I took a deep breath as the guards admitted me to the prison. I tried to suppress the uncomfortable feeling that washed over me. I'd only been here a handful of times, but I never wanted to return.

Felix followed dutifully, looking more tense than usual. Liam had tried to force me to bring both Azeron and Felix, but I'd put my foot down. It was total overkill; we only had a few criminals inside, and ten times as many guards.

I was led down several floors to a corridor containing cells with open doors, similar to those where Gwen had been held. We proceeded to the end of the hall, where I was directed to the last cell on one side. Standing a few steps from the door, I peered inside. Vlad sat on the bed, tossing a rubber ball against the wall and catching it. He didn't notice me at first.

I watched him for a few minutes, his repetitive tosses revealing a sad, resigned expression, as if awaiting an inevitable fate.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat softly. He caught the ball, turning his head. His eyes widened in slight fear as he saw me.

"L-Luna," he stammered, scrambling from the bed.

"Hello, Vlad," I said. "How are you?"

He looked at me with utter confusion. "Fine," he replied softly.

"Felix," I said, turning to my ever-present shadow, "can we find somewhere to sit and talk? I think it would be more comfortable for both of us." Felix shook his head, prompting a raised eyebrow. With a suppressed sigh, he nodded. I allowed him to remain close while I turned back to Vlad.

"I was hoping we could talk," I said.

"Why?" Vlad blurted, then corrected himself. "I'm sorry, Luna. I didn't mean to be disrespectful! I just don't understand."

I chuckled lightly. "Because I think you deserve a conversation, and you might be able to help me." A guard rushed toward us, carrying a key to Vlad's cell and a pair of restraints.

As he unlocked the cell and moved to restrain Vlad, I stopped him. "I don't think that's necessary. I'm sure Vlad will cooperate." I looked between Felix and the guard. Felix, after a moment's hesitation, nodded, but pulled me back slightly. Vlad was led out before us. We followed the guard down the hall and another floor, toward the interrogation rooms.

Thankfully, we were led into one of the less grim rooms. It contained a large metal table with two chairs on one side and one on the other. The guard seated Vlad in the single chair, so I sat opposite him. I tried to appear relaxed to put him at ease, despite my own discomfort with the location. Felix stood behind me, and the guard positioned himself by the door. Vlad looked nervously at them.

"I'm sorry, but I can't make them leave, given the circumstances, but I hope they won't make you too uncomfortable," I said, drawing his attention.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked. "More trouble"

"No," I said. "I thought you were owed a conversation."

"Oh," he said. "About what?"

"The events that led you here," I replied. He nodded. "If you feel up to it, I'd actually like to hear about your mother."

"My mom?" he asked, a slight shock evident on his face.

I nodded. "I have a feeling you've never really had anyone to talk about what happened. I know the basics, but if you want to talk about it, I'd be happy to listen."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I don't think you're a bad kid, Vlad. I think some terrible things happened to you, and you tried to handle the fallout alone," I explained.

"But why do you care so much? I was leading Warwick right to you and the Alpha"

I offered a small smile. "Why don't you tell me about it all? Start wherever you like."

Vlad began slowly and hesitantly, but soon opened up. He recounted witnessing his mother's murder due to his father's work, losing his wolf upon waking in the hospital, and his resulting fear and anger at his father for the events and their subsequent move. He explained his reluctance to join our pack, but how things improved after meeting Missy; how she helped him forget everything else, making him feel he could finally breathe. He spoke of the other children's foolish ostracism of Missy.

I listened intently. It was clear he'd never shared this with anyone. While he'd undoubtedly been interrogated after Missy and my kidnapping, he'd clearly never felt able to confide in anyone close to him. My heart ached for him, and also for Abraham. So much heartache could have been avoided if Vlad had felt he could talk to his father.

"When they took me to her cell, Luna, I just" Vlad paused, clenching his fists on the table. "It was never supposed to be like that. And I never wanted you or your baby to get hurt. I didn't even want the Alpha to get hurt. I just had no choice I thought she was my mate. I really did"

I reached forward and covered his hand with mine. "I know," I said. "I believe you didn't intend for any of this."

"I thought the Alpha, out of everyone, could handle him. He promised not to go near Missy or the other kids" Vlad's words were almost a plea for belief.

"The important thing is that you came clean before it was too late. Everyone's okay," I reassured him.

"Except Beta Damien" he whispered.

"We're still hopeful," I said.

Vlad shook his head. "I know he's stronger than me, but he's been asleep too long."

"I don't know if you know this about me, Vlad, but I don't like to give up on people. I tend to be very forgiving and hopeful," I said. He looked at me, confused. "While I don't condone your actions, I don't think you should pay for them with your life. Just like I don't think Beta Damien is lost to us." Vlad's eyes widened.

"Are you saying?" he asked.

I sighed. "I can't make any promises right now. Unfortunately, there are some complicated rules, and ultimately, your fate rests with my mate. With a war ongoing, I can't promise decisions will be made anytime soon."

"Oh," he said, deflating.

"But if you can help me with something, I think I may be able to arrange things to make your stay here a little better," I told him.

"You'll bring Missy to see me?" he asked excitedly.

"I can speak to her about it, but I have to leave that choice to her. I may forgive you, but I can't tell her to do the same. But I will talk to her. I'd also like to get you some schoolwork, in the hopes that you'll be leaving here and rejoining the pack," I said.

"I guess that would give me something to do," he said. "But what do you need from me?"

"I need the cellphone you used to communicate with Warwick," I said.

MISSY

When Maddox called Liam later that night to tell him he'd be going on this espionage mission, Liam told Maddox to be ready to leave the following night. That gave me less than 24 hours with my mate before goodness knew when he'd return.

We spent much of the night in bed, cuddling and holding each other; Maddox was all soft touches and gentle kisses. It already made me miss him.

Our only interruption was Sean arriving with a large bag of food from Liam—an apology, I suspected.

The next morning was filled with intimacy, satiating our wolves for the moment. Then we packed and prepared him for his departure. As the minutes ticked by, my chest ached with the impending goodbye. Maddox moved slowly as well, clearly unenthusiastic about leaving.

Finally, we grabbed his bag and headed to the packhouse so he could speak with Liam before leaving. We walked hand-in-hand at a glacial pace, only slightly delaying the inevitable. We were surprised to find Langston at the packhouse, chatting with Liam on the porch.

"Maddox," Liam greeted him. "I have some news."

We joined them. "Oh yeah?" Maddox said. I gripped his hand tighter, a flicker of hope that he wouldn't have to go.

"Langston is joining you on this little journey," Liam said, smiling. "You can worry less now, Missy."

Maddox relaxed slightly, feeling better about having an Alpha with him, but I remained worried. "That's great," he said.

"Should we get going then?" Langston asked.

"Yeah," Maddox said.

"Let's give them a moment to say goodbye," Liam said, taking Maddox's bag. He and Langston went to the small black car parked nearby. Maddox turned to me, running his finger lightly down my face.

"I'm going to miss you," he whispered.

"I'm going to miss you more," I whispered back. He leaned his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes, memorizing his scent and feel.

"Be safe while I'm gone, okay?" he said. I nodded. "It'll be over before you know it. I'll call when I can."

A single tear escaped. Maddox's thumb wiped it away before he kissed me softly.

All too soon, he pulled away. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," I said, my voice breaking. He joined Langston in the car; Liam put his arm around my shoulder. We watched them drive away.

"It'll be okay," Liam said, rubbing my arm. "They'll be back."

AZALEA

I sat outside Damien's room in the clinic, watching Lily with him. Felix had left me to take a call, but I knew he'd return soon. She was brushing his hair and kissing his face. Her sweater hung loosely, her skin pale, and her usually shiny hair limp. If this continued, I wasn't sure how she'd hold up.

I bit my lip, desperately wishing I could reach Damien. Every attempt hit a wall. I needed a different approach, but what?

I closed my eyes, praying to the Moon Goddess to bring Damien back. He was too good a man to die like this.

When I opened my eyes, Lily sat back, holding Damien's hand. I decided to enter. Lily didn't move as I approached.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hi," she whispered.

"How is he?" I asked.

"The same," she sighed.

"Do you want me to" I trailed off. She nodded, her expression vacant.

She stood slowly, placing Damien's hand on the bed. I took her place and took his hand. I glanced at Lily before taking a deep breath and closing my eyes.

As before, I visualized my power, pushing it toward Damien. I felt resistance. This wasn't working. Something was blocking me. Then I had an idea: what if I enveloped him in my power, my light? I couldn't break through a single point, but maybe I could reach him from everywhere.

I could usually only sustain this for a few minutes before exhaustion set in. I opened my eyes to check for Liam's uncle. No one was at the window, but Lily looked scared.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I want to try something else," I said hesitantly. "Don't let anyone stop me, okay?"

Lily looked worried. "Lea, what are you doing?"

"Just trust me." I had no idea if this would work, but I couldn't do it lightly. It would take everything I had. But my gut told me it was right.

I closed my eyes, shifting my focus. I concentrated on Damien, trying to feel him and spread my power over him, completely enveloping him. At first, it felt like he was being pulled away, but I pushed harder, until I felt I was completely surrounding him.

I poured everything into reaching Damien, desperate to wake him, to bring him back to his family and mate.

Then something snapped. A barrier released. I could feel him. My power surged, and I felt him.

There was a scream, and I opened my eyes briefly to see Lily covering her mouth. I couldn't make out what she said before I collapsed.

This revised version corrects grammatical errors, improves sentence structure, and refines punctuation for clarity and flow. I've also replaced some informal language with more appropriate vocabulary. Note that I left the instances of "kisses" and "lip" unredacted as they are not inherently inappropriate.