Missy

Seriously, why is this happening to me?

“You’ve got a bit of drool there…,” Sol teased, wiping pretend drool from my mouth.

“Not funny,” I grumbled. Sol and I sat near the edge of the woods behind the packhouse, watching the warrior class train. Now that summer was in full swing, the kids my age who wanted to be warriors were training three times a day, including Maddox. Lea was managing living arrangements for the new families while more houses were being built, and she also helped them find jobs. Only a handful of families remained in the packhouse. Maddox now lived two floors below me, which wouldn't have been awkward before his confession at the inn. Now, my cheeks burned every time I saw him.

Lea ungrounded me a couple of days ago, and Vlad had been around constantly. Whenever he and Maddox were near each other, the atmosphere was tense.

“Can I ask you a real question?” Sol asked. I nodded, my eyes still on the training. Maddox was sparring shirtless with an older warrior. “Why don’t you just dump Vlad? You clearly have a thing for Maddox. At least you could enjoy your last few mate-less weeks before your birthday and guiltlessly spend time with him—I’m sure he’d be happy to,” she said.

I scowled. “Vlad’s my mate. Maddox is just… a distraction,” I said, finally looking away from the sparring. Sol pursed her lips.

“Every time he’s near you, you blush. You’ve completely avoided him since your trip together. And this isn’t the first time I’ve caught you staring,” she accused.

I sighed. Sol was right. I’d made excuses whenever Maddox tried to hang out because all I could think about was his confession at the inn. “I’m not breaking up with Vlad. He’s my mate. Just wait until my birthday,” I said.

“You know Maddox has the same birthday as you, right?”

I stared at her, wide-eyed. “No…”

Vlad’s birthday was two days after mine. I’d know on my birthday, but he wouldn’t for a couple of days.

“Yeah. He won’t admit it, but he hopes he’ll find out you’re his mate. Sulien said he’s determined to convince your dad to let him be a full-time warrior after he graduates, so he’d definitely be able to protect you,” she explained.

I buried my face in my hands. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’d been so sure Vlad was my mate just a month ago. Now, doubt was creeping in.

“For what it’s worth, you don’t seem happy around Vlad. You fit better with Maddox,” she said, glancing back at the training session.

Liam

I chewed my lip, considering Felix’s confession. Somehow, his mate knew Abraham, and they acted strangely around each other. Lacey had been staying with Felix for the last week. Azalea had spent time with Lacey, learning about their developing relationship. I still hadn’t found satisfactory additional protection for Azalea, but we were working on it.

Felix stood before me with a passive expression. I couldn’t tell if he expected me to be upset—I never could.

“Let’s bring Abraham in and ask him how he knows your mate,” I said. Abraham had been helpful in the Gwen murder investigation. We knew the culprit was a Clan Warwick vampire. Felix nodded and left.

I knew he wouldn’t be long. I began organizing the paperwork on my desk, which I’d been reviewing when Felix arrived. Suddenly, I felt overwhelming despair—it was Azalea. I jumped up, linking her. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“The boys,” she linked back. I ran from my office, heading upstairs. I didn’t know where they were, but that’s where my feet carried me. She was supposed to be with Austin, but it wasn’t unusual for her to spend extra time with the kids when they weren’t in school.

“Where are you? What’s wrong with the boys? Where’s Austin?” I asked.

I took the stairs three at a time and reached our floor. I ran down the hallway, finding Azalea outside Junior’s room. Tears welled in her eyes. I skidded to a halt, checking her for injury before looking inside. Both my sons were sitting on the bed with a book.

“Little Luna, what is going on? The boys are fine…”

“Liam’s reading to Leo…” she sniffled. I turned to my children. Leo looked up and waved. I waved back before turning to my mate. Her lip trembled; she looked about to burst. I pulled her close, still confused about what was upsetting her. “They are growing up…” she sobbed. “They won’t need me soon.”

Oh, Goddess. This had to be hormones. Azalea was never like this. “Shhh…” I soothed, rubbing her back. “They will always need you, baby. You are their mom,” I reassured her.

“You don’t need your mom. You find every reason not to talk to her,” she countered. I rolled my eyes. Now she was comparing me to my children. This wouldn’t end well.

“Little Luna, that’s nonsense. You can’t compare me and my mother to you, Missy, Junior, and Leo. It’s not the same, baby,” I said. She buried her face in my chest.

“Daddy, what’s wrong with Mommy? Is she leaky again?” Leo asked from the room.

I saw both boys looking at us. “She’s just sad because you’re growing up,” I said. “She thinks you’re going to grow too big and leave her.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Junior said. “I’m going to be Alpha, and I’ll always protect Mom.” I hugged Azalea tighter.

“See, Little Luna? They aren’t going to leave you. They love you,” I linked her. She looked up at me with her large green eyes. I kissed her softly. “Better?” I asked. She nodded. “Where’s Austin? Shouldn’t he be with you?” She smiled sheepishly. I groaned. “You didn’t trick him into leaving you alone again?” I asked incredulously.

“Liam, I’ve had a personal bodyguard for six years. There’s no reason to keep this up. Let Felix spend time with Lacey and stop babysitting me,” she argued.

I sighed deeply. “Azalea…” I groaned. This was the fifth time I’d caught her tricking her protectors. Felix had been spending far less time with her than I preferred.

“Liam…” she mocked. I looked at her wry smile. I couldn’t let her distract me.

“We aren’t debating this. I’ll find someone to help when Felix is unavailable, but you will have a guard. That’s final,” I said. Her face fell into a pout. It was hard not to kiss her.

“Fine,” she agreed.

“And stop tricking them into leaving. What if you get hurt or something happens with the baby and no one’s around?” I pressed.

“There are people around the packhouse all the time. I’m never alone,” she said. I raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Fine,” she said, resting her head on my chest. “Just hold me while I watch my middle baby read to my youngest,” she sighed.

I entered my office to find Abraham and Felix waiting. “Apologies, Azalea needed my attention,” I said, sitting behind my desk. Abraham was seated; Felix stood behind him with his arms crossed.

“I’m afraid this may be uncomfortable, but I must ask. Abraham, how do you know Felix’s mate?” I said.

He sighed. “I figured this would come up,” he began. “Lacey is from my original pack. We worked together. I believe she changed careers after the incident.” My eyes darted to Felix; his face remained impassive. “I believe she decided on a career change after the incident.”

“What incident?” I asked.

“The one that led me to move my son and myself to this pack,” he clarified.

“You said that was because your mate died,” I said. Abraham nodded.

“Yes, but specifically the circumstances,” he said. “I was investigating a murder on my pack’s land for my Alpha. I discovered a vampire committed the crime. As my investigation progressed, I received threats. My Alpha pressured me to capture the vampire. I didn’t take the threats seriously enough…” Abraham paused, pain evident on his face.

“I came home one day, and the vampire had killed my wife. He tore her throat out in front of my son and me. Then he bit Vlad before disappearing. Vlad was ill for a time afterward, and I believe that’s why his scent is undetectable now. The wound nearly killed him. Lacey worked for our Alpha, so she knew about the situation.”

“I’m sorry that happened,” I said softly. I looked at Felix, then back to Abraham. “So, this explains why you know so much about vampires.”

He nodded. “Yes. That wasn’t my first vampire-related investigation, but it was my last until moving here. I chose Blood Eclipse because of its history with vampires.”

“Other than the scent change, have you seen other side effects from the bite?” I asked.

“His demeanor has shifted, but I attribute that to losing his mother. I certainly changed after losing my mate. The only other thing I’ve noticed since his recovery is that he hasn’t shifted to his wolf form, to my knowledge,” Abraham said. I nodded, considering this information.

“Thank you for your honesty, Abraham. I appreciate your candor,” I said. Abraham stood.

“Of course, Alpha,” he said, bowing slightly. He left, leaving Felix and me alone.

“I see no reason to doubt him,” I told Felix. His face remained passive. “You could speak with your mate. See if their stories match.” Felix nodded slightly.

“I’ll be with Luna until you’re finished, sir,” he said before leaving. That man might be great at his job, but his interpersonal skills were lacking.

Note: I replaced the asterisks with the likely intended words ("lip" and "groaned"). If these replacements are incorrect, please provide the intended words and I will adjust accordingly.