I sat beside her, listening to the slow, rhythmic beeping of the monitor. I held her small hand in mine. I shouldn't have let her do it. Felix would be fine; he would have healed in two days. He hadn't come in with her, but he hadn't left his post outside her room since.

We killed the four wolves holding the girls hostage. I had been right; the one with the gift was camouflaged. He was the one who attacked Felix. They had managed to remove the girls a few hours northeast of the pack's territory, toward White Moon, but made the mistake of stopping.

Luckily, the wolfsbane given to Felix, Lily, and Azalea wasn't a strong dose. When we returned, my uncle immediately checked Lily, and both she and the pup were okay. I couldn't properly congratulate my best friend, though, because my mate had been unconscious for over 36 hours.

When we told my uncle about our suspicions, he could only speculate. He suspected her ability to heal others drained her own energy. He thought it extraordinary that she had healed three people before losing consciousness. I didn't need to be told she was extraordinary.

"Alpha, your father is here and wants to speak with you," Felix linked me.

Rage surged through me. He wasn't here this time to get rid of her. I stood, taking a deep breath. I opened the door, and Felix stepped aside to reveal my father.

"Yes?" I asked, my voice flat.

"We need to talk," he said.

"About what?"

"You know what. Step outside with me, now." He gave me a measured look.

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"No, we will not have this conversation. My mate is lying there unconscious because she chose to help members of her pack. You will not come here and lecture me about how she's not good for this pack or for me!"

"That's not—"

"I don't care what her parents did or what happened fifteen years ago between you and your brother. I don't care about your opinion of me or her. I do care that another pack abducted my mate from right under my nose. I do care that this pack won't give her a chance because you vilified a child."

"Liam, I—"

"You aren't Alpha. I am!" I was shouting now, and Felix had inched his way down the hall. "This is my pack! This is my mate! This is my responsibility, and I failed. I failed, and I don't need you to come here to tell me how much of a failure I am—"

"Stop!" he finally shouted. I was breathing heavily. "That's not why I'm here." He paused, gauging my reaction. I waited for him to continue. "I was wrong. You are right. I blamed your mate for the actions of her parents. When her mother came to Declan, I should have protected them both. Azalea shouldn't have been treated the way she was. Your mother and I should have treated her like family. We failed her as a member of this pack." He sighed. "I am here to apologize."

I was dumbfounded. My father had just apologized—to me. The man had never apologized for anything in his life.

"You have defended this pack with your life. Your mate risked her own life to save three other members of this pack, no matter how unbelievable. You haven't failed. Being Alpha isn't easy, son." With that, he turned and left.

Azalea

I could hear Liam yelling. I could feel his guilt and despair.

"This is my responsibility and I failed. I failed and I don't need you to come here to tell me how much of a failure I am—"

"Stop!" came Alpha Robert's undeniable voice. My heart raced, and the monitor's beeping sped up. "That's not why I'm here." His voice was calmer. I could hear Liam breathing heavily. "I was wrong. You are right. I blamed your mate for the actions of her parents. When her mother came to Declan, I should have protected them both. Azalea shouldn't have grown up treated the way she was. Your mother and I should have treated her like family. We failed her as a member of this pack. I am here to apologize." He paused. I opened my eyes and looked at the doorway. Liam stood there, as large as his father. I could barely make out Alpha Robert's form in front of him. Neither had noticed I was awake.

"You have defended this pack with your life. Your mate has risked her own life to save three other members of this pack, no matter how unbelievable. You have not failed. Being Alpha isn't easy, son." Liam stood there a moment before his shoulders slumped. He rubbed his hands over his face.

"Hey," I said quietly. His face shot up, his eyes locking with mine.

"Azalea?" he said, his voice strained. I smiled and held out my arms. He rushed to my side, crushing me in a hug. "You're awake," he breathed. I nodded. He released me, cupping my face in his hands. I saw tears in his eyes. He pressed his forehead to mine.

"I'm okay, Liam," I said, reassuring him. I ran my hands through his hair. "I'm here."

"Baby, I'm so sorry I failed you…" he whispered. I pulled his face away to look into his eyes.

"No, Liam. You didn't. You saved me, again. You always do," I told him.

"No, you're the hero in this story. Baby, you saved Lily and the pup. We were only able to find you because Damien could feel Lily again. I let you get taken, and I almost didn't find you…"

"Liam, how were you supposed to know? Plus, Felix was right there. They even got the best of him…"

"I should have known White Moon would come after you as soon as they knew who you were. I should have known they wouldn't just peacefully merge with us!" I sensed his frustration, but I didn't think it was with me. I rubbed my thumb across his cheek.

"Everyone's okay. I'm okay. It'll all be okay…" I cooed.

"I don't deserve you, Azalea," he said quietly.

I gave him a sad look. "Liam, you don't even know how wrong you are…" I said before kissing him. It was a careful, tender kiss. I wanted him to know how much I treasured him. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer. He moved his lips over mine gently. A knock on the door broke our moment.

"Well, I came to check on my nephew after being notified my brother was here. Glad to see you're awake, Luna," said Doctor Ron. I blushed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Liam rested his head on my shoulder, holding me close. I gave Doctor Ron a small smile. "I feel fine. Maybe a little tired, but otherwise fine," I told him. I was a little embarrassed with Liam holding me, but I could tell he needed it.

"How about I come back, and we talk in the morning? If you're looking good, you can go home," Doctor Ron said with a knowing smile. "You should both get some rest." He winked before leaving.

I wrapped my arms around Liam's shoulders, holding him. I snuggled my face into his neck and breathed in his scent. "I love you so much, Liam," I linked him.

We sat like that for a while before he sat up. "How about we get some sleep, my love?" he said. I could see how tired he was. I nodded. He scooped me up and positioned us on the bed. He laid down and placed me on top of him. I rested my head on his chest. Liam's arms were securely around me. I listened to his breathing, noting he wasn't falling asleep.

"Liam, can I talk to Gavin?" I asked quietly. I peeked up at him. He looked down at me, worried.

"Sure, baby," he said. He stroked the hair from my face before closing his eyes. When he opened them, his features hardened, and his eyes were dark.

"Little Mate," he said in a gravelly voice.

"Gavin," I said. His eyes held curiosity. "Thank you," I said with a smile.

"For what?"

"For getting me back. And I'm sorry for worrying you," I told him. His features relaxed.

"Little Mate, we will always find you. But you must stop leaving us," he said, nuzzling my face.

"Okay," I agreed. "Please don't worry anymore. You and Liam need some rest. I won't be able to sleep if you both can't."

He sighed and tightened his grip on me. "It's not that simple," he said.

"Did you capture the one who took us?" I asked. He hesitated before nodding. "Then for tonight, there's nothing to worry about. Just us, here together. Tomorrow we can worry about everything else, okay?"

"Little Mate, you are far wiser than we," he said, pecking my nose. "Okay. We can worry about White Moon tomorrow." In the blink of an eye, Liam was back with me.

"You're going to be the best Luna this pack has ever had," Liam said, kissing the top of my head. I cuddled into him, letting his touch and scent comfort me into a restful sleep.

Just as he promised, Doctor Ron released me the next morning, and Liam treated me like glass. Felix now accompanied me, even when I was with Liam, and was much more uptight. Lily came to see me first thing in the morning and cried when she thanked me. I even saw Damien tear up a little.

We were sitting in Liam's office. He and Damien were having silent conversations; I assumed they were about White Moon. Liam had reluctantly told me about the Delta coming to distract him and Damien while someone with a gift was sent to abduct me—Lily was collateral damage. If Felix hadn't been with us and Jacob hadn't come to drop off the seating cards, they might have been successful.

Lily and I were sitting on the couch, messing with the seating chart. Felix stood about three feet away. I knew she was trying to distract me, but it wasn't working. I was worried about Liam and Damien's plans for White Moon. Lily moved the labeled magnets on the board while I stared blankly at it.

"What's wrong, baby? Do you feel okay?" I heard Liam's voice. I looked up to see him giving me a worried look.

"I'm fine, Liam. I've told you a thousand times, I feel better now," I linked back. Lily looked up at me, eyeing Liam.

"Damien, let's go get some lunch. Your pup is hungry since it made me vomit up my breakfast," she said nonchalantly. He turned and was immediately in front of her to help her stand. I rolled my eyes and smiled at her. She winked at me as he pulled her up and held her hand to escort her from the room. He was such a doting mate.

Liam smiled and shook his head. "She's got him wrapped around her finger," he said.

I stood and turned to Felix. "Felix, could you please give Liam and me a few minutes?" I asked sweetly. He looked from me to Liam, waiting for my mate's okay. Liam must have given it because he gave me a curt nod and exited the office. I suspected he was right outside the door.

I sighed and turned to my mate. "Liam, this can't continue," I said, coming around the desk.

"What do you mean?"

I stood in front of him, hands on my hips. "I don't need 24/7 protection from both you and Felix, and you don't need to treat me like I'm going to break! We know I can heal people, and we know it takes away my energy. But I'm fine! We both know if I hadn't helped Lily, they would have lost the pup!"

"That's not the point!" he almost shouted. My eyes widened in surprise. Liam had never yelled at me. I looked into his eyes and saw so much stress.

"Liam, what is this really about?"

"You keep getting hurt! I'm supposed to protect you, and I keep letting you get hurt!" It felt like he was yelling at himself. "How can I lead this pack when I can't even protect my own mate?" There it was—all his insecurity.

I climbed into his lap, straddling him. His face softened with surprise. I brushed his unkempt hair from his face and kissed his cheek. "Liam, you can't protect me from everything. You're doing more than enough. You've assigned me a guard who won't leave my side. You must accept that I'm always going to be vulnerable to some degree. You're a strong Alpha. Even if they don't like me yet, your pack loves you. You need to give yourself a break; you need to stop taking all the blame," I chided. His eyes stared into mine.

His hands came up to cup my face. "You're right, and I'm sorry. It's just… every time you get hurt… I'm so afraid I'm going to lose you. Azalea, I just got you, and I almost messed it up completely. I can't lose you; I wouldn't survive."

"Liam, you aren't going to lose me. I promise. I want to be your Luna. I want to grow old with you. I want to see what our life brings."

His lips came to mine in a needy kiss. When he pulled away, I gave him a soft smile. "Maybe we should take the rest of the day away from the pack. Forget about White Moon and wedding plans," I suggested. He nodded.

"That sounds perfect," he said. I could tell he was calmer.

"Can I make one request?" I said.

"Anything," he said.

"Give Felix the day off. No more of both you not leaving my side…"

"Azalea…" he groaned. I gave him a look. "But…"

"No. It's too much. I won't complain about keeping him around when you aren't with me, but both of you are too much, okay?" He hung his head.

"Okay. As long as he or I are always with you, and you won't fight me on that, I'll send him away when you're with me," he agreed. I smiled brightly at him.

"One more thing, what are you planning on doing to White Moon?"

This cleaned-up version improves grammar, punctuation, and flow, making the narrative clearer and more engaging. I've also replaced some informal wording (like "slaughtered" with "killed") to maintain a consistent tone. I left the use of "linked" as it seems to be part of the established world-building, but you might consider replacing it if it's unclear to the reader. I also censored the instances of "ks" and "g***d" as per your request.