“So you’re telling me you’re all part of some ancient brotherhood?” Uncle Dale asks. “Well, I’ll be damned. Where do I fit into all of this cool stuff?”

Jackson laughs anxiously, while giving the cubs their bottle. “Well, I don’t know, Dale. They didn’t really say anything about you.”

“Aw, c’mon! You’re making some bullshit up.” Feeling left out, he walks into the kitchen to swirl his world famous stew.

“How are you holding up, papa?” I feel my father’s hand against my shoulder. He ruffles my hair before I can answer.

Jackson’s eyes rest on the two twins. “I just can’t believe you’re actually alive,” I say. “I saw you, dad. You were on your deathbed.”

Chip is sitting across the room and his face looks grim. “The shaman’s magic was powerful. I thought we were going to lose him. I mean, we all did, right? It was you who broke the spell.”

“I knew you’d come. Even when I was trapped, I knew my son was coming,” Genesis says.

I share a glance with Jackson. He smiles and looks over at Jonas and Freddie, who have formed an obvious bond together. “It wasn’t just me. It was everyone. Without their help, we wouldn’t be alive.”

“I’m still confused,” Chip says. “What is the brotherhood, exactly? I don’t remember it being in any of the literature.”

We all turn to Freddie, since he’s the one who seems to know everything about it. He tells us what we can. “I was visited in a dream by a bright light. And then a goddess was directly in front of me. She knelt down and told me that we are all connected through an ancient thread called the Brotherhood. We are from different groups of people, yet we all have special abilities that lend aid to the whole of this realm. Shit, I barely could believe it myself. But I stood in front of that stupid cave for a whole month. I almost froze to death!”

“Oh my goddess!” Jackson exclaims. “You waited there for a whole month?”

Freddie shakes his head, vigorously. “You know it. The dream was more than a dream, you know? It felt like the fate of the world rested on my shoulders. I had to know if what I saw was real. Turns out, it was.”

Chip takes a deep breath. “I’m just glad you’re all back in once piece. I’ve been a wreck for a long time. It really seems like everything is back in order. They’ve already started to rebuild the roads again. I even heard some of the bears are moving back to the original neighborhood.”

“It’s exciting. It was getting pretty lonely around these parts,” Jergen says.

Carefully, Jackson places the twins in their crib. They lay snuggling up against one another. I can’t believe it’s been a month since they came into this world. Every single day I whisper a prayer to the goddess of good fortune.

I know that they’re blessed, but sometimes I get worried. I just want to know that Lucas and Dodge are going to be safe from any other twistedshaman-crap that may be lurking in the shadows. But when the family is here like this, it feels like nothing can bring us back to that unforgiving darkness.

I conjure up a smile and tap Jonas’s leg. “So, when are you guys going to have some cubs of your own? I can see it in your eyes, Jonas. You’re aching for some.”

As soon as I say it, one of the twins spits up all over Jackson’s shirt. Jonas blushes. His butt squirms against the bench. “Don’t you dare,” he says.

“I don’t know,” Freddie says. “I could see us having a few of our own.”

“I am not going through what my brother just went through. That was like a true-life horror movie. I swear, if they showed that to every omega that walked this planet, no one would have kids.”

But Jonas has a look in his eyes that tells me the opposite. They’re strong together. Besides, Freddie is part of the brotherhood. What’s a better excuse to have kids than that?

“C’mon, Freddie. There’s something I want to show you in my room,” Jonas says.

“Uh-oh,” Jackson teases.

Jonas and Freddie quietly slip out of the room. Outside, the sun has set. I can feel the energy start to die down. I know that Jackson is probably exhausted. The babies are everything good, but even good things can cry every hour of the day. It can be hard on for one omega to deal with. Plus, with everyone over here all of the time, we barely get any time to ourselves.

Before leaving, all of the dads come up to wish the babies a good night’s sleep. Jergen puts his paw on my shoulder and squeezes. “Can you believe that you were that small once?”

I think about all our memories as a family together. A big smile forms on my face. “You know what? I actually get it now. I didn’t before. I just knew I needed to be with my mate. Now, I get it. Family really is everything,” I say.

“It feels sort of like it used to, huh?” Jergen asks. “There’s a different vibration in the world now. I can feel it.”

“I can too,” Jackson says.

I agree with them. Things have definitely started to change. It’ll be a slow growth until we can rebuild everything to its former glory, but soon enough, Frisky Pines will be connected again. Our adventure will be a thing of the past. It’ll just be another story to tell the kids.

“Alright, guys. Us old dudes need to hit the hay. I love every second with you. We’ll talk tomorrow,” Jergen says.

“We love you, guys!” Jackson says. His eyes are barely even open, the poor kitten.

When the family leaves, we finally have a moment to regroup. I run a big bath of hot water, Epsom salt, and fragrances for my tired omega. When it’s full, we both lay in the hot water. Our twins sleep soundly in their crib.

The water slowly churns around us. Bubbles foam on top of Jackson’s chest. His body spoons on top of mine. “Now what, papa bear?” Jackson asks.

“Now, we rest and start our family,” I say, closing my eyes.

“But you’ve gotten me so used to the idea of adventure! I feel so restless,” Jackson says.

I laugh, glancing at the healed scar on my shoulder. That damn trapper really got me. “Well, I’m sure Jonas and Freddie will get themselves into all sorts of trouble. You could probably join them,” I joke.

In the hallway, the babies start to cry loudly. The piercing, crying noise makes Jackson jump out of the bath in alarm. He slips right on the tile, making a loud yelping noise.

Luckily, he’s just lying in a small puddle of water, laughing at himself.

“Oh, my omega! You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” I ask.

“I think I’ll leave the adventures to them,” he groans.

* * *

Before the twins, I was lost. I’m an alpha, but I was pretty fuckin’ terrified of the future. I didn’t know where I was going. All I knew is that I had some kind of purpose.

Jackson was the only one on my side. None of the bears thought anything of my calling. In the end, all this good came to fruition because we had each other.

Someone to love through thick and thin. Someone to be goofy with. Someone to spend every lonely night with. That’s what’s important.

I love Frisky Pines. And I love my mate. Forever.

End