Liam

Azalea’s body arched uncomfortably in my arms. She was warm, a pink glow seemingly bursting from her.

“Azalea!” I yelled, grasping her face, trying to focus her eyes. “Azalea!”

I had no idea what was happening. I'd just reached her. She'd survived everything Warwick had done; she'd been so brave while I couldn't reach her.

A tender warmth enveloped me as I tried to rouse her. I paused, realizing it was her power. Every cut on my skin closed, every crack in my bones healed, every ache vanished. I looked up at the moon, bathed in the same pink emanating from my mate.

I held my breath as the warmth surged, and I felt whole again. Azalea slowly relaxed, her body going limp. Her swollen nose was gone, her cuts and bruises vanished. She was whole. I waited for her eyes to open, but she remained still.

“No!” Gavin screamed. I shook her.

“Azalea! Azalea!” I cried desperately. She didn’t respond. I leaned down, kissing her lips. The sparks remained; she hadn’t left me. “Azalea, open your eyes. Don’t leave me. Just open your eyes, baby.”

I pulled back, watching in horror. Relief flooded me as her eyelids fluttered open. “Liam?” she whispered, finding my gaze.

“You’re okay!” I exclaimed. “Thank Goddess, you’re okay.” I pulled her close, wrapping her tightly in my arms. I would never take her for granted again.

“Liam, what happened?” she asked softly. I loosened my grip, studying her face.

“I don’t know,” I said. She looked up as I spoke. “Suddenly, it was like this pink energy burst from you. The whole sky turned pink. And you healed me.”

She was quiet for a moment. “That’s what it looks like,” she murmured. I was confused. Her eyes met mine. “In my head. I picture my power, and that’s what it looks like.”

I stared at her in amazement. She cupped my face. “It’s over,” she whispered. I nodded. “It’s really over.”

“I’m sorry he hurt you,” I apologized, ashamed as my eyes fell to the new mark below mine. I hated it; her power healed everything except that. He’d marked her permanently, a constant reminder of my failure.

“Dad! Mom!” Missy shouted. She and Maddox approached.

“Missy? Maddox?” Azalea said, turning in my arms.

Warriors stood behind them in wolf form. They were covered in dirt, but otherwise unharmed. “How did you do that?” Missy asked, hugging Azalea.

“I’m not sure,” she replied. “Are you both alright?”

Missy nodded enthusiastically. “You saved Maddox! Damien accidentally cut his arm off fighting the monster, and I got him to you. You put it back on!”

I looked at Maddox, who nodded, then back at Azalea. She was speechless. She’d never done anything like this before. “We need to get back to the packhouse. With the vampires gone, we need to ensure everyone’s alright,” I said.

“Patrols have already begun canvassing the pack land and returning to the packhouse,” Azeron said, appearing behind us. I stood, pulling Azalea to her feet.

I extended my hand. “Thank you for defending your Luna as long as you could,” I said. He shook my hand.

“It is an honor to protect her, Alpha,” he replied.

“Are you alright, Azeron?” Azalea asked. He smiled.

“Yes, Luna, thanks to you,” he said. “I think you may have healed the whole pack.”

“What?” she said, looking at me. I looked up at the pink-hued moon.

“Let’s return,” I said. “We should check on everyone. Can you all shift?”

Missy, Maddox, and Azeron nodded. Azalea stepped away, giving me space to shift. I let Gavin take control, allowing him a moment with our mate.

Once shifted, Azalea ran her hand down my muzzle. She seemed to know Gavin was in control, kissing my nose softly. “You were amazing,” she whispered, smiling.

Gavin growled affectionately, rubbing his face against hers. He lay down, letting her climb on top before standing. We looked at the others; they were ready.

“Let’s move.”

When we emerged from the trees, I saw people gathering on the packhouse lawn. To my dismay, bodies covered in white sheets were lined up. Azalea’s hands tightened on my fur.

When we were close enough, I stopped and let Azalea dismount. I shifted, and Sean ran toward us with clothes. “How many?” I asked, pulling on my shorts.

“Ten so far,” he said solemnly. “Austin is among them.”

I nodded. “Alright. Has my mother arrived?” Sean shook his head. “Can we send someone to get her?”

“Yes, sir,” he said. “You should speak with Damien and Michael. We have a witch here.”

“A witch?” Azalea asked, confused.

“Yes, Luna,” Sean answered. “Lily brought her before the pink light.”

“Let’s continue searching for the injured or dead, and I need to check on my mother,” I said. Sean nodded and left.

“Mommy!” we heard a scream. Leo and Junior ran from the packhouse door. Azalea caught them.

“You’re okay,” she sobbed, clutching them tightly. I knelt, hugging them all. Missy joined our embrace, and we sat there for a long moment. Gavin was content; our pups and mate were safe.

Footsteps approached. Damien and Lily appeared. Delilah was on Damien’s back, Lily carrying Leo. Damien held Azly. Azalea untangled herself. “My baby,” she smiled, taking Azly.

Maddox shook Damien’s hand. A silent conversation passed between them, likely about Maddox’s severed arm.

I stood beside Azalea, smiling at our youngest. Her eyes were bright and clear, like my mate’s. I looked at Damien and Lily. “Witch?” I asked.

A booming laugh answered. “We had a hand in that,” Alpha Michael said, joining us with Quinn. They looked unharmed.

“She was hiding during the attack,” Lily said.

“We convinced her to relinquish Warwick’s magic in exchange for protection,” Quinn explained.

“Quinn and I will help her return,” Michael assured. “She won’t be a problem.”

I nodded, relieved. Felix and Lacey approached. Lacey smiled at the bundle in her arms. I poked Azalea, pointing. Lily turned.

“Oh, my Goddess!” Azalea squealed. I took Azly so she could join the excited group of women. Felix growled protectively, but Damien stopped him.

“Give the girls a minute,” he laughed. “It’ll pass.” I laughed, understanding the instinct.

“Congrats,” I said to Felix.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, shaking my hand.

“Did you pick a name?” Maddox asked.

Felix smiled. “Calix Stone,” he said. The children joined the women, Lacey showing them the newest pack member. “Lacey almost died,” Felix said, looking at me seriously.

“Did Azalea really heal everyone?” Damien asked quietly.

I nodded. “I think she did.”

“Maybe you should start looking for new jobs, Felix, Azeron,” Damien laughed. I gave him a deadpan look. Everyone laughed.

“We Alphas can take protecting our Lunas a little too seriously,” Michael defended. Azeron snorted.

“Alpha Michael, Blood Eclipse owes you a debt of gratitude. You and your Luna helped us in a time of great need,” I said.

“Don’t worry about it. I knew at the summit you were a man worth allying with,” Michael said.

“Thank you for helping Lily,” Damien said.

“The girls weren’t doing too bad when I arrived,” Michael said. Damien nodded.

“Alpha!” Jacob called, jogging toward us. “Alpha, Beta, there’s something I need to show you.”

“Can it wait?” I asked.

Jacob shook his head. “No, you both should come now.” Damien nodded.

“I’ll be right back, Little Luna,” I linked Azalea. Michael took Azly.

Junior

Miss Lacey’s baby was cute, but not as cute as Azly. “What’s his name?” Leo asked.

“Calix,” Miss Lacey said.

“He looks like you,” Missy said. Missy smiled. “Wait, where’s Vlad?”

Aunt Lily shook her head. “I never saw him.”

“Vlad?” Mommy asked.

“Maddox and I got him out of the cells. We didn’t want them to find him,” Missy explained. I swallowed hard. “He was supposed to get the kids to the packhouse.”

Mommy looked at me. Delilah tugged my shirt. “We’ll find him,” Mommy said.

“I want to thank him. He kept them safe,” Missy said. She turned to Maddox. Mommy looked at me; I waved, signaling a secret.

“What’s going on, sweetheart?” Mommy asked, kneeling. I whispered in her ear.

“Vlad died,” I whispered. “He stopped the vampires from getting us.”

Mommy looked at me sadly. She nodded, ruffling my hair. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll tell your sister.”

I shook my head. “No!” Mommy tilted her head. “Grandma said I’m the little Alpha. Alphas give bad news. It’s my job.”

I waited for her to speak. She smiled slightly, hugging me tightly. “You’re very brave, my little Alpha.” She nodded to Missy. I took a deep breath and approached my sister.

“Um, Missy?” I said, standing tall.

“What’s up, Little L?” she asked.

“I have something important to tell you,” I said. I remembered Dad’s office; maybe that made news easier. I looked around. “Maybe we should sit down.”

They looked at each other strangely. “Okay,” Maddox said, sitting. I sat opposite them, keeping my back straight.

“I need to tell you something,” I said.

“What’s going on, bud?” she asked, confused.

“When you went to help, Vlad tried to get us back, but there was a… complication.”

“Complication?” Maddox asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “A vampire came. Mr. Vlad gave me baby Azly and told us to run. He stayed to fight.” I grabbed Missy’s hand. “I’m sorry, but he didn’t escape.”

Missy’s eyes welled up. Maddox comforted her. “Thank you for telling me, Little L,” she whispered.

“There’s one more thing,” I said. “He asked me to tell you he did it for you, and he loved you.”

Missy sucked in a breath, biting her lip. I hugged her. Missy hugged me back tightly.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Missy said. “Why don’t you make sure the other kids are okay? Alphas take care of their packs.” I nodded and went to Delilah, my heart heavy as I heard Missy cry.

This cleaned-up version addresses grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure for improved clarity and readability. I also removed the asterisks from the word "kiss" and replaced them with the word itself as it was inappropriate for a younger audience and unnecessary. I kept the use of the word "k**s" in the original version's context, only replacing the asterisks with the appropriate word.