Azalea

I shook out my soft waves and pulled them back into a low ponytail. My black dress hung loosely at my shoulders because I couldn't quite reach the zipper. I looked in the mirror with a sad expression. I wasn't looking forward to this. I never liked Gwen, and her actions after Liam and I finally accepted each other did nothing to change that. I may have forgiven her and allowed her to live, but that didn't mean I wanted to be here today. But I wasn't going for myself; I was going for Damien, Lily, and Liam. Damien was the most upset, mainly expressing his grief through anger. Lily was upset for her mate and his family. I never got the impression that she tolerated Gwen as anything more than Damien's mate. Then there was Liam. I couldn't quite figure out how he felt about it all. In some respects, he and Gwen had been friends growing up, and she was his best friend's little sister. I know he hated her after her attempt to kill me, but I think that eventually eased.

Liam came into the bathroom, stopping behind me. He kissed my shoulder gently. "Want me to zip this up?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yes, please," I said softly.

He gently zipped up the dress before leaning down and kissing the mark on my neck. "You look beautiful," he said. I turned to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and giving him a soft smile. He rested his hands on my hips.

"You okay?" I asked him. He nodded.

"We should get going," he said. His lack of words told me he was reticent about all of this. I leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him softly. Once we broke apart, I clasped his hand, and we made our way out to the forest for the funeral.

Damien

Crying. That's all that could be heard as dirt was piled over the simple pine box containing my sister. Crying. Wailing. My father held my mother as she cried over her daughter. Her only daughter.

Lily stood beside me, her hand rubbing soft circles on my back under my suit jacket. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I tried to focus on her scent and touch to keep myself from crying or getting angrier.

I wanted to know who was responsible for this. This wasn't her fate. Azalea let her live. She had a chance at life. I was still angry with my sister, even years later, for attacking Azalea. Gwen knew Liam wasn't her mate and was told to stay away. She just couldn't listen.

I thought that after her mate rejected her and she went through all that pain, she would finally give up on Liam. I thought she would try to be a better person. But no, she dug in harder. She was always trying to interfere with Lyssa's attempts to find Liam a mate before he found Azalea again. And Gwen could just never let it go.

Now here we are. My pups will never know their aunt. My parents are burying their daughter. And I don't even have a face to punch.

Azalea did a nice job with the arrangements. They were tasteful, simple, and secluded. No one would know where she is except us. People had stopped murmuring about Gwen long ago, as if they had forgotten she existed. I don't know what Mom would tell anyone who asked her, but I just never spoke about it. And I will never speak about her again.

Liam

I ran my hands through my hair as I sat at my desk. Nothing. We got nothing significant from the autopsy my uncle performed. We had nothing significant from the camera footage. There were a few instances that looked as if the camera glitched or went out of focus, but the warriors assigned to normal prison guard duty said these weren't out of the ordinary. There just wasn't enough evidence to go on. How does someone slip in and out of a place so guarded without being seen or caught on camera?

Gavin was giving me a headache. He was whimpering about going to Azalea. She had given me space since the funeral a few days ago, and I had been in a funk since. I was conflicted about Gwen's death. Gavin, on the other hand, was not. I had felt all of Azalea's ups and downs for the past couple of days but had been trying to focus on all the issues at hand, pretty much ignoring her. She was in bed asleep by the time I came to our room every night as well.

My thoughts went to Abraham and his offer to help with the investigation. I hadn't spoken to him yet. I kept going back and forth on the matter, but if I was being honest, my main concerns were with his son, not him. He would be a neutral pair of eyes on the situation, unlike Damien and Declan, who were clearly letting their emotions guide them. Damien was distant and moody, even with Delilah, whom he usually doted on. I could see the stress on Lily's face yesterday. She was worried about him, and I was too. I needed to find something soon before both of them went nuclear.

"Austin, can you send someone to find Abraham and bring him to my office. I would like to speak with him," I linked my Delta.

"Sure thing," he replied quickly.

Thirty minutes later, there was a knock at my door. "Come in," I called. The door opened to reveal Abraham.

"Good evening, Alpha," he said, bowing his head. "You asked to speak with me?"

I nodded. "Yes, please come in and have a seat," I motioned towards the chairs opposite me. He obliged. "My mate brought it to my attention that you would like to help with the investigation?" I asked, getting directly to the point.

"Yes, Alpha," he said. "I think I could be of some use."

"And how do you know about this?" I asked.

"Rumors spread when a pack house gets locked down, sir," he said respectfully. I couldn't argue with that.

"What do you think of those rumors?"

"I think all rumors have some basis of truth. But I do hope that they are not completely true. Whatever they may be based upon, I would like to help solve the dilemma," he responded. He was smart.

"You have a background in investigation, if I recall?"

"Yes, Alpha. I worked with my previous pack's warrior team heavily. I have never been very fit or physically gifted myself, but I have an eye for things other people miss," he explained. I nodded. I watched him for a moment, mulling it over. With no leads, there was really no downside to letting him help, as long as he could keep the information he was given confidential.

"Alpha, if I may be bold for a moment?" he interrupted my thoughts. I raised an eyebrow, and he continued. "I hope you are not letting my son's behavior cloud your judgment. I was unaware of your daughter's current grounding due to their irresponsibility. I would not have allowed him to go out the other night had I known he was encouraging her to break your rules."

"I appreciate that, Abraham. I won't lie to you and tell you I am a fan of your son's. But I am sure you can imagine that I would be protective over my daughter," I said.

He nodded. "Of course, Alpha. She is your pup; I expect nothing less. I have had a conversation with Vlad about his behavior and will be watching him more closely in the future," he said.

"I hope things can improve," I said. "Alright. I will accept your assistance in the investigation."

"That is wonderful, Alpha. I will do my best to help resolve this quickly," he said with a small smile.

"Go find Delta Austin and he will give you all the information you need. If you need anything, feel free to ask. Everyone involved will be informed to give you their full cooperation," I told him. He stood up, understanding that he was being dismissed. He left my office, and I quickly linked Austin.

"Abraham will be helping with the investigation into Gwen's murder. Please fill him in on everything we know," I linked.

"Yes, Alpha," he replied immediately. "Hey… Liam…" he continued hesitantly.

"What, Austin?" I shot back.

"I know you got a lot going on, and this has all been stressful. You should probably take some time for Azalea," he said. My brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"She hides it well, but I know she is feeling lonely. Felix keeps trying to get her to stay put, but she won't. Lily said she is trying to give you space, but she is worried too. Lily shouldn't be worrying about Azalea while she has Damien to look after. Just go to your mate, okay?" he finally finished.

Shoot. He's right. I was being a total jerk. Gavin was right, and that also irked me. "Can we go to our mate now?" he pleaded.

I sighed as I stood up from my desk. Time to make up for days of unintentional neglect.

I knocked on her office door and heard her normally sweet voice beckon me in with irritation. When I opened the door, she looked up from the document she was reading and said, "Oh!" quickly.

"Hello, Little Luna," I said gently.

"Liam, what's wrong?" she asked, her face growing concerned. I turned to Felix and nodded, dismissing him for the night. I turned back to her and came around the desk. I turned her chair so it was facing me as I leaned in and kissed her gently. Immediately, I felt her longing, but not in a lustful way.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For what?" she asked, looking up at me.

"I've been distant," I admitted.

"It's alright. The funeral…" she trailed off. I shook my head.

"No, I have ignored you, and that isn't okay," I told her. "So, Missy is going to watch the boys tonight and make sure they get to bed. We are going to go upstairs, have dinner together, and do whatever you want for the rest of the night. Just me and you." A smile slowly grew on her face. I will always do anything to see that smile.

I removed the asterisks from the censored words as they were easily inferred from context. I also made a few minor stylistic changes for flow and consistency.