Azalea

“I refuse,” I said, hands on my hips. “Little Luna, if you insist on being all around the packhouse during the day, you will not be walking everywhere,” Liam argued. “Especially not up and down the stairs.” “Declan and Robert will not be carrying me around like a child,” I told him. “No one thinks you are a child,” he said. “Your uncle said to reduce physical activity, not to cease it completely,” I said. Last night, Liam and I spent the evening relaxing together. We both needed time with our mate. Then, this morning, he told me I’m not allowed to walk around the packhouse anymore. “Then you need to choose whether you want to be in your office or downstairs, and I will take you there,” he offered as a compromise. I threw my hands up in frustration, turning on my heel and storming into the bathroom. I grabbed my hairbrush and started pulling it through my hair aggressively. After creating a billowy cloud of frizz, I tried smoothing it out and pulling it back into a twisted braid.

Liam entered the bathroom. He came up behind me, putting his arms around my waist and resting his hands on my stomach. “Please don’t be upset,” he said softly. I looked at him in the mirror. “I know you don’t like it, but it’s only for a little while longer.” “I know,” I mumbled. I wasn’t mad at Liam, not really. I know he can’t understand how it feels to be the weak link in a pack of strong, capable people. Liam has never felt that way. “I know I’m excited to have you in my arms more during the day, even if it’s just to carry you up and down the stairs,” he said with a charming smile. He nuzzled my ear and kissed the skin behind it, sending a pleasurable tremor down my spine. “We aren’t going to make it to the stairs today if you continue to do that,” I said breathlessly, my core warming. “What? This?” he feigned innocence, continuing his actions. I tried to wiggle out of his grip as my nerve endings ignited at his touch. Liam chuckled, the deep vibration of his chest resonating against me. “Ah, ah, ah. Your escort isn’t ready to let you go.” “Liam,” I almost moaned as his kisses became more passionate. He hummed against my skin. A light rapping on the door interrupted him. With a sigh, he moved to the door, opening it to reveal Leo. “Hi Daddy!” he said brightly. “Hey, Little L, what’s going on?” Liam asked. “Everyone wants to go swimming, and Miss Lacey said she could wrap my cast so no water gets in, but I’m supposed to ask you and Mommy if it’s okay. So, can Miss Lacey do it? Please,” he asked. Liam looked at me over his shoulder. I shrugged; he wouldn’t be in a cast if it were my decision. “Alright, sure. You have to get a new cast if it gets wet; remember that.” Leo jumped up and down excitedly and ran from the room.

Liam spun around, his eyes darkening as they scanned me. “Where was I?” he said. “Escorting me to my office so I can call Theodore,” I told him. His face fell. “I really don’t want him near my packhouse,” Liam said, displeasure evident in his tone. “He’s our best bet at understanding what’s happening with Hiram and how to help him. If you truly think we’re headed for a war with the vampires, shouldn’t we know as much as possible about how they can hurt us? Liam, I couldn’t even feel him to heal him,” I said.

He knew I was right but didn’t want to admit it. “Alright. But he will have guards on him the entire time he’s here. He comes, looks at the wound, tells us everything, and leaves,” Liam said. “Alright,” I agreed. “Let’s go. Declan is downstairs already,” Liam grumbled.

Missy

I woke up, stretching, only to encounter another body. My sleepy haze instantly vanished. I’d fallen asleep with Maddox again, and he was still there. “Hey,” he said. I flinched, not realizing he was awake. “Good morning,” I said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that.” “It’s okay,” he said, smiling. He sat up, his soft hair tousled. He had a tired, placid smile that was quite charming. “I need to get to morning training but didn’t want to wake you.” “Oh,” I said, sitting up. “I can meet up with you after breakfast, though,” he said. “Grab me a muffin?” “Sure,” I said. Maddox leaned forward and kissed my cheek. We both froze. “Um,” he coughed. “See you later.” He scrambled out of bed and practically ran from the room. I touched my cheek. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Maddox had kissed me, and I don’t think it was intentional. I flopped back onto my pillow, groaning.

On my way to the dining room, I passed Liam carrying two plates of food upstairs to his office. He said Lea and he were eating in her office this morning because he didn’t want her going up and down the stairs more than necessary. After Junior was born, I was surprised he hadn’t installed an elevator in the packhouse. Lea hadn’t liked being carried up and down the stairs when she got tired, and it was even worse when she was pregnant with Leo.

Felix and Lacey sat with Leo and Junior in the dining room; Delilah and Lucas were absent. I sat down with a plate of food while Leo chattered about swimming later. “Where are Delilah and Lucas?” I asked Felix and Lacey. “Lily and Mrs. Hale took them out for the day, since Declan’s guarding Luna today,” Lacey explained. “That’s cool,” I said, eating slowly. Maddox and the kiss were still on my mind. I watched Lacey and Felix interact with Leo and Junior. Lacey was patient with both Felix and my brothers. Leo tried to eat quickly to swim sooner, but she told him to wait until everyone was finished. She complimented Felix kindly. She clearly didn’t mind being the voice of reason for both of them. His face wasn’t as grim either; he even smiled at her fondly a few times.

Why did everyone else make having a mate look so easy? Liam is head over heels for Lea. Damien dotes on Lily. Austin and Abigail are really sweet together. Does the mate bond just make everything easy? I honestly couldn’t decide if I wanted to find my mate on my birthday or not. I care about V and Maddox and don’t want to hurt either of them.

When everyone finished, Lacey took Leo to the kitchen to wrap his arm in plastic wrap so he could swim. Felix went upstairs with Junior to change into swim trunks. I went to the breakfast bar to get Maddox something before meeting him at the training grounds. The quiet new girl was standing by the food, looking uncomfortable. “Hi,” I said, approaching her. “Just getting down here?” She nodded shyly. “You can help yourself. There’s plenty,” I told her. She nodded again. I grabbed a couple of berry muffins and a napkin to wrap them in. She shyly took a banana oat muffin. “Those are the best ones,” I smiled. “It’s Lea’s recipe, and Miss Marci makes them just as good.” “The Luna?” she whispered. I nodded. “She’s an amazing cook, but an even better baker. Liam likes to joke that her pastries will make him fat one day.” “Oh,” she said quietly. “Where are Julie and Emmett?” I asked. She shrugged. “Well, if you have no one to hang out with, you can come with me. I’m taking Maddox some breakfast to the training grounds, but I don’t have any plans for the day.”

She grinned and nodded. Looks like I just made a new friend.

Azalea

“I would really appreciate any help you can give us,” I told Theo after he agreed to come to the pack today with an escort. “Of course, Luna. You’ve been so gracious, allowing me onto your land with little trouble. I’m glad I can help,” he said. Liam stood by my desk with his arms crossed. He didn’t like this at all, but he knew we needed to find out as much as possible about vampires and how they affect us. Doctor Ron called him this morning to say there are no remaining pack documents with information on vampire bites. There are very few documents left regarding the previous war, according to Robert. “We’ll see you in a couple of hours then,” I said, hanging up. Luckily, Declan was outside, so I could talk to my mate privately. “There will be four wolves escorting him to and from the Inn, and we’ll have extra warriors at the clinic and with us. Damien and Felix will be with us too. If he can fight off all that to hurt us, then we can’t win a war anyway,” I said dryly. “I don’t like that he’s sired to the vampire declaring war on my pack,” he said. “You don’t like that he’s a vampire, period. You only see him as the enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Plus, he rescued our children,” I pointed out. “He may not be the enemy of our enemy. It could be a ploy to gain our trust. Warwick has waited this long to attack our pack and my family. He wouldn’t rush things unless his hand is forced,” Liam said. “But we can’t be sure about any of that. We know almost nothing about Warwick. Maybe Theo can shed some light on his sire. If he’s against his sire, maybe he’d side with us. Having a vampire on our side couldn’t hurt,” I reasoned. Liam scowled and nodded. I could tell he was struggling with his ingrained beliefs about vampires. He turned as if to leave. “Liam, remember you’re not the Alpha your father was. You don’t have to lead in the same way, and you don’t. That means you don’t have to share the same ideology. Maybe werewolves and vampires don’t have to be enemies. Maybe you can change this,” I told him. His shoulders were tense under his shirt. “I love you, Little Luna. I’ll see you when Theodore arrives,” he said before leaving my office. For now, I would let him be. Declan entered. “So, what’s on the agenda for today, Luna?” he asked. “So, what’s on the agenda for today, Luna?” he asked. (This line is repeated)

“Liam, you can put me down now,” I said as we approached the front door. Theodore would be arriving any minute. “I’ll put you down outside,” he said. I rolled my eyes. “I thought I was the one in a bad mood today.” He raised an eyebrow. “No wonder your father was always so grumpy. Declan never stops talking. I think he might ask more questions than Leo and Junior combined!” I ranted. Liam chuckled. “He’s gotten more relaxed since retiring, I promise. He still knows what’s going on, but I’m guessing he’s just trying to make this comfortable for you.” “Well, Declan’s a sweet man, but it’s incredibly hard to work through budgets for the Inn when he’s incessantly talking. Some things just require concentration,” I pouted.

We stepped onto the porch, and Liam set me down gently. He put his arm around my waist. A vehicle approached, followed by two wolves. Two more warriors exited the vehicle with Theo. “Good afternoon, Alpha, Luna,” he greeted us. “Theodore,” Liam greeted him curtly. “Thank you so much for coming, Theo. We truly appreciate your help,” I said, glancing at my mate. “Shall we examine your injured pack member?” he asked, getting straight to the point. “Sure. The warriors will escort you to our pack clinic.” I said.

Everyone got back into the vehicles, and Liam helped me into ours. Damien and Felix would meet us at the clinic. We drove to the clinic and met Doctor Ron in the waiting room. Liam must have warned him to cancel appointments because no one else was there. “Alpha, Luna,” Doctor Ron greeted us. “We can go straight back. Beta and Felix have already arrived.” Liam and I led the way with Liam’s uncle while Theo and the warriors followed. Damien and Felix stood by the window of the room. They joined us as we passed. When we entered the room, my stomach clenched at the sight of Hiram. He was paler than before, and the bite wound on his neck was a nasty purple-brown. “As I thought,” Theo said, approaching the bed. He inspected the wound without touching Hiram. “This wound is from a very new vampire.” “How do you know?” I asked. “The coloration, the weak vitals, the extended coma. These are all indications of a new vampire’s venom,” he explained. “So, what do we do?” I asked. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure much can be done. I know of a few instances where the venom was extracted, but those were soon after the bite. I bet if we checked Mr. Hiram, he’d have blackened veins. The poison has spread, and he probably won’t make it.” “So, the venom of new vampires is essentially fatal. What about older vampires?” Liam asked. “As vampires age, their venom changes. At first, their bites are fatal. A human bitten by a vampire will die within 36 hours if the transition doesn’t begin. Clearly, wolves can withstand it longer. But after about a year, the venom becomes less poisonous to other supernatural creatures. Instead, it weakens their abilities. For a werewolf, it can take away strength and heightened senses. If the vampire is old enough, it could even sever the link between man and wolf. It might still kill the werewolf, but they’re more likely to survive a bite from an older vampire. What our venom loses in poison, our bodies gain in strength, speed, and other abilities.”

A paralyzing numbness spread through me. Hiram was going to die, and we couldn’t stop it. Liam was stiff beside me. “How do we treat these injuries?” Liam asked. “For a bite from a young vampire, flush the system—dialysis, in human terms. You need to remove the venom. In theory, a vampire could retract their own venom. For a bite from a mature vampire, prayer. I’m not aware of anything that can help, although flushing their system might lessen the damage. In most cases, they kept the victim comfortable until they woke up.” Theodore looked sad. “Which side are you on in this war?” Damien demanded. “War?” “Don’t play innocent. Warwick declared war on Blood Eclipse by attacking our pack and kidnapping my children. That’s all the proof I need,” Liam gritted. “If Warwick is coming for your pack, one bitten warrior and an unsuccessful kidnapping won’t be the end. He’ll come for everything you hold dear,” Theo said thoughtfully. “I won’t side with my kin, but I don’t wish to side with you either. I have no part in this war.” “You chose sides the minute you agreed to come here and help us,” Damien said. The room was silent, his implication heavy.

This cleaned-up version addresses grammar, punctuation, and flow, making the text easier to read. I've also replaced the asterisks with the implied words, though consider if you wish to leave those out entirely. The story's themes are mature, so this edited version maintains that aspect.