Missy

“No way. Nope. I will not,” I repeated.

“Oh, come on, you’re scared of a movie?” Maddox laughed.

“That stuff is supposed to be based on true stories!” I argued.

He just continued to laugh, tears welling up in his eyes. I scowled. “We are not watching scary movies tonight. End of discussion!” I declared defiantly, returning to my ice cream. We were sitting on a bench in the small park a few blocks from the inn. I had shown him around town earlier; we’d mostly wandered and talked, goofing off all day. I really enjoyed being away from the pack, and Maddox made it even more fun.

“It’s not over. I will get you to watch a scary movie with me,” he said confidently, smirking. He shoveled more ice cream into his mouth.

“It isn’t going to happen,” I said, for what felt like the hundredth time.

“What if I held your hand?” he joked. “Or let you sit in my lap?” I rolled my eyes. “Joking. I know. Vlad…”

I swallowed. Maddox always said it that way. Vlad… They had both seemed odd at the party. “So, do you still want to go for a run? It’s getting dark, but I don’t think Lea will mind,” I asked, changing the subject.

“Can we? I haven’t stretched my paws in ages,” he said excitedly.

“I can text her,” I said, taking out my phone. “Do you want to eat in town or head back to the inn?”

“I don’t care. I’m up for anything,” he said. Maddox was so easygoing. I always felt relaxed around him, which I think is why we were getting along so well. However, looking at my phone, I realized it was past the end of dinner service at the inn. “We could always go hunting in wolf form.”

I furrowed my brows. Hunt in wolf form? Like, kill and eat Bambi? Maddox must have sensed my confusion because he chuckled and explained, “Werewolves, Miss. We can hunt and eat like wolves. You’ve never hunted?”

I shook my head. “No. I’ve never killed anything,” I admitted.

“Look at that. The Alpha’s daughter hasn’t had her first kill,” he teased. I narrowed my eyes. He stood, taking my hand to pull me up. “Come on. Let’s find some dinner.” I let him pull me toward the inn and then toward the forest behind it. Suddenly, I felt shy with his hand in mine.

When we were about twenty yards into the trees, Maddox stopped and began undressing. I froze, staring at his exposed back. Flashbacks from that morning flooded my mind, and my wolf actually purred. Traitor. Vlad is my boyfriend, and he will be my mate. Maddox had kicked off his shoes and was undoing his pants when he stopped, noticing I hadn’t moved. His eyebrow rose as he looked at me strangely. “Are you coming?” he asked.

“Oh, um, yeah,” I stammered, quickly turning. I dashed away, hiding behind a tree. I covered my face in my hands for a minute, trying to banish the image of him shirtless from my mind. My phone buzzed with a message from Lea:

LEA | Go ahead. Please be back by midnight. There should be a patrol to follow you.

With a sigh, I quickly undressed and shifted. Rustling in the nearby trees told me the patrol knew where we were. I went back to Maddox. Standing before his grey wolf, I realized we couldn’t communicate. He wasn’t part of the pack, so we couldn’t link, and in wolf form, we couldn’t talk. He nudged me with his snout and gestured for me to follow. I wagged my tail, and he took off. As I ran after him, I shook out my fur, enjoying the wind. My wolf whined, wanting to take over. I let her; she’d be better at hunting anyway.

Azalea

Liam was on edge throughout the meeting. His eyes rarely left Theodore. Felix also struggled; his eyes kept drifting to Lacey. When she looked up from her tablet (where she was taking notes) and met his gaze, he’d quickly look away. It was rather cute watching my large, intimidating bodyguard be embarrassed by a woman.

When the meeting ended, Liam ushered me into his office. Felix followed reluctantly; I could tell he wanted to be elsewhere.

After the door closed, silence hung in the air for a minute. Liam finally broke it. “Sit,” he said, pointing to the desk. His eyes drifted to my stomach. I rolled my eyes but obeyed. Then he turned to Felix.

“Is the girl your mate?” Felix nodded. “Alright. Go. I won’t keep you from bonding. Azalea will stay with me, but I want all patrols watching the inn and us at all times. Can you arrange that with Axel?”

“Yes, Alpha,” Felix said tensely. I smiled at him. I couldn’t imagine Felix with a mate, but the thought of him finding happiness filled my heart. He deserved it.

“Go. Let me know when you’re ready to return to duty, and we can discuss things further,” Liam said. A muscle twitched in Felix’s cheek; for a moment, I thought he might smile. Instead, he gave Liam a curt nod before leaving. Liam’s shoulders slumped as he turned to me.

He ran his hands over his face, groaning, “Azalea…” I wasn’t sure how to handle this. I wanted him to trust my judgment and not make me hide away because of a perceived threat. “Why are you always like this? Complete disregard for your own safety, always believing the best of people.” Did he sound…tired?

“You never hesitate to put yourself in danger to protect the pack or me,” I pointed out.

“That’s my job, Azalea. I’m Alpha. I need to protect everyone,” he argued.

“It’s also my job to care for this pack, Liam. My role doesn’t change just because…” I trailed off. Even now, I didn’t like admitting aloud that I am wolfless. Though I’d accepted it, a part of me still felt inadequate compared to others.

“But it needs to change, Azalea.” Liam moved closer, kneeling before me. He took my hands. “Where would the pack be if something happened to you? What about the kids? And me? I need you to accept your limitations and stop pushing me so much.” He was begging. His words brought tears to my eyes.

I didn’t want to be a Luna on the sidelines. I didn’t want anyone to think Liam had a weak mate or the pack a soft Luna. Liam gently lifted my chin so I faced him. “Baby, it’s not because I think you’re weak or unworthy. I just can’t bear the thought of you getting hurt because I couldn’t protect you,” he said softly. “I won’t let it happen again.” I leaned forward, resting my forehead against his.

“Can you try to trust my judgment a little more?” I whispered. “Liam, you’re always so quick to assume I’m too trusting.” He caressed my cheek with his thumb.

“I guess I can’t deny you’re usually right,” he admitted. “The rogue groups’ stories checked out. Damien confirmed everything. You were right.” My eyes widened, and I pulled back.

“Then who…”

“I don’t know who’s responsible. But you were right; those people are no threat. We can allow them to join the pack soon.” I smiled widely. “Oh, no, no. That doesn’t apply to this vampire. Azalea, you don’t understand how dangerous they are. Whether he seems dangerous or not, that man is. He isn’t here by chance; there’s no way his arrival at Blood Eclipse is a coincidence.”

I sighed. “You just said I’m always right. Why can’t I be right about this?” Liam looked hesitant. “Liam, what? I can’t read your mind.”

His shoulders slumped, and he looked away. “Have you ever heard rumors about why our pack is called Blood Eclipse?” I shook my head. “Let’s go back to the cottage, and I’ll explain. Where are the kids?”

“Missy and Maddox are in town. They had coffee and dessert at the cafe. Then the boys went to play in the woods,” I told him.

“I’m sure the patrols know where they are. Come on,” he said, pulling me up.

I sat at the small cottage table. Liam was at the stove, making tea. He was on edge, and I couldn’t understand what our pack name had to do with any of this. I’d always thought it a little odd, perhaps aggressive. Blood Eclipse. It had an ominous tone. Surely, if our pack name was connected to vampires, we would have been told as children?

Liam sat down, handing me a mug. I idly played with the tea bag while I waited. He swirled his spoon before meeting my gaze. “It’s not something talked about anymore. Our pack was once at war with a powerful vampire clan. At the war’s start, my great-grandfather was Alpha. He rallied packs to fight the vampires attacking us. But he was killed months into the conflict.” Liam paused. “My grandfather took over. It was…a dark time. There was much bloodshed on both sides.”

“But what does that have to do with our pack name?” I asked, confused.

“There are twelve vampire clans, all supposedly descended from the original members. My knowledge of their origins is limited. I know eight of the twelve clan names. When my great-grandfather went to war, we faced three united clans: Warwick, Bloodworth, and Gresham. Warwick was the largest and seemed to be the main aggressor. What I was told…” he trailed off. “Azalea, those creatures are monsters. They’ll stop at nothing to kill. Hunters may be relentless, but vampires… Towards the war’s end, my grandfather devised a plan. He waited for a lunar eclipse. During an eclipse, we are stronger, faster, our senses heightened. He planned a final stand, and it worked. In one night, we almost completely eradicated all three clans. Two lost their sires as well. It wasn’t confirmed if Clan Warwick’s sire was killed. That battlefield, our pack land, was said to be bathed in blood that eclipse night. That night was called the Battle of the Blood Eclipse, and we became known as the Blood Eclipse Pack. My grandfather reveled in his victory, despite the cost. He accepted the name, but soon people wanted to stop talking about the war. The devastation was too great. My grandfather didn’t find his mate until years later, so he was older than most Alphas when he finally had an heir. It’s been so long that most people don’t even know about the war.”

Liam finished quietly. This was clearly a sensitive topic. He was far more empathetic than his father and grandfather; he wasn’t afraid to show his strength as Alpha, but he deeply hated conflict. Destroying White Moon had hurt him, but he found solace in bringing many back to Blood Eclipse. He looked at me, seeking understanding.

“Liam, I understand why you’re wary of Theodore. But he said he no longer associates with his clan, and he doesn’t seem threatening,” I said softly.

“I don’t know if we can trust him. I won’t risk your safety; I’ll find a new contractor,” he argued.

“No, we’re not doing that. Let’s have dinner with Theodore. Maybe if you talk to him privately, you’ll make a better judgment,” I suggested. Liam hung his head.

“You’re not giving this up?” I shook my head. “Fine. But afterward, I get to decide how we proceed. If I’m not convinced he’s not a threat, I’ll kill him.”

“You’ll give him a chance to leave,” I pressed.

He growled softly. “Fine. If you accept my decision, I’ll give him one chance to leave peacefully.”