just glad you're awake."

"So...how bad does it look?"

"Huh?" Mila said in confusion.

"The scar. You know the one I can feel from eyebrow to jaw throb everytime I open my mouth?"

"It's not that bad lib."

"They won't let me near a mirror, so let's just skip the part where you try to make me feel better and be honest."

The scar was bad. Long, angry and permanent. But as soon as Liberty had smiled she had forgotten it was even there. Camila had scars of her own. She had never seen scars as anything less than a story of growth and strength. Looking from the scar on liberty's face to the few on her arms and neck, down to the baby cradled on her chest – she had never laid eyes on anything that resembled strength more than this.

"It's not the cutest look for you...but its not as bad as the emo, grunge wolf phase you went through when you are sixteen."

"You're right, nothing could be worse than that... even if Sammy keeps calling me scar from the Lion king."

"Let's hope that kid develops a filter before his sixth birthday."

They shared a smile and watched as the newest member of their girl pack began to open her eyes and curiously stare at them.

"Have you thought of a name?"

"Yes, I have actually." She said, pressing a kiss to her daughters cheek.

"Mila, meet Valeria."

"That's...That's perfect," she laughed wiping the tears from her eyes.

Her aunt. Patrick's mother. That name meant so much to her. She had died in the fight alongside her parents and no matter how long had passed, she could still remember her smiling face. The way she taught Camila all her grandmothers recipes...The way her eyes looked before her throat was slit.

Camila shook the thought away.

She reached out to touch Valeria's tiny pink hands and her heart swelled when tiny five fingers tightened their grip on hers.

"I know you never got to meet her Lib, but Aunt Val...She would have adored you."

Libby looked at her knowingly. "It's hard...When things are happy and beautiful is when you wish the people you love were around to share some of it. I know that why Partick pulled away so much."

"It'll be okay Libby. He just took all of this so badly. He barely ate, barely..."

"Barely looked after our children. I know."

"Lib, don't be too hard on him, okay? Today when I saw that look on his face I realised I'd forgotten what it looked like when he smiled. He is so happy you're alright. "

Liberty sighed and sunk further down into her hospital bed. "I know he's your cousin, but I feel like best friend is the higher rank, especially right now."

Camila laughed, but saw that Libby was struggling to keep her eyes open and hold her baby at the same time. Trying not to upset her Camila gently lifted Valeria from her arms but kept her within reach.

"Libby, you need to rest. Don't worry I'll be right here when you wake up and we can talk some more okay?"

Libby sat up and summoned a final burst of energy. "No Camila, you won't be. You need to go. Your pack needs you."

"You've been chatting to Mason haven't you."

"No," Liberty said defensively. "Well yes, a little...but this is coming from me. I'm not going to pretend that I don't need you, because the truth is I'll always need you. But you have a pack that needs you more and a mate. Taine? Remember him?"

"I try not to." Camila said sarcastically.

Libby looked at her confused. Last she had heard things were looking up on the 'Cain'/'Tamilla' front. "Okay, you need to catch me up because I've been asleep for a long time."

Camila stood up and placed Valeria in her crib. She was tinier than most pups her age. Tinier than she should be. The first stretch of her life had been a hard one, especially without her mothers' nutrients. Camila hoped that she would be able to catch up in weight to other pups her age. Camila didn't worry about her too much though, this little girl had the spirit of a fighter.

"First get some sleep. Then we spill the tea."