Azalea bounced Azly in her arms, smiling at her sweet face. Even though she knew baby smiles were involuntary at this age, Azly always seemed to smile when she looked at them. Azalea slowly moved around her room, cooing and talking to her. "Are you ready for a nap, sweetie? Is this tiny belly all full now?"

Azly yawned, as if understanding, scrunching her little eyes closed. Azalea kissed her forehead and softly rocked her, watching her tiny lashes flutter closed. The Moon Goddess had truly blessed them; Azly was an angel of a baby.

Once Azly was dozing peacefully, Azalea laid her in her crib and grabbed the baby monitor. She went to the door, where Azeron waited, smiling fondly.

"Do you and your mate want pups?" she asked him. He tilted his head.

"There have been a few conversations," he admitted.

Azalea smiled. "Well, there's no rush." He followed her to her office, but Jacob intercepted them.

"Luna," he said urgently. "Luna Jessalyn is on the phone, asking for the Alpha." Azalea nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. He rushed into Liam's office and grabbed the phone. Handing it to Azalea, he said, "Luna?"

"Luna Azalea," she answered. "I'm glad I reached you. We need help immediately." Her voice was serious, almost panicky.

"What's going on? What happened?" Azalea asked.

"We were attacked this morning," Jessalyn said. "Vampires at our border. Only a few, but I think they were sent to scout. I'm worried more will come."

"How many?" Azalea asked. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"Only three. Luckily, no one was hurt or bitten. The head of my outer patrol was with the wolves who encountered them. Your mate trained him well; they disposed of them quickly," Jessalyn explained.

"You still have warriors here," Azalea realized.

"Yes," Jessalyn said, "but we may not be able to fend off a full attack."

"I'll find Liam immediately, and we'll call you back," Azalea told her.

"Thank you," Jessalyn said. Azalea hung up and looked at Jacob.

"Vampires attacked her pack," she said. "Only a few, but it could be a scouting party. She has warriors here for training."

Jacob nodded. "We need to send them back immediately. The other warriors can finish their training."

"Where is Liam? Is he still training with Damien?" Azalea asked.

"I'm not sure," Jacob said. "The first training class is on the grounds, but I didn't see them. They could be out on a run, or back at the packhouse."

"Can you speak with the Red Moon Pack warriors? Let them know they'll need to leave early and gather their things. Liam will want to go, and he can be ready in a couple of hours," Azalea instructed. Jacob nodded and left.

Azeron held the door open as Azalea exited the office. She needed to find Liam. She decided to check the kitchen first, thinking they might have gone for ice or a drink after training. On her way downstairs, she encountered Lily heading up.

"Hey, where are the guys?" Azalea asked, noticing Lily's worried expression.

"I don't know," Lily said. "I was going to see if Damien was in our room. My wolf is acting erratic, and I can't figure out what's wrong. I'm worried it's something to do with Damien."

"One of our allies has been attacked. I need to find Liam immediately," Azalea told her. "Did you check the kitchen or dining room?"

Lily nodded. "That was my first thought."

"Okay, I'll go to the training grounds. Try linking Damien and telling him. I'll try to reach Liam," Azalea instructed. Lily nodded and continued upstairs.

Azalea attempted to link Liam, but received no response. Sighing, she hurried downstairs and out of the packhouse. As she crossed the grass, Azeron following, she scanned the wolves doing strength training exercises. Damien and Liam were nowhere to be found.

She tried linking Liam again. Sean spotted her and approached.

"What's going on, Luna? You look frantic," he said.

"I need Liam," she told him.

"I think they went for a run in the woods," Sean said. "Damien probably wanted to get his wolf out."

"Of course," Azalea said. "Thanks, Sean."

Azeron looked at her. "We can send someone to look for them if he's not answering your link," he suggested.

"No, let's give it a minute. I'm sure Liam will realize," she said.

"Why don't we go to the patio and wait?" Azeron said, eyeing the training group cautiously.

"What are you worried about?" Azalea asked.

"We had one ally attack you once," he said quietly, urging her toward the packhouse. "Let's not assume this won't be a distraction to attack you again."

Azalea sighed. She couldn't wait for this conflict to end. The constant threat was incredibly stressful. "Liam, I need you."

When Liam and Damien finally emerged from the woods, they were covered in sweat and dirt. Damien looked ready to collapse; Azalea had never seen him so exhausted.

She jogged toward them. "Azeron, help Damien upstairs, please," Liam called. Azeron hurried over, supporting Damien.

Azalea reached Liam as Azeron half-carried Damien back to the packhouse. "I thought you said you wouldn't overdo it?"

"Something happened," Liam said.

"Well, it appears today's the day. The Red Moon Pack was attacked. Jessalyn called. She thinks the vampires they stopped were just the beginning," Azalea told him.

"Shit," he said. "I need more time. We're only halfway through training these packs."

"Let's get you inside and cleaned up," Azalea said. "We can talk before you call her back." Liam nodded, and they crossed the grass. "I've had Jacob round up their warriors to send back. I told her we'd call soon."

"Good," he said. "I should shower and get ready to leave. I need to help. This is the first time they've been bold enough to attack an ally directly."

They reached the packhouse and the stairs before seeing Azeron again. "I left Beta with his mate," he informed them.

Liam nodded. "Azeron, I need a word with my mate. Please wait in my office for us. And call my father. Ask him to come as soon as possible. I need to speak with him as well."

Azeron left, and they continued to their bedroom. Azalea closed the door and asked the burning question: "What happened with Damien?"

Liam was stripping off his clothes. "I honestly don't know, but it has to be a side effect of the bite."

Azalea's stomach dropped. Side effect? She thought he was okay. Liam stopped undressing and came to her.

"Hey," he said. "I don't want you to blame yourself, okay? This isn't your fault. He didn't tell my uncle or me."

"What happened?" she asked carefully.

"He had trouble shifting, like his body didn't remember how. I remember the first time being rough, but my body knew what to do after that. Damien acted like he was fighting it," Liam explained.

"So his body didn't know what to do. But now it should?" Azalea reasoned.

"It was more than that. As soon as he shifted, Damien lost control. Cage took over and wouldn't communicate. He just bolted. I had to chase him down. Eventually, I tackled him and forced him to shift back," Liam said, his worry increasing.

"So he couldn't control Cage? But there have been times Gavin got the better of you? He just needs to fix that," Azalea said, panicking.

Liam shook his head. "He can't communicate with his wolf," he said. "He had no idea what was going on after he shifted."

"Lily said her wolf wasn't acting normal," Azalea whispered. Liam closed his eyes and sighed.

"I don't know if he'll tell her, but she should know. My uncle, too. He can't help if he doesn't know," Liam said. He hugged her tightly.

"What if it's my fault? What if trying to wake him up did this?" she whispered.

"No, Azalea. I'd rather have my best friend awake and figuring out how to connect with his wolf than still in a hospital bed," he said.

"What if he wouldn't?" she whispered. He kissed her head, but the guilt was overwhelming. They stood like that for a few minutes.

"We'll figure this out after I deal with Jessalyn and the vampires, okay?" he said. "I'm not going to let Damien suffer." He released her and headed for the shower. Azalea took a deep breath before getting him some clothes.

When Liam finished showering, Azalea had a bag packed for his trip to Jessalyn's pack, expecting him to stay a couple of days. She accompanied him downstairs with a reserved expression, but he felt her guilt. He knew she wouldn't accept that she wasn't to blame for Damien's condition, but he didn't have time to address it.

Azeron waited outside his office. "Your father is here," he said.

"Thanks," Liam said. He turned to Azalea. "I'll find you before I leave, okay?"

She nodded, kissed him softly, and quietly left for her office. Liam entered his office to find his father sitting on the couch. They hadn't spoken much since his father admitted that Azalea and Liam were doing well as Alpha and Luna.

"Dad," Liam greeted him.

"Why did you call me so urgently?" his father asked.

"I need to leave. I think vampires are about to attack our ally, and I won't let them hurt anyone," Liam said.

"If you think it's wise to leave your pack," his father said disdainfully.

"I do, because I'm asking you to help while I'm gone," Liam said. His father's eyebrows twitched. "Damien won't be back to normal anytime soon, and I'm worried about his condition. I can't take Azalea with me. I need you to help oversee things and assist her in my absence."

"You want me to step in as Alpha?" his father asked incredulously.

"No," Liam said. "I want you to watch over things and help if needed. Azalea is perfectly capable alongside Austin and Jacob, but I'd be foolish not to have a plan in place during a war. There's a possibility this is a distraction to attack in my absence, but I know the pack will be safe."

His father nodded. "Fine," he said. "I'll keep an eye on things." He stood to leave.

"Thanks," Liam said. He felt a strange feeling as his father left.