Once Liam was calm again, we headed downstairs and to the outside for lunch. Before we even hit the back door, Azeron was accompanying us, and I noticed something pass between him and Liam. I assumed this now had something to do with Felix’s perceived threat. When we got outside, I noticed that Maddox and Missy were arguing about something in hushed voices; Robert was nowhere to be found.

Liam steered us right to our table, actively avoiding conversation for the moment. It didn’t take long to find us, though. Slowly, Alphas and Betas from various packs approached us to speak to Liam, thinking there were details he left out about everything. One even demanded to see proof that we were not simply hiding Damien and Liam put his foot down, refusing to parade them through our pack clinic like it is a zoo.

Langston and Emma joined us much later, telling Liam that everything was in place to show the evidence of Warwick’s most recent message when everything reconvened. Liam announced that we would begin again shortly to discuss any and all concerns and questions everyone had.

Austin, Jacob, and Gentry finally joined us, and Felix returned to the group once we were all together. “We should all get on the same page before we begin,” Langston said. Liam nodded.

Just give me a moment with my mate,” he said, pulling me aside. When we were not in everyone’s direct vicinity, he pulled me close and gave me a soft k**s.

“Please keep Azeron right by your side,” he pleaded.

“Liam, what has you and Felix so worried?” I asked.

He just shook his head. “Right now, it’s just a feeling, but I need to focus on convincing these packs to help us. I can’t beat Warwick with only Langston’s help. I owe it to Damien to rip that bastard limb from limb, and I won’t get the opportunity unless they help us,” he said.

“I won’t leave Azeron, but where is Felix going to be?”

“He thinks it’s possible Warwick sent someone after me. So he will watch them from the crowd. He had my father followed home as well.”

“You really think someone would attack you so openly?”

“I don’t know. It seems unlikely, but if Warwick wanted to make a statement, that would be a way to do it,” he explained.

“But there are no vampires here. We checked everyone,” I argued. I was starting to get a little worried myself now.

“Just stay with Azeron. You and Emma should probably stick to the background right now. Langston has been my avid supporter since the start. If either of us is attacked, we don’t want you two in the mix.”

“Alright,” I agreed.

“And don’t worry. Maddox was instructed to take Missy to the back of the crowd. I want them out of the direct view of everyone as well,” he said. Liam gave me one more soft k**s before heading back to the group. Emma came to join me.

“I guess this is the part where the overprotective men worry for our safety now that things get heated,” she said with a smile.

I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “They like to do that, don’t they?”

“Alphas,” she said, rolling her eyes. We both chuckled.

“I think I might go to the kitchen and get some lemonade. We didn’t get much of our lunch with everything going on. Would you like to come?” I asked her. Things were going to be heating up, but if Liam wanted me away from prying eyes, then I could at least waste a few minutes in the kitchen. I was also feeling a bit hungry after only getting a couple of bites of food.

“Sure, that sounds good. Langston was so busy speaking to other Alphas after getting things together that we barely ate either,” Emma said. We linked arms and headed away from the stage.

We were only about halfway to the packhouse when someone called out. “Excuse me, Luna?” we heard. Emma and I stopped and turned, assuming we were being addressed.

“Yes?” I asked as Alpha Jett and Beta Lance hurried toward us. Azeron stepped close to me, and I gave him a look over my shoulder, but his face was passive as he watched Jett and Lance.

“We were just wondering if you could help us with something,” Jett said.

“Oh, sure,” I said, surprised.

“There was an issue in our room, but we weren’t able to speak with you earlier,” Lance said. He looked a bit sweaty.

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry about that. What is the problem?” I asked quickly.

“It would be best just to show you,” Jett said. He looked over my shoulder at Azeron.

“I think you should just tell my Luna what the problem is and return to the discussions,” Azeron said in a low tone.

“It would really be easiest to show her. It would only take a minute, Luna Azalea; your friends won’t miss you at all,” Jett said.

“She can handle the issue if you just tell her what it is,” Azeron reinforced. I was starting to get a sinking feeling. Lance looked between Azeron, Emma, and me with a weird expression.

“I’m afraid I will have to insist she come with me,” Jett said before he lunged toward me. Azeron pulled me back quickly, and I stumbled before falling as he went for Jett.

I heard a shriek and realized that Lance had Emma. She was struggling against his grip. “Don’t you hurt her!” I yelled. Azeron was fighting with Jett, who was giving him a lot of trouble.

“Luna, run,” Azeron shouted. I tried to scramble to my feet but fell right back down when a sharp pain shot up my leg from my ankle. “Liam!”

MISSY

“No, Maddox, I am not going to hide! If Felix thinks someone is going to attack my parents, we are both going to be right here to help stop it!” I argued with him.

“Missy, please, your dad told me to take you to the back, and if anything happens, go straight to your grandparents!” Maddox tried to reason.

“No,” I hissed, crossing my arms and stamping my foot for dramatic effect. We stood to the side of the gathering crowd. My dad and everyone else stood up at the front in a circle, talking to each other.

“Arghh,” he grumbled. “Missy, why can’t you just listen? Do you want your dad and Felix mad at me?”

“I don’t ‘just listen.’ And they will be a lot happier with two extra wolves to jump in if something does happen,” I said pointedly. Maddox rubbed his hands over his face, expressing his frustration.

“He has a point; you could just be amiable for once,” Holland said.

“You are not taking his side,” I said.

“So what if I am?” Holland argued with me. “Tom would feel better if we just followed directions, too.”

I rolled my eyes. Lovesick wolves could be a real downer. Maddox looked past me toward the front, probably trying to see if anyone knew we were still standing here. “Hey, where is Luna? And Azeron? They were right there with everyone,” Maddox said, scanning the crowd.

I turned and looked all around the stage. “Emma is gone too,” I said, confused.

“Where would they have gone?” Maddox asked.

“I don’t know. I thought they would stay right here with Liam and Langston….” I said. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“s**t,” Maddox said, locking eyes with Felix. “Stay right here. I’ll be right back.” He started moving toward Felix, who was walking towards us. I looked out among all the wolves who were settling down into their seats as Liam called everyone’s attention. Two of the visitors, an Alpha and Beta by the looks of it, were headed toward the packhouse, and I could almost make out Lea beyond them. I turned my attention back to Maddox and Felix for a minute. Felix was giving Maddox some serious directions, but I couldn’t decipher what they were whispering about.

“I’m going to check on Lea and Emma; they went back to the packhouse. I want to make sure Lea is feeling okay,” I linked Maddox, but he didn’t reply. He had to be too busy with whatever Felix was telling him; hopefully, he wasn’t getting in trouble for my aversion to following commands.

Instead of going all the way around the audience, I decided to go through them. I weaved in and around the tables and seats until I was finally headed to the packhouse. As I broke away from the group, I heard a shriek, and I took off at a run. I immediately saw Azeron fighting with one of the guys while the other had Emma, who was struggling against him.

“Let go of her!” I screamed.

“Luna, run!” I heard Azeron yell.

“Maddox, get my dad!” I linked before charging at the man that was trying to pull Emma away. She was kicking and fighting, but he was simply larger and stronger than her. His back was to me, so he didn’t see me coming straight for him.

When I was only a few strides away, I dropped down and slid right into his legs, knocking him backward over me. He fell with Emma landing on top of him, hitting the ground with a hard thump.

He g*****d and loosened his grip on Emma, who was able to pull away from him. She scrambled off of him as he continued to grab for her. I turned and launched my fist at his face, catching him across the cheek.

Emma moved away quickly, going to Lea, who was trying to stand. I focused on the guy that grabbed her, only vaguely aware of Azeron fighting with the other guy. He tried to grab me now, angry that I stopped him from dragging Emma away. “Little b***h,” he growled.

I wasted no time in swinging at him again. I missed but quickly recovered, bringing my knee into his gut. He huffed in pain but wasn’t deterred. I could hear Azeron and the other guy fighting and wondered how long it would take Liam or Felix to notice.

The man I was fighting lunged for me, and I fell back with him over top of me. I managed to hold him back just enough to get my legs underneath and push him away. As he fell away from me, Felix and Maddox appeared. Felix grabbed the man, tackling him to the ground and punching him relentlessly. Maddox was over me in a second.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

“Lea!” I said. We both turned to see Liam holding the man Azeron was fighting by his throat. Maddox pointed behind me to Emma, who had gotten my mom off the ground.

“Missy!” she said quickly.

“Mom, are you okay? Emma?” I asked them, pushing myself up. Maddox grabbed me and started looking me over as I tried to push away.

“Who sent you?” Liam shouted, snapping all our attention to him. Felix had the other one pinned to the ground, but he looked unconscious.

“Please,” the man gasped. “My mate.”

ROBERT

I entered the house and slammed the door closed behind me. “Robert?” Lyssa called, irritation in her voice.

“Yea,” I called back, heading for my office. She came around the corner, holding Azly in her arms.

“Azly just fell asleep,” she hissed. “What are you doing here? I thought you would be at the summit all day?”Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

“Hmmpphh,” I breathed out as I blew past her. She sighed from behind me. I entered my office and threw myself down in my chair. It didn’t take long for Lyssa to appear in the doorway with her hands on her h**s.

“What exactly is the problem now?” she shot at me.

“We raised a weak, stupid boy who made a mistake accepting that weak, wolfless girl as a mate. We gave him plenty of choices, strong ones, yet here we are,” I told her.

“Not this again, Robert,” she said, shaking her head. I just growled at her insolence. “No!” she said. “Whatever this is stemming from, it needs to stop. I have let it go on far too long. Azalea may not be physically a strong wolf, but she is an adequate Luna, she brought us three strong grandchildren, and she is good to your son. She has never done wrong to this pack or your son.”

“So? My son is an i***t who can’t think straight the minute she gets a sniffle,” I argued.

“And you think we had no part in that?” Lyssa said, raising her eyebrows.

I stopped, stunned into silence. Was she insinuating that we were to blame for Azalea’s weakness?

“It may be hard for you to admit because it was hard for me to come to terms with it as well, but we had our part in the way that girl turned out. If she was treated better under our care, then she may not be so ‘weak’ as you like to say.”

“How dare you accuse me-”

“Accuse? Robert, there is no denying it. It is a blessing of the Goddess that the girl allows us within a mile of our son and grandchildren after everything. She should never forgive us or even her own mate for all the things that our family has put her through. Just because Azalea and Liam are not your idea of how an Alpha and Luna should be, does not mean they are doing a poor job.”

I glared at Lyssa, but she held my gaze. “When you are done wallowing in here, the boys and I will be playing outside while Azly naps.” She stormed away, leaving me alone in my office, stunned.