Liam

Damien waited until this morning to tell his parents. His mother reacted with overwhelming grief, as expected. Declan responded with rage. I didn't sleep long, knowing the Hales would be in my office demanding answers as soon as they found out, even if their son claimed there were none for now. When I woke, Azalea was in my arms, but she hadn't slept a minute. She was quiet and pensive.

"Why are you up, Little Luna?" I asked softly. I had woken wrapped around her, cuddling the pup in her stomach. I sat up to see her properly. She shook her head and remained against me. "Go to sleep, baby," I chided. "I will handle things this morning." She didn't respond. I kissed her head and eased her onto the pillows. I went to the bathroom. When I returned, she was no longer in bed.

I found her in the closet, changing. "Azalea, what are you doing?"

"Coming with you," she whispered.

I sighed. "You don't need to do that."

Sad determination shone in her emerald eyes. "I am coming with you, Liam," she said, resuming dressing.

She accompanied me to my office. The prison visitor logs and a preliminary search report were already on my desk. Azalea took the report, sat on the couch, removed her shoes, and curled her legs beneath her. She was tired, but what worried me most was the absence of acute emotions from her through our bond. Everything was amplified during her pregnancy; this wasn't normal. She seemed to be reading the report while we waited. We both knew it was only a matter of time.

My office door burst open. My gaze shifted from the logs to the doorway. To her credit, Azalea didn't flinch. She closed the report and slowly stood as Declan stormed in, followed by Damien and Lily supporting his mother.

"I want to know how this happened, and I want to know now!" Declan shouted.

Before I could speak, Azalea said, "Beta Declan, we all want the same thing. Please calm down so we can discuss this rationally."

"Calm down? Rationally? You let my daughter be executed while imprisoned!" he screamed.

"Need I remind you why she was imprisoned?" I growled. His tone was threatening, and I wouldn't tolerate it, regardless of his anger.

Declan paled slightly. Azalea placed a hand on my arm. "You have every right to be angry, Beta Declan. This shouldn't have happened," she said calmly. "But I'm sure Damien has told you everything we know." Damien nodded. Lily guided Mrs. Hale to the couch. She was distraught and clearly not in the same frame of mind as her husband.

Declan seethed. "How does someone break into a prison, execute someone in their cell, and leave without detection? What kind of security do you have?" he gritted out.

"I assure you all the guards are well-trained. We found no evidence—" I began.

"I don't care what you didn't find! I want the bastard who killed my daughter found!" he yelled.

"Beta, please," Azalea tried again. "We are all upset. All we have are preliminary reports showing nothing unusual around the prison."

"Don't pretend you're upset," he shot at Azalea. "You've kept her locked up for six years!"

"She hasn't proven she isn't a threat," Azalea said forcefully. "And don't act as if you've shown your daughter any consideration. You haven't visited her once since she was locked away. You haven't seen your daughter since she was taken from this office the night of your son's wedding."

I looked at Azalea in surprise. I didn't know that. Gwen's fate was Azalea's decision, and I hadn't interfered. She never discussed it, though I knew it bothered her. I often found her chewing her nails and staring out the window after seeing Gwen's therapist.

Declan growled but didn't continue. "For your family's sake, we will hold a small, private funeral," Azalea said. "Only the people in this room should attend. We won't inform any pack members." Declan's eyes were still angry, but he nodded.

"And what about finding the person responsible?" he asked.

"We're sparing no effort," I said. "Prison video footage is being reviewed. Guards were interviewed last night, and there will be follow-up interviews today."

"You better figure this out quickly," Declan threatened.

"Beta, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt because I understand your frustration. But I am Alpha of this pack, and I will handle this as I see fit," I warned, my temper rising. "I will not tolerate this being dismissed, nor will I tolerate any more disrespect. This is a threat to our entire pack."

Declan breathed heavily. Damien placed a hand on his father's shoulder. Declan looked at his son, who shook his head. Declan's eyes returned to me.

"I want to be part of the investigation," he demanded. This I could concede.

"Fine. But for today, take your mate home and grieve. Let me handle this," I said.

"I will make arrangements for her body," Azalea said softly, her eyes on Lily and Mrs. Hale. Lily was desperately consoling her mother-in-law. Azalea moved to the couch and crouched before Mrs. Hale, taking her hand.

"I am so sorry this happened," she whispered.

"Oh, dear girl," Mrs. Hale sobbed. "I'd hoped that maybe one day you would release her, and I could have my daughter back…"

"I know," Azalea said. "Mrs. Hale, I am so sorry I couldn't agree to her release, and that this happened." Azalea hugged the older woman.

Azalea

"Thank you so much, Lyssa. We'll see you in a bit," I said, ending the call with my mother-in-law. I didn't know if she and Robert knew what happened. Robert usually stormed into the pack house to badger Liam, which angered Liam. Lyssa agreed to take the kids for the weekend. I'd let Missy choose between her grandparents and the pack house, but my focus needed to be on Gwen's murder.

My phone rang. "Hello," I said.

"Lea. Great, I got you. I need to go over some things to boost off-season bookings, and we need to implement changes now. Are you coming up this weekend?" Lemon said quickly.

I sighed, touching my baby bump. "Something's come up. I won't be able to make it this weekend. Why don't you email everything, and I'll look it over?" I suggested.

"I can do that. When do you think you'll be able to come? We need to decide on kitchen renovations soon," she said. Lemon had grown from a flaky teenager into a dependable manager.

"I'm not sure. Maybe next weekend? Or early the following week? I'm not sure how long I'll be tied up at home," I said. The pain in my side, present since last night, was worsening.

"Amy misses you," Lemon said. I smiled.

"I miss her too. I promise I'll come soon. I'm just needed here right now," I said.

"Okay. Bring the kids when you come. I'll take Missy shopping if you're here long enough," she said. It warmed my heart how fond Missy and Lemon were of each other.

"I will. Talk to you soon," I said, ending the call. I set my phone down and rubbed my sides. Liam and Damien were at the prison, speaking with guards. Gwen's therapist was coming this evening. Liam spoke with him last night, but we needed to revisit everything. There was a knock.

"Come in," I said. To my surprise, it was Abraham, Vlad's father.

"Good afternoon, Luna," he said, bowing.

"Abraham," I said, standing. Pain shot through my side, making me wince.

"Oh, no, Luna, please don't get up," he said, worried. I sat back down.

"I'm sorry. What can I help you with?" I asked.

"It's no secret the pack house was locked down late last night…" he began. I was surprised anyone knew. There were no alarms. Only the patrolling warriors would have known.

"It isn't?" I asked.

"No, Luna. Rumors spread quickly," he said calmly.

Rumors were spreading, and I hoped they weren't accurate. "They have a nasty habit of being swift," I commented.

"Luna, I'd like to help with the investigation," he said. I raised an eyebrow, eyeing him carefully.

"And why is that?" I asked.

"I have extraordinary talents in solving crimes. I can uncover things others overlook," he explained.

I contemplated his words. He'd mentioned investigative work before joining the pack, but I wasn't sure what he did now.

"You make an interesting argument," I said. "But why now? Surely there have been other instances where your talents could have been beneficial."

"This is the first occasion I've learned of where I thought my talents might be helpful," he said.

"Hmmm," I thought. "I'll need to speak with the Alpha. It's ultimately his decision."

"I understand, Luna. If the Alpha grants me permission, I will help," he said. He bowed and turned to leave.

"Abraham," I called, stopping him. "Rumors can't spread if we don't feed them."

"Of course, Luna. I would never dream of it," he said before leaving.