Azalea

I lay on the bed, panting, as I came down from the high Liam took me to. Goddess, this man was my everything. With pregnancy came an incredible level of horniness that he was determined to keep up with. He kissed his way up my stomach from his position between my thighs until he reached my mouth. "Feel better, kitten?" he asked. I smiled and nodded. He gave me a wry smile. When he finally reached my face, he peppered kisses all over it, making me laugh. He leaned over me. "Do you want to go back to sleep for a bit, Little Luna? You barely slept," he asked, concerned.

"No, I'm okay. I'm only a little tired," I reassured him.

"You're going to bed early tonight," he said, giving me a serious look. I smiled and nodded. Liam always made me feel so loved and cared for.

"We need to figure out what to do with Missy," I said, giving him my own serious look. He sighed.

"I know," he said, rolling to his side and pulling me onto him. I rested my head on his chest. Luckily, my baby bump wasn't so big that this was impossible yet. "I think we need to lay down some rules about her spending time with Vlad."

"I agree. But how do we do that without pushing her away?" I asked.

"I think we should make it so they can only spend time together here, at the pack house. That way, someone can keep an eye on them," he said. I thought about it for a moment. There was still more than enough room at the pack house for them to spend time together. There would be supervision practically everywhere. Liam and I would know she was safe at all times.

"Okay. I think that's reasonable. But for how long? You know she's going to ask," I said.

"At least a month. She turns seventeen in only… what, three months or so?" he mused.

"Yeah, three months and a week," I replied. A knock interrupted us. Liam shifted me onto the bed, climbed out, pulled on his shorts, and opened the door. He returned with a tray of food. I sat up as he set it down. I smiled at him, but my joy was short-lived. The scent of the scrambled eggs hit my nose, and I leaped out of bed, rushing to the bathroom and vomiting as soon as I neared the toilet. Liam was quickly behind me, pulling my hair back and rubbing my back. He waited patiently for the heaving to stop and for me to calm down. When I sat up, he went to the sink and brought me a glass of water.

"Eggs?" he asked. I nodded.

I sipped the water while Liam left the bathroom, probably to dispose of the eggs. After a few minutes, I felt a bit better and stood up. I went to the sink to brush my teeth when Liam returned. He stood behind me and gently rubbed my back. "Better?" he asked.

"A little," I mumbled, my mouth full of toothpaste.

"I'll have someone bring you some toast," he said. I spit out the toothpaste and rinsed my mouth.

"Thank you," I said once the taste was gone. I turned around, and he pulled me close.

"Three for three with the eggs," he whispered. I nodded. "Let's go lie down for a while longer. We can talk to Missy later. Felix said she went to her room after breakfast and hasn't left."

"Okay," I said. Liam scooped me up and carried me back to bed. I sighed, resigning myself to his attentiveness. He laid me down, climbed in beside me, and held me gently. I breathed in his wonderful forest scent, hoping it would ease the nausea. We lay together for a while before he spoke.

"Will you stay in bed today?" he asked.

"No," I said. He sighed.

"Will you at least sit at your desk and not overwork yourself? No pacing and running around the pack house. No baking or games with the children?" he pleaded.

"Alright. I'll stay in my office, but only until dinner," I agreed. "And I'm walking to and from my office!" I knew he'd grumble, but I wasn't going to give up walking just because of a little morning sickness. Liam didn't argue and simply began rubbing soothing circles on my back. My eyes grew heavy as we cuddled. Liam kissed the top of my head.

"Sleep, Little Luna," he whispered. "I'll wake you in a bit." The nausea was passing, and my stomach settled. I let Liam's scent lull me back to sleep.

Missy

Felix knocked on my door around lunchtime. I'd planned to stay in my room until Lea and Liam came to scold me, but the longer I waited, the more nervous I became.

I opened the door to Felix, Liam's usually grumpy bodyguard. He always had the same hard look on his face, and the scar only made him seem more unapproachable. But I knew he was a softy. I said nothing as he glared down at me.

"Luna's office," he said curtly. I swallowed and nodded. Liam must have sent him. Lea never asks Felix for favors. I followed him to Lea's office. He stood by the door, giving me a curt nod. I knocked.

"Come on in, Missy," Lea's voice said. I opened the door slowly. Lea sat behind her desk, and Liam sat on the corner. Lea looked calm; Liam looked frustrated.

I walked in and stood in front of the desk, avoiding eye contact. "Missy, can you look up, please?" Lea asked kindly.

I timidly lifted my head. "Thank you. We're not going to yell at you. We just want to talk. Why don't you sit down?" she said, gesturing to a chair. I sat, hands clasped in my lap.

"Missy, why didn't you tell one of us you wanted to stay out late?" Liam asked, surprisingly gently.

I was shocked. "Uh, well…"

"Missy, although I'm upset Azalea stayed up worrying about you, I'm more disappointed than anything. You left the party early, then disappeared. We asked you to be back by a certain time so we knew you were okay, and you disregarded us," he said.

Azalea put a hand on Liam's arm—a calming gesture. "Missy, we're worried about your behavior lately. We know you've been skipping school with Vlad, honey," she said softly. My eyes widened. How did they find out?

"Missy, I'm the Alpha. I'm friends with your principal. He called me after the second unexcused absence and asked if you were alright," Liam said, knowing my thoughts. I hung my head.

"I'm sorry…" I apologized.

Lea sighed. "We're worried, sweetheart. We know how much you like Vlad, but you can't skip school or stay out past curfew where we don't know where you are. Missy, you're our child, and anyone could use you to hurt us. This pack isn't without enemies…"

"I really didn't mean to miss curfew," I said softly. They waited for me to continue. "We were just having fun. I wanted to get away from the party and the pack. I'm tired of the whispers. I left my phone in Vlad's car, and as soon as Damien linked me, we came back."

They locked eyes. "While we aren't mad, we're still disappointed, and there will be consequences," Liam finally said. I sighed and nodded.

"For starters, you will not miss another class," Lea said sternly. "You also will not be leaving the pack house unless you're going to school or training." My heart sank.

"But we're not forbidding you from seeing Vlad," Liam continued. Hope bloomed. "You two will just need to spend your time here, where we know where you are."

"I guess that's fair… but for how long?" I asked.

"We'll see. Let's start with the next month and re-evaluate," Lea said.

"Okay," I said.

"Missy, you can't worry us like that again. It's not good for Azalea to be up all night worried," Liam said. I knew he was most upset about that. Wolves are protective of their pregnant mates.

"I'm really sorry. I won't do it again, I promise," I said. Liam nodded.

"I'm sure you want to call Vlad. We'll see you at dinner," Lea said with a smile. I nodded, got up, and stopped at the door.

"I'm sorry I left the party… Happy Birthday, Lea," I said before leaving. Felix was outside; he gave me a curt nod as I hurried to my room. At least I could still see Vlad.

Liam

Missy left quickly. I turned to Azalea; she knew what I was going to say. "What whispers is she talking about? Does this have something to do with us?" she asked quickly.

"I wasn't going to do anything about it yet because I didn't want to make things worse. One of her teachers mentioned Missy doesn't interact much with her classmates other than Vlad. They think she may be facing bullying because she's our adopted daughter, but Junior will be Alpha eventually," I said hesitantly. I wasn't sure how to handle the rumors and didn't want to worry Azalea or Missy. Azalea's face fell; I felt her worry.

"Why would anyone care? Missy can't be Alpha, but that doesn't mean she's any less important!" Azalea said furiously. Her mood was shifting quickly. I got off the desk, turned her chair to face me, and knelt.

"I don't know, sweetheart. But I didn't want to make a big deal of it. The important thing is that we love her, and she knows that. She's well cared for, and you're a wonderful mother to her," I said calmly. I rubbed her arms, hoping to calm her.

Tears welled up in her green eyes. "Now you made mate cry, idiot," Gavin chastised me. I didn't miss these mood swings.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, Little Luna," I said. She shook her head. I knew this was difficult for her. I pulled Azalea into my arms and hugged her tightly.

"Why would anyone be cruel to such a sweet girl? Hasn't she had enough to deal with?" she sobbed. I let her cry until she quieted down. She pulled away, grabbed a tissue, and wiped her nose.

"Missy's going to be okay. She has us, and we won't let anything happen," I said firmly. Azalea nodded. I brushed her ginger hair from her face. "Let's go to dinner early, and I'll get you some tea," I suggested. She nodded. I helped her up and put my arm around her waist as we left. Felix followed. I needed to figure out the rumors about Missy and stop them quickly.