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Towhee exhaled, then began plodding forward from her starting point at the plateau's base. It was good to be back—she hadn't patrolled much since Camilla's untimely demise—and she felt like she could breathe easier these days. The pups were doing well despite everything and although she'd never fancied herself a mother, Towhee felt strangely fulfilled by the role unceremoniously thrust upon her when her brother's mate had keeled over.

On that note, she was fairly certain she wasn't pregnant, despite her forays at the beginning of last month. Thank fuck, Towhee thought as she dropped into a squat to mark a patch of blooming chokecherry. As she was squeezing out the last few drops, she felt a pang in her chest. Sure, it was for the best that she hadn't fallen pregnant for a whole host of reasons... but, man, she'd really gotten around during her heat. So why wasn't she carrying a litter now? Did that mean she couldn't bear offspring? Did it have to do with her weird genital situation?

Lips pursed, the Beta carried on along the borders, thoughts drifting to Raven. Her sister had finally gone into heat and reprised her Alpha rank. These were both happy developments, so Towhee tried to focus on them—and all the other good stuff going on in her life, despite the thread of tragedy—instead of the unexpectedly unsettling fact that, though she'd never wanted kids of her own, she very well might not have any choice in the matter at all.