"Get Theodore now!" I roared, pushing through the clinic doors. Everything was ready for Azalea and Damien. Damien had arranged transport for Azalea and Missy to be extracted from the field hospital. With a few quick adjustments, we got them out. Langston took charge, cleaning up and evacuating the wounded.

"Liam!" Lily screamed, her eyes fixed on Damien's stretcher as it passed.

"Lily," I choked out. I had to tell her I'd gotten him hurt. We'd always returned from fights relatively unharmed, but not this time. I rushed to her, catching her before she could chase after her mate.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

"Lily, you can't help him now!"

"What did he do for you? Why isn't he talking?" She thrashed, desperately trying to escape.

"Lily, please calm down!" I begged.

"Liam, what's wrong with my mate?" Her shouts devolved into strangled sobs. Her struggles weakened as she crumbled, feeling the pain plaguing her bond with Damien. "Damien…" she cried.

I sank to the floor, still holding her. She clutched her chest, gasping for breath. I knew her pain; I felt it every second Azalea was in danger. "Lily, he was bitten," I said, the words tasting like acid. My best friend, my Beta, the man always there to clean up my messes—I'd gotten him hurt because I couldn't protect my mate and my pack.

"How could you?" Lily sobbed. "You're supposed to keep him safe! He's your best friend."

"I'm sorry," I said.

Lily sat in a chair, head in her hands. Her sobs were quiet, but I knew she was still crying. I leaned against a wall, arms crossed, trying to remain still. Over an hour had passed since Damien, Azalea, and the baby were taken into the clinic. Azalea and Damien needed serious medical attention; they wanted to run tests on my pup. I sent Missy and Maddox to the packhouse to shower and eat. Missy refused to let anyone examine her until Azalea and the baby were okay. She seemed fine and wanted to be with Maddox, so I didn't push it.

Austin had come in earlier to tell me Felix and my father had called, but I couldn't talk to them.

Missy and Maddox entered the waiting room, holding hands. Her eyes swept over Lily before landing on me. "Dad," she said softly, hugging me. I hugged her back. "Any word yet?" She looked tired and thin, but her hair was wet, and she smelled clean.

"Nothing yet," I said softly. She lingered a moment longer before returning to Maddox's side. He looked better too. Missy wore an oversized sweater, so I couldn't see a mate mark, but I didn't think so. Her scent hadn't changed, though I could smell Maddox on her.

Maddox pulled her to a chair, and they waited with Lily and me. I closed my eyes, reminding myself to be patient, that my uncle wouldn't let anything bad happen.

What seemed like hours later, someone emerged from the clinic carrying the baby. Missy leaped up. The nurse smiled, handing over the baby. "Alpha, Mrs. Hale, would you like to come back?"

Lily and I snapped to attention. Lily practically ran past her, heading for Damien. I followed the nurse, trying to remain calm. Missy glanced at me. "We'll take care of the baby. Get Mom," she said.

In the back, Damien and Lily were in the same room, hooked up to machines. Time stood still as we stopped at the window. My uncle joined us.

"They're both in comas," he said quietly. Lily stifled a sob. We watched our mates.

"Damien was bitten multiple times. Unfortunately, we don't know by whom, so we don't know the effects. With Theodore's help, we extracted some venom. We drained a large volume of blood and transfused him with clean blood. But I can't say when he'll wake up or what side effects he'll face." Lily looked pale. My chest tightened, not just for my mate but for my best friend and Lily.

"You can go in and be with him," my uncle told Lily. She nodded, entering the room and taking Damien's limp hand. We couldn't hear her cries, but I felt them.

"And Azalea?" I asked.

"She lost a lot of blood. The circumstances of her labor were far from ideal. There was a lot of damage by the time you got her to us," he said sadly.

"Will she wake up?" I croaked.

"We're hopeful, but that's up to her. We've done everything we can physically. If she wakes up, she'll have a long healing process. We can only monitor and hope," he said, resting a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, nephew." We stood there, my eyes glued to my mate. She looked so small and fragile. Her usually pale skin was almost translucent, her hair a dull halo.

"Sit with her. Your proximity can only help. I've released the pup, but I want to see her every other day for follow-ups. Your mate is incredible; your baby is perfectly healthy. Maybe you and the baby will stir Azalea awake."

I could only nod. My chest felt like it was tearing. I got her back, but I could still lose her. My uncle left me there.

After a while, I forced myself to move. I went to Azalea's side and took her cold hand. Her fingers didn't flinch. I knelt beside the bed, ignoring the chair.

"I'm so sorry, Azalea," I whispered. "This is all my fault. I should have found Warwick, I should have listened to my dad and sent you and the kids away. I took too long to find you." Everything hurt. I leaned my head down.

"Please wake up. Please be okay so I can make up for this," I begged. "Please don't leave me. Azalea, I can't survive it. You have to wake up, baby."

Hot tears fell onto her cold hands. "You have to come back. Our kids need you, baby. Our daughter is so perfect. She looks just like you; she's got your hair and freckles. She is so small and perfect, just like you, Azalea. You can't leave us."

I just begged for her to return. I needed her and Damien. I wouldn't be the Alpha I'm supposed to be without them.

Missy:

Maddox and I sat in the waiting room. I held my baby sister. Lily and Liam had gone back to their mates. I didn't know if I'd see my dad again.

"What's her name?" Maddox asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I don't think Lea and Liam picked one."

"What would you name her?" he asked, his arm around me, looking at my baby sister.

"I'm not sure," I said. "How do you even name a baby?"

"My mom said she and my dad fought over my and my sister's names. She said as soon as we were born, she knew what suited us," Maddox said gently.

The baby slept in her blanket. The nurses had cleaned her. She had milky skin like Lea, and freckles. She had wisps of red curls.

"I should probably ask my dad," I said.

"Maybe just pick something for now," Maddox said. "She's your baby sister. You have Junior and Little L; maybe give her a nickname."

"I feel like she needs a real name first." We were quiet. Finally, I asked, "Maddox, you don't want pups right away, right?"

He laughed. "Miss, we haven't even finished high school. I just rescued you from a battlefield. Pups are the furthest thing from my mind," he said, kissing my neck. "Let's get over the hurdle of mating and marking before anything else."

"So, what happens now?" I asked.

"I don't know. The acting Alpha is hurt, and your dad doesn't seem fit to take over," Maddox said. I leaned into him.

"Let's just wait for Liam. We can watch her here."

I nodded off in Maddox's arms. I woke to him whispering, "Hey, Missy. Sweetheart, wake up." I stirred, realizing I still held my sister. "Don't panic. I didn't let you drop her."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep, sorry," I said.

"It's alright. The nurse just brought this," he said, holding up a bottle. "The baby needs to eat."

"Okay, so do we wake her up?" I asked. The nurse came back with a pillow and burp cloths.

"She had some food, but she should eat every few hours," the nurse instructed.

"Okay," I said. "Should someone get my dad?"

"Let him stay with his mate for now," the nurse said gently. She helped me hold the baby and feed her. Her eyes blinked open. They were brilliantly green. She was a carbon copy of Lea. We put the bottle to her lips, and she began to suck.

"She needs to eat at least half the bottle," she told us. I nodded, watching the baby.

"Do you know how to burp her?"

"Um, yeah, I think I remember," I said.

"I'm just a shout away," the nurse said, leaving us. Maddox watched me feed my baby sister. "If Liam stays with Lea, what do we do with her?" I asked.

"Did they prepare a nursery?"

"Um, I don't know. Maybe? I'm sure we have things leftover from Junior and Leo," I said.

"Why don't we take her back to the packhouse and take care of her tonight? We can bring her here in the morning," Maddox suggested. "I'll help take care of her. You can get some sleep."

I smiled. "We can both take care of her," I said. He kissed me lightly.

The baby drank the whole bottle and burped easily. When she was done, she was sleeping soundly. Maddox took the bottle, pillows, and burp cloths to the nurse. She prepared a bag for him.

When he came back with the green diaper bag, I giggled. He helped me stand, and we headed to the packhouse.

"Yeah, I'll send some pictures as soon as we hang up," I assured my grandmother. Liam was still with Lea. "Okay. I'll talk to Dad and have him call Grandpa. Promise."

We hung up, and Maddox looked up. He'd just finished feeding Azly. We'd been home for a week, but there was still no consensus on them coming home.

I smiled at him as he played with Azly's curls. We'd been primarily caring for her. Liam barely left the clinic. Lacey was helping, but she would break down in tears because she missed Felix.

We named her Azly. We couldn't keep calling her "the baby." I hoped Liam and Lea liked her name. I couldn't explain how I knew what to call her. I was feeding her one morning, and it just came to me.

Austin knocked. He was acting Alpha. "What's the word?" he asked. I sighed.

"Felix wants to come back, but that could be mate-motivated. My grandfather thinks they should stay away until we find Warwick," I explained.

"Well, there's still no sign of the vampires returning. Theodore hasn't checked in for a few days either," Austin said. I bit my lip, and Maddox looked up, worried.

"Anything new from Doctor Ron?" he asked. Austin shook his head. We were all waiting for any change in Damien and Lea.

"Maddox, can I talk to you for a sec?" Austin asked. A look passed between them.

"Hey now, I'm helping run this pack! Whatever you two have to talk about, spill!" I demanded. Maddox had a grim look; Austin looked nervous. Austin swallowed. "Vlad wants to see you. He's still locked up."

I froze. Maddox said simply, "She isn't going to see him."

I snapped out of it. "Wait a second! You can't make that decision for me!"

"Like hell you are going to the prison to see the one responsible for your family being torn apart!" Maddox almost yelled. His eyes were dark.

"I'm going to let you two talk," Austin said awkwardly.

"Maddox, you can't tell me what to do!"

"You aren't going down there, Missy! He's directly responsible for those bastards taking you!"

I narrowed my eyes. I didn't disagree, but I wasn't going to let him order me around. "There is no discussion about this. You are not going to see Vlad. End of story." He stood and took Azly to her bassinet, storming out. I threw up my arms.

Maddox and I sat at Lea's desk eating dinner. We didn't talk about our fight. Azly slept soundly. This is where Maddox and I were doing our share of pack duties. Austin wouldn't go in Liam's office, and it was still a mess.

I watched Azly as I ate. She was a perfect baby. She never fussed or cried. We could care for her on a schedule. She would eat until the bottle was gone and then sleep. We had to wake her to feed her most of the time.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Maddox finally said.

"It's alright," I said, though I was still upset.

"Missy, he told us everything. For two years, he gave information to that vampire, and you were a target. You can't go down there and give him the pleasure of talking to you," Maddox confessed.

I set down my utensils and grabbed his hand. "If you don't want me to see him, then ask me not to. Don't command me, Maddox. I am your mate, but I don't have to listen to your word like law."

"I know; I'm sorry. I don't want to boss you around. I just see red with him, sweetheart," he said.

"I'm not sure I could face him right now, anyway," I told him. "But it has to be my choice. We have to have a conversation, okay?"

"Alright," he agreed.

Austin rushed in. "You guys, come quick," he said.

"What's going on?" Maddox asked quickly.

"We just got a message from Warwick," he said. My eyes widened. Abigail rushed in behind him.

"Give me the baby," she said quickly. She scooped up Azly so Maddox and I could follow Austin. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, heading outside, Lily burst through the front door.

"MISSY!" she called. I spun around.

"Come quickly! Azalea's awake!"