Gwen

“Damien, when are you going to get me out of here?” I whined. My brother had come to see me again. He always brought a board game or a deck of cards to spend time with me—he felt obligated, but we wouldn't have to talk much.

“You know that’s not up to me, Gwen,” he said gruffly.

“But you and Liam are best friends! Just tell him I’m fine, and I’ll stay away from her. This place is torture,” I said.

He glared at me over his cards. “That’s the point of prison, Gwen. We aren’t going through this again. When the therapist and Azalea feel you are no longer a threat to her and the pack, you’ll be granted freedom,” he said firmly.

“But Mom and you are the ones who visit me. You two know best that I’m not a threat! I just want out so I can live my life again,” I pleaded.

“Gwen, drop it. You’re lucky to have received this mercy. You tried to kill her at my wedding, no less. Now, play the game or I’m leaving. I have things to do,” he grumbled. I knew I couldn’t push him further. Damien was a strict rule-follower and took his job as Beta very seriously. Growing up, he fiercely protected our human mother, and I assume he feels protective of Azalea, who is also essentially human.

I threw down my cards, crossing my arms. “Fine. Go,” I said, my irritation winning. “You clearly have more important things to do than play stupid games with me.”

Damien set down his cards and rubbed his hands over his face. “Peaceful rogues and now this,” he mumbled. My ears perked up. Peaceful rogues? “You clearly aren’t in the best mood today. Maybe you should write in your journal or something—whatever your therapist says. I’ll try to come back in a couple of days,” he said, standing to leave. My brother, the emotionally constipated meathead. I didn’t respond; he turned and went to the cell door.

Azalea

I stood outside the front doors with Lily and Emily, one of the rogue women. We waited for the children from the bus stop. Lily suggested letting the children swim together to meet and mingle with the rogue children. The day had been pleasant, and the group had been polite. The older children clearly looked after the younger ones.

After Liam and I discussed the situation with the group and their former pack, I snuck into my office to check on some Inn business. I planned to go there over the weekend, taking Missy to get her away from the pack house and Vlad for a couple of days. Usually, Liam and the boys would join us, unless Liam’s parents could watch them. I had planned to call Lyssa, but I was nervous about leaving the pack house with the new people. Liam and I hadn’t had a moment to talk since this morning; he even missed lunch.

“So, when are you due, Luna?” Emily asked politely. My hands rubbed my small bump unconsciously.

“Oh, uh, not for a while. I’m only about two months along,” I said. Werewolf pregnancies are only 28 weeks, instead of the human 40. She-wolves heal quickly, but I wasn’t so fortunate, causing problems. My pregnancies with the boys lasted about 30 weeks, Doctor Charles letting them stay as long as possible.

“You have two boys, right? Are you hoping for a girl?” she asked.

I laughed. “I’m just hoping for a healthy pup. But my mate would very much like a girl,” I replied.

“And if he’s anything like his bear of a best friend, she’ll wrap him around her little finger,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. We laughed.

“Men can be very protective of their little girls,” Emily said. “Especially first-born pups. I saw it all the time.”

“You worked in your pack’s childcare, right?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Our pack was small, so our school-age children went to school in the nearby human town. But our younger children had a daycare so parents could work,” she explained.

“That human town has some of our pack members,” I said. “Some children attend the school there. We work with them to hide their wolf abilities.”

“Yes, we always watched that carefully! One of our pack members was a high school teacher to keep an eye on our pups,” she said. The children’s shouts interrupted us.

“It’s not a competition!” Lily yelled, but they ignored her. Junior and Delilah were fiercely competitive, often involving their younger siblings. But they were best friends. Reaching the packhouse steps, they argued over who’d won and cheated. “It’s a tie! We have guests, and we thought you might like to swim with them,” Lily said, redirecting them.

“Really, Mom?” Junior cheered.

“Yes, sweetheart. Let’s go get our bathing suits and meet our new friends by the pool. I’ve made snacks,” I said, smiling. They ran to their rooms. Emily laughed.

“You both have wonderful families,” she commented.

“Thank you,” I said. “Let’s go wait outside. I’m sure Austin found enough space for your group.” I led Lily and Emily outside, where we sat by the pool. To my surprise, my mother-in-law emerged.

“Oh, Azalea, who is this?” she asked, noticing Emily.

“A guest. Good afternoon, Lyssa. How are you?” I asked. Liam had told his parents we were pregnant again a couple of weeks ago, and Lyssa had been overjoyed, visiting constantly.

“I’m great. How’s my next grandpup doing?” she asked. I smiled faintly.

“Coming along just fine. Your son has the latest ultrasound photo in his office if you’d like to see it,” I suggested, hoping for a distraction.

“Oh, no. I’ll see it later. Robert wanted to speak with Liam. I wanted to know if you were going to the Inn anytime soon? I’d love to have the kids stay with us,” she said.

“Oh, um,” I paused, looking at Lily. She looked between Lyssa and Emily. “Well, Liam and I haven’t had a free moment to make plans. Would it be alright if we called you later tonight? The kids will be down to swim any minute,” I said, trying to deter her. I didn’t want to be rude to Emily and the others by saying we weren’t sure about leaving the pack without its Alpha and Luna while verifying their story. While I hadn’t found any reason to distrust them, I still had a responsibility to my pack.

“Nonsense. It’s been weeks since you two had any time alone! And your birthday just passed. I’ll get them after school tomorrow!” she said, ignoring me. Turning to Lily, she said, “I’m sure Declan and his mate would be happy to take Delilah and Lucas, too. You four can take the weekend. You girls let those boys work too hard anyway.” Lily glared at me. She wasn’t fond of my mother-in-law.

“Mother,” Liam’s voice carried across the yard. We turned to see Liam and his father approaching. Liam looked irritated, as he usually did when his father spoke to him. “The kids can visit whenever they like, and you know this. You don’t need to try and run us out of our own pack house.”

I gave Liam a sympathetic look, not only for rescuing me, but also for having to deal with Robert, who was surely here about the rogues. His eyes met mine. “Come, Lyssa. We should leave them to their guests,” Robert said, gesturing to his mate. I always felt sad for them; Lyssa wasn’t Robert’s fated mate. Their relationship clearly lacked for both of them, and Robert never understood Liam’s affection for me.

“Right. I’ll be ready for the kids tomorrow. Bring them by or I can pick them up,” she said, joining her mate. They went back inside, the atmosphere calming immediately. Liam approached my chair. Before anyone could speak, our children barreled out, speeding towards the pool. Delilah jumped in first, splashing us all.