Touch

Zacky loved hearing the noises Leah was making. He felt like he was definitely doing his job well. He picked up his pace, practically slamming into her now. Zacky kissed up he neck and her jawline, pressing his lips to hers and kissing her heatesdly. He loved the way her lips tasted. They were so sweet and soft. She was just sweet tasting all around. He groaned against her lips, feeling his orgasm starting to built up already. Feeling how wet and slick she was along with how incredible sex was with his mate, it wasn't doing him any justice with being able to hold out for long. "Fuck, you feel so good," he moaned, nipping at her bottom lip. "So wet and tight." Zacky pressed his forehead against hers, focusing on his rythem. He loved the sound of their skin hitting one another. He was doing his best not to let his wolf take over, knowing she was probably still a bit sore from the last time he let that happen. He wanted to at least give her a small brewk in between times.

---

Aubree was really happy when Matt curled up onto the bed, reaching over and running her fingers through his soft fur. He was such a beautiful wolf. She was surprised that he could fit on the bed with how big he was. "I love you," she said softly. "I'm sorry I've been such a stubborn mess. I should have just let things take its course and gave into you sooner. I wasted so much time," she murmured, shaking her head. Of course her and Matt still didn't see eye to eye the offen, but honestly Aubree wouldn't have it any other way. She loved their little tidbits with one another. If they didn't argue like they did then it would just be weird. She couldn't imagine herself with anyone else, him being her mate since birth or not. She just couldn't see it.

Zacky increased his pace, and Leah was pretty much seeing stars. She didn't really know what sex was like with anyone else, but she had a feeling nothing could compare to sex with her mate. It was just so incredible. "I bet you like fucking my tight little pussy, don't you?" Leah asked, a bit breathless as her orgasm approached. "I love it when you fuck me like this, Zacky, I love having your dick inside of me." She leaned her head up to kiss him again, locking her legs around his waist as she started trying to move her hips in time with his. When her orgasm finally hit her, Leah felt her eyes roll back into her head. Besides the time last night when Zacky had really let his wolf out, Leah didn't think she'd had a more intense orgasm she'd had so far. "Fuck Zacky, that's so good," Leah panted, coming down from her high. "So fucking good. God, I love you."

---

Matt couldn't respond to Aubree out loud since he was in his wolf form, so he just settled for snuggling closer to her, nudging her with his snout. He was glad that she had warmed up to him so quickly. Of course he was expecting her to be a little stubborn about it, because that's just how Aubree har always been. Matt had just been worried that it would take a long time for her to really come around to the idea of being his mate and having his pups. Realizing the lights were still on, Matt climbed out of the bed and went over to turn them off, grateful for his size as he rose onto his hind legs to flick off the light switch. Climbing back into bed with Aubree, he repeated his actions from earlier, circling a few times before he laid down next to her, snuggling close to her. When Aubree was comfortable in the bed, Matt rested his head on her side, closing his eyes.

As soon as Leah came hard around him and screamed out in pure pleasure, Zacky came too. He spilled his seed into her, moaning her name loud as he rode out both of their orgasms. Zacky grinned as he pulled out of her and laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "That was great," he said breathlessly, kissing her softly. He reached over and turned the light out, figuring since they were both exhausted that it was time for bed. "I love you so much, Leah." Zacky snuggled close to her as he closed his eyes, quickly drifting off into a deep sleep. He was exhausted and he hoped he was able to get a pretty decent amount of hours of sleep in.

---

Aubree grinned as Matt snuggled closer to her. She watched as he got up and went over to turn the light off. She didnt think she would ever get over how massive he was. When he came back to the bed and curled up next to her, Aubree snuggled close to him and closed her eyes, yawning softly. "Goodnight, baby. I love you," she murmured before drifting off to sleep. The next morning she was woken up bright and early for the nurse to check on her incision and get her vitals. Aubree groaned and rubbed her eyes, looking down to see Matt fast asleep. "Wakey wakey," she said softly, tickling his nose with a smirk. It was always fun to tickle his nose when he was in wolf form.

Leah didn't even realize that Zacky wasn't wearing a condom until she felt him finish inside of her. She wished she would've thought to tell him to use protection, but it was too late for that now. She snuggled close to him after he'd turned off the light. "I love you too, Zacky," she yawned. Leah closed her eyes, finding it pretty easy to go to sleeping since she was so tired. When she woke up the next morning, she could tell by the light filtering in through the blinds that it was at least noon, which meant she'd slept a lot longer than she originally planned. It was going to fucking suck tomorrow when she had to go back to school. "Zacky wake up, it's like noon," Leah mumbled, shoving Zacky's shoulder. "I wanna go to Arby's and then I wanna go see Aubree at the council mansion. Zackyyyyyyy," she whined. "Get up." She gave him another shove before she climbed out of bed, pulling on her clothes. Eventually she was going to have to pack up her clothes from her dad's house so she would have more clothes to wear here. Well, technically Leah needed to pack up everything, since she was going to be living here at Zacky's from now on.

---

Matt was sleeping pretty peacefully when he felt something tickling his nose. He wiggled his snout, trying to see if he could get it to stop, thinking it was possibly an itch. But it didn't stop, so Matt finally gave in and opened his eyes, seeing Aubree tickling his snout. He climbed out of the bed, stretching out his legs before he transformed back into his human form. "That was mean, you know," he said, stretching a bit more. "I was sleeping so good and you had to go and tickle me. Meanie." Matt leaned down to give Aubree a short kiss before he grabbed his phone, seeing a message from Brian. "Your dad is going to stop by in about an hour or so," he told Aubree. "And I'm sure Zacky and your sister will show up eventually, too. But I can tell them not to if you're not feeling up to any visitors. I'm sure they'd understand. Well, Zacky and Leah would. I get the feeling that your dad is going to stop by no matter what."

Zackt groaned and swatted at the air, not wanting to wake up yet. He still felt incredibly exhausted. "I don't wanna get up," he grumbled, rolling over and shoving his face in his pillow. At the mention of going to Arby's, his head popped up and he looked at Leah with one eye open. "Arby's?" he mused, yawning and stretching. "Let's go. We can go see Aubree after," he said, climbing out of bed. He grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom, taking a quick shower before getting out and getting dressed. He didn't want to walk around smelling like sex all day, that's for sure. He put some gel in his hair and combed it the way he wanted to, smirking at himself in the mirror when it was finally the way he wanted it to be. "Alright, are you showering or are you just going to get dressed and go?" he asked Leah, raising a brow. He wasn't sure if she wanted to shower or if she was fine with just getting dressed and taking one later. Zacky loved his morning showers so, either way, he had planned on taking one regardless.

---

Aubree sighed softly and nodded. She actually really wanted to see her dad right now. She wanted to hear him tell her that everything was going to be okay. She wasn't ready to be an adult yet and go through these changes. BUt she knew that she had to and there wasn't anything that she could do about it. "I'm alright with seeing them," she said softly. "I'm really hungry though. Would you mind going to IHOP or something and getting us some breakfast to go?" she asked Matt, her eyes wide. She was extremely hungry, she couldn't remember the last time she had a full meal. She had picked at what Matt had brought her last night but it wasnt anything worth bragging about. She wanted some real food, soemthing tasty to stick in her stomach.

Leah giggled when Zacky's head suddenly popped up. She knew mentioning food would do the trick. While Zacky was in the shower, Leah lounged on the bed, texting Aubree to let her know they were going to stop by. She sat up when Zacky came out of the bathroom, shaking her head when he asked if she was going to shower. "No, I'm ready to go," she told him. "I prefer my showers at night, so I'll probably take one later." She stretched as she stood up, getting a little excited when she realized they would have to go to the council mansion in their wolf forms. She loved being in her wolf form. "Hurry up, let's go!" Leah urged Zacky. "I'm hungry and I want to see my sister." She went downstairs, waiting for Zacky by the front door and transforming when they were outside. She was ready to take off running when she remembered that she had no earthly idea how to get to the council mansion. Damn, that meant they couldn't race there. They were going to Arby's first, anyway. "Alright Zacky, lead the way!" she shouted.

---

When Aubree asked Matt to go by IHOP, he smiled. He was glad that she was getting her appetite back. "I will definitely go by IHOP," Matt said. "Just tell me what you want to eat." Once Matt knew what Aubree wanted to eat, he left for the restaurant. The food took about thirty minutes to cook, and it was a little difficult to carry with in his snout as he went back to the council mansion. When he arrived back to Aubree's room, Matt could hear a male voice inside and he realized that Brian must've already gotten here. "Hey man," he greeted, walking into the room. He sat the bag of food onto the little bedside table and pulled out Aubree's to-go container, handing it to her. "If I would've known you were going to be here, I would've picked something up for you, too."

"It's fine," Brian said. "I ate before I came over here."

Zacky laughed at how excited Leah was to go running. He quickly followed after her outside before turning into his own wolf form. When she said lead the way he took off, heading into the direction of Arby's. He was so glad that they didn't have to take the car anymore, it certainly saved on gas and time. Zacky eventually got to Arby's, surprised that Leah even managed to stay behind him and not try to zoom past him. It wasn't like she knew the way anyhow, so he had to follow him. Zacky turned into his human form, waiting for Leah before going inside to get in line. "What do you want, baby?" He asked her, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared up at the menu. It was so hard to decide what he wanted to eat whenever he went somewhere. He had the appetite of a wolf and he could probably eat one of everything on the menu.

---

Aubree grinned and watched Matt leave to go get them some breakfast. She laid her head back and closed her eyes, just about to doze off when her dad came in. He had the most heartbroken look on his face and it just mad enough her want to cry once more. She hugged him back tightly as he hugged her, breathing in his scent and instantly relaxing. She may have Matt now as her mate and everything, and she was technically supposed to be all grown now, but she still needed her daddy. Aubree smiled as Matt came back with their food finally, reaching out with grabby hands for it. She licked over her lips as she watched Matt put everything on the bed side table. She breathed in the scent, grinning befor grabbing her plastic fork and digging in. "This is so good," she groaned, shoveling food into her mouth like someone was going to take it away from her. She blinked as she suddenly slowed down, furrowing her brow and shifting in her seat. "I feel.. something wet," she murmured, pushing her tray away and lifting the blankets. Her eyes widened when she saw some blood on the sheets. "Did I just start my period or something?" She asked with wide eyes. She heard her phone go off in her pants pocket, wanting to see who it was but not really wanting to move and make matters worse.

Since Leah didn't know how to get to Arby's on foot, she stayed behind Zacky as they went, a little unhappy that she couldn't run as fast as she wanted to. When they reached the restaurant, she transformed back into her human form, following Zacky inside and looking up at the menu. "Just the regular roast beef sandwich meal," she said when he asked what she wanted to eat. "But medium, I'm starving." She told the girl at the counter her order, stepping back to let Zacky pay and going to fill her drink at the soda fountain. She thought about seeing if Aubree wanted something, but she was sure that Matt had gone out to get her something. Leah was sure that to most humans, werewolf relationships seemed to have the stereotypical male-female roles, but the males could be caring and doting, especially if their bitch was pregnant or sick. "This looks so good," Leah said as they sat down at their table. She took a curly fry from the container and popped it into her mouth, smiling. "So delicious. I love Arby's so much."

---

Matt chuckled as he watched Aubree immediately dig into her food. After the way she'd just picked at her fruit and sandwich last night, he was glad to see that her appetite seemed to be reappearing. He frowned when Aubree suddenly stopped eating, pulling back the sheets and saying something about her period. "I'm sure it's normal, you had a miscarriage," Matt assured her. Even if it wasn't that, she'd just had surgery, so a little bleeding was normal, right? Hell, he had absolutely no idea. "l'll go and get a nurse just in case, though." He slipped out of the room, going to the nurse's station down the hall. "Uh, hello," he said, getting the attention of the girl sitting at the desk. "My mate, she uh, she just had surgery to remove one of her Fallopian tubes and she says she bleeding? Well, she asked if she'd started her period so I'm just assuming that she's bleeding. So we just need a nurse to come and check things out." Matt didn't mean to ramble, it was just that he was a little uncomfortable discussing this sort of thing. What guy wasn't?

[Sorry for the really late replies, I ended up being busier than I thought this past weekend. happy belated Easter!]

Zacky smiled and nodded, letting her order and then ordering himself something as well. He went and filled up his cup once he was done ordering, standing by the counter and waiting for his number to be called. Once he got the food he went and sat down with Leah, chuckling at how excited she was about the food. Zacky ate a curly fry himself, nodding and sighing in satisfaction. "It is pretty good," he said as he nodded in agreement. "We'll have to keep this a secret, dont want Matt to find out we went here and didn't offer to get anything," he said with his eyes a bit wide. He would have totally called Aubree and Mattt to see if they wanted anything but he figured they had already ate something from the cafeteria at the mansion. Not that the food there was bad by any means, the council mansion's cafeteria was a lot better than human hospital cafeterias. Zacky took a bite of his sandwitch, looking out the window as he ate. He could sense something a bit off but he wasn't sure what it was. He hoped it had nothing to do with vanpires and Dracula. Things had been pretty quiet since that day and he wanted to hopefully keep it that way.

---

Aubree blushed as she watched Matt run off, giving her dad, who was looking at her with an odd look on his face, a sheepish smile. Thankfully a nurse quickly came in after Matt went to get one, feeling horrible that he had to go do that. The nurse shooed her father and Matt out of the room before going over and pulling the blankets back, unhooking her from all her wires and helping her out of bed. "Oh yeah, this is normal. Your body is trying to process what's going on, so a bit of spotting like this is normal," the nurse explained with a smile. Aubree sighed softly, grinning and nodding. She let the nurse help her get cleaned up, sitting in a nearby chair as she changed the sheets. When she was finished, Aubree climbed back into bed and let the nurse hook her back up to all of the various machines. When the nurse left she gave the okay for Matt and her dad to come back in, giving them a small smile as they walked through the door. "Sorry about that," she told them softly.

[that's okay, I've been pretty busy this weekend. Happy belated Easter!]

"Oh yeah, you know how much Uncle Matt loves Arby's," Leah said, unwrapping her sandwich. She opened up two Arby's sauce packets and squirted them onto her sandwich, squirting a third onto her wrapper to dip her curly fries in. "He can always come and get some himself, he's not helpless." Leah put her bun back on and took a big bite of her roast beef sandwich, watching Zacky as she ate. He seemed a little preoccupied with something, but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was. Of course, she was a little distracted by what was going on with Aubree. And if it was something bad, he would protect her. Before she knew it, Leah was finishing off her last curly fry. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten this much food. "God, I'm so full!" she exclaimed. She pouted as she rubbed her tummy. "I'm going to get fucking fat if I keep eating like this. I've never done this before, I wonder why?" Leah shrugged her shoulders, snatching a fry from Zacky as she got up to throw her trash away. "Are you almost ready to go?" she asked, sitting back down.

---

The nurse told Matt that she would be in in a few minutes to check on Aubree. He went back to the room, barely having town to sit down before he and Brian were being shooed out of the room by the nurse. After about twenty minutes or so, Matt and Brian were allowed back into the room. "So what did the nurse say?" Matt asked Aubree, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. "Is it normal?" Judging by the look on Aubree's face, he would wager a guess that whatever the nurse told her was good news.

"So do you know when you get to go home, sweetheart?" Brian asked, looking at Aubree.

"I think later today," Matt answered. This of course was just a guess, but it didn't seem like Aubree had to be here for much longer. "Or early tomorrow morning at the latest."

Zacky raised a brow at Leah's comment of her eating so much. He could definitely think of a good reason why, but he didnt want her to freak out or even get himself excited and worked up about the possibility. "Maybe you were just hungry," he told her with a smile. He finished eating and nodded when she asked if he was ready to go, getting up and tossing his own trash away. He followed Leah outside, making his way to the woods and turning into his wolf. He made sure Leah was behind him before he took off toward the council mansion. Hopefully Leah took note of the routes he was taking so that she didn't have to worry about him having to lead. She could just run off as she pleased and as fast as she wanted to. When Zacky got to the mansion he turned back into his human form, going inside and straight to the hospital wing. He asked for Aubree Haner's room number, thanking the receptionist before leading Leah to her room. "Well hello, hello," he said as he entered the room, instantly taking a chair. "Feeling any better?" He asked Aubree.

---

"It's normal, I'll be fine," Aubree told Matt and her father with a small grin. At the mention of going home, Aubree wanted to go right now. Not to Matt's, no. She wanted to go home with her daddy and go up to her own bedroom with her blankie she always slept with that she failed to bring to Matt's. No matter how hard to tried to convince herself, Matt's just wasn't feeling like home. He wasn't really helping her with that either. He still called it his instead of theirs. If Aubree was going to be calling it home she was going to be making some changes around there, whether he liked it or not. "I hope I can go today," she said with a small pout. She looked up when she heard footsteps, beaming when she saw Zacky and her sister come through the door. She was so happy to see her sister, she made everything better. "I'm better," she told Zacky, biting her lower lip. She didn't really know how she felt, but she figured she'd tell everyone what they wanted to hear.

Leah followed Zacky out of the restaurant, transforming into her wolf form once they were in the woods and following after Zacky towards the council mansion. She tried to remember the paths they were taking, but she knew it would take a couple of times before she knew then enough to run them herself. When they got to the council mansion, Leah waited until Zacky had gotten Aubree's room number and rushing off to see her sister. "Hey sissy," Leah said, going over to give her sister a tight hug. "I'm glad you're feeling better. And I see you put Matt to work," she added, seeing the IHOP takeout container on the little bedside table. "So when do you get to leave this place?" Leah asked, leaning close so that only Aubree could hear her. "I think we need to have a sister slumber party soon. It's been awhile since we've had one of those. And plus, you know, we have school tomorrow. Unfortunately." Leah wanted to tell her sister about her slowly growing suspicion that she might be pregnant, but she knew that would be incredibly insensitive. And she wanted to be absolutely sure that she was before she told anyone, even Zacky.

---

Matt was relieved to hear Aubree say that her bleeding was normal. He just wanted everything to be okay, because she'd already been through enough. He looked up when Zacky and Leah came into the room, watching as Leah went to give her sister a hug. He walked over to Zacky, deciding to let the two girls talk for a little while. "How's it going, man?" Matt asked, leaning against the wall. "I'm sure your night was better than ours." Now that the adrenaline and worry had really completely worn off, Matt was starting to realize just how exhausted he was. He was hoping that Aubree would be discharged today so that the two of them could go home and get some rest. And then of course they would have to start on the task of getting Aubree moved, which would probably take some time since they would need to work around her school. And then after they were done with that, - or more than likely, while they were moving her - they could start trying for pups again. Matt and Aubree both wanted them, so there was no reason to put off trying.

Zacky looked up at Matt as he came over to lean against the wall, sighing softly. "I'm sorry, man," he said with a small frown. "How are you holding up?" Zacky knew how much Matt wanted pups, just as much as he did if not more. None of them were getting any younger and they've wanted pups for a long time. Zacky wanted to share his suspicion about Leah being pregnant but right now definitely wasn't the time to have that discussion. The wound of losing his pup was still fresh and the last thing Zacky wanted to do was seem like he was trying to rub in the fact that he and Leah might be having one. Zacky was thrilled the more he thought about her possibly being pregnant and he wanted to talk to her about it, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions either. The only lead he had on it was that she was eating a lot more than usual. Hopefully he could scope out a few more signs if he could. Maybe Icky or Majesty would find something up as well.

---

Aubree hugged her sister back tightly, holding back the tears that wanted to fall. She sighed softly as she leaned back, breaking away from the hug. She laughed when Leah mentioned that she had put Matt to work, nodding. "Of course I did. I wanted some IHOP and he damn well was going to get me some," she said. She grinned and nodded at the mention of a sister sleepover, really wanting that. "That sounds amazing. We'll have to try out best to stay out of trouble," she said with a small smirk. Aubree really wanted to have a sleepover with Leah and she didn't care where it was. Matt's house, Zacky's house or their dad's. They would just have to figure that out later. At the mention of school Aubree groaned, pouting. "I almost completely forgot," she said with a heavy sigh. "Thank god it's almost over and we won't have to deal with that shit hole anymore." Aubree really didn't want to go to school tomorrow and who knows, Leah might be on her own if they didn't release her today. "If they don't release me until tomorrow then I might not be going."

"Us, get in trouble?" Leah said, matching her sister's smirk. "Never." It had been awhile since they'd really had a sleepover, like where they both slept in the same room and popped popcorn and just talk about bullshit. It had definitely been before their change. Before the issues with their dad and the vampires, too. "No, you can't make me go by myself," Leah whined, pouting her bottom lip. "You have to get better so you can come to school with me, tomorrow." This would be their first day back to school since their birthday and their change and Leah really didn't want to face it alone. If she weren't so concerned about graduating, she would skip if Aubree couldn't go.

---

"I'm holding up alright," Matt answered, sighing. He yawned. "I'm fucking exhausted. I just want them to discharge Aubree so we can go home and actually sleep. Because these hospital beds are uncomfortable as fuck even in your wolf form." He was sure Zacky could pretty easily guess the rest, that he and Aubree were going to be hurting over the loss of their pups for awhile. It wasn't any different than a human miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. "I think we're both just ready to get home, mainly," Matt said. "And it sounds like the girls are planning a little slumber party, so we may have to spend a little time babysitting." Matt smirked. He hadn't ever seen Aubree or Leah drunk, but he was sure it was an interesting sight.

Zacky frowned a bit and nodded. Even though Zacky had never been through something like this and he hoped like hell he didn't have to, he understood how Matt was feeling. He himself couldn't even imagine actually losing pups of his own. "Hopefully she gets discharged, you definitely don't want to stay another night here in those god forsaken beds," Zacky said with a weird face. He just hated hospitals in general, of any kind. When Leah had their pups he kind of wanted her to have a home birth. Maybe he could convince her of that, though he wasn't sure how keen she would be on the idea of doing it naturally with no epidural or anything of the sort.

---

Aubree laughed softly, shaking her head. Her sister knew how to brighten her mood and make her feel better, that's for sure. "Hopefully they give me the okay to actually go to school tomorrow. I did just have surgery after all, Leah," she said softly, biting her lower lip. She didn't really want to speak of or bring up what happened, but sometimes it was inevitable. She didn't want people to feel sorry for her or anything like that. Everything happens for a reason and clearly it just wasn't their time to have pups just yet. Aubree kept trying to convice herself that it okay and that it may have been for the better. What if the pups ended up having major complications or something or some sort of terrible birth defects that made them have horrible lives or something? She wouldn't have wanted that for them.

"Yeah, I know," Leah sighed. She knew it would be asking a lot for her sister to be able to go to school tomorrow. Even if she was discharged today, she would probably need to rest for another day or maybe even two. It all just depended on what the doctor said. "Well if you can't go, I'll just have to make it on my own, I guess," Leah said. "And someone's got to bring you your homework." She was so thankful that graduation was only a month or so away. She really needed to start looking into applying to nearby nursing schools if she wanted to get a spot. Leah didn't know where she wanted to go to school, but she knew that she wanted to work in a mixed-species hospital, one that treated humans and werewolves. Maybe once she was settled into Zacky's house, she could start looking into applying to schools. "So have you thought about where you want to go to school after we graduate?" Leah asked Aubree, trying to steer the conversation away from her sister's surgery and things. "I'm thinking about maybe applying to the nursing program here and maybe the one at the community college nearby. Not somewhere too far away."

---

"No, I definitely don't," Matt agreed, shaking his head. He was more than ready to be back in his own bed. He was just ready to get out of this hospital, really. It wasn't so much that he didn't like hospitals, he just hated when someone he cared about was in the hospital. Especially his mate, and especially when she was recovering from surgery after losing their pups. "You know, since all of you guys are here, I think I'm going to run to the house and let Bella out for a little while," Matt said, looking around at everyone in the room. "And I'll go ahead and grab you some clothes to change into, just in case they discharge you today," he added, speaking to Aubree. He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Matt gave a sort of wave to everyone else as he slipped out of the room, heading outside and transforming into his wolf form. He took off to his house, hearing Bella whining as soon as he stepped inside. "Oh hush you big baby, I'm right here," he said, going to let her out the back door.

Zacky sighed softly as he watched Matt leave, running a hand through his hair. He got up and sat over next to Brian, striking up a conversation about bullshit. First they were talking about the weather, then about moving Leah's stuff, then pack business. Anything than what was going on and why they were here. Zacky couldn't help but notice how everyone was kind of trying to avoid the subject. Not that he could blame them, how could you actually talk about something like that? Besides, it wasn't exactly nice to talk about Aubree and her lost pups right in front of her anyhow. Zacky furrowed his brows a bit as he listened to Leah talk about wanting to go to school, gripping on the ends of the chair arms. He knew his wolf and probably a bit of himself as well didn't want Leah going to school. He wanted her to stay home, have their pups and take care of them. But he also knew that he didn't have the heart to stop her either. Or did he?

---

Aubree was so glad when Leah changed the subject, even if it wasn't the greatest. She sighed softly, leaning her head back against her pillow. The only thought she had given to her future was the whole alpha wife thing and being a mom. It wasn't like she needed a job, they had all the money in the world. It was nice to have a hobby though and have something to do, but she didn't have any ambitions. "Well... I figured I'd do what I'm supposed to and prepare for when I'm supposed to rule and all that snazzy stuff with Matt," she said with a small shrug. "And I really want pups now. Having that small taste of what it was like to be pregnant really made me want to start trying. So of course I want to stay home and focus on raising my pups," she told her, sighing softly. Aubree never thought those words would ever be coming out of her mouth. "Which reminds me, I've been thinking. When Matt and I become Alpha, you could be sort of like... the caregiver of the pack? You know, the one who can watch and help take care of the pups and do whatever caregivers in a pack does," she said, biting her lower lip. She really wanted her sister to be of some importance and she thought that was the best way, especially given she wanted to be a nurse. Maybe taking care of and watching pups wasn't part of that criteria, but what if her and Matt got real busy with their duties?

"Well I mean, you know it could be awhile before Daddy decides he wants to step down as alpha," Leah told her sister. She hoped that would be the reason that Matt took over, as opposed to him doing so if their dad were to die. "But there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a stay-at-home mom to your pups while you guys prepare for when Matt takes over. But uh, I don't know about being a caregiver for the pack. Maybe if it involves actually taking care of you or one of the guys if you get hurt, but being the one to watch and take care of everyone's pups just makes it seem like I'd be an glorified babysitter." Leah paused, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, of course I'd still help out with pups, because that's what a pack does, but I don't want that to be all I do," she continued. "You know what I mean? I want to work in the emergency room, maybe over at Angels Memorial. Something fast-paced and exciting. But I'll still help out. I just don't want my only role in the pack to be taking care of pups. You get to help Matt rule when he takes over as alpha, you'll have something else to do. But without this job, I'd just be Zack's bitch and a mother."

---

Once Bella had done her business outside, Matt brought her back inside and poured a little food and water into her bowls. He tossed a few toys into the area where he had her penned up before going upstairs to try and find some clothes for Aubree to wear when she got discharged. She didn't have much of her stuff here, so he didn't have much to choose from, but he'd figure something out. Matt eventually found a shirt of Aubree's that he thought would fit her and a pair of his sweatpants that it would be easy to adjust the waist enough to work for her. He didn't have any underwear for her, so she'd just have to deal with that. Once Matt had everything he thought he'd need, he went outside, transforming into his wolf form and grabbing the bag he'd put Aubree's clothes in with his teeth. He ran back to the council mansion, tossing the bag on the floor near Aubree's bed when he reached her room. "Bella is fed and watered and somewhat comfortable, and I brought you some clothes, Aubree," Matt said, taking a seat. "Now, nobody ask me to go anywhere else."

Zacky slowly began to tune Brian out completely and listen to the girls' conversation. The more he listened though, the more upset his wolf became. Both Zacky and his wolf of course wanted Leah to do what any male wanted their bitch to do and that was stay home and take care of their home and pups. He loved the fact that she had so much ambition. In fact it was one of the things that Zacky admired most about her. But his wolf on the other hand wanted to take control and have her stay home while it provided everything for her. Even though her being at the hospital wasn't exactly her making money, for or less something for her to do, his wolf didn't see it that way. It saw it as her trying to provide for herself and her family and not letting Zacky do the job he was required to do. He shook his head, sighing heavily and trying to calm himself down as Matt came through the door, carrying a bag and tossing it onto the floor.

---

"Of course I know dad isn't going anywhere as Alpha anytime soon," Aubree said with a small giggle. "It's just been on my mind a lot lately for some reason, I don't know why. I didn't mean for it to sound like you'd be some glorified babysitter, I guess what I really mean is for you to watch my pups if me and Matt have to do stuff," she said with a loud laugh. "But I guess instead of caregiver I should say healer, taking care of the guys and what have you when they're hurt or sick. That's a better term, maybe? It's still early, like way early. It's just a thought. Things can change between now and then. Who knows, by the time dad steps down you might be ready to leave the whole E.R. Scene and want to do something a little less fast pace," she said with a small smile. There was a knock on the door and a nurse came in, telling Aubree that her doctor said she was free to go home. She sighed in relief, glad that Matt had brought her some clothes to change into. She shooed everyone out but Leah, letting Matt go sign the release papers and letting Leah help her get changed into the clothes that Matt had brought back for her.

"I like the title of healer much better," Leah said, giggling. "Sounds much more official and important. And yeah, if Daddy doesn't step down for several years, I might want a change of pace. But you know it would be two years before I'll even be licensed and start working in the emergency room. But who knows. Nursing school might wear me out." Leah laughed again, looking over when a nurse came in, telling Aubree she was being discharged. Leah watched as the nurse disconnected all of IVs and such from Aubree, knowing it was never too early to start watching and learning. When Matt came in with Aubree's bag, Leah helped her sister change into the clothes he'd brought. When Matt came back to get her, Leah let him slip his arm around Aubree's shoulders, going over to Zacky. "I think I need a nap," she said. "Or a lazy afternoon on the couch. I'm so tired."

---

Matt had only been sitting down for two minutes or so before Aubree was shooing everyone else out, saying she needed to change clothes. "Why do I have to leave?" Matt whined. "I was comfortable and besides, it's not like I haven't seen you na--" He quickly stopped when he noticed the glare he was getting from Brian. Even if Brian was supportive of their relationship and had been from the beginning, Matt could understand why he wouldn't want to hear about Matt sleeping with his daughter. Matt went out to the nurse's desk, filling out Aubree's release papers before going back to her room. He went to Aubree and slipped his arm around her shoulders, helping to support her as they all left the hospital. Matt was more than glad to be leaving, because not only did he miss his own bed, but he hated seeing Aubree in that bed. And now that she was out, she could rest and heal, and then they could start trying for more pups.