Liam swore, "Fuck, vampires are here. Why? We were days away from our assault. My family, my pack—they're in danger." He felt Gavin bristle with outrage. Damien stood beside him as he barked orders.

"Austin," Liam linked, "Vampires in our territory. Number unknown. Get a patrol to my mother immediately. Two are there now; she's protecting the kids. Get my children to safety. We need every warrior at the packhouse. Send patrols to bring pack members to safety. My family will be their primary targets, but they'll attack anyone."

"On my way, Alpha. I'll do everything I can. No one's near Missy's house, though. Once I get the kids, I'll go to her. They must have exploited our thinned patrols," Austin replied.

"Just get there."

"Azalea," Liam reached out. He needed her safe to focus on the attack. "Vampires are attacking. Stay with Felix. I sent Austin for my mom and kids. Maddox is with Missy, but I'll get to her, too."

"Okay, I'll call Axel to protect the town and come help," she answered swiftly. His anxiety eased at her calm response.

"I love you, Little Luna."

"And I love you, My Alpha. Come back to me." He knew Felix would keep Azalea safe. He turned to Michael and Damien, both tense.

"Lily…" Damien worried, glancing toward the packhouse where Lily and Quinn were waiting for Azalea.

"She's with my Luna," Michael pointed out. "Quinn can keep them safe, but I'll make sure." He seemed less concerned than Damien or Liam.

"Lily isn't helpless," Damien retorted, protectively. Michael seemed to understand.

"I'm not saying she is, Damien. I'm just saying I'm here to teach you to fight, and Quinn's my best student. Let me go to them; I'll protect our mates. Help your Alpha; he needs his Beta," Michael urged.

"I do need you," Liam said seriously. He never fought without Michael.

"Fine," Michael conceded.

Maddox's voice cut through Liam's thoughts.

"What is it, Alpha?" Damien asked.

"Vampires are attacking Missy and Maddox's house. Austin said no one's nearby. We need to help them, now," Liam demanded. Damien nodded, grabbing his weapons.

"Go, Michael," Liam instructed. "Please ensure Lily and your Luna are safe. This seems like an all-out assault; they'll be here soon."

"I'll take care of them," Michael said, mainly to Damien.

He shifted and ran toward the packhouse. Even amidst the war, Liam noticed his coat—silver with an iridescent shimmer. The color of his weapon wrap now made sense.

"What the hell are they?" Liam wondered, starting to move. Damien was at his heels. He had to reach his pup; he wouldn't let Warwick take her again.

"Not so fast," a voice called from the opposite corner of the training field.

"What now?" Liam roared. The stench of vampire hit him, fueling his rage at their audacity. Across from them stood an unimpressive creature with silvery-white hair, his appearance matching his arrogant expression.

"You won't be saving your 'puppies' because I'm here for you, Alpha Liam."

His smugness was infuriating. Liam had no time; he had to reach Missy and his pups. Austin was right; their thinned patrols, designed to maximize manpower for war preparations, left them vulnerable. They had no intel on vampire movement; the surprise attack worried him about the packs between them and Warwick. This obstacle needed removing quickly so he could ascertain Warwick's involvement.

"I don't care who you're here for," Liam shouted. "You're in my way."

"I'll be brief," the vampire retorted, staring intently. "I'm here to kill you, and I don't think it'll take long."

"You and what army?" Liam growled.

"Oh, forgive my manners. This one," he said, gesturing. At least twenty vampires appeared, fanning out to block their path to Missy.

"Come fight me yourself, coward!" Liam shouted, aiming to take out the strongest vampire first.

"I think not," he replied with a wistful smile. "Bygrave, though not as strong as I am, was a Sire. One of your 'mutts' killed him, and he wasn't an Alpha. That's troublesome. I won't risk my kinship. These are young vampires, but I doubt you can overcome the odds."

Maddox contacted him again, his voice more confident than panicked.

"Maddox just told me they're struggling against us in human form. They likely trained to fight us as wolves after the last battle," Liam linked Damien. A smile touched Damien's lips—the playing field was leveled.

"Thank you, Maddox. Is she safe?" Liam asked, praying to the Moon Goddess.

"She will be." While Missy wasn't entirely safe, his tone inspired confidence. Liam thanked the Moon Goddess for pairing his pup with such a strong, protective mate.

Everything had happened quickly after Maddox and Langston returned; they hadn't had time to talk. Liam hadn't expected Maddox to go to school the next day, nor to discuss the resulting altercation. War preparations had consumed him, but he'd hoped a date would reconnect Maddox and Missy before anything else happened. Still, Maddox was strong, a man Liam was proud of.

Knowing Missy was in good hands, Liam had one last task before focusing on the immediate threat. He'd never tried this before, but with war at their doorstep, it was time.

"Pack members, this is Alpha Liam," he linked, projecting his voice. The overwhelming response was initially chaotic, but he silenced them. "Quiet! Listen. Vampires are on our land. Non-warriors, go to the packhouse. Warriors, rally outside the packhouse and defend it. Your Delta and Gamma will direct teams. These vampires want to kill us all, but we won't let them. Fight unshifted as long as possible; they've trained to fight you as wolves. Go now! Protect your home!"

"I didn't know you could do that," Damien said, looking at him strangely.

"Neither did I."

"Are you two done?" the Sire asked lazily. "Said your goodbyes?"

"Ready, Dai?" Liam asked, extending his fist.

Damien met it. "I'll follow you into battle any day, Liam." He tightened his grip on his weapons as they mentally counted to three.

Liam sprinted toward the Sire. He knew he wouldn't reach him unimpeded, but he had to try. Killing him might kill all the vampires. Maddox had already eliminated one Sire; there couldn't be many more allied with Warwick. Taking out another was advantageous.

The Sire's minions surrounded them, diverting Liam's attention. He couldn't leave Damien, so he fought alongside him. Even for an Alpha and Beta, twenty vampires against two was a huge obstacle.

"I guess we'll do this the hard way," Liam called to Damien, whose back was to him.

"My name is Nethercote. Stop calling me 'the Sire.' It's ominous," Nethercote's voice cut through the battle.

"Your name won't matter soon," Liam retorted, confused by the exchange as Nethercote's laughter echoed. He was failing at not sounding ominous.

Liam grabbed a vampire, lifting him into the air and crushing his skull before throwing the body at another attacker. He heard Damien hacking limbs off; the axes were working for him. His Beta was once again a violent force Liam could rely on.

They were making progress, but too slowly. Liam needed to reach Nethercote. He might be able to bait him. He grabbed another vampire, dazed her with a punch, and used her as a projectile against Nethercote. Nethercote swatted her away, displeased.

"Do you really want to fight me that badly, Alpha of Blood Eclipse?" he drawled.

"Yes," Liam growled.

"Let me fight," Gavin raged.

"I have to be careful, but I promise I'll let you fight when it's time," Liam reassured him.

"Don't wait too long," Gavin snarled.

The vampires retreated to their semi-circle. Damien stood beside Liam, breathing heavily but unscathed.

"I'll ask you to have your Beta step aside, as I have with my kin," Nethercote demanded.

"Fine," Liam agreed. "I've got this, Damien."

"I'll intervene if this doesn't go your way," Damien insisted quietly.

Liam nodded and faced Nethercote. Nethercote removed his cloak and tossed it aside.

"Ready to begin?" he asked flatly.

Liam lunged, feinting a strike to the jaw. As Nethercote blocked, Liam ducked and punched his knee, aiming to disable him. He heard a sickening crunch—the knee was shattered. Then he felt it.

"I think that was an acceptable sacrifice," Nethercote taunted.

"What are you talking about?" Liam asked, stumbling back. His head swam; his back burned. The feeling was familiar, but he couldn't place it.

Nethercote held up an empty syringe, a pained grin on his face. "Wolfsbane, of course." The back pain made sense; he'd injected him while he ducked.