A twig snapped in the night’s eerie silence, echoing through the snow-covered trees. Any other movement was muffled by the winter snow as it began covering the forest’s ground. There were no lights as the couple traveled through the woods, covered by their coats. The female tightly held her husband’s hand, practically digging her nails through his coat. He returned her grip with a reassuring squeeze of her hand, whispering comforting words. His wife jumped slightly as a crow called out before leaving its perch and flying through the naked trees. The crunching of the snow beneath their boots helped soothe her somewhat, bringing back memories of when she was a little girl. She snapped her head up when they came to the clearing, facing their sworn enemy who wore a smile on his face. She partially hid behind her husband as a staring contest seemed to take place. However, it wasn’t a childish game, instead, it was two alphas challenging each other.

The man chuckled before stepping to the side, showing a young boy. The little boy studied the couple with curious eyes, eyes that seemed to reflect the colors of winter. His dark hair was tasseled as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. He looked up at the man, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I know you’re wondering why I dragged my young son through this cold night,” the man voiced, his large hand gently grabbing his son’s shoulder. “He’s an important part of this deal.”

The woman frowned, “What would your pup have to do with this war between our packs?”

“I have been thinking over ways to come to an agreement, a treaty of sorts. Why not go the classical way of uniting the packs through marriage?”

“Excuse me?” Her husband asked, not catching on.

The man smirked, “I heard you’re carrying a baby girl.”

Realization dawned on the couple, their eyes widening as the woman placed a hand protectively over her growing stomach. Her husband took a step forward, a threatening growl vibrating in his chest. The other man rolled his eyes, unimpressed with the other alpha’s warning.

“This is the most peaceful way, Alpha Jared. You have nothing else you can give me that would satisfy me enough to not destroy you. My pack is growing faster than yours, we’re becoming scarce on food for hunting and being forced to step onto human grounds. While it’s fine going into a grocery store, that’s far too much meat to buy for my entire pack,” the man explained.

Jared frowned at him, “Why doesn’t each member buy their own groceries?”

“We tried, but other packs are also struggling. A fight had happened in the parking lot and our species were almost revealed. We do not need humans growing curious about us.”

“It isn’t my problem you can’t control your pack.”

The man chuckled, but there was no humor in his dark orbs. He flashed his canines for a split second, warning Jared to back down.

“It will become your problem.”