Liam

I walked out of the room with Ralph, clutching the paper he'd written—the one with all the information—in my hand. Gavin's roar echoed in my head; I knew what Azalea had done. For such a small creature, she could be a monumental pain in the neck. Rounding the corner in the hallway leading to the other room, I saw Felix approaching, Azalea in his arms.

I knew this was coming and shouldn't have let her go. Our rudimentary understanding of her powers meant we had no idea how her pregnancy affected them or what damage they might be doing to her body, which had virtually no normal wolf abilities.

Felix stopped before me, his expression cool and calm, but I knew he expected me to yell. "I know we can't stop her. Just give her to me, and let's go," I said curtly. She tolerated Felix, even liked him, but rarely let him prevent her from doing what she wanted.

He transferred Azalea into my arms. I held her bridal style as we left the Mayor's office. Gavin was already ranting about scolding Azalea as soon as she woke up, so I tried to ignore him. She was definitely getting an earful from me when she was okay. For once, I was glad we'd driven between the Inn and here. Azalea wanted to walk, but she looked so tired that I insisted we drive.

Felix opened the rear door, and I settled inside, clutching Azalea tightly. "We'll bring the rogues to the Inn within the hour," Axel linked me.

"Felix, have the night staff at the Inn prepare four rooms for the group upon our return," I ordered as we pulled away.

"Right away, Alpha," he replied monotonously. I sighed, looking down at my mate. She was so stubborn, yet so ready to sacrifice herself for others. Part of me couldn't be angry; she'd helped a child with a broken arm. I'm sure it had been hurting for a long time, and, from the sounds of it, no one in the group was equipped to help. Even with our healing abilities, a poorly set bone is tremendously painful. My mind drifted to the mysterious person attacking these packs. Ralph's description of the events was almost identical to Graham's and the one relayed by the Langston group. Whoever this was, they were on a mission. These events happened weeks ago; who knows how many others he'd attacked since then, or where all these displaced wolves were?

I noticed each group had more children than adults. I wondered if that meant the culprit had some semblance of a conscience. Felix's parking the car beside the Inn, closest to the cottage, jarred me from my thoughts. I'd offered many times to have a suite built for us at the Inn, but Azalea always refused, saying she liked our little cottage. I got out and carried her back.

Once inside, I laid her on the bed and covered her. She'd sleep until morning, at least, after healing the boy. He better be grateful. I'd stopped letting her use her gift during her first pregnancy; it was too risky for her and the baby, and seemed to take a much greater toll on her while pregnant.

I woke to the smell of coffee. Rolling over, I saw Azalea approaching with a mug and a shy smile. "Good morning," she said softly, climbing onto the bed and handing me the mug as I sat up.

"Morning," I replied, taking a sip. Azalea climbed onto my lap, pouting. I raised an eyebrow, still annoyed but happy she felt better.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"Maybe," I grumbled. She leaned forward, kissing my cheeks.

"I healed a broken arm, Liam. He was badly hurt, and it looked like he'd had it for some time. He wasn't even of age, and he was healing slowly," she said softly.

"And what if it hurt you?" I asked. "We have doctors, Azalea."

She pouted. I couldn't stay mad at her long, and she knew it. "But now I have their trust," she said. I continued sipping my coffee, holding her gaze. I wasn't ready to relent. After a few minutes, her shoulders slumped.

"It was reckless, Little Luna," I finally said.

"I know," she replied dejectedly. "But I'm fine now." I set down my coffee on the nightstand and pulled her close, letting her rest against my chest.

She sighed, relaxing. "No more recklessness," I said sternly, stroking her soft ginger hair as she cuddled closer.

"You're hungry," she observed, ignoring me.

"You're changing the subject," I replied.

"Breakfast should be here any minute," she said, smiling. I rolled my eyes, knowing the argument was over. I didn't want to fight again. As if on cue, someone knocked.

"Perfect timing," she said happily. Her tactic was clearly to feed me into submission. She hopped off the bed and hurried to the door. I watched her walk, noticing the cute waddle she gets when pregnant. Thinking about her adorable pregnant habits brought a smile to my face.

She returned with a bag of food, presumably from the kitchen. Crawling back onto the bed, she sat beside me, smiling widely. She pulled out some boxes, and I knew why she was smiling. She giggled, handing me a box of freshly made croissants and a small container of butter.

"You can't win me over with my favorite breakfast," I deadpanned, though I was secretly delighted.

"Yes, I can," she said, biting into a cinnamon roll. I rolled my eyes but dug in as she gave me a satisfied smirk.

"Alpha, the young boy Luna healed last night is asking to speak with her," Felix linked me. Interesting.

"So, broken arm?" I asked Azalea. She nodded.

"It was really bad, Liam," she said sadly, continuing to nibble on her cinnamon roll. Ever since the Inn expanded, the kitchen offered far more options each morning. The menu had improved dramatically with more staff, and they were exceptionally good at catering to pregnant Azalea's whims.

"How is he this morning?" I linked Felix.

"He needs a sling for a couple of days, but she got him almost all the way. She probably would have fainted in front of the group if she'd healed him completely," Felix replied.

"At least she had some sense," I said. Azalea cocked her head, looking curious.

"The boy wants to speak with you," I told her. Her eyebrows shot up. "I don't think it's a bad idea. You and Felix can speak with him, and I'll handle some things with Axel. At least for a while, the rogues should be moved to the main pack territory for closer observation. You can find accommodations here later if you like."

"Alright," she said brightly. Another knock interrupted us. I set down my food and got out of bed to answer. Another impatient knock sounded as I approached. I opened the door to see Amy, one of Azalea's close friends.

"How did you even know she was in town?" I asked flatly.

"Good morning, THG. You look grumpy today," she said with a sarcastic smile.

"Still with the Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous?" I asked sardonically, stepping aside to let her in. Azalea smiled, climbing off the bed. The girls embraced, making me chuckle. Azalea and Amy weren't as close as they used to be, now that they didn't work together, but they were still good friends. Though she could grate on my nerves, Amy was harmless and somewhat understanding of werewolf issues now that Azalea had explained things.

"How long are you here?" Amy asked Azalea excitedly. Her eyes flicked to me.

"Not long. We need to return to the pack today," I said. Both girls deflated slightly.

"When are you coming back? I miss the kids! I bet Missy is practically an adult now," Amy said. Azalea smiled.

"You don't even know. But I'm sure we'll be back in a couple of weeks…" She trailed off, looking at me hopefully. I nodded. "And I'll bring the kids."

"Fine. I'm holding you to that. Or I'll come out there and kick some wolf butt to drag you back," Amy said. Azalea laughed.

I grabbed my bag and headed to the bathroom, leaving the girls to chat while I got ready. "Felix, you can separate my mate from Amy in about thirty minutes to speak with the boy," I linked him.

"Yes, Alpha," he replied.

Missy

I crept through the yards, trying to reach my grandparents' house silently. I was dead if anyone caught me out this late. The former Alpha and Luna were stricter than Liam and Lea and would rat me out immediately. I'd been dreading this all night. Getting out was easy; getting in wouldn't be.

I finally reached their house and sprinted to the balcony I'd climbed down from before. Climbing back up silently was the challenge. Securing my phone in my pocket, I crouched, then sprung up, grabbing the porch railing. I hung for a second, swinging, then slowly pulled myself up until I could reach the upper railing. Pulling myself over carefully, I landed softly on the deck. Sighing in relief, I thought I was in the clear.

I slid the door open slowly but stopped at the figure sitting on my bed. The light switched on, and I stared into my grandfather's angry eyes. "Where exactly have you been?"