Three days have passed since the attack. Felix and Lacey returned the following afternoon; he and Liam were in Liam's office when they arrived. Liam was surprised to see Felix back. I helped Lacey unpack; she'd organized her belongings into boxes for keeping and donating. She planned to take the donations to a center near her apartment, but Felix had rushed her return. Lea suggested we check the donation boxes for anything useful for the new families, and Lacey agreed.

The children seem fine. I had to tell Liam that Junior was in my room that night, but they let him stay. Liam assigned warriors to supervise them outdoors, but Lily and Lea also kept a close watch. They constantly remind Leo he can't swim with his cast, and Lea scowls every time she sees it. I think she just wants to heal his arm.

Junior and Leo come to my room after bedtime. I scoot over and let them cuddle. Honestly, I enjoy their closeness.

V hasn't contacted me since that night. I keep wanting to text him, but I don't know what to say. His words were hurtful, but I know he was just upset. I shouldn't have been with Maddox; he should have been the one I confided in. He's my boyfriend. I wanted to run and check the cabin, but Liam wouldn't let me go alone. I didn't want to reveal our secret place.

My biggest concern is Maddox. He only trains. He works himself to exhaustion all day. I barely see him at meals. Last night, he briefly entered the dining room, caught my eye while grabbing a banana and water, then left before I could speak to him. I'm worried sick.

Last night, I decided to confront him. I'd noticed Felix training with him nightly after dinner. Tonight, I'd train with him. I found Felix outside Lea's office and asked him to let me train with Maddox. He looked at me questioningly, so I explained my worry and asked Maddox to take a night off. He nodded and resumed his stoic vigil outside Lea's door; I took that as a yes.

I skipped dinner to get to the training grounds early. I packed sandwiches and vegetables. After everyone left, I sat in the sparring ring and waited. Maddox arrived less than twenty minutes later. He scowled upon seeing me.

He dropped his bag. "What are you doing here? Go home," he said, sounding tired, not angry.

"No," I replied.

"Then move. Felix will be here soon," he muttered.

"No, he's not," I said.

He looked blank. "Then who am I training with?"

"Me," I said. He chuckled humorlessly.

"Come on. I have work to do," he said, his tone souring. I stood and approached him.

"No, you don't, Maddox," I said. He looked down.

"Missy, please, just let me train," he pleaded.

"When's the last time you ate a full meal?" I asked.

"Missy—"

"You won't even look at me!" I interrupted. "You'll hurt yourself! You were mad I avoided you, but now you're avoiding me! That night was terrifying! You left! I asked you to stay! Now you're training yourself to death because you think you failed? Maddox, get a grip! If we'd been outside, we could have been hurt or captured! The patrols failed, not us! I wouldn't be the same if they'd gotten me. Girls my age don't always come back!" I was breathing heavily, but he still wouldn't look at me.

I turned, grabbed my bag, and returned to him. I shoved it into his chest. "I wanted you to eat and rest. Clearly, you don't care about my concern. Train or don't. Eat or don't. You've made it clear my feelings don't matter!"

I stormed back to the packhouse, furious.

I lay in bed, listening to music. Goddess, boys are the worst. Did he really think self-harm would fix things? Doesn't he know Liam yelled because he was distraught about the children?

I closed my eyes, trying to forget Maddox, only to think of V. I didn't know where to start with him. My heart ached for both of them. I'm not built for this drama.

Someone removed an earbud. Maddox was leaning over me, contrite. "Hey," he said cautiously. He stood, allowing me to sit up.

"What?" I asked, annoyed. He held up two bowls of ice cream.

"Peace offering?" he said. It smelled like cherry, my favorite. I sighed and nodded, taking a bowl. He sat beside me.

We ate in silence. "You're right. I'm an idiot," he finally said. "I was scared. You needed me to be a hero, and I failed. Then your dad arrived, and I felt weak. I shouldn't have left you. I'm sorry for everything—for letting them get taken, for arguing with your boyfriend, and for leaving you."

I ate slowly. "My birth father died defending the pack. They called him a hero, but I was just a kid, and it didn't feel like that. My mom worked more, and she was gone a lot. I spent more time at the packhouse. Liam gave me a job. He'd give me $20 to fold towels. I loved Lea. Then, my mom didn't come to pick me up. Lea tried to make it seem okay, but she died. She committed suicide. She left me alone. I hate it when people leave me. When you left, I was terrified Lea would be mad that I was safe and her kids weren't. It doesn't make sense, but I thought if you were there, I wouldn't be alone."

"They wouldn't do that, Missy. Alpha was relieved to see you. Getting you to the safe room was probably the only thing I did right," Maddox said.

Lily and I watched the children play a board game. I scowled at Leo's cast. The break is minor; he won't need it long. It's frustrating watching him suffer when I could easily heal him.

"Let it go," Lily said gently.

"No. My baby's in a cast, and I could fix it," I grumbled.

"You're too pregnant. It drains you more than you realize. Liam's right. He'll be okay. He barely notices it," Lily said. "I thought you were going to the clinic for Hiram's update."

"Liam's coming. Felix and Lacey are busy. I'm waiting for him," I sighed. Our mates entered. They checked on the children; they've been doing that a lot lately, worried something else will happen if they leave us alone. We haven't seen rogues since the attack, but Liam isn't convinced it's over.

Liam kissed me. Damien sat beside Lily.

"Can we go to the clinic now?" I asked Liam.

"Where's Missy?" he asked.

I smirked. "Confronting Maddox didn't go well," Lily snorted. "She stomped to her room twenty minutes ago. She'll probably stay there all night." Liam nodded.

"Thank Goddess I didn't date in high school. Seems dramatic," he sighed. I rolled my eyes. He helped me up.

"We'll tuck them in," I told Lily and Damien. Liam led me to the car. Maddox passed, carrying two bowls of ice cream. I smiled.

"What's that?" Liam asked.

"An apology," I said.

"I haven't seen Vlad since the incident," Liam commented as he opened the car door.

"Me neither," I said. Liam helped me into the car. We drove to the clinic. I yawned. "Tired, Little Luna?" Liam asked.

"A bit." Abe was waiting. "Abe, what a surprise," I greeted him.

"Alpha, Luna," he said.

"I have a theory, and Abe will help," Liam explained. Doctor Ron greeted us.

"Any improvement?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Doctor Ron said.

"My theory?" Liam asked.

"You might be right. I investigated this afternoon, but nothing substantial," Doctor Ron answered.

"Abe might help," Liam said.

"I'll do my best, but only offer my opinion based on experience," Abe said.

"Fill me in," I said.

"The wound might be a vampire bite," Liam said.

"A vampire? With the rogues?" I clarified.

"Multiple vampires were working with the rogues," Liam said.

"Why?"

"Damien and I killed two in the rogue camp," he admitted. Two vampires? Why didn't he tell me?

"May I examine the wound?" Abe asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure," Doctor Ron said. Liam and I were alone.

"Were you going to tell me?" I asked.

"Yes, but I wanted to know more before worrying you," he said.

"What does this mean?"

"My father might be right. We might be headed for war," he said quietly.

Abe and Doctor Ron returned. "The wound looks like a vampire bite," Abe said.

"Now we need to understand how a vampire bite affects a wolf and how to heal it," Doctor Ron said. Liam and Abe exchanged a look.

"Someone might know," I said.

"Who?" Liam asked.

"Theodore," I answered.