MISSY

Maddox was barely clinging to life, and I felt our bond fraying. This was worse than believing he was dead; he was dying before my eyes. I moved as carefully and quickly as possible. I knew the general direction Liam and Lea had gone, but not their exact location. I used my nose, desperately searching for their scents. Lea was Maddox's only hope, and I knew it.

Finally, I picked up their scent and followed it. I heard fighting and grew increasingly worried as we drew closer. There was a sickening thud before they came into view. Liam was rushing to Lea, who lay on the ground. I stopped a few yards away and gently lowered Maddox to the ground. I shifted my position to check on him.

"Maddox, please hang on. I found her, okay? I found Lea, and she'll fix you," I said. He coughed weakly, and I glanced quickly at my parents. Warwick wasn't there. The vampire scent lingered, but it was fainter than expected.

"Maddox, they did it! They stopped him," I said urgently. "It'll be alright now. You just have to stay with me, okay? Don't close your eyes."

A wolf approached and gently placed Maddox's severed arm beside me, as if it were still attached. The two wolves who had accompanied me stepped back.

I turned to Liam and Lea, ready to call for help, but stopped abruptly. Something was happening. Lea was still in Liam's arms, but her body was positioned strangely, and a pink light emanated from her. Liam screamed her name, and trepidation filled my stomach.

The sky glowed with the same pink hue, amplified by the moonlight. Light streamed down from the sky, leaving warmth in its wake. Maddox groaned softly behind me, and I spun around, panicking. His face was contorted in concentration, but I quickly realized his color was returning to normal.

I gasped as I looked at his injured arm. It was magic; his skin was slowly knitting back together. His arm glowed faintly pink as his body healed. As this happened, I felt our bond mending and strengthening. Within moments, his arm was completely reattached, and Maddox let out a long breath.

His eyes opened and met mine. "Missy," he whispered.

"M-Maddox?" I stammered. He sat up, and I watched him in disbelief. "What?"

"I'm okay," he said softly. I shook my head.

"H-how?" I began to ask, then realized I didn't care. I threw myself at him, and he embraced me.

"It's over," he whispered into my hair.

"You scared me half to death, Maddox. I thought I was losing you!" I cried. He held me tighter.

"Never, Missy. I won't let that happen," he promised. Reluctantly, he released me. "Is everyone else okay?"

"I don't know," I said. "I brought you to my mom to heal you, and then…" I trailed off, gesturing toward the pink sky. He looked up, then at Liam and Lea.

"Come on," he said gently, helping me to my feet.

FELIX

I held my son, unable to believe what was happening. "Lacey, stay awake," I said. She hummed softly as Miss Marci tried to help her.

So many thoughts raced through my mind. I looked down at the tiny bundle in my hands. My son was here; Lacey had given birth. But she wouldn't stop bleeding, and I was helpless.

"We really need a doctor," Miss Marci said quietly.

"Just keep her alive," I growled. She looked at me seriously, and my tone softened.

"I know this is scary for you, Felix, but I am trying to help Lacey. Do not order me around!" she snapped.

"Sorry," I sighed. She nodded and returned to my mate.

"Get closer to her. Help her hold the pup. Maybe her body will heal, and we can buy some time," she instructed. I nodded and moved beside Lacey. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and her eyes were half-closed.

"Lacey," I whispered. I adjusted our son on her chest, helping her wrap her arm around him. "You did it. He's perfect. Stay with us, okay?"

Her eyelids fluttered. I kept one hand on our son, supporting him. With my other hand, I pushed stray hair from her face. "Please open your eyes," I pleaded.

The safe room door opened, and silence fell. I looked away from Lacey to see Sean approaching. "Felix, I'm sorry, but I need your help," he began urgently.

"Unless you have a doctor behind you, get out!" I growled.

"Felix, Lily, Quinn, and Michael brought—"

I roared, and he recoiled. I held no leadership position in the pack. I was only responsible for Luna's safety. My mate was bleeding profusely; I didn't care about what Quinn and Lily were doing.

"Look!" someone said. A pink glow filled the hallway, then illuminated the safe room. I looked around, confused as warmth spread over my skin.

"What is happening?" Sean asked.

I felt a hand on my wrist, and my attention snapped back to my mate. "Felix," Lacey said softly. Her eyes were open and clear. Her hand rested on mine, which held our son.

"She stopped bleeding," Miss Marci exclaimed.

"Felix, I'm okay," Lacey repeated.

"Lacey," I gasped. She nodded, then looked down at our son.

"He's beautiful," she whispered, supporting him as she gazed at our child. "Felix, your son is here," she smiled.

DAMIEN

I panted heavily as Axel stood beside me, equally winded, in wolf form. We'd managed to disable one of the behemoth's legs, but it only seemed to root it in place. It stood steadily on one leg, its balance unaffected. What had Warwick created?

My body screamed in agony, but giving up wasn't an option. This creature couldn't reach the packhouse. Axel's team had eliminated the remaining vampires that had accompanied the monster. A few were injured and recovering while the others waited for Axel's command.

Every time we got close enough to strike, it swung at us. Even with simultaneous attacks, it repelled us. Nothing we'd done since disabling its leg had worked.

"What do we do?" Axel asked. I was as clueless as he was, but inaction wasn't an option.

"Maybe we need more of us to attack," I said, worried that the creature might somehow regrow its leg if we took too long.

Before we could formulate a plan, the monstrous vampire lowered its head and collapsed. We jumped back as its body crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.

Axel and I exchanged glances before looking at the creature again. It began to crumble into dust, leaving behind only a pile of dust, bones, and teeth.

"What just happened?" Axel asked.

"I think we won," I said, exhaling heavily. I fell back onto my butt.

Axel shifted back. "Does this mean they stopped the Sire?" he asked.

"I think so," I said, staring at the remains in disbelief. Was it really over? My other axe lay discarded nearby.

"What do we do now?" he asked. The enemy might be defeated, but it wasn't over, and we both knew it.

"I need to get to Liam and Azalea. Take your team back to the packhouse. Get your injured to safety and tell them what happened. I need to make sure our Alpha and Luna are alright," I said, instantly reverting to Beta mode.

"Right," Axel said. His team seemed to have already understood my instructions. He offered me a hand. "Need a hand?"

I took it and, with great effort, stood. I'd need extensive recovery time. I retrieved my second axe.

"Are you sure you're okay to find the Alpha and Luna?" Axel asked.

I didn't answer because a pink light suddenly filled the sky, intensified by the moonlight. Something rained down, leaving warmth on my skin.

"This warmth, this light…it's familiar…" I thought. I closed my eyes as it permeated my body. My pain eased, my muscles relaxed, my wounds healed. "Azalea…"

She was somehow healing us. I looked around; everyone was recovering similarly. No one understood, but I did. Azalea was a Harvest Moon Wolf.

LILY

The witch magically conjured clothes for Quinn and me, but Michael chose to shift. We knew she needed to be taken back to the packhouse; she wouldn't be safe here.

After some persuasion, we got her onto Michael's back and set off. Quinn and I jogged to speed up the journey. About halfway there, I felt a sharp pain. I stumbled, winded. Quinn and Michael stopped.

"Lily, are you okay?" Quinn asked.

"Damien," I gasped. "Something's wrong." I clutched my chest, fearing for my mate.

"Michael, we need to hurry," Quinn said, taking my arm. She pulled me along, back toward the packhouse. "Let's get this witch to safety, then we can find your mate," she said. I nodded, ignoring the pain.

At the packhouse, Sean rushed out. "Lily, where have you been? Who is that?" he asked, looking at the woman on Michael's back.

"I don't have time to explain. I need you to take her to safety so I can help Damien," I said quickly. Quinn helped the woman down.

Sean made a disgusted face. "She's not one of us, and she may not be a vampire, but she smells like one," he sneered. "We can't allow her here!"

"Sean, just do it!" I argued.

"No!" he countered. "I won't risk the pack's lives for this one person. She's clearly in league with them!"

"She was a hostage and has agreed to cooperate," I gritted out. "Just keep her safe until I get back!"

"I'll stay with her," Quinn interjected. Sean threw his hands up. "I know this isn't my pack, and you're not my warrior, but let me watch her. I'll ensure she doesn't harm anyone."

"You answer for this if anything goes wrong, and I'm informing Felix," Sean said, narrowing his eyes.

"Fine!" I said, pushing past him. We led Quinn, Michael, and the witch toward the packhouse.

"Put her in someone's office! Don't go near the safe room with that woman!" Sean yelled. I sighed.

"We can use Damien's office," I said as we entered. Michael shifted and put on shorts.

"You shouldn't be upset with him," Quinn commented. "He's doing his job."

I rolled my eyes, but the witch spoke. "I am technically the enemy," she said.

Upstairs, I settled her in a chair and turned to Quinn. "Are you sure about this?" I asked. The longer this took, the worse I felt about Damien's injuries.

"Michael will go with you," Quinn said, giving the witch a pitying look. "I've got this." I looked at Michael, who nodded.

"Thank you, Luna," I said. Opening the door, I heard commotion. I cautiously peered into the hallway, seeing people rushing around. Turning back, I noticed a pink glow outside the window.

"What is that?" I whispered, going to the window. I opened it to the strange pink light. Warmth flooded the room. My aches and wounds vanished. "Lea, is that you?" I whispered.

I whirled to the witch. She looked healthy, her face rosy, her skin no longer sallow. Quinn and Michael examined their bodies.

"Damn, Q, whatever this is, it's better than your tea," Michael said, flexing his fists. He smirked at Quinn, who pouted. He laughed and turned to me. "Do you know what's going on?" he asked.

"I think this is Azalea," I said. I didn't know how, but I knew my best friend had saved her pack.