Gone

Far From Over

Sadie POV 

I sat back in my lawn chair and laughed along with the other adults as all the kids played tag. It was what Ember said she wanted for her birthday, a big game of tag. We complied, of course, except Jackson decided would be better with sprinklers all over the yard. 

So, what started out as a game of tag quickly turned into a game of slip and fall all over the yard. Very amusing for us adults.  

Today was Ember's sixth birthday and in a few days it would be mine and Jackson's four year wedding anniversary. This week was by far the best of the whole year.  

"Sadie, can I have a cookie," Kyle, my nephew asked. He looked just like Elly with his soft brown hair and angelic face. He was too tall though, which he got from his father. Kyle was only four, but he was the same height as Ember, which Ember complained about constantly.  

I handed Kyle the cookies that I had hid by my chair to, sadly, keep all the dads from eating them. "Tell everyone else to come over too and I'll give them some." 

Soon enough I had a line of children in front of me; Ashton and Anthony- Darren's twin sons who were five, Melissa, Cal's four year old daughter, and then Samuel, Jason, and Danielle- Clair and Ethan's kids. 

After they were all filled up on cookies, they ran off. Apparently a game of hide and seek was about to begin.  

"Ethan just told me a storm was moving in," Jackson said, squatting down beside me, "we should probably get all the kids inside." 

"They just started hide and seek, we can give them a few minutes," I said with a large smile, knowing that I would get my way. When it came to Jackson I had to check myself constantly, because he would give me anything I wanted and a lot of the time I took advantage of that.  

"If we make them go in now, we could go for a run," he said wiggling his eyebrows.  

"Jack, I'm pregnant. I don't want to run around as a pregnant wolf. It's gross and my belly drags on the ground," I pouted, holding my nose up in the air.  

"Your belly doesn't drag babe, just one more run, please?" he pouted, looking ridiculous.  

Our conversation was interrupted by loud, terrified child screams.  

Jackson stood up immediately then, without turning to help me up, he ran off towards where the children were supposed to be. Clair was by my side in an instant, helping me up the way Jackson should have.  

When I was in a standing position, I saw that all the men, including our Alpha, were running towards the woods. I hadn't realized that the kids had gone in the woods, but even if I had, it wouldn't have been a big deal. These were shifter children, they belonged in the woods.  

"Can you see anything?" I asked Clair. We were both squinting our eyes and weaving around like idiots, trying hard to catch a glimpse of what had happened.  

"No, oh wait," she said, moving forward, "I see Ethan and Jack." 

I moved slightly forward with her and breathed out a sigh when I saw all the men coming back. The only thing that confused me was that they were running, each man with at least one kid tucked under his arm like a football.  

The men were yelling something, but with the wind and the music that was playing softly from inside the house, I couldn't make out what they were saying. 

"What in the world?" I breathed out.  

Out of nowhere, Elly popped up beside me and grabbed my arm, "They said run!" She yelled.