We stayed at the inn until after lunch the next day. Liam was patient and doting the entire time, seeming far more relaxed than he had been back at the pack. He played with Abi in the grass while Amy and I had coffee after breakfast. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He chased her, played with her; he was patient and attentive. My heart melted watching him.

I wasn't excited about returning to the pack. I had an uneasy feeling about the next couple of weeks. Damien and Lily's wedding was less than a week away. Liam told me Lily had been driving Damien crazy, and he was worried about all the stress affecting the pup. Luckily, the dress didn't need to be resized, as she wasn't showing yet.

Damien asked if I could take over wedding preparations with his mother so Lily could relax. I told Liam I would, but I was nervous. This meant interacting with more pack members, and I wasn't sure how that would go after Liam announced me as his mate. He tried to reassure me that everything would be alright, but I couldn't help being nervous when he wasn't with me.

When we arrived back at the packhouse, Liam was pulled away to work. Mrs. Hale ambushed me in our room, dragging me away before I could unpack. "Come on, sweetheart," she said cheerfully. "Lots to do while my grandpup is baking!"

"What do you mean? I thought almost everything was done?" I asked nervously.

"Liam didn't tell you, dear?"

"Tell me what, exactly?" I asked as we rounded the corner and walked through the kitchen doors.

Felix was waiting inside with Missy. "Yay! It's time to make the cake!" Missy cheered.

"Wait, cake? Are we making the wedding cake?" I asked, looking around.

"Yes," Mrs. Hale said. "That's why Lily asked for you to help. Didn't Liam tell you the bakery had to cancel the cake order?" Felix stood to the side while Missy danced around, waiting for us to begin.

I gave a short laugh. "No, he did not. So, what does the bride want, exactly?" Mrs. Hale smiled, and we got to work.

In five short days, Mrs. Hale and I performed a miracle. I was unaware of all the preparation involved in a wedding. We made a delicious banana and strawberry wedding cake and matching cupcakes. We also prepped rooms for all the incoming guests from other packs. It had begun to snow, which complemented Lily's chosen wintery theme. The wedding colors were silver and blue. Even though we had moved all decorations inside, the outdoor wintery atmosphere enhanced the mood.

Lily was absolutely glowing, thrilled with everything we had accomplished. It's now Friday, and the bulk of the guests would be arriving today, with the wedding happening tomorrow. We were in the kitchen; I was prepping chickens to roast for dinner while Lily sat at the counter snacking. Felix was outside the door, tired of listening to wedding talk, I'm sure. She was talking animatedly about their honeymoon plans. She stopped mid-sentence, and I looked up to see her eyes glaze over for a moment.

"So, um, I think maybe we should wrap this up down here…" Lily said, returning to our conversation.

"Why?" I said.

"Because Gwen is here…" she said as the kitchen door burst open.

"Lily!" Gwen's annoying voice called. "Who's the man-muscle in the hallway—" She stopped, seeing me.

"Hey, I didn't think you were staying at the packhouse. I thought you'd go straight to your parents," Lily said with a shallow laugh.

Gwen kept her eyes on me. "Yeah, Mom said my dear brother was slaving away with Liam today, so I came to see him," she said, turning to Lily. "Anyway, what's the wall of muscle outside the door?"

"That's a Liam thing. Don't worry about it. How have you been?" Lily said, standing. She shot me a nervous glance, and I nodded. Gwen was doing her best to ignore me.

"Totally boring. I'm hoping Dad will let me stay now that I'm back for a few days. Mom was in tears when I got here," Gwen said.

Lily walked toward her, trying to divert her attention and move her from the room. "She's really missed you," Lily said.

Before Lily could get her out the door, Damien and Liam walked in. Liam locked eyes with me. "You okay?" he immediately linked. I gave him a tight smile and nodded.

Gwen decided she was overjoyed to see both Damien and Liam. She squealed and jumped at them, her arms wrapping around both their necks as they caught her, both caught off guard by her enthusiasm. Jealousy and rage bloomed in my chest immediately. Liam's eyes widened as he untangled himself from Gwen's embrace.

"That's enough, Gwen," Damien said, pulling her off. "Aren't you supposed to be with Mom and Dad?"

"How could I not come and drag my two favorite boys away from all that boring work?" she said in her fake sweet voice.

This time it was Lily who growled, surprising everyone. We all looked at her as she held her hand to her mouth. "Sorry, I think it's the hormones…"

Damien left Gwen to go to his mate and pulled her into his arms protectively. She smiled at his attention. Before he could move, Gwen clamped onto Liam's arm and cooed at Damien and Lily. My eyes widened. Liam tried to push her off, but she seemed determined.

"Gwen," Damien's voice interrupted. He was clearly irritated. "Let go of him. You do not get to ignore his mate who stands ten feet away from you."

Her face got angry. She let go of Liam before turning on her heel and stomping out. I looked at Damien and mouthed a thank you as Liam came over to me. He and Lily left the kitchen. I closed my eyes as Liam wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry. We came down here as quickly as we could…" he said.

"It's okay. I'm okay…" I said.

His hand came up to my face and wiped away a tear I didn't know had fallen. "There's nothing to be jealous of. I only have eyes for my Little Luna," he said softly. I opened my eyes to look up into my favorite blue eyes.

"I know," I said.

"Want to come to my office with me until it's time to get ready for the rehearsal dinner? The caterers should be here in the next hour to start cooking."

I smiled at him. "That sounds nice. Can I sit with you while you work?" For some reason, I just wanted to be close to him right now.

"Of course, baby," he said as he pulled me close. I let his scent calm me.

I stood in the bathroom mirror, pinning my curls back from my face. Liam walked in behind me. He looked handsome in his dress clothes. I was wearing a blue and silver dress that Lily had picked out. It was pretty, with draping layers of blue hues. Liam's silver dress shirt made me want to drool.

"You're going to outshine the bride, sweetheart," Liam said in my ear. I smiled at him in the mirror.

"Oh no, it's their night. We're just here for support," I said.

"I know where my eyes will be all night," he said with a sexy smirk. I rolled my eyes. Pinning the last curl in place, I turned to my mate.

"Let's go, My Alpha. People will be expecting you," I said. His eyes darkened a bit. I needlessly adjusted the collar of his shirt so I could touch his chest before turning to leave the bathroom. We headed into the bedroom where I slipped on some short heels. Liam grabbed his phone and put on his watch. When we were both ready, he held out his arm for me to take as we went downstairs.

When we got downstairs, we walked into the hall where the dinner tables were set up. A good number of people were already gathered, but we didn't see Damien and Lily yet. Liam led me toward the front of the room to the table we would be sharing with Damien and Lily. Of course, we were stopped before we could get there. He was an older gentleman, probably around Alpha Robert's age, with his mate at his side.

"Alpha, it's good to see you. Is this your lovely mate?" the man said.

"Alpha Langston, it's great to see you too. Yes, this is my mate, Azalea. Let me introduce you to Alpha Langston and his mate, Ella. They're from our neighboring pack," Liam said.

"It's so nice to meet you," I said with a smile.

"Oh, darling, she's beautiful. You better treat her well, Liam," Ella said, looking me up and down. I gave her a smile.

"Wouldn't dream of anything less," Liam said, giving me a warm smile.

"We should take our seats, dear," Alpha Langston said to his mate. "It was lovely to meet you, Azalea." We waved goodbye and continued toward the table. Liam and I sat down, waiting for the dinner to begin. Liam would be introducing Damien and Lily; then their parents would give speeches, and we would be served dinner.

Liam and I were talking when his eyes hardened at something over my shoulder. I turned to see his parents behind us. I froze, not knowing what would happen. Liam stood and took a protective step toward me. "Mother, Father," he said tensely. I swallowed my fear and stood up. His arm came around my waist, and I faced his parents with him.

"Azalea, you look nice, dear," said Luna Lyssa.

"Um, thank you…" I whispered. Liam's arm tightened protectively around me.

"You two have made it abundantly clear that you do not approve of my Goddess-given mate. What do you want?" Liam said coldly.

"Son, adjust your tone. Your mother and I are not here to fight with you. We are here…" his father trailed off.

"We are here to apologize. Liam, you are our only child, and we have behaved abhorrently toward you and your mate. Your father and I have discussed it, and we would like to be there for her Luna ceremony, if you will let us," said Liam's mother. She looked at me. "Azalea, we are truly sorry for how you were treated previously. We are sorry for our actions. We know we cannot make up for the past, but we would like it if you could give us a chance for a future."

I was shocked. Liam looked at his father. "Father?" he said.

"We would like to support Azalea as Luna if you will allow us to," he said gruffly.

"Decisions don't need to be made tonight. I'm sure Damien and Lily will be along any minute," said Luna Lyssa. She pulled her mate away, leaving Liam and me standing there.

"Liam," I whispered. His arm tightened around me. "Are you okay?"

He was silent for a moment. His grip loosened slightly, and I turned to face him. His eyes were hard as they followed his parents. I reached my hand up to his face. He finally snapped out of it and looked down at me.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said. He ran his nose along mine. I closed my eyes and savored the contact, letting his touch calm my nerves.

"Let's talk about this later, okay?"

"Okay. Damien just linked. Time to begin," he agreed. He let go of my waist and let me step back. He quickly grabbed my hand, keeping me beside him. He called attention to the room. "Welcome, friends and family. Thank you for joining us. It is my absolute pleasure to introduce my best friend and Beta of Blood Eclipse, Damien Hale, and his wonderful mate, Lily," Liam's voice boomed.

Damien entered the room with Lily on his arm. She looked radiant in a silver dress. Damien had a huge grin on his face; he looked like a man in love. I couldn't wait to see his face when she walked down the aisle tomorrow. Damien and Lily met us at the table. We all exchanged hugs.

Soon we were listening to sweet speeches from both their parents, and dinner was served. We all talked comfortably, with plenty of interruptions from people congratulating the couple and paying respects to Liam. After dinner, people began to leave. I had my fill of Alpha-mate duties, so I began helping clear plates and take them to the kitchen. I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I leaned against the counter in the kitchen after all the dishes were collected. The caterers had started breaking down the tables, so I was alone.

I leaned against the counter, taking a deep breath. I'm sure I would get used to all this in time, but talking to so many people was draining. I heard the door open and assumed it was a caterer.

"So, the little leech isn't attached 24/7 after all?" a cold voice said. My eyes flew open to Gwen standing before me. "He get bored of you and send you to the kitchen?" she sneered.

"What do you want, Gwen?" I asked quietly. My voice lacked confidence.

"I want you to leave. I want you to go so Liam and I can be mates like we're supposed to be," she said, crossing her arms.

"That isn't going to happen. He's my mate, Gwen."

"And he dumped your ass years ago. Quite literally."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"So, he didn't reject you and leave you all alone in that stupid, run-down inn?"

"That is enough!" Liam's voice boomed behind us. "Gwen, I warned you. Leave now and do not speak to Azalea again," he threatened. I could feel his Alpha authority. Gwen complied, bowing her head and leaving. Liam came around the counter.

"You disappeared," he said softly, cupping my cheek.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"I shouldn't have let Felix go home…" he said, looking down at me. "I'll talk to Declan about keeping her away from you tomorrow. And then she leaves on Sunday." I nodded, giving him a tight smile. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Did she say something to upset you?"

"Kind of… It's okay. I'm okay," I told him. I hated that Gwen's words affected me. He pulled me to his chest.

"It's been a long week. I'm sure you're just overwhelmed. I'm so proud of you, though," he said softly. "Let's just go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day, and I'm sure you'll be needed to calm a crazed Lily." I smiled. Without warning, Liam scooped me up. I rested against him as he carried me to bed.