Lacey moaned from astride me. I gripped her hips in my hands, loving how soft her skin felt under my calloused fingers. Her hips moved in an enticing rhythm against my pelvis, setting the pace for our pleasure. She threw her head back in ecstasy, reveling in the feeling of our coupling. I growled appreciatively as I watched her climax above me, her stomach muscles clenching as she neared release.

I reached up, trailing my hands down the soft skin of her breasts. I was close as she increased her movements, coming down on me with more force. I let her have her fill, enjoying the view. Another moan escaped her lips, and I knew she was near. I gripped her hips again, aiding her rhythm. Only a few more strokes, and her walls clamped tightly around my shaft, her juices releasing with a long, melodic moan. I continued the rhythm, pumping through her orgasm, quickly finding my own.

As we both recovered, she looked down at me with bright eyes. She smiled sweetly. "Maybe we should get some actual packing done," she said. I shrugged from my position beneath her. I didn't have any complaints about how we'd spent the morning. "Let's at least order some food. I haven't worked out this hard in a long time," she giggled.

She climbed off me, and I watched her hips sway toward the bathroom. She pulled my shirt over her head as she went. I rubbed my neck, feeling the two small bite marks. It was different from the mark that faded after Stella's death. Lacey had made these marks out of jealousy; she couldn't mark me as I could her, and she resented it. About a year ago, they’d disappeared.

My phone rang from the floor, still in my pants pocket. I sat up, swung my legs over the bed, and retrieved it, answering as I stood. "Yeah," I grunted.

"Felix, you need to come back," Jacob said. I moved toward the bathroom to clean up before putting my pants back on.

"Why?"

"Another rogue attack."

"How many?"

"Around 100 this time." That was far more than usual.

"Injuries?"

"Only one, but…" he trailed off.

"Spit it out." I stood in the doorway. Lacey was mussing her hair in the mirror, still wearing only my shirt. She smiled at me.

"The Alpha and Beta's children were kidnapped." My joyful mood vanished.

"Repeat that," I growled.

"An attack on one side of the territory while more rogues snuck in elsewhere. We didn't know—"

"Enough!" They'd let the children be taken. Our future Alpha was in the hands of rogues.

"How long have they been missing?"

"A few hours. Liam and Damien have already left to track them," he said quickly.

"Luna?"

"She just left with Lily to visit the wounded."

I growled. "Do not let her heal him!" Azalea's heart was too big for her fragile body. She's too pregnant to heal another wolf.

"Right," Jacob said. He'd forgotten her ability. It was my responsibility to care for her.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I said, hanging up. Lacey's face fell.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Rogue attack," I said.

"Is someone hurt? Who's missing? Who's healing who?" She fired questions at me. I sighed.

"We need to hurry. I need to go back immediately," I told her.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked stubbornly, crossing her arms. I grabbed a washcloth, turned to leave, and wiped the fluids from my pelvis.

"Around 100 rogues attacked. One wolf is injured, but the bigger problem is that the Alpha and Beta's children were taken," I explained, fetching my pants.

"That's terrible!" Lacey said, following me. "But what did you say about healing?"

I sighed again. She'd only met Azalea recently; she didn't know about her gift or her lack of a wolf. We could be out of here tonight if we hurried, though I doubted she'd spoken to her former Alpha yet. I turned back to my mate.

"I need to go back. There are things about our Luna you don't know. I'll tell you everything if we finish packing and leave tonight," I linked her. Words weren't enough.

She nodded. "Alright. This seems important. But we're having Thai food tonight, since it'll probably be a long time before I can get good Thai takeout at the packhouse."

I nodded grudgingly. She'd craved it when we arrived, and I could smell it before the delivery person even opened the door. How she ate it, despite the smell, I still don't understand. She did a little wiggle dance while she ate, though, so she enjoyed it.

Azalea

"Luna, I wasn't expecting you. Is everything alright?" Doctor Ron asked as I entered the clinic. Lily and Sean were with me, and his eyes flicked between us.

"I'd like to see the wounded wolf, please," I said. Doctor Ron looked worried but nodded. He spoke to the nurse before waving us to follow. He led us to a treatment room used for major injuries. A small window looked into the adjacent room. He stopped outside, and we peered in.

The injured wolf lay on the bed, a sheet covering his lower half. Scratches marred his chest, cleaned of dirt. He was hooked to an IV and appeared to be sleeping.

"What happened?" I asked.

"It looks like Hiram's attacker bit him, but it isn't a wolf bite," he explained.

"Then what bit him? I thought the attack was all rogues," I said.

"Exactly. I'm not sure. I'll do some research now that he's stable," he said.

"How long until he wakes up?" I asked. A strange look passed between Sean and Doctor Ron.

"Um, we aren't sure," Doctor Ron answered. "He isn't healing."

"How can that be?"

"We don't know. I can't find a physical reason. I have a few guesses, but I don't want to speculate."

I nodded, watching the wolf. Everyone paused, waiting for me to act. I stepped around them and opened the door. "Lea, what are you doing?" Lily called. The door closed before she could stop me. I went to the warrior's bedside. He seemed to be sleeping, but his expression was uneasy. Why wasn't he healing? I examined the bite mark on his shoulder; it was swollen and bruised. I traced it curiously. I was too pregnant to heal him safely. Maybe I could start the process.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, laying my hand over his. "Luna, stop," a voice said from the doorway.

"Lea, you can't," Lily said. Sean and Lily stood beside me, with Doctor Ron behind them. I narrowed my eyes and focused. I tried to direct my energy to the wound. I usually felt the injury—a coldness I could warm with my energy. I could sense someone's pain and focus my energy to heal them. But I felt nothing. There was no warmth or coldness—nothing at all, despite holding his hand.

The room was tense. They didn't want to stop me, but they were confused. I was too. I opened my eyes and scowled. "I can't do anything…" I murmured.

"Wait, what?" Lily said.

"I can't even feel him. There's nothing there to heal," I said, turning to her. She looked skeptical. Sean looked irritated.

"We should go back to the packhouse. The Alpha would want you as safe as possible," he said dryly.

"Fine," I said, annoyed. I wanted to know why I couldn't heal him. I looked at Doctor Ron. "Will you let me know if you have any ideas about what bit him? It's very odd that I can't heal him…"

"Of course, Luna. I'll do everything I can," he said.

Liam

Damien and I caught up with the first tracking wolves. We waited for the others before proceeding. The rogues had about an hour's head start, and with four children, that wasn't much. We were still picking up their scent, meaning they weren't masking it.

Damien and I debated the rogues' motive. Was it dumb luck? Was this targeted? Had they waited for us to leave the pack territory?

We moved further from the pack, following the scent trail. We barely stopped, pushing the pace of the warriors. We couldn't let them get any further ahead. Suddenly, Delilah's scent intensified. Damien and I locked eyes, both in wolf form.

"They're close," I linked everyone. We fanned out, slowing slightly to ensure we were headed in the right direction. Leo's, then Junior's and Lucas's scents grew stronger. We were close enough that Junior could link us if he tried. Our team stopped, waiting for orders.

"We'll proceed with quiet caution," Damien commanded. "I want to know how many rogues are between us and the children. We need to do this quickly and minimize the children's exposure to violence."

"Once the children are safe, happy hunting," I added darkly. No one who harmed my family would live to tell the tale.

"Let's fan out to circle the area. Stop when their scents weaken. Move," Damien ordered.