"We can't keep moving, not with them so young." Eren awoke to Levi's worried tone.
"We must. She needs to be protected. To go against the proctor now..." Kuchel's voice stopped.
"They aren't even a month old. Eren needs..." Levi was interrupted.
"Coffee!" His mate muttered groggily. He sat up to see Levi learning against the bedroom door. It was cracked open.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." Levi muttered his eyes going to the crib in the room. They had tried to separate the girls, but they cried if they couldn't see each other. So, one crib housed all of them, at least for now.
"You would want us to hide, for what? Another eighteen years?" Eren pulled the door open to look at the alpha. She met his stony gaze with one just as cold.
"I won't have my children raised in fear. If it means I go alone, I will end the proctor before their first birthday." Eren vowed.
"A year?" Kuchel looked at him flabbergasted.
"Hmm, not many can shut her up like that, good job." Levi patted his mate's arm.
"We need a safe place to plan. Right now we are too close to their territory. You mentioned a boarder?" Eren pressed.
"Coffee, food and our resident geniuses." Levi ordered. Darwin appeared behind the female alpha.
"I'll watch them until they wake." He offered.
"Alright." Eren placed his hand on the large Viking looking man's shoulder thanking him as he went past.
Once they had gotten downstairs, they found the other children playing. Armin's twins were the eldest, at a bit over a year old, they sat on a blanket with blocks. Furlan's and Isabell's son was the next oldest. He was nearing nine months, Petra had a baby girl, Connie and Sasha had their son, while Bertolt watched over his son. Eren smiled as he walked through the bomb sight of toys.
"Hey." Armin greeted his friend. He was seated next to Erwin at the table, each one had a plate of steaming curry before them.
Eren came in sniffing the air. Moblit sat down some curry, rice and fish before him as he retreated to grab Eren a cup of coffee. Levi curled his fingers around the warm mug of tea as he sat next to his mate. Kuchel joined them. For a moment they ate, watched the pack play with the kids, simply enjoying having their pack all together once more.
"You should have seen him." Armin smirked at Eren. He jutted his chin out toward Levi who appeared to be oblivious to the blond.
"Hardly ate, no one ever saw him sleep. He trained pretty much non stop or went out on the most dangerous missions." Armin informed his friend. Eren turned to glare at Levi.
"No one likes a tattle tale, Armin." Levi said as his eyes scanned over a paper he held. Armin only chuckled.
"You said you would take care of yourself!" Eren growled.
"No, I told you to watch over our kid. Which you've left to humans, again." Levi pointed out looking up.
"Humans I trust with my life." Eren insisted narrowing his eyes at his mate.
"Stop looking so damn hot, I need to focus!" Levi snarled. Eren grinned as he saw a shadow move near the doorway. Rigor pulled himself free of the frame. He nodded at Eren before turning to go out the back door.
"They trust you." Levi nodded.
"Nils believes in you." Eren offered.
"So, the plan should be?" Erwin asked.
"The boarder, what is it?" Eren answered. Erwin huffed leaning back with a fresh cup of coffee.
"Well, there are two. One, the border between our proctor, and the next countries. It's possible for us to slip in unnoticed, but it may not remain that way long. Having two packs coming in..." Erwin shook his head.
"Do we know how they feel about a our proctor?" Levi asked.
"Well, they have been at odds since the Yeager/ Ackerman packs split. Ever since they were overthrown, the two countries have fought. There is a cease fire currently." Erwin offered up.
"So, they may side with us?" Eren asked.
Kuchel sat down her cup. She looked between her son and his mate. "You don't understand. They are us!" She hissed. Eren blinked.
"You mean..." He muttered. Levi's fist struck the table.
"They are the rest of the pack that split? Why did you stay here? Why was Eren put through hell!?" Levi growled.
"Most of the pack left the proctor's reach. They joined other packs, split off. Became impure." Kuchel explained.
"Some even went so far as to go to the human world." She added.
"So, they are our ancestors, but not purely Ackerman of Yeager." Eren guessed.
"Correct. If we step over the boarder with this pack..." Erwin glanced out at their friends.
"...it's a declaration of war on the proctor." Levi surmised. Armin nodded.
"You said their was a second border?" Eren pressed.
"The human one." Armin turned toward his friend. "It's possible to hide in the human world. We may be seen as an occult or some kind of strange religion, but we could be free." He said.
"Yet we would still be in the proctor's lands, technically." Levi acknowledged.
"That's true. They could come calling at any time." Erwin nodded.
"Have we spoken with the Marleyan proctor?" Levi demanded.
"Kenny has been posted on the edge of their land. No one has come out to talk with him." Erwin answered.
Levi turned to look at Eren. Eren eyed his mate. They starred at each other silently. The others watched. There may be more alpha's to consider, may even be more choices, but everyone at the table knew that whatever the true prime or true alpha picked would be what they followed.
"I have a somewhat of a compromise." Eren spoke up. Levi arched a thin brow.
"I say we go through the human world. The proctor may send out scouts to follow us or even keep tabs on us. We could set up homes along the way, refugee points." He offered.
"But?" Erwin pressed. Eren blinked as he swung his eyes to the blond.
"But, we go with your gut. You're our stagiest." He offered. Erwin reached over to grasp Armin's hand.
"We have discussed this." He nodded to his mate. Armin looked toward his friend.
"We think that we should go to Marley." Armin spoke softly.
"I like the idea of having safe points though. Maybe some of the humans would stay back to keep a path open for us?" Erwin asked.
"We were waiting for you to ask." Nils stomped in through the back door. He kicked dirt from his boots as he accepted the coffee Moblit held out to him.
"Not really sure about this wolf war you guys are going into, but we have chosen to support you." He offered.
"Then, you can be our eyes and ears in this land." Levi growled.
"That won't work if they are here without a wolf." Armin pointed out.
"We can stay." Kuchel spoke up. The men had nearly forgotten her as she had remained silent until now.
"Send the true pack into Marley. My pack will remain. We will stay under the proctor's noses." She added.
"Are you trying to weigh your options, mother?" Levi asked. She smirked at her son.
"My time as a double agent are in the past. I will take back our birthright." She glowered at her offspring.
"That throne has passed you by, my daughter will claim it. Until then..." Levi stood up, placing his cup in the sink, he looked over to his mother.
"We go back to the gutter?" she asked. A cold dark look took over her face as the emotionless smirk spread over her son's.
"Why not." Levi shrugged. "Gorilla tactics have worked fine for us for a long time now." He added.
He looked over to Nils who was acting like he was watching a tennis match. He smiled at his old friend.
"I can get you anything you need." He offered.
"Good!" Levi nodded. He glanced toward the sound of boots walking toward them.
Rigor was carrying a slightly fussing Ariel, Darwin had his hands filled with Chiyo and Pan. They stepped into the kitchen. Eren quickly took the priestess. She cooed at seeing him. Armin moved to prepare their bottles as Levi took Pan. It was apparent that this little girl was going to be one hell of a fighter. No sooner had Levi taken her, did she bop him in the nose with her fist. The room burst out into laughter.
With the plans set, they decided to move out as quickly as possible. The pack had grown, with the humans in tow, they were a fairly large group of people, needing to hide their numbers. Armin, Erwin, Kuchel and Levi went to devise a plan of departure.
Nils followed looking like someone just wondering about. He didn't have the same air of authority the wolves held, yet it was apparent that he was indeed a leader. Moblit glanced to Eren.
"Shouldn't you be going with them?" he asked.
"Nah, that sort of detailed planning just hurts my head." Eren chuckled.
He spent the day with his pack, their children and in general getting used to the wolf lifestyle once more. After the kids had all been put to bed, Levi came staggering into their room. He looked exhausted. Eren glanced up from the book he had been reading.
"Come here, I don't think you have properly welcomed me back." He demanded pulling the exhausted prime toward the bed.
"You just had major surgery to give birth to our kids." Levi growled.
"You and I both know I've healed from that." Eren insisted as he pulled his mate's shirt off.