Shifted

25

ALEXANDER POV

Two and a half Weeks Later

"Thanks, Kara," I said quietly while my sister took Willow's backpack and sippy cup.

"Enjoy your anniversary, Alex. Come on, Princess, we have pancakes to eat at the pack house." Kara slipped the bag onto her shoulder while my daughter waved then left along with her.

Now my plan can get into motion.

Olivia arrived at our pack a month ago. She has been burning the midnight oil at the hospital between deliveries and a few rogue shewolves and children that we helped when they were abandoned. My mate has been spending as much time as she can with Willow and me but life has been chaotic at best.

Today is just about us.

We named a few of the warriors as deputies of sorts, allowing them to step up into more leadership tasks so John, Silas, and I had more time with our new mates. It took a lot of conversations about logistics but thanks to Liam jumping in to help train we were able to delegate patrol and training more than I expected.

The guys that tried to overthrow me as Alpha have been put on kitchen duty except for Drake. He was banished from our pack in a unanimous vote we held with the leadership team. Bonnie suggested the other 3 guys get dishes duty for at least a couple of weeks. One of them, Killian, had just turned 19 and ended up loving his work in the kitchen. He volunteered to help as much as possible, becoming a sous chef and handling heavy lifting for deliveries while also training when he is able.

I am proud of the way he stepped up, especially since it is obvious this role makes him happier than training as a warrior ever did.  Olivia was right when she commented that Drake had control over the other 3 wolves. The manipulation and control he had was deeper than I originally thought but thankfully we did not have to send any of the other guys away.

We did a session of torture training a week after the issue.  It was even more stressful than I expected, especially watching a couple guys perform some methods on Olivia while she barely flinched.  I felt the pain and was doubled over as I watched, but my mate proved yet again how incredible she is as a trainer and guide.

I participated but John volunteered to step in so I did not have to attempt any of the methods we learned on my mate.  Yet another way my best friend has jumped in to protect our Luna.

Watching Livvy help deliver back to back babies on the day after Kara's birthday was amazing.  Liv has had a few other deliveries and emergencies where she was needed at the hospital last minute but we have a good routine now.  Thankfully Willow loves being in the hospital, too, and gets excited even when we need to run in the middle of the night.

There have been 3 other pups born since that week.  Livvy is caught up on meeting all the new moms and their children so now I can cancel our plans to give us a day free.  We continue handling training with the help of Liam but my mate is balancing her new responsibilities as gracefully as I would have hoped.

I grabbed a tray and put together croissant sandwiches with ham and swiss cheese, warming them in the toaster oven while I brewed my coffee and got a large glass of juice for Liv. My plan is to surprise her with breakfast in bed then just spend the day relaxing.  Today is about embracing the calm after handling so much from the day she arrived.

"Alex?"

Her voice was raspy and I grinned while peeking around the corner so I could look up the stairs at my mate. Liv's blonde waves were a messy lions mane and she was wearing one of my t shirts, as usual. "Morning, my Luna.  Go back to bed. Willow is spending the day with Kara and Vi at the pack house so I'll have breakfast up in a few."