AXEL

Alpha Alpha had a grim look on his face as he called everyone to attention. “I know it’s been a long and scary night for all of us, so I’ll keep this brief. Warwick is dead. His vampires and their allies have been eliminated. Our pack is safe again,” he announced. Sighs and murmurs of relief swept through the crowd.

“Now, we must rebuild our lives. Warriors have begun searching the pack lands for missing pack members and recovering the bodies of those we’ve lost. Now that the fighting is over, it’s time to come together and show our strength.”

Soon, we were all doing just that. Warriors were divided into patrols to assist in various parts of the pack lands. We collected bodies, helped clear damaged buildings, and even reunited a few pups with their parents. Repairs to damaged homes and buildings began immediately. Rumors circulated that Azalea was responsible for the pink moon and the healing of everyone’s physical injuries. Sadly, some injuries were beyond repair.

A few pack members were taken to the clinic to receive treatment from Doctor Ronald for vampire bites. I saw Missy and Maddox heading that way; I’d heard that one of their friends had been bitten. By the time the pink moon set and the sun rose, we had recovered twenty lost wolves. Despite the victory, a somber mood hung over Blood Eclipse.

My team and I worked diligently until lunch, helping wherever needed. We avoided the former Alpha and Luna’s house; Beta had instructed everyone to leave it to him. Realizing it was late afternoon, we headed to the packhouse for lunch. I intended to stay as long as my pack needed help, but my thoughts kept returning to Lemon. I’d have to reschedule our date, which was disappointing.

Luna Azalea and Miss Marci kept the kitchen running all day, allowing pack members to come and go without worrying about cooking in their possibly damaged homes. My team filed in, heading straight for the well-stocked food tables. Everyone quickly grabbed plates, many of us hadn’t taken a break since the fighting began.

I was grabbing a sandwich when Luna Azalea approached. “Hey, Axel,” she greeted me.

“Good afternoon, Luna,” I replied.

“I didn’t expect you to still be here,” she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

“The town was spared vampire interference. We stayed to help the pack,” I explained. She gave me a warm smile.

“I received a call a little while ago. My inn manager seems very worried about her new boyfriend,” Luna said, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Oh,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry; I had no idea she’d call you! My phone died, and we were so busy….”

Luna laughed. “It’s okay, Axel. I think it’s wonderful. Lemon is lovely, and I think you two will be very happy. Perhaps after lunch, your team can go home. You guys need a break too.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Luna,” I said. “Just one thing?”

“Anything,” she said, tilting her head.

“Can you tell my team?”

I raced through the trees, my paws pounding the earth as I pushed my tired body forward. There was still a chance I could shower and make it to Lemon’s for our date. I was nearing my house when I mentally linked with one of the warriors I’d tasked with watching over her and the inn.

“She’s at your house,” he said.

“What? You mean she’s at her house?” I clarified.

“No, she went to your house last night. Maybe don’t hide your key in a flowerpot with a dead plant in it,” he replied.

Why was Lemon at my house? I charged ahead, even more eager to get back to her. I emerged from the trees behind my house and shifted. I grabbed a pair of shorts from the basket by the back door and went inside. “Lemon!” I called, entering the kitchen.

“Axel?” I heard her voice from the living room. I hurried into the living room; Lemon was rising from the couch. My bed blanket lay discarded on the floor in front of her. She was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but they were slightly disheveled.

“Lemon, what are you doing here?” I asked.

She looked at me with wide eyes. “I thought I’d wait here for you so I’d know when you were back and safe….” she said softly.

I strode across the room to pull her into my arms. I kissed the top of her head as her arms encircled my waist. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, her shoulders relaxing against me.

“Of course I am,” I told her. She pulled back to look at me. “I couldn’t let you fall without someone to catch you. Plus, we have a date tonight.”

Her eyes searched mine. Then she reached up and cupped my face, pulling me down to her. She kissed me passionately, and I smiled before kissing her back. I threaded my fingers into her messy black hair and kissed her as if my life depended on it.

She pulled away, panting slightly. “Axel,” she said.

“Yes?” I replied.

“Two things. First, you smell bad. Usually you smell good, but it’s like you rolled around in something rotten,” she said, making a cute grossed-out face. I laughed as she continued. “Why don’t you shower, and we can stay in tonight?” I nodded. I liked the sound of that.

“Only if we reschedule for tomorrow. And the second thing?” I asked.

She looked around my house and frowned. “Maybe you should move in with me,” she said softly.

My jaw dropped in astonishment. “What?” I asked.

“Your house is so bare and lonely. We spend so much time together anyway, and we eat almost every meal together. Plus, when you had to leave for wolf business, you’d be coming back to me so I’d know you were safe—”

“Yes,” I said, interrupting her well-thought-out explanation. “Yes, yes, yes.” Her smile crinkled her eyes as I pulled her in for another kiss.

AZALEA

The children were all dressed and waiting downstairs with Lily and Damien. It had been a hard day for everyone, but I knew it weighed heavily on my mate. For the past two days, he had been the picture of a perfect Alpha, helping orchestrate the rebuilding of his pack. As soon as we were alone, he became withdrawn and quiet.

I went to his office and knocked softly before entering. He sat at his desk with a glass of amber liquid in one hand and his mother’s note in the other. His eyes were fixed on the page, but I knew he wasn’t reading it. He didn’t need to read it again.

Jacob had gone to Lyssa’s home to get her after we returned to the packhouse. He assumed she would be healed after everyone in the pack experienced my amplified abilities. He knew about the safe room in Robert’s office, having helped Liam arrange the house for his parents years ago. But when he arrived, Lyssa was unresponsive.

Jacob had her body taken directly to the clinic and gave the note from her hand to Liam. Liam received the letter just before addressing the pack.

I finally read the letter yesterday when Liam accidentally left it on our bed. In it, she apologized for her weakness. She told Liam she wanted to hold on for him and their children, but living without Robert was too painful. The recent battle had hurt her enough that she knew she could close her eyes and move on. She simply wanted to be by her mate’s side again. She also apologized to Missy for breaking her promise and hoped Missy would never know the depth of her pain. I was most surprised by the gift she left for Maddox.

Liam swirled his drink and took a slow sip. “Liam,” I said softly. His eyes slowly moved to me. They were bloodshot, and dark circles rimmed his eyes. “Liam, it’s time to go.”

He nodded, silently finishing his drink. He stood, folded the letter, and placed it in the inside pocket of his black suit. He buttoned his jacket and came around the desk to offer me his hand. “She’s with your father, now,” I said softly. “Let’s give them a proper goodbye.” He nodded, and we left without another word.

Liam conducted a beautiful memorial service for the pack members killed in the attack, as well as his parents. I couldn’t decide what was the worst part. Missy clung to her mate throughout the ceremony, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Not only had she lost her grandmother, but also a friend. Leo cried inconsolably in my arms for about half of the service, while Junior stood beside me, holding my hand with a stony expression. All I could sense from Liam was numbness. He had barely processed his father’s death and mourned him before losing his mother as well. Lyssa and I may not have had a great start, but we had grown fond of each other.

Lily and I arranged a small reception afterward on the packhouse lawn. People came, ate, and talked before returning home to their families. Our pack needed time to heal emotionally.

After the funeral, Quinn and Michael departed, taking the witch they’d saved with them. Though not helpful after Warwick’s death, she shed some light on his goals. Warwick had been experimenting on vampires by controlling the type of blood they were fed. The wolves he’d kidnapped in the first conflict were an attempt to create a hybrid by feeding only werewolf blood to one of his kin. When that failed, and we rescued our pack members, he switched to witch blood. Sadly, the saved witch wasn’t the first Warwick had used.

After the funeral, Liam returned to his office. I knew he needed space, so I gave him some. Once the reception ended, Lily took the children so I could attend to one more matter. Azeron and I went into town for one last visit.

We stopped at a florist before Azeron pulled into the small cemetery on the edge of town and parked. When Liam told me when the attack on Warwick was planned, I began making arrangements for Theodore. I didn’t want him to be alone, but he insisted it wasn’t necessary. He was grateful I’d called to inform him.

We stopped before a simple, pale grey headstone. I smiled sadly as I placed flowers on the freshly turned earth. Azeron kept his distance, giving me privacy.

“Thank you, friend,” I whispered. “I might not have my mate or children without your help. I wish we could have saved you. I will always be grateful.” I touched the top of the stone and took a shuddering breath.

After a few minutes, I turned to Azeron, nodding to indicate we could leave. We rode back in comfortable silence. I hoped this would be the last goodbye for a long time.

Liam didn’t come to bed that night. In the morning, I woke to Azly’s soft cries from the monitor. Once she was changed and happily nursing, we went to Liam’s office. His suit jacket and tie from the previous day were draped over the back of the couch. His shirt was wrinkled, and the top buttons were undone.

“Liam?” I said, entering.

“Oh, Azalea, darling, I’m sorry. What time is it?” he asked, looking around.

“Have you been in here all night?” I asked. His desk was covered in reports. The warriors must have begun submitting their reports from the battle.

“Yes,” he sighed. I adjusted Azly in my arms and went around his desk. He looked up at me; his face was sad and tired.

“Are you reading the reports?” I asked. He nodded slowly. “Liam, you couldn’t have saved her. You couldn’t have saved Austin or any of the other wolves who died. But you did stop any more from dying.”

He nodded, his gaze distant. I knew he heard but couldn’t accept what I was saying. His eyes fell on Azly in my arms. He reached out, and I gently placed her in his waiting hands. His face softened slightly as he looked down at her.

“Why don’t you take her back to our room and rest?” I suggested. “I’ll clean and organize these.”

“Okay,” he agreed. He stood, and I guided him to the door. Liam slowly walked down the hall with his daughter. I sighed and turned back to the desk. I began to work.

A couple of hours later, I looked up to see Damien leaning against the doorframe. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” I replied.

“Where’s the Alpha?” he asked. I glanced at the clock, realizing how much time had passed.

“Hopefully asleep,” I said. I closed the folder I was reading and placed it in its pile. Almost everything was read and filed; Liam’s tasks were set aside.

“Has he chosen someone yet?” Damien asked. I shook my head. “He should appoint Felix,” Damien suggested. “Unless he can’t relinquish your 24/7 surveillance.”

I chuckled softly. “I may be slightly abusing his current distraction,” I admitted. Damien nodded.

“Felix would make a good Delta. I’m sure Azeron can handle being your only guard for a while,” he said.

“I’ll talk to him,” I said. “I think the pack might heal better if we get someone appointed.”

“Lily’s making sundaes downstairs with the kids. They all want to have a sleepover again tonight,” Damien said.

“Alright,” I said. “I’m sure they feel safest in their little group.” Damien nodded. “Have we checked on Abigail?”

“Jacob went over. She seems fine,” he said.

“I’ll see her tomorrow,” I told him. Damien stood up straight. “I should check on him.” Damien nodded before leaving. I went upstairs to our room, hoping Liam was there.

When I opened the door, my heart warmed. Liam lay on the bed, fast asleep. Azly lay a foot away, also fast asleep. I grabbed a blanket and covered her. Her ginger curls were tousled. Her little fists opened and closed in her sleep.

Liam looked older. This war had taken its toll on our pack and its Alpha. I wanted to wake him so I could hold him and tell him how much I loved him, but I thought better of it. He needed sleep, and I would be here when he woke. He was my Alpha, and it was my job to care for him so he could continue caring for our pack.