Azalea School had been out for only a few days, and Missy was already a changed child. I stood at the back doors, smiling as I watched her play with Liam, Leo, Delilah, Lucas, and some younger rogue children. She was happy and carefree. It warmed my heart as I sat there sipping my juice. The rogues' arrival was probably the best thing that could have happened, at least for her. She wasn't allowed to do much; the only freedom we'd given her was spending time with them. I'd warned her after that first night she showed them around: if I found out she was seeing Vlad, she'd be severely grounded again.

Liam came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. "Watching the kids?" he asked softly. I nodded. His eyes drifted to Missy. "She seems so much better," he commented.

"I know," I said softly. "I'm going to give her phone back tomorrow. But I'm still not letting her see Vlad. He leads her into bad choices," I explained.

"Alright. That seems fair," he said. His lips pressed softly against my neck.

"Mmm, Liam," I murmured.

"Yes, Little Luna?" he hummed.

"Not right now," I said, as my body responded to him. "I have to finish party preparations and then call Lemon. She might have a heart attack if I don't give her answers about the Inn's kitchen remodel."

"Fine," he breathed, his warm breath on my neck. "But I'll be finding you later," he growled seductively. A shiver ran down my spine as I nodded. He released me, and I felt him leave. In the past few days, he'd become increasingly anxious about the lack of progress in finding Gwen's killer. He was working through that anxiety in the bedroom. While I wasn't complaining, he and Gavin were exhausting me.

I watched the children play for a minute longer. I needed to find homes for all these rogues, but I was struggling to figure out what to do with the orphaned children. The group was such a mixed bunch. I also hadn't spoken to Liam about Maddox wanting to become a warrior. He's been a little distracted, and we hadn't discussed verifying either group's claims about their former packs.

"Hey," Lily's voice came from behind me. I turned to see my exhausted best friend. I offered a small smile.

"Hey," I said. Lily stood beside me, also watching the children. She sighed.

"We should finish the last of the party details," she said, her eyes still on the children. I nodded.

"You know I can handle it," I told her. I was a little worried about her. I knew Damien was having a hard time, and his mother wasn't much better. It was stressing Lily out. "You can go relax, take a nap, or something."

She shook her head. "No, a distraction is good. Plus, it's my job to ensure parties go smoothly," she said. I linked my arm with hers, and we leaned our heads together. "Missy looks happy," she observed.

"Yeah, she does," I said, smiling.

The packhouse lawn buzzed with happy wolves. The party celebrated the start of summer for the children. Our pack celebrated any excuse, and this party had become a tradition in the last couple of years. The children ran around, playing the various games we'd set up. Even the older children participated, which was always nice to see.

This celebration was one of my favorite packhouse events. Everyone was always so happy and bright. The children were excited for summer fun, and the parents were excited for nice weather and happy pups. A gentle breeze blew my dress around my knees as I watched the pack.

"Wonderful party, as always," Abigail said, approaching me. I smiled.

"Thank you. I think it's a success," I replied.

She pointed to Austin, who was getting his face painted by his daughter. "He's certainly enjoying himself," she chuckled. "How's the pregnancy coming along?"

"Alright," I said, rubbing my belly gently.

"You look tired, Lea," she said, frowning slightly.

"I'm okay. We just need to figure out this Gwen thing," I said quietly. Abigail, being Austin's mate, was aware of pack business. "Once that's settled, things will return to normal."

"What about all the rogues?" she whispered. My eyes went to Missy and Maddox, who were racing Delilah and Liam in the egg-and-spoon race.

"I honestly believe them. I can't imagine this being some elaborate plot," I told her. She nodded, unconvinced.

"I'm just worried about the whole thing," she admitted.

"Me too," I said. "If their stories are true, whoever's behind this is dangerous."

"You don't think they could infiltrate the pack, do you?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't know, Abs. But I really hope not," I said, biting my lip.

Missy carefully shuffled her feet, holding her tiny spoon. "You're not winning this one!" Maddox yelled, two steps behind her.

"You two are cheating!" Delilah yelled from behind. I laughed as I scurried toward the finish line.

"You'll never catch us!" Maddox taunted. His voice grew closer. I focused on running faster. My foot hit something in the grass, and I panicked as I fell forward. Instinctively, I curled around the egg and spoon, rolling with the fall. I momentarily thanked my past desire to be a warrior and the training Liam had given me.

I landed on one knee, bracing myself with my foot. The egg was still on the spoon. Maddox was only a few feet away. I sprang up, sprinting, but it was futile. Maddox crossed the finish line first, then Delilah and Junior. Maddox turned to me, gloating.

"Don't even," I warned as I crossed. "I would have won!"

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser, Miss," he said, grinning. I pursed my lips. He slung his arm over my shoulder, laughing. "The Alpha's daughter would be a sore loser."

"Maddox is so fast!" Junior exclaimed.

"It's only because he's taller," Delilah said. I stifled a laugh. She was definitely a sore loser, probably because of Damien's spoiling.

"Let's do the sack race!" Liam suggested.

"You guys get in line. We'll catch up," Maddox told them. They nodded and ran off.

"They really like you," I commented as we watched them go.

He shrugged. "I guess I'm just a likable guy," he said, grinning. Maddox and I had gotten along well since they arrived at the packhouse. I'd introduced Sol, Sulien, and Alex to some people at the party. They were okay kids from school. Sol was excited; there were two girls in the group, so Alex was on board, and Sulien followed his sister and Alex. Maddox decided to stick with me while I ran around with my brothers, Delilah, and Lucas.

"Princess," my favorite voice called. I turned, ducking from under Maddox's arm. I smiled, seeing V approaching. He had a strange look on his face.

I jogged to him, excited to see him for the first time in a week. "You're here!" I said excitedly.

"Duh," he said. "You're here, right? How else was I going to see you while you're still grounded?" He put his hand on my waist, pulling me close, and kissed me softly. "Can you sneak away?" he whispered.

I turned back to Maddox, realizing I'd just left him. "Uh, I don't think so," I murmured. V's eyes followed mine to Maddox as he approached.

"Who's this?" he asked, his voice deeper.

"V, this is Maddox. He's joining the pack soon," I said. "Maddox, this is Vlad. He's my boyfriend." Maddox eyed V before extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Vlad," Maddox said. Vlad gripped his hand tightly.

"That's mate, by the way. She's my mate," V said.

Maddox looked at me questioningly. "She isn't seventeen yet, though…"

"We already know," V said firmly.

"We're pretty sure," I said. "So, uh, how about we find Delilah and Junior? They wanted to do the sack race with us," I said, changing the subject. I looked between them as they stared each other down. V spoke first.

"Of course, princess. As long as I get to be with you," he said, turning to me and smiling. I nodded, took his hand, and pulled him toward the game. It was a little too macho and territorial for my liking.

The rest of the party was…weird. V, Maddox, and I played with the children. I tried to have fun, but there seemed to be competition between Maddox and V. When we got food, we sat on the far side of the lawn, away from the tables. Sol, Sulien, and Alex joined us. Sol was amazed I had a boyfriend. When we sat down, V practically pulled me onto his lap, embarrassing me. I sat between his legs, but I felt Sol and Maddox staring.

Shortly after we finished eating, V's phone rang. He said it was his dad and he had to go. I excused us so we could walk away together. "When are you getting ungrounded?" he asked once we were alone.

"I don't know. Hopefully soon. I've been doing everything Lea's asked," I said.

"I miss you, princess. Do you think they'll let you out for a run? We could meet at the cabin?" he asked.

I bit my lip. I wanted to see V, but if I kept breaking Liam and Lea's trust, they'd never let me see him. "I don't know…"

"It doesn't matter until you get your phone back. I wouldn't know you were out there…" he said, trailing off. He sighed and stopped, cupping my face. "I don't like that guy."

"What guy?" I asked.

"Maddox. He watches you," he said, his voice low.

"No, he doesn't. Plus, Lea's moving them out soon. I'll probably never see him," I said, frowning. I actually liked him.

"He better not try anything," V threatened. He kissed me roughly.

When he let go, I asked, "What was that?"

"Nothing," he said softly. "I have to go. Be good, princess. I'm waiting." He left me standing there as he walked toward the front of the packhouse.

I've removed the asterisks from the words "kiss" and "lip" as they are not inherently offensive and their replacement with euphemisms disrupts the flow and tone of the narrative. The context makes the meaning clear without needing to censor common words.