Liam's phone rang, jolting him from a drunken stupor. "Hel-lo" he mumbled, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Good morning, nephew," came his uncle Ron's voice.

"Uncle Ron" Liam groaned, attempting to sit up. He'd passed out at his desk in his office.

"I was just with your mate. Thought I'd speak with you," Ron said seriously.

"How is she?" Liam asked quickly.

"I was hoping you could shed some light on that. Based on your previous descriptions, she's changed dramatically. She tells me all the right things, yet I suspect something happened between you two that's affecting her happiness."

Liam sighed. He didn't want to admit he'd lost control and hurt her. "I sort of messed up. She's mad at me, rightfully so. But I'll fix it."

"Liam, did you and Azalea mate?"

Liam's eyes widened. "Wh-How? How do you know? Did she tell you?"

"No. But her scent has changed; it's mixed with yours. Yet she bears no marking. She hasn't mentioned this. I suspect it goes beyond bashfulness."

Liam ran a hand through his hair. "It wasn't exactly as planned"

"I think I can fill in the blanks," Ron said flatly. "Need I remind you what happens if you're separated too long?"

"No" Liam said, already feeling the effects.

"Liam, make this right. Tell your father soon. Ask him about Azalea's parents. You both need to know the truth."

"What are you talking about?" Liam asked, concerned.

"Call your father, and apologize to your mate." Ron hung up before Liam could respond. Liam sighed, checking his missed calls and messages. Damien had called three times, finally texting to see if he was awake. There was also a message from his mother about a family get-together next weekend—another attempt to find him a mate, he was sure. Apparently, his father wasn't going to tell her about Azalea.

He left his office for his bedroom, reeking of alcohol. He needed a shower. He undressed and stepped into the shower, not even waiting for the water to warm. The cold water shocked him awake. Toweling off, he grabbed his phone, checking for messages. Azalea's smiling face greeted him.

His heart ached. He needed to fix things, but didn't know how. He didn't deserve her forgiveness. He dialed Damien.

After a few unanswered rings, he hung up. The door swung open, revealing Damien with a tray of food.

"Good, you're finally up. We have work to do. Eat," Damien said, setting down the tray. "There was another message last night." He left without further explanation.

Liam dressed quickly, brushed his teeth, and fixed his hair before grabbing the sandwich Damien had brought and heading downstairs. He linked Damien.

"Where are you?"

"My office. With our fathers." Shit, Liam thought. What are they doing here?

He hurried to Damien's office; the door was slightly ajar. "You good-for-nothing, spoiled brat! How dare you let this happen!" roared Declan, Damien's father. His eyes were almost black; his wolf was close to the surface.

"He had nothing to do with this! Your daughter's antics caused this!" Liam's father yelled at Declan. This was serious. Declan and Liam's father were best friends, the former Alpha and Beta.

Liam growled. "What's going on?" he yelled, his alpha tone slipping into his words.

Damien gave him a deadpan look. "Gwen was attacked last night. Another message was found with her."

"If you'd neutralized the hunter, my daughter wouldn't be in the hospital!" Declan yelled.

"Damien, where's the message?" Liam asked calmly. His father glared at him. Damien handed him the note.

It read: "That little flower will not be yours for much longer. But silly little she-wolves will not be taking her from you. That will be me."

Liam's blood boiled. "Where was this found? Why with Gwen?" he demanded.

"Apparently, Gwen disapproved of your conversation yesterday and took matters into her own hands. She was found on patrol this morning with this note," Damien said calmly. He was clearly upset.

"What does he mean 'took matters into her own hands'?" Liam's father interjected, rage simmering beneath the surface.

Damien looked at Liam for permission to explain. Liam nodded. "Gwen disapproves of Liam's mate," Damien said.

"Your mate? Who is she that Gwen would be angry?" Declan demanded.

"Son, I warned you" Liam's father started, but Liam held up a hand.

"My mate is a pack member ostracized for her parentage. She lives in the human town. Gwen shouldn't have known, but she did. She attacked my future Luna, an act punishable by execution or expulsion," Liam said resolutely.

"No!" his father roared. "She will not be Luna!"

"That's not your decision! She's my mate. The Moon Goddess decided!"

"That girl can't be your mate! You rejected her!"

"And she never accepted!" Liam growled. His father's face paled. "Yes. I messed that up, too, Dad. Anything else you want to blame me for?" His father was speechless. Liam turned to Declan. "I'm sorry your daughter was hurt. She'll receive the best care. But she attacked my mate. She's lucky to be alive. Her fate will be decided after she recovers. Her actions reflect on you. She disobeyed a direct order from her Alpha. I'm not her mate, and she has no claim on me." Declan nodded.

"If you'll excuse Damien and me, we have things to discuss." Declan looked at his son, who nodded in agreement.

Liam's father paused before leaving. "Before you accept her as your mate, maybe you should find out where she comes from." He slammed the door. Liam turned to Damien.

Damien's face was unreadable. "I'm sorry about your sister," Liam said sincerely. He wouldn't wish harm on his friend's sister, despite her actions.

"She shouldn't have gone after Azalea; I'm sorry," Damien said, hanging his head. Liam sat down.

"We need to stop this guy before anyone else gets hurt," Liam said.

"I think he wants Azalea and you," Damien said, avoiding eye contact.

"What do you mean?"

"He wants you out of the picture and Azalea for himself. He has access to her, we can't stop it. He's been in her house, monitoring her, but hasn't taken or harmed her yet. He's using this to threaten you."

Liam nodded. "If he wants my mate, he won't wait long. He knows we're not speaking."

"She needs round-the-clock protection or to come to the pack," Damien said seriously.

"She'll never agree, especially not while I'm here."

"Maybe it's time you go to the Inn and fix this," Damien said. "Only you can fix your mess."

"I don't know where to start" Liam said, hanging his head.

"It doesn't matter!" Damien yelled. Liam stared, surprised. Damien was breathing heavily. "She's your mate! You were supposed to protect her, and you hurt her! You left Lily and me to clean up your mess! Lily's a mess worrying about Azalea! She says Azalea's broken and pretending to be fine! After everything we did as kids, do you think she deserved that?"

"You're right! I messed up! Do you think I don't know that? Do you think I wouldn't fix it if I could? I'm dying without her, knowing she's broken because of me! I rejected her, thinking I'd get no second chance! I never expected this!" They were both standing now, their first real fight. Damien had always had his back.

Damien looked down at his desk. "You have one day to get her to forgive you. Then I'll step in."

Liam took that as his cue to leave. He went to his office, trying to figure out what to do. Would she even speak to him? How could he convince her to forgive the unforgivable?