Missy

Vlad took me to the cabin and cooked dinner. It was pleasant, and once we were away from the packhouse, he was himself again. But despite my best efforts, I was distracted all night. When V finally asked what was wrong, I lied, saying I wasn't feeling well. He brought me home, and I went straight to my room. Now, I lay on my bed with one earbud in, staring at my diary app, trying to process my feelings while music played softly. Usually, I find it easy to work through my feelings there, but nothing was coming out.

Someone knocked. Checking the time, I realized it was late. I locked my tablet, placed it on the bed, and went to the door. I opened it slowly to find Maddox standing there with a shy smile.

"Hey there," he said.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked, confused.

"I just wanted to make sure you got home okay," he said. I wasn't convinced. I raised an eyebrow. "Okay. I can't sleep, and I was hoping you couldn't either."

"Something like that…" I said, looking away.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked.

"I'm watching the pups for Lea tomorrow… I should really try to sleep…" I tried to excuse myself. Maddox reached for my hand. I looked up at him; his eyes were sad.

"Missy, please don't pull away. I miss my friend. I respect that Vlad is your boyfriend, but that doesn't mean we can't still hang out," he said. I missed him too, but ever since he confessed his feelings, I haven't been sure how I feel. "Talk to me. Tell me what's bothering you so I can help."

I pulled my hand away and stepped back into my room. "Maddox, you…" I started, but trailed off. I felt him step closer.

"I what?" I shook my head. "I was honest with you? Missy, I can't help how I feel, and I didn't want to keep it a secret. You deserve to know that I think the world of you. But I didn't want you to run away from me."

"I'm not running away," I replied softly.

"Then why won't you look at me? Why are you always making excuses not to spend time with me? Before the Inn, we spent every day together."

"Maddox, I'm sorry. It's not like that…"

"Then come downstairs, watch a movie with me. We can sit on separate couches if you like, but don't shut me out," he asked.

I bit my lip, considering. I wanted to spend time with Maddox, but it felt like admitting I liked him back. Vlad is my boyfriend, not Maddox. He's been there for me through so much. But Maddox is my friend, and I wasn't being fair to him.

"Alright. We can watch a movie," I said, turning around. He smiled.

"Great! I was thinking The Conjuring!" he laughed. My face fell. I pushed past him, leading the way out. We were not watching a scary movie.

Lacey

I fell asleep easily in Felix's arms. I felt comfortable and exhausted after being marked. Now I understood why Harry slept for over twelve hours after I marked him. I can't imagine how tired I'd be if I weren't a werewolf. I expected Felix to snore, but he didn't. He breathed deeply but was silent.

Later, I woke to Felix pulling a shirt over me. "What's going on?" I asked groggily.

"Rogues," he said. I realized he'd linked me. I'm marked; we can link! I immediately sensed his worry. I wiggled free and finished putting on the shirt—his shirt. He was already wearing his pants.

He scooped me into his arms. "Felix, what are you doing?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck as he hurried out the door. "Felix," I said anxiously. He carried me out of the room, wearing only his shirt.

"I need you safe," he linked.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Our room," he replied. He was heading to his room down the hall. He unlocked the door, carried me to the bed, and went to his closet. He returned with a pair of shorts.

"Please stay here," he linked before running out, shirtless. I sighed, holding his pants. He could have given me thirty seconds to put on underwear, at least.

Azalea

Liam has been gone a long time. I stayed calm for a couple of hours, but the lack of communication was wearing on me. I checked the kids' rooms every twenty minutes. An hour ago, Missy's room was empty, so I called her. Luckily, she was downstairs watching a movie. I didn't want to worry her about the rogues, so I messaged Austin to check on her. If Damien and Liam were patrolling, Austin and Jacob were securing the packhouse.

I sat on the couch, rubbing my sore sides. This wasn't a large group of rogues, so I didn't understand Liam's delay. My pregnancy hormones weren't helping my anxiety either.

There was a knock, and the door opened before I could answer. Lily poked her head in. "They're on their way back, Lea. But Liam's a little banged up. Damien thought I should warn you," she said softly, stepping inside.

Dread washed over me. "How banged up?" I asked.

"He'll be fine in a day or two," she said hesitantly.

"Is he going to the clinic?"

Lily shook her head. "No, he wants to come straight to you. He insists he's fine, but Damien said he got hit pretty hard."

"Goddess, Liam," I said. Worry and anger battled, bringing tears to my eyes. "He needs to see a doctor," I continued.

"I tried, but you know how he is. He should be here in a few minutes. Do you want me to stay?" she asked. I shook my head, slowly standing.

"No. I'll deal with him. Can you have someone bring him something to eat? He'll need it to heal."

"Of course," Lily said. She left, leaving the door ajar.

"Liam, you better not let our daughter see you bleeding! She's downstairs watching a movie!" I linked him as I waddled to the bathroom. I gathered washcloths, towels, and a small washbasin. I filled it with warm water, took the towels to our bedroom, and returned for the basin, bandages, and antibacterial ointment. If he needed stitches, he was going to the clinic.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, the bedroom door swung open, and Liam entered. I gasped. He wore basketball shorts, but nothing else. His chest had deep scratches, bleeding profusely. There was bruising, a small gash on his ear bleeding down his neck, and numerous smaller cuts and scrapes, all beginning to heal.

"I'm okay, Little Luna," he said cautiously.

"You are not okay!" I almost yelled. He limped toward me. "Liam, what happened?"

"There were more rogues than we thought, and they were determined to get into the territory," he said calmly. How could he be calm? Had he not seen himself?

"Did you let Gavin out?" I asked. Gavin was far more ruthless than Liam; they were a good team. Gavin would stop at nothing to protect us and the pack.

"Yes," he said. "We were in control together." I sighed. Liam cupped my face, and I looked into his blue eyes. "I'm okay, I promise." I blinked, trying not to cry.

"Let's clean you up," I finally said. Liam kissed me softly, whispering, "okay."

Liam didn't want to get up in the morning. He kept trying to get close to me but winced and rolled away. He was still sore. I left him in bed to get the kids ready for breakfast. On the way down, I found Lacey looking flustered. The kids were ahead of me. "Good morning," I greeted her.

"Good morning, Luna," she said, trying to hide something.

I smelled something different about her. I couldn't smell like normal wolves, but I sensed a change. My eyes narrowed on her neck. "So, how was your night?" I asked, probing.

"Oh, um… busy. I guess rogues were attacking last night?" she replied. I nodded.

"Yeah. Did Felix help?"

"Yeah. He ran off. Didn't come back for a while. Must have been serious," she said, avoiding the topic.

"Maybe he was distracted by something else?" I suggested. She blushed. I suppressed a laugh. "You don't have to hide it. And you won me $50, so I should be thanking you."

"What?" she asked, jaw dropped.

"Oh, we were all betting on it. Lily had three weeks, Damien ten days, Liam two days, and I said a week. If you mated last night, that's about a week since you arrived," I said thoughtfully.

"Seriously?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely."

Lacey slumped. "I guess I might as well talk about transferring packs."

"Paperwork's already on my desk," I laughed. "We knew you wouldn't reject him. It was just a matter of time. None of us could agree because he's so… Felix."

Lacey laughed. "Yeah, he is a bit different."