LIAM

All too soon, it was time for other packs to start arriving for the summit. Azalea had done a great job with all the preparations. I never doubted she could, but I had tried to keep from making more work for her. I was glad she stepped in when she did, though, because I could have never pulled this off by myself, especially without my Beta.

Damien still slept, although my uncle had said he saw improvement. Lily said she swore he gripped her hand the other day, but my uncle thought it was involuntary. I was unsure who wanted him awake more, Lily or Delilah. I was completely caught off guard when she came up to me at dinner one night and punched me right in the stomach for not protecting her dad. Of course, I knew she was upset and having trouble coming to terms with what was happening, but it still hurt a bit.

Langston and Emma were already here with a batch of their warriors, agreeing to help us welcome everyone and get them situated. All the summit participants would begin arriving in the next hour; there was to be a welcome dinner this evening, then all the talks to start tomorrow. The closer it got to the time, the more nervous I grew.

“My Alpha,” Azalea’s singsong voice came through my head.

“Yes, Little Luna?”

“Would you come join me in our room for just a minute?”

Confused about what she could need right now, I headed out of my office and upstairs. Gavin had been agitated for a couple of days now, suspicious of all these packs we didn’t really know. He was convinced our pups were in danger with all the strange people around.

When I came into the bedroom, Azalea exited the bathroom, shaking out her gingery curls. She looked beautiful, sophisticated, and powerful all at once. She was perfect without even trying, but she still always rendered me speechless.

“Let me fix you,” she said, coming over to me. She grabbed my wrists and started rolling the cuffs of my dress shirt up. “Still business, but now also, ‘I take care of business.” She smiled brightly as she worked.

“Where is Azly? and the boys?” I asked her.

“Your mom just came to collect them. She is going to watch Azly tonight, and your dad is going to take the boys into the city for dinner and a movie,” she explained.

“Oh, good,” I said. Gavin got even antsier with our pups far away.

When she was done, she gently pushed my chest, signaling me to move backward. “Sit,” she commanded when we neared the bed. I sat down, coming down to eye level with her. “Let me talk to Gavin, please,” she requested.

“Little Luna, what are you up to?” I asked.

“Liam, please,” she said, putting her hand on her h*p and giving me an expectant look.

“Okay, okay,” I said, relenting. I let Gavin come forward; he needed no persuasion.

“Little Mate,” he growled.

“Gavin, we need to talk about the next couple of days,” Azalea said. He nodded at her.

“Our pups are going to be with people I trust to keep them safe, okay?” she continued. Gavin frowned at her. “I can’t very well help make sure everything goes smoothly if I am chasing around a pair of boys and tending to a baby, can I?”

When Gavin gave her no response, she stepped in between our legs and wrapped her hands around our neck. “I promise to stay with Azeron or Felix all weekend.”

“Stay in my sight,” he demanded.

“I will do my best, deal?” she countered. Gavin studied her face for a minute before he nodded. She gave him a sweet smile before leaning in to k**s him. I pulled back control, not wanting Gavin to take more when she was just barely healed from Azly’s birth.

“And how do you feel now?” she asked, pulling away.

“A little better,” I admitted.

“Great,” she said. “Let’s get downstairs. You have guests to greet soon.”

–

The access points worked well, and while there was some frustration in waiting to be admitted into our territory, many of the Alphas seemed to understand the security need. Maddox, Felix, Sean, and a few other warriors escorted each arriving group to the packhouse, where Azalea and I greeted them before Abigail, Emma and Missy took them to their accommodations to get settled in before the welcome dinner began. All the guests going to Langston’s pack headed there in groups with Langston’s Beta and his mate.

Those that arrived to represent their packs were a wide-ranging crowd. One of the firsts to arrive was the Alpha and Beta from Timber Ridges Pack. Jett Huxley introduced himself as Alpha and gave his regrets for his Luna, claiming she had to stay behind to take care of some things. The man came off as a bit odd and avoided eye contact, which was not usual for any other Alpha I had met so far. His Beta, Lance, was quiet for much of the exchange.

Azalea was quite taken with the Luna of Stary Pack. Quinn was a sweet woman with vibrantly blue hair and a face full of freckles under her large, square glasses. Her mate, Alpha Michael Johnson, was a reserved man. He seemed very capable, and our research noted that he had extensive knowledge of defensive tactics. The pair seemed a bit odd but fit well together.

One pack only came represented by their Luna and one of their warriors to accompany her. Luna Jessalyn told us her mate sent his regrets, having to stay back last minute, but she was fully capable of speaking for her people. Although unconventional, we welcomed her all the same. She was a woman of moderate height with a strong build, although she looked like she had recently lost some weight. She had deep olive skin and light brown hair that fell in long waves down her back like she had just come from the beach. I was disappointed her mate did not come as he was one I had hoped would help to train and lead the united force I wanted to put together.

The least likable Alpha to arrive was that of Midnight Shadow Pack. The pack was located in the heart of a major urban area, so I expected them to be different but not arrogant. Alpha Aidan Lombardi was a pompous prick from the moment he stepped foot onto my territory, and I could tell he was barely deigning to be present. His Beta was a female named Meadow and seemed more like a secretary than a Beta. I did not miss her eye-rolling and exasperated expressions behind Aidan’s back, though.

I was surprised to meet the Alphas of Twin Thorns Pack, Andris and Karsyn. We didn’t have much information from them as they were located northwest along the coast. They were mates, and both fulfilled the role of Alpha, as they explained. It was an interesting dynamic that was unique to only them. Azalea found them sweet and endearing. I was only worried about having to convince not one but two Alphas to join my plight.

The oddest of the day was, hands down, the Twilight Dawn Pack. They joined us all in wolf form except for one member of the group. She rode in on the back of one of the others. Felix was skeptical of them from the moment he collected them from the access point. The only member of their group that was not shifted introduced herself as Salali, or Lala for short. She explained that their pack was deeply rooted in tradition, and they rarely shifted from their wolf form. She informed us that she would act as the translator between her Alpha and us. She introduced the chestnut brown wolf as Diwali, the Alpha, the light brown wolf with white sock markings as Adsila, the Luna, and the black and grey streaked wolf as Mohe, the Beta. They garnered the attention of everyone with their unconventional manner, but Salali was courteous and friendly. They also refused any indoor lodging we could offer, claiming they would rather sleep under the eye of the Goddess.

AZALEA

The arrival process went almost flawlessly. Everyone did their jobs well, and Liam and I met and greeted every guest. There were quite a few interesting characters among them, but I was confident Liam could convince many of these wolves to help us.

I tried to leave Liam to check on Miss Marci and her volunteers in the kitchen, but Liam had me glued to him. Gavin was serious about staying in his sight. Luckily, Missy and Maddox returned and offered to go see how things were shaping up for our welcome dinner.

“I am sure everything is fine,” Liam assured me as we headed for the back lawn. “We need to get out back and start mingling.”

“I know, I know,” I said. The only space big enough for everyone to eat and be seated for this was the back lawn of the packhouse. We had tables and tents set up for tonight, giving everyone covered eating space. Although the discussions and meetings over the next two days were “closed” to normal pack members, they would also be held outside.

“Missy says that food is on track to come out on time,” Liam told me.

“Good,” I said. It was a relief to know things were still running smoothly, but now was time for my least favorite part.

As we came around back, we saw that many of our guests had arrived back at the packhouse and were mingling amongst each other. Emma and Langston were speaking with Alpha Jett and Beta Lance. Alpha Jett seemed a bit distracted, his eyes scanning the crowd repeatedly. We locked eyes for a moment, and a weird look came over his face. He quickly averted his attention back to the conversation continuing around him.

Liam led us toward Alphas Andris and Karsyn, who was chatting with Alpha Michael and a few others. “Good evening,” Liam said as we joined them.

“Alpha Liam, I must say I was very impressed with the little Inn you have set us up in. The staff was excellent, and the town was very nice,” Alpha Michael said.

“Oh well, all that praise goes to my Luna, actually. She owns and operates the Blue Moon Inn, and she is a very important part of that little town,” Liam said while smiling at me. I could feel myself blush as I nodded.

“Well, Luna Azalea, you have a top-notch staff,” Alpha Michael continued.

“Well, it’s like a second home, and really, I owe most of it to Lemon,” I said.

“So, Alpha Liam, do you and your mate have children?” Alpha Karsyn asked. Alpha Andris stood with his arm around Karsyn’s waist, almost protectively.

“Yes, we do. You actually already met my oldest today; Missy is our eldest, and the others are with the grandparents for the evening,” Liam explained.

“The lovely young lady that had the warrior boy following her around with googly eyes?” Alpha Karsyn asked.

“Your eldest is a girl?” Alpha Michael asked.

“That is quite uncommon,” Alpha Andris added.

“Yes, Missy is our eldest, and Maddox is her mate. They both recently turned 17,” Liam said.

“How beautiful,” Alpha Karsyn said. “It took me years to find Andris.”

“My mate and I knew long before mating age,” Michael smiled.

“Where is Luna Quinn?” I asked.Belongs to - All rights reserved.

“Oh, she’s wandering around here somewhere. Probably scribbling in her notebook,” Michael said, waving off and seeming not at all worried about his mate in a strange place. I peeked around the back lawn, looking for her telltale blue hair as the men continued their conversation. When I finally spotted her, I noticed her near the trees furiously scribbling in a small notebook.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Liam over link. At first, he wouldn’t let go of my waist.

“Where are you going?” he asked, and I could feel how nervous he was at the thought of me leaving his side.

“Just over there for a moment. Azeron will come with me,” I reassured him. He reluctantly let go of me, and I excused myself. I heard one of them chuckling about Azeron following me away.

I headed toward Luna Quinn, realizing she was wandering a bit close to the prison entrance. It was probably best that no one goes near it with the extra people on our land right now.

“Hello,” I said as I came up next to her.

“Oh, Luna Azalea,” she said, looking up.

“I hope everything is okay over here,” I said.

“Oh yes, very much!” she said excitedly. “Your pack land is just so beautiful, and all of these people are so interesting!”

“Yes,” I laughed. “There is quite a diverse crowd in attendance. Can I ask what you were writing?”

“Oh, this?” she asked, pointing to her notebook. “It’s a bit silly, really.”

“I am sure it isn’t,” I assured her.

“Well, you see, humans think werewolves are just works of fiction unless, of course, they become mated to one. I am an author who writes ‘fiction’ about werewolves,” she said using air quotes around the word fiction.

“So you write about actual werewolves and sell the stories to humans as fiction?” I asked her. “Isn’t that a bit dangerous? That tells them all about us.”

“Oh,” she laughed. “I changed details around and throw in other stuff to keep them off our trail.”

“Luna, dinner is about to begin,” Azeron said low next to me.

“Well, I have to say, you are more interesting than I thought. How about we head over for dinner?”

“I love food. Please,” she said, smiling brightly.