Liam

I knew Azalea would be nervous, and frankly, I wasn't thrilled about this either. I had breakfast sent up so she wouldn't have to face anyone yet. After we finished getting ready in the bathroom, we sat on the couch in my room and ate. Looking around while we ate, I realized I desperately needed to remodel the room to make it our space, not just mine. I wanted her to feel comfortable here.

"Hey, Damien, are you busy?" "Not really. What's up?" "Think you can help me with a project? Or maybe let Lily tackle it?" "Depends, what is it?" "Fixing up my room to make room for Azalea." "Awww. Getting all mushy on us, are we?" he joked. "But seriously, Lily will be all over it. I'll have her on it as soon as you guys get downstairs. Are we still talking before we bring in Isaac?" "Yeah, I need an update before we speak to him. Thanks, man." I ended the call and looked at Azalea. She had a strange look on her face.

"What's up, baby?" I asked. "Were you talking to someone?" she replied. "Oh, yeah. Just Damien. He's meeting us in my office in a few minutes before we meet your uncle." "Oh, okay," she said, sounding a little sad. "What's wrong?" I asked. "It's nothing," she said, looking down.

I scooted closer, placed my finger under her chin, and lifted her eyes to mine. "It's something. Just tell me, baby," I said. I'd fix anything that made her sad.

"Well, my wolf is gone, but I was still hoping I could link with you once I was marked…" Disappointment was evident in her voice.

"I'm sorry, baby. Want me to ask my uncle if he knows anything that could help?" "Sure," she said with a tight smile. "Should we go meet Damien?"

I looked into her gorgeous green eyes. This girl amazes me. She's so quick to dismiss her own feelings to care for others. She'd be an incredible Luna, but I knew I'd need to make sure she didn't overdo it. I sighed. "Yeah, let's go." I stood, held out my hand, and she took it, letting me lead her from the room.

"Lily, room is all yours," I linked her. All I got back was a squeal. I smiled. Hopefully, this would make Azalea feel more at home.

We entered my office to find Damien already there. He looked over his shoulder as we entered, pocketed his phone, and said, "Finally. Good morning, Luna." He smiled at Azalea. She gave him a pleasant smile in return.

"Good morning, Damien. But please, just call me Azalea. I'm not Luna," she said. "Yet," he said, chuckling and looking at her neck. Her cheeks immediately flushed. I smiled at the beautiful marks on her neck.

"Alright, enough teasing. What do we have?" I interrupted to spare her embarrassment. I sat down, pulled Azalea onto my lap, and rubbed her legs lightly.

"Well, Alpha Isaac has begrudgingly waited the past couple of days to meet with you again. He has a lot of questions about your mate's 'illness,' and I think he's getting suspicious. He's been caught trying to snoop around pack members. We think he's trying to find Azalea on his own. We also haven't received any evidence of his handling of the Kol situation. There's been no activity around Kol's lands, and no messages since the supposed deadline he gave you," Damien said.

"Well, fortunately, my mate's 'illness' is none of his business. We have no allegiance to his pack, and I owe him no explanations. It's bold of him, as our guest, to be trying to seek out my pack members right under my nose," I said.

"Yeah, he was assigned an escort to keep an eye on him," Damien said.

I nodded. "As for Kol, we need to find out what Isaac has to say. We need to be aware of the variables, as this most concerns Azalea's safety."

"Don't you think Isaac will figure out who Azalea is? Aren't you concerned he'll try to take her?"

"Even if he does figure out who she is now that I'm not masking her scent as much, he wouldn't be so shortsighted as to try to take another Alpha's mate." Azalea's hand clenched my shirt. I knew this conversation was making her nervous. "Maybe we have the Delta or Gamma watch over her while we meet with Isaac," I suggested, glancing at her worried face.

Damien nodded. "Your uncle did want to see her now that she's awake. Maybe we can have them take her to the clinic."

"That's a good idea," I said. I looked at Azalea. "Is that okay for you? Can Austin and Jacob take you to see my uncle while Damien and I handle Isaac?" She nodded hesitantly. I had a feeling she'd rather Damien, Lily, or I go with her, but Lily was busy, and I wanted Damien at this meeting. "I'd have Lily go with you, sweetheart, but she's occupied this afternoon," I said, stroking her cheek.

She gave me a small smile. "It's okay. I'll be fine with whoever," she said. At least she wasn't arguing about an escort. I made a mental note to talk with Damien about getting her a permanent guard when I couldn't be with her.

Damien's eyes glazed over, and I knew he was linking Austin and Jacob. They'd been friends with Damien and me growing up, so they probably remembered Azalea. I sighed. This would be the first real test of whether the pack would accept her.

Damien gave me a knowing look. "They'll be here in a few minutes," he said. "I also linked Isaac's escort. He'll bring him here in twenty minutes. That should give us enough time to get her away."

"Although, her scent will still linger. It also clings to you," he linked. (This line was repeated in the original; I removed the duplicate.)

"I know. Again, I think he'd be shortsighted to try and take her from me. Now that I've marked her, I can feel a shift in my strength and power."

I looked at my sweet mate. "Austin and Jacob will take you to see my uncle. When Damien and I are done with Isaac, I'll come find you, okay?" I asked. She smiled sweetly.

"Of course," she said. I leaned forward and kissed her. There was a knock on the door. I shifted her off my lap and stood with her beside me.

"Come in," I said. Austin and Jacob entered.

Azalea

Austin and Jacob entered Liam's office. I recognized them from childhood; they hadn't changed much. I noticed Austin, the Delta, had mate markings on his neck, while Jacob did not.

"You summoned us, Alpha?" Jacob said. He and Austin saw me simultaneously. Jacob froze, while Austin looked confused.

"Yes," Liam said, all business. "I'd like you two to meet my mate, Azalea." He possessively placed an arm around my waist. Jacob looked shocked, while Austin remained confused. "You may or may not know who she is, but that's irrelevant. She's my mate and your future Luna. I need you to escort her to the clinic to see Doctor Ronald."

They stared in disbelief. He sighed. "Yes, she's who you think she is. She used to be called 'traitor girl' when we were growing up. But let me be clear: Forget anything you think you know about her or any preconceptions you have. She's my mate, and that's all that matters. You will protect her with your lives. You will respect her as your Luna." Liam gave them a hard look. Jacob seemed to be struggling; Austin shrugged.

"Cool," Austin said. Looking at me, he said, "Hello, Luna. I'm Delta Austin. Happy to be your escort today." He smiled charmingly and bowed slightly. I nodded and smiled back. Jacob looked between Liam and me.

"Jacob?" Liam prompted. "Uh, yeah. Good morning, Luna," he said flatly.

"Shall we go then?" Austin said cheerfully.

Liam turned to me. "Everything will be okay. I won't be long," he said, stroking my cheek. I smiled.

"I'll be okay, Liam," I told him.

"I love you," he whispered and kissed me.

"I love you, too," I said.

"Go before I keep you here," he said jokingly. I rolled my eyes. I went around the desk toward Austin and Jacob. Damien was giving Jacob a serious look.

"Shall we?" Austin asked. I nodded. He led the way out of the office, followed by Jacob and me.

Austin led us out of the packhouse toward the clinic. I walked slightly behind him. Halfway there, he slowed, walking beside me.

"So, Azalea, right?" he said, starting a conversation. "Yeah," I said quietly. "How did you find out the Alpha is your mate?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking," he added quickly, looking nervous. "That's a long story," I said. "No worries. Honestly, I'm just glad he found you. You seem good for him. He's happier today than I've seen him in years," he said. "Really?" "Oh yeah. I've always lived in the packhouse, so Liam and I have been friends since we were kids. Not as close as him and Damien, though. Sometime after his eighteenth birthday, I noticed he changed. He didn't hang around as much, didn't smile as much. He put up a good front, but I knew something was up," he explained. "I guess I never thought he was that set on finding his mate. But you're here now, so that's great!" He gave me a big smile. Austin seemed warm and nice—someone I could be friends with, like Lily. I relaxed slightly.

"I'm glad I make him happy," I said with a smile.

"So, when are you going to officially become Luna?" he asked. "I can see he already marked you, and you smell like him, so you're mated." "I'm not sure. We haven't really talked about it…" "Hopefully soon. Now that this hunter business is over. Seems like it moved on. Although, all the extra patrols around the lake house were kind of weird for a minute." Austin was very open.

"So, are you mated?" I asked, changing the subject. "Oh yes. Abigail. She's the most beautiful she-wolf I've ever seen," he said dreamily. "No offense," he added quickly. I giggled. "None taken." "We're expecting our first pup in two months!" he said excitedly. "That's wonderful!" I said. "I assume it won't be long until we have some Alpha pups running around here as well?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows. My eyes widened. "Uh, yeah, well… we haven't talked about that…" He laughed. "I'm just joking. There's no rush. I'm sure Liam wants you all to himself for a little while."

We reached the clinic. Austin held the door open. I went inside, noticing the aggravated look he shot Jacob as he followed. We went to the desk, where the receptionist gave us a curious look.

"I have someone special to see Doctor Ronald," Austin told her. "And who is this person?" she said, looking at me. "Tell the doctor the Alpha sent her," he said flatly. She nodded curtly, picked up her phone, and dialed.

"So, what does the doctor want with you?" Austin asked, distracting me. "I'm not sure, really," I told him. Austin turned his attention back to the receptionist. I peeked at Jacob. He stood six feet away, with a sour look glued to me. He clearly disliked me.

"The Doctor can see her now," the receptionist said. She led us to an office. Austin nodded for me to go in. I entered. Doctor Ron was sitting at his desk. He looked up when I entered.

"Ah, Azalea. My most interesting patient. Come in," he said warmly. I sat down. "And how are you feeling this morning? I understand you woke up last night?"

I nodded. "I did. And I feel great now," I said with a smile. "That's great to hear. No tiredness or weakness?" "Nope. I actually feel pretty energized," I told him. "That's wonderful!" He jotted down some notes. "So, uh, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked. "Right, well, as you know, you're not a normal case. I was hoping you'd share more about what happened after Liam marked you. Whatever you remember would be helpful," he said. "Uh, sure. Well, when he marked me, it hurt a lot. Worse than anything I've ever felt." "Can you describe the pain?" "It was searing pain. Like something hot was being stabbed into my skin," I explained. "And then you passed out?" "Yes. Then I woke up in a strange space. And then I met my wolf." His eyes perked up. "You met your wolf?" I nodded. "Yes. At first, she was a voice. Then she materialized. She was beautiful…" I said wistfully. He let me pause. Then I continued, "She explained that my bloodline carries special abilities, and she granted me the first one when she was first realized, but because of that and my physical state, she was never strong enough to shift. So she lay dormant." "The first ability?" "Yeah, she said she granted me the gift of forgiveness and mercy. She said she gave me a great capacity for forgiveness and mercy towards others, and Liam was an example."

He nodded. "With all that boy's foolishness, I have to say, I agree. By any accounts, you should have rejected him as soon as you saw him again."

I looked down. "Doctor Ron, what if it's not true? What if accepting Liam was just selfish?" I asked quietly. "How do you mean?" "When Liam left me at the Inn, it hurt. My whole body hurt for a long time. Then it started to fade, but it never really went away. There were times where my chest hurt so bad, like there was this big hole in it. It felt like there was this piece of me missing. When he came back, that hole started to close, and that pain began to lift. I felt like it was easier to breathe, and the more time we spent together, the less awful I felt. Part of me wanted to reject him, but I couldn't do it. I knew it would hurt, and I just couldn't face that pain again, even if it would have been better for both of us." I said.

"Hmmm," he said. "Do you still think that? That it would have been better to reject him?" My eyes snapped up to his. "After everything you two have been through in the past couple of weeks, do you still feel it would have been better for both of you to break that bond completely and let him go?"

I thought for a moment. "No," I almost whispered. "I don't think so."

"Then I don't believe your actions come from a selfish place. It's not selfish to desire to be loved and wanted, Azalea. It's not selfish to accept a gift given to you by the Moon Goddess," he said, smiling warmly.

"Okay," I said. It felt better knowing someone didn't think I was selfish.

"Back to your wolf. She told you of your first gift. Does that imply there are others?" "Um, yeah. She said she was pushing Liam and Gavin to mate and mark me so she could feel strong enough to grant me one more gift before she departed." "I see. And did she tell you what this gift is?" "No, she didn't. She just said it would help in my duties as Luna." "And she departed?" "Yes, she said she was using her last power to grant me my second gift and that she had to leave." "This is all very interesting…" He wrote more notes. "So, I must admit something, Azalea. I know of the incident that occurred between you and Liam's wolf at the Lakehouse." My eyes widened. "I won't pry, but I wanted to ask something. It seems you and Liam have patched things up, especially since you allowed him to mark you. My question is: have you spoken with Gavin since you woke?"

I swallowed. I hadn't. I knew I needed to, but I was still scared. "No, not yet," I admitted.

"I see. I can't tell you what to do as my future Luna, but I offer this advice: Speak with Gavin soon. Liam and Gavin being at odds will only weaken him. Him being at odds with his wolf isn't good for the pack and may not be good for your relationship. I also think you should try to make room in your heart for Gavin. You are now both of their mates. Gavin doesn't have your wolf counterpart or the possibility of one. He will need you, and I have a feeling you will need him."

I nodded and smiled.

"Do you have any other questions?" I shook my head. "Well, if you need anything, please feel free to come see me anytime," he said, standing. "I believe there's a very tense Delta and Gamma waiting for you" in the hall.