Azalea

“Delilah, no splashing!” I called to the kids in the pool. About twelve children were swimming while Lacey, Lily, and I sat under an umbrella, watching them.

“That girl, I swear,” Lily grumbled.

I laughed. “She’s just spirited. Even if you don’t want to admit it, she’s a lot like you, Lily.” Lily rolled her eyes, and Lacey laughed.

“I don’t know how you guys keep track of all these kids,” Lacey commented.

“It isn’t easy,” Lily said. “And Miss Luna over here is voluntarily adding a fourth to her brood.”

“It’s definitely the last one,” I said, placing my hands over my growing belly. Missy and Sol were out today. The pack daycare was full with new families and children, so Lily and I helped as much as we could. The packhouse only accommodates a few orphans, so Liam and I are building a larger home for children without guardians. A few pack members will manage it under my supervision when it’s complete. For now, I’ve enlisted families to foster children while we get things settled. I hoped this would help the children integrate into the pack and make friends before school started.

“How are you feeling?” Lacey asked, looking at my belly. I smiled.

“Wonderful,” I lied. The truth was, I’m exhausted. Moving has become extremely uncomfortable very quickly. After a few days in the hospital, Doctor Ron confirmed the infection was under control, and I was released. But the hormone-induced mood swings are awful. Earlier, I got Austin off my back, only to find Junior reading to Leo upstairs. That sent me into an emotional spiral. I feel a little guilty that Austin got in trouble, but Lily took over my guard duty for the rest of the day, which was much more fun.

Liam is running out of time to find someone to replace Felix, as Austin leaves for vacation in a couple of days. Jacob and I have a respectful, but distant, relationship, and Liam knows we aren’t fond of each other. Even though Lily and I are close, I think he’d feel safer with someone more qualified.

“When are you due again?” Lacey asked.

“Six more weeks, if I make it,” I said.

“And Missy’s birthday is in about four weeks. What does she want to do?” Lily asked, changing the subject.

I scowled. “I don’t know. When I asked her a couple of days ago, she just shrugged and said ‘whatever.’ She seems distracted lately.”

“Do you think she’s worried about finding her mate? I was terrified on my seventeenth birthday. The uncertainty had my stomach in knots for weeks,” Lacey said. Lily laughed. “You guys weren’t nervous?”

“No, I was excited. But I didn’t find Damien for a while. He’s a year younger, and I lived on the outskirts of the pack. I wasn’t near the packhouse often, so it took time for us to find each other,” Lily explained. Lacey turned to me.

“And you? Excited or nervous?”

I chuckled. “That’s a long story for another time.” She looked confused but nodded. I didn’t think it was the right time to tell her about Liam’s rejection and subsequent acceptance three years later. I saw Felix at the packhouse back door and nodded toward him. Lacey turned, smiling.

“She’s gaga over him and hasn’t even mated with him yet,” Lily whispered. I swatted her arm, and she laughed quietly.

“It’s not for lack of desire, girls,” Lacey said, standing and leaving us. We both burst out laughing.

Lacey

I smelled him before Azalea mentioned Felix. Whenever I smell marshmallows roasting, my body reacts to him. We’re taking things slowly, but the mate bond is trying to accelerate things. I wouldn’t be surprised if I went into heat soon.

I left Lily and Azalea with the kids. Felix’s eyes met mine as I approached. They darkened as he watched me. Things were improving, but we hadn’t discussed taking things further. I’d discovered that asking him yes/no questions got the most information. He was more forthcoming alone but generally quiet. He nodded toward Azalea.

“I need to check in with my boss. See you at dinner?” I asked.

“Move in,” he grunted. I tilted my head, surprised.

“What?”

“Here. With me,” he said.

I smiled slightly. “Are you asking me to move in with you, Felix?” He nodded. My heart raced. “You want me to move to Blood Eclipse?” He nodded. “To live with you?” He nodded again. “And be your mate?”

He paused, then nodded slowly. My wolf was ecstatic. I was surprised by his request; we hadn’t discussed it. I bit my lip.

“Can I think about it?” I asked. He nodded. “I’ll, uh, see you later, okay?” Felix stepped aside. Once inside and the door closed, I took deep breaths to clear his scent.

Felix asked me to move in—awkwardly—and I think he wants me as his mate. My wolf and body are screaming ‘yes,’ but I need to make sure my heart is ready.

Liam

“That’s the fourth time this week,” I said.

“I know,” Damien said. “It’s getting worse. Around the Inn, too.”

“Peaceful rogues, now violent ones. Do we know what they want?” I asked. Damien shook his head. Since Gwen’s murder (involving vampires), Damien has been more like his old self. Having answers seems to have helped him focus.

“No. They seem to have no purpose other than violence. This last group was small, and we caught them quickly, but we should increase patrols everywhere,” he said.

I nodded. “Let’s do that. And we need to find someone to augment Azalea’s protection. I don’t want to worry her more than necessary.”

“Does she know about the attacks?” he asked.

“She knows there’s increased rogue activity, but I didn’t tell her how close they’ve gotten. I just need someone as reliable as Felix watching her, so I don’t have to worry about that on top of the pregnancy,” I said. Damien nodded; he understood.

“Maybe call Langston. See if he’s seeing the same thing,” Damien suggested.

“Yes. Have we gotten Austin’s list of candidates yet?” I asked. Damien shook his head.

“I’ll get that,” he said. Damien left, and I slumped onto the couch. I closed my eyes and focused on Azalea. I felt her happiness through our bond. Lily or the kids must be cheering her up. I’m more at ease when she’s happy.

My phone rang—Abraham. “Hello?”

“Alpha, sorry to bother you, but I heard back about the surveillance tapes,” he said. “I thought I should tell you.”

“Please, go ahead,” I said.

“It was a vampire. Are you aware of their varied abilities?”

“Somewhat,” I said.

“Some vampires develop telepathic powers. Most can speak mentally, like werewolves through our pack link. Others can implant thoughts and feelings,” he explained. I nodded, realizing we were on the phone.

“Okay,” I said.

“The tapes were looped for a couple of minutes. Enough for a vampire to get in and out,” he continued.

“But how did no one see them?”

“They’ve likely been sneaking in for a while, masking their scent. They probably implanted thoughts into the guards to clear a path and loop the tapes.”

“So, this was planned. They’d have to know our schedules and the prison layout.”

“Precisely.”

“So, you still think it was Clan Warwick?”

“I do.”

“Thank you, Abraham.” I hung up, dropping my head back. Were vampires at war with us again?

“We need to kill the vampires and keep Little Mate and the pups safe,” Gavin growled in my head.

“I know. Gwen was a warning, but for what, I don’t know,” I replied.

“That wasn’t the first time the vampire visited Gwen,” Gavin said.

“Why do you think?”

“If it were going to kill someone, it could have killed any pack member. It could have attacked our patrols. It was using Gwen before it killed her,” he explained. He was right. Gwen got regular visits from Damien and Mrs. Hale. She had to be getting information from them and passing it along.

This wasn’t good. Damien and his father wouldn’t take this well. And I had no proof. I groaned.

“Liam, are you okay?” Azalea’s voice entered my mind.

“Yes, baby. I’m fine,” I said quickly. I didn’t want to worry her, but I didn’t want to hide things either.

“What’s bothering you? I can feel it,” she pressed.

“Nothing, sweetheart. I need to talk to my dad. Not ideal,” I said. That was true. On the brink of another vampire war, I needed to talk to my father.

“Well, get it over with, then come swim with the kids,” she suggested. I smiled.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

I made several edits for clarity, flow, and consistency. I also removed the censored words as they didn't contribute to the story's meaning. Remember that these are just suggestions, and you can adjust them to your preference.