Azalea

After they ate, Liam sent the boys to find Missy and Maddox so he could "make me stop leaking," as Leo put it. I thank the Moon Goddess every day that Liam isn't as harsh as his father, and that they get to enjoy their childhoods as long as possible. It's a miracle that Liam is so sweet and compassionate. We sat on the couch, and he held me close.

"Thank you for finding them," I said. Liam kissed my head.

"I'm sorry you were left to worry, Little Luna. They should never have been left unsupervised," he said. I knew someone would be in trouble, and I guessed it might be Felix, given his earlier appearance. Liam had asked him to arrange the patrols before dismissing him to spend time with Lacey. I hoped delaying any consequences until morning would give Liam time to calm down.

"Liam, who was Leo talking about? The fast man?" I asked. His arms tensed, and I was confused.

"I don't want you to freak out, okay? I'm already worried about the baby…" he said softly.

"Liam, what happened?" I asked, growing worried.

His hands gently rubbed my back. "The boys were climbing trees when they spotted a small group of rogues. They did the right thing and stayed put. They must have thought the patrols would help them," he said gently. I tried to sit up, but he held me still.

"Rogues almost found my children? Liam?" I panicked. When Liam ran off, I'd imagined them hurt, but not encountering rogues!

"Yes, Little Luna. Junior said he smelled them. But they stayed put, and no one saw them," he reassured me.

"Did you get the rogues?" I asked.

"The patrol found them and dealt with them," he said.

"Wait, you didn't find them? Liam, who brought the boys back?" Liam wouldn't let me move. He held me as I waited. "Liam!"

"The vampire got them away from the rogues," he finally said. I stopped moving.

"Theodore?" I clarified. He nodded. "He rescued my boys?"

"Yes, he got them away. According to Leo, they didn't even know he was there," he explained. I smiled. Theodore's selfless act far outweighed his dinner conversation contributions. Liam wouldn't readily admit his quick judgment, but that was alright. I snuggled closer, finally relaxing. Tomorrow morning, I would thank Theodore personally.

—

Gentle, pleasurable sparks tingled along my arm, from wrist to shoulder and back down. I was warm, surrounded by the scent of forest. I smiled as I awoke. My face was nestled against Liam's chest as we lay on our sides. He must have been awake, his fingers gently tracing my arm.

"Little Luna, are you going to sleep all day?" his voice echoed gently in my mind.

"Mmmm," I hummed. I was comfortable and didn't want to move. I liked my warm, Liam-filled bubble. He chuckled softly.

"I thought you were going to see Amy for lunch? If you sleep much longer, she'll come drag you out of here," he said. What time was it? I tried to move, but felt heavy. Liam's face came close. His nose brushed my cheek. "Come on, baby. You've slept all morning," he said, sounding worried. I opened my eyes and turned to him. He smiled and kissed me softly.

"Are you okay, baby? You still look so tired," he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I whispered. I felt exhausted and didn't want to leave the bed or him. "What time is it?"

"A little past noon," he said. "You were out cold; even Leo and Junior arguing didn't wake you." Oh no, the kids. I started to move, but Liam held me. "It's okay. Missy went shopping with Lemon and will be back to go to Amy's. The boys are with Maddox and Felix." I relaxed. Liam pulled us into a sitting position. When I leaned on him, he looked worried.

"Maybe I should take you home and to the doctor…" he worried.

"No," I said. "I'm just tired. Yesterday was more tiring than I thought."

"How's my pup?" he asked, touching my stomach.

"Perfectly fine," I said. Liam caressed my stomach. I sighed contentedly. My brain finally caught up.

"Wait, why is Felix with the boys? Shouldn't he be spending time with his new mate?" I asked. He looked guilty. "He may be feeling guilty and responsible for yesterday." Liam quickly explained, "I blamed him. I left him responsible for the patrols before he went to be with his mate, and when the boys went missing, I made my frustration clear."

"Liam, how could you?" I scolded. "That man has been the perfect bodyguard for years. He never takes a day off. He went on our honeymoon! The patrols should have been more vigilant! You can't blame Felix for this!"

"Azalea, if those rogues had spotted them—"

"No!" I said. "I'm painfully aware of what could have happened. But you aren't going to blame him. Get someone else to watch them and tell Felix to go back to his mate!" I thought of his hurt look last night. Felix never looked hurt or scared.

"Azalea, whether you agree or not, he failed us yesterday. I didn't command him to watch the boys. He was at the door when Missy and Maddox were leaving to take them to breakfast. He is punishing himself, and I don't disagree. I will speak with him later, but that doesn't mean he didn't endanger my pups," he said sternly.

I sighed. "Fine. When we leave for Amy's, he's relieved for the day. And I'm inviting Lacey back to the packhouse. She should get to know her mate. You may also want to start looking for someone else. He won't be available all the time anymore."

Liam nodded, still frustrated but not wanting to argue. "Let's get ready. Amy asked if you could be over at two."

"Alright," I said. "Help me out of bed?" He smiled and nodded. I kissed his cheek as he pulled me into his arms. I didn't enjoy arguing with Liam, but someone needed to tell him when he was wrong.

Missy

I sipped my iced coffee. We were headed to one more store before returning to the Inn. We were all going to Amy's for lunch. Lemon helped me pick out summer dresses, overall shorts, and a necklace and earring set for her. She also found some new blouses.

"So, are you going to tell me about these boys?" she asked.

I choked on my drink. "Boys?" I sputtered.

She laughed. "Yeah. Specifically, how does Maddox fit in with Vlad?"

"He's just a friend," I said quickly.

"A friend who hangs on your every word and looks at you with goo-goo eyes," she teased.

"No, he doesn't!"

"A friend you're always laughing and smiling with?"

"It isn't like that!"

"You've never brought Vlad to the Inn," she pointed out. I shrugged. "You're allowed to change your feelings, Miss."

"What do you mean?"

"When you're young, you think you know everything. You probably feel ready to be a grown-up and move away from Liam and Lea. You probably hate how overbearing they can be. It's natural. When you're young, you can get caught up in one guy and ignore everything else. You can ignore when something better comes along. All I'm saying is, it's okay to change your mind. Vlad may seem like the one, but he might not be."

"I'm not changing my mind…"

"Really? Because the last time I took you out, all you did was talk about Vlad. You haven't mentioned him since you got here," she said. Lemon always called me out. I appreciated it, but right now, it added to my frustration.

"It's Vlad. Maddox is just a friend…" I said.

"Alright. If you say so, but Maddox is a keeper. You're relaxed and happy around him, he's a good guy, he happily offered to play with your siblings, he even carried Leo to breakfast. Plus, Lea adores him, and Liam doesn't want to kill him. Those are all good signs, my dear." We went into the last store. Lemon shopped while I thought about what she said.

Lacey

At breakfast, I saw Felix with some children. We made eye contact before he looked down. The girl with him, about sixteen, looked at me with a confused expression. I sat with Jax and Theo. I'd only be in town a couple of days before returning to the office. Felix never came back to his room last night. I found it hard to sleep; I felt restless. I didn't know if it was the mate bond or how he'd left.

I ate little, earning a worried look from Theo. He knew about Felix and me. Jax talked about the remodel, but I barely listened.

Lemon spoke to the girl with Felix. The girl bounded off with her. I guessed they were the Alpha children; they seemed comfortable around Lemon, and Felix was with them. The boys and Felix left. I looked hopefully at Felix, but he kept his eyes forward. I shook my head, trying to dismiss him. I'd focus on work and leave as soon as possible. If he wasn't interested, I wasn't either.

I've removed the asterisks from the censored words, as the context makes it clear what they are. If you prefer them censored, let me know and I will add them back.