Azalea knew she had to tell Liam. Gwen discovering their relationship was the last thing she wanted. Gwen's words had shaken her to the core. The thought of Liam rejecting her as his mate was physically painful. Before she could overthink it, the words tumbled out.

"Liam, I'm scared. I don't want to lose you. I've never felt like this before, and that scares me too. But when I'm with you, I'm okay. I feel warm and safe," she said.

He stiffened, then tightened his grip on her. Azalea buried herself deeper in his embrace. He nuzzled her head, and she inhaled deeply, comforted by his scent.

"You won't lose me, Azalea. We'll figure this out," he said calmly.

They embraced for what felt like ages. Finally, Azalea pulled away. "Why is she here? Why are pack members at the inn?"

He gave her a guilty look. Sighing, he said, "This is going to be a long, and probably jarring, story. We should sit down."

She nodded. They moved to her bed. He climbed on, his back against the headboard. Before she could sit, he lifted her effortlessly and settled her in his lap. Given the seriousness of the situation, she wasn't complaining about the closeness. He held her close, resting his chin on her head. She laid her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as she waited for answers.

"Before I start, you need to know I won't let anyone or anything hurt you. And I don't give a damn what the rest of the pack thinks; I intend to be with you, Azalea. I'm not leaving you unless you send me away."

She smiled and nodded. His reassurance gave her butterflies.

"There have been attacks on our territory. Nothing major at first; we thought it was a couple of rogues. But recently, we suspected a hunter," he paused. "A neighboring pack was attacked a few nights ago. Remember Alpha Langston from Crystal Waters?"

She nodded. He was a kind man, having visited their packhouse several times.

"I met with him. We tried monitoring the situation, but the attacks became more frequent. We decided to hunt together. Last night, we both sent groups of warriors to search the territory."

"Did you catch the hunter?" she asked.

"Not exactly. We found something, but not the hunter. A message on our territory—a message for me."

"How do you know it was for you?" she asked, confused.

"Because it had your sweater nailed to it. The one you wore on our date," he said solemnly.

Azalea stiffened. Her sweater? She jumped from the bed and ran to her dresser, where her clean laundry sat in a basket. She frantically searched, knowing she'd washed it yesterday. Finding it missing, she looked at Liam, terror etched on her face.

"How? When?" she asked, her voice trembling. Someone had broken into her apartment.

"I don't know. But he knows you're important to me."

"Does he know what I am? That we're mates?"

"I don't know."

"Is that why there are wolves here? Did you send them to watch me?"

He sighed. "Sort of. They don't know you're my mate or who you are. They weren't supposed to… I sent them to watch over you and look for anyone suspicious. There are also patrols throughout town. Damien helped me arrange it. Lily helped him, and she sent Gwen," he said cautiously. "I promise, neither of us would have sent her if we'd known she could identify you."

"Damien? Lily? What are you talking about?" Damien was the Beta's son, Liam's childhood friend, and a former school bully.

"Right," he said, scratching his neck. "I had to tell Damien. I've been gone a lot, and he's been handling things in my absence. Lily's his mate. You probably didn't know her; she was a year older and rarely at the packhouse. And don't worry, Damien accepts you as my mate. He'd never hurt you."

Tears threatened. Hunters after Liam, now after her? And others knew about them. Dr. Ronald hadn't even diagnosed her condition.

"I don't know if the hunter will come after you," Liam said, hanging his head. "His message said I couldn't protect you. He might target you to get to me. Alphas are ultimate trophies for hunters."

"So, what do we do?" she whispered.

"You're not going to like this… I need to take you away, to a safer place in pack territory."

Her mouth dropped open. Back to the people who, like Gwen, rejected her?

"Listen," he said, taking her arms. "I'm not taking you to the packhouse. I'm taking you to my parents' lake house. It's empty. Damien sent people to clean and stock it. We'll be safe, and the patrols won't get close enough to identify you."

She nodded, unable to speak, tears welling. He brushed stray hairs from her face.

"Azalea, I'll do anything to protect you. I never wanted to force you, but I need you to come with me," he pleaded. She closed her eyes and nodded. He pulled her close, kissing her head. "Thank you, sweetheart," he whispered.

After a few minutes, she whispered, "Do we have to go tonight?"

"No," he said. "You can stay here tonight."

Without thinking, she asked, "Will you stay with me?"

He smiled into her hair.