Missy

I woke up to Leo poking my cheek. "Sissy, wake up!" he whisper-yelled. I groaned, trying to roll away. "Wake up!" he insisted. I blinked open my eyes to find a wide-awake Leo sitting beside me.

"What?" I asked groggily.

"I had an accident," he pouted. I sighed, sat up, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes as Leo looked at me wearily.

"It's okay. Let's clean it up. You should probably take a bath. You stink," I said. He nodded quickly and climbed down. I rolled off the bed on the other side, pulling the blanket with me. It needed washing too. I rolled up the blanket as I stepped into the hall, tossing it beside the door before going to the room Junior and Leo shared. Junior was still asleep, thankfully dry.

I gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, bud, time to get up," I said. After a minute, he stirred.

"Wake up, bubba," Leo called from behind me. Junior sat up, glaring. I laughed. He was definitely not a morning person—the opposite of Leo.

"It's summer. We're supposed to sleep in," he grumbled.

"Not when your brother pees the bed. Up. I need to change the sheets," I said flatly. His face grossed out, and he scrambled from the bed, falling with a thud. Leo laughed.

"That was a bit dramatic, bud," I said, rolling my eyes as I started piling up the blankets.

"What was that noise?" Maddox said from the doorway, scratching his head. My eyes widened. He was only wearing low-slung shorts. He wasn't exactly ripped, but he definitely had some muscle. "Missy?" he said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, uh, Junior fell out of bed," I said, turning back to the bed.

"You okay?" Maddox asked Junior.

"I'm going to get Mom…" he muttered grumpily.

"I had an accident," Leo told Maddox.

"Aw, that's alright, little guy," Maddox said sweetly. He came over as I stripped the bed. "Need any help?"

"Uh, no. I've got it. I'll take these to the Inn to wash. And I need to bathe Leo so Azalea doesn't have to bend over the tub. Liam usually does it, but he's not here…" I trailed off, my eyes lingering on his torso.

"You sure?" he asked. "I don't mind helping." I finished rolling up the bedding.

"All done. Lea will probably have someone clean the bed later. The liner's on your mattress," I joked. "You can go back to bed."

"Nah, I'm awake now. I was hoping you'd go for a run with me," he said hopefully.

"Maybe," I said. A run did sound good. "Let me wash and change Leo, then talk to Lea. She probably won't mind."

"Cool," he said, winking. He sauntered out, and I had to swallow.

"Let's get you in the bath…" I said to Leo.

Azalea

My phone rang. As I reached for it, I realized Junior was cuddled beside me. I carefully reached over him, answering the phone. I smiled down at him.

"Azalea, did you think I wouldn't find out!" Liam boomed. "I swear to the Moon Goddess if you leave that damn cottage before I…"

"Stop," I interrupted. "Don't even finish that threat." I got out of bed, leaving Junior to sleep, and walked to the kitchenette, my irritation rising. Liam was silent, but I knew he was furious.

"Why are you acting like I've hidden something?" I asked calmly.

"Did you really think I'd let a vampire stay in my territory, and you'd conceal it from me?" he accused.

"This is about Theodore?" I asked. "Who told you?" I'd specifically told Felix not to tell Liam. My bodyguard was going to get an earful.

"Every man in that town knows when you're there without me. They know what you and the children are doing. Of course, I was told about the vampire," he growled.

"Liam, you're overreacting!" I argued.

"No, I'm not! Goddess, Azalea, stay put," he warned.

"I won't. I spoke with Theodore, but you already know that. I was going to tell you. I won't lie and say he's harmless, but I have no reason to believe he's a threat!" I seethed. "Don't you think if he were a threat, he would have already done something?"

"He wouldn't make his plans obvious!" Liam yelled.

"He knew there were werewolves here before I knew he was a vampire. He came clean before Felix could rip him apart. He didn't hesitate to tell me what he's doing here, Liam," I ranted.

"Azalea, this isn't up for discussion!"

"I know, because I already made the decision. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a busy day, Alpha," I snipped, hanging up.

I turned to see Missy in the doorway, Leo on her back, his hair wet. She looked worried. I plastered on a smile. "Good morning," I said brightly.

"Everything alright?" Missy asked, entering.

"Yes, just grown-up disagreements. Why is Leo wet?" I asked.

"Oh, he had an accident. I changed the sheets and gave him a bath," she explained, letting Leo slide down her back. He ran to me.

"Well, that explains the extra body in my bed," I chuckled. "Why don't we get ready for breakfast?"

Leo nodded enthusiastically. He'd slept so much, he must be starving. "Do you want to wake Junior?" I asked, ruffling his hair. He ran to the bed and started waking Junior, who grumbled and hid under the blanket.

Felix glared across the room as I sat with Lemon, reviewing kitchen plans. She was talking animatedly. We were meeting the foreman and probably Theodore soon. I rolled my eyes, refocusing on Lemon. He was clearly angry. I suspected Liam had called him after I hung up.

When we left for breakfast, we encountered an angry Felix. I ignored him and ushered the kids past. He followed, his quiet rage continuing through breakfast. Leo and Junior were oblivious, but Missy kept giving me questioning looks, and Maddox fidgeted. Missy quickly dragged Maddox to show him town after breakfast. The boys begged to play outside.

I wondered when Liam would arrive. He'd called repeatedly, but I'd silenced my phone. After working with Lemon, I wanted to see Amy, not deal with a vampire and an angry mate.

"So, what do you think?" Lemon asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I think it will be great. You did a great job. I'm excited to get started," I said.

"Okay, now that that's settled. Why is Felix replaying your murder in his head?" she asked.

I stifled a laugh. "I may have irritated Liam, and by proxy, him. It'll be fine," I said dismissively. I missed Liam, hated being away, but I could handle things. It frustrated me that he always tried to hide or restrain me, never trusting my judgment.

"He better not scare the foreman…" she muttered. "Speaking of which, he'll be here soon, so I'm going to the front."

I nodded, smiling as she hurried past Felix. I turned to him, giving him a sour look. "Could you at least look normal? You'll scare away our guests," I glared. He didn't change his expression. I rolled my eyes. "At least move to the other end of the room and scowl out of sight," I grumbled.

I checked my phone: twelve missed calls from Liam, twenty unread messages. I ignored them and messaged Missy and Maddox. I got an immediate reply: a selfie of them drinking coffee at a café, a slice of cake between them. I smiled, thinking of Liam's first date with me. He was so sweet. I hoped Missy might rethink Vlad.

"Right this way," Lemon said, leading in the foreman. He was young and seemed green, as Theodore had said. He was with a small woman carrying a tablet and Theodore, who smiled slightly. As they approached, I smelled a werewolf. I breathed deeper, trying to determine if it was the foreman or the girl.

"The assistant is the wolf, dear," Theodore said in my head. I snapped to him in surprise. I was only used to hearing Liam. "You may want to speak with your companion." My brow furrowed as I looked at him. His eyes moved to Felix, who'd moved as I requested. My eyes followed; shock washed over me. Felix stared intensely at the girl. His face was no longer angry, his posture relaxed.

The assistant met his gaze, lips parted, cheeks flushed. "Mate," she whispered. She swallowed hard. Did she just say 'mate'? Was she Felix's second chance? Was this happening now? Lemon gave me an odd look.

"Jax, before we begin, would you mind looking at something with me?" Theodore said smoothly.

"Sure thing," the foreman said, following Theodore toward the kitchen. "Lacey, you can stay here," he muttered.

"Um, Lemon, would you mind checking on the kids out back? I'm feeling a little sick, but want to make sure they're okay before we start," I asked, wanting to get everyone out. I couldn't leave; Felix would follow.

"Sure, thing. Probably a good idea," she said, taking the bait.

As she left, Felix advanced on the girl. His hands were fisted, he looked tense. She looked tiny compared to him. He stopped a few feet away, breathing heavily. She seemed excited.

"I'm Lacey," she said softly.

"Felix," he grunted. I rolled my eyes. I'd always assumed his brooding nature stemmed from losing his mate. Now I wondered if he'd always been like that.

Before they could speak, Liam burst in. "Goddess, Azalea!" he called, stopping as his eyes swept the room.