AZALEA

My heart sunk. “Did you say Mr. Greyback?” I asked Sean.

“Yes, Luna, I did; you both should come quickly,” he said. I looked at Liam, worried now. What could be wrong? I hated him in that little shack so far away from everyone, but he insisted.

“Come on,” Liam said, pulling me with him quickly. Sean nodded and headed back out the door with us falling him.

“It will be fastest to shift and run, Alpha,” Sean said. Liam looked at me, and I quickly turned, letting them both strip and shift. When I felt a wet nose at my elbow, I turned and grabbed up Liam’s clothes before climbing onto his back. He stood to his full height, and they both took off into the trees in a straight line for the old man’s little house.

The farther we ran and the closer we got, the more anxious I became. What could be wrong?

“Little Luna, please, try to calm down,” Liam said in my head. “I’m right here with you.”

I tried to calm myself as Liam ran. I wasn’t even sure when the last time I spoke to the old man was. I had been so wrapped up in helping Liam with the summit, taking care of the kids, and trying to wake Damien, that I had forgotten about him entirely.

As we approached the little cabin he lived in, there were more wolves around, and Liam slowed his pace. When we arrived, he sat down to let me off his back. I impatiently waited for him to shift and pull his clothes back on and for Sean to do the same.

When he was dressed, Liam came over to me. “Are you ready?” he asked. Everyone around us was avoiding eye contact, and I was terrified about what we were about to walk in to see. I nodded my head, and Liam let me hold his arm as we headed to the door.

“I’m really sorry, Luna,” Sean said. “With everything that has been going on, we were not checking on him as frequently….”

Liam and I stepped into the room. There was a white cloth covering something on the floor. I gasped. “Is that….” I couldn’t finish the words. Sean walked over and slowly pulled the fabric down. Mr. Greyback’s face was one of discomfort, but he was still.

“We found him like this….” Sean explained. Liam tensed next to me.

“Oh Goddess,” I started to cry. He couldn’t be dead.

“I’m sorry, Alpha, but this doesn’t look natural. We think he may have fought with someone, and they got the better of him,” Sean said. I shut my eyes and buried my face into Liam’s chest; I couldn’t look at it any longer. Liam wrapped his arms around me tightly.

“Do we know when?” he asked calmly.

“Maybe two days ago,” Sean said.

“Any ideas on the culprit?” Liam asked. The conversation died there, and I could only assume they were finishing it silently. There was movement around us, so I suspected they were taking his body out.

Liam rubbed the back of my head, letting me cry into his chest. “I’m sorry, Little Luna,” he finally whispered.

“I shouldn’t have let him stay out here by himself,” I sobbed.

“You and I both know he wasn’t going to have it any other way,” Liam tried to reassure me.

“He’s gone,” I cried. Liam tried to console me as we stood there. Finally, I pulled away from Liam. “I have to tell Lemon and Amy. They will want to know.”

“Not tonight,” Liam said. “We can call them in the morning.” I just nodded, starting to feel a bit numb. I can’t believe he was gone. “Come on, let’s get you home.” I just nodded and followed Liam as he led me outside.

How it got there, I could only guess, but Liam led me right over to a car and helped me inside, sliding in next to me. Someone drove us right back to the packhouse, but I just sat there leaning against my mate.

It felt like I had lost a parent or a grandparent, a stubborn, grumpy grandparent. And he was just dead for who knows how long before we found him? I should have insisted he move to the packhouse with us. He would have been around us every day.

When we got back to the packhouse, I felt like I was on autopilot. We exited the car, and Liam led us inside, up the stairs, and into our room. I sat on the couch, but I wasn’t really paying attention to anything going on. After a bit, I felt a blanket drop around my shoulders. I looked up to see Liam standing next to me with a mug of something. He lowered himself onto the couch next to me.

“Do you want me to handle the arrangements?” he asked softly. I shook my head.

“I’ll take care of it,” I whispered.

“This isn’t your fault, sweetheart. You know he wanted to be alone,” he said. He pushed the mug into my hands. It was warm in my fingers, and the smell of green tea wafted up with the steam.

“I just can’t believe he’s gone,” I admitted.

“I know,” Liam said softly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

–

I put the funeral together quickly. Two days later, I was pulling on a black dress and heading to the inn to meet Lemon and Amy. Liam was hovering, constantly checking on me. Having him close was comforting, but it didn’t erase the guilt and sadness.

Because Mr. Greyback didn’t have family left, we were it. I knew he wouldn’t want a big to-do made anyway. Liam drove us to town, holding my hand the entire way. When we got to the Inn, Amy was already there sitting in the lobby.

“Oh, Lea,” she said, hugging me tightly. “How are you doing?”

“Fine,” I told her. “You?”

“I’ll miss his grouchy grumbling. Feels like it wasn’t that long ago that I came back from maternity leave to the old fool telling me he hired some help,” she laughed lightly.

“You both needed it,” I smiled. Lemon came out of the manager’s office to join us. I pulled her into a hug as well.

“Shall we?” Lemon asked. We headed outside to the car where Liam was waiting to drive us over to the funeral home. A few people that knew Mr. Greyback came to the service. It was small and tasteful; I was able to hold it together until it was my turn to speak.

“Mr. Greyback was not the most agreeable man,” I started. “But what he lacked in civility, he made up for with his enormous heart. Almost a decade ago, he took in a homeless orphan girl with nothing to her name. He gave her a job and a home, and even a whole new family. That was the man he was.” Tears escaped my eyes as I spoke.

After the funeral, Liam and I went back to the packhouse. It was hard burying the old man, but I knew at some level that he wouldn’t live forever. When we got back, we changed then went downstairs to the backyard where the kids were playing. Lacey brought Azly to me. I sat down in the grass and held my baby tight while I watched Liam go out to play with the boys.

Azly dozed in my arms while Liam played catch with the boys. Felix moved to the side, watching them. A little while later, Azeron found me. “Luna,” he said, sitting down next to me. “Sean was wondering if you would like him to send a few wolves to take care of Mr. Greyback’s belongings?”

“Oh,” I said; I had forgotten all about that. “Um, no. I’m sure I can take care of it. Maybe I will head over there in a bit to take a look.”

Azeron gave me a tight smile. “Sure,” he said. “I’d be happy to accompany you.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be spending the day with your mate?” I asked.

“I’m sure he would understand,” he assured me.

“Please, go spend time with your mate. I’ll be alright,” I said. Azeron looked over at Felix before nodding to me and taking his leave. I sighed and looked down at Azly.

“He never got to meet you,” I whispered. Mr. Greyback would have griped and grumbled about yet another Blackfur pup running around, annoying him into an early grave, but he would have secretly loved Azly.

“Would you like me to go with you?” Liam linked me while he played with the boys. Our gazes circuited for a moment.

“That would be nice, thank you,” I replied.Belongs to - All rights reserved.

“Anything for you, Little Luna,” he said.

When the boys started to tire out, Mrs. Hale agreed to take them along with Delilah and Lucas so we could head out to the old man’s little cabin and start going through his things. After moving him in, I knew there wasn’t much, but it would still take some time to pack everything up.

–

Stepping inside the cabin felt strange like I was trespassing. It looked just the same as it had the last time I visited him except for some dirty dishes in the sink. Mr. Greyback was usually pretty tidy but, then, he lived alone and didn’t have much to clean up. I stood there, a bit lost for a moment. Where do you start packing away someone?

“Why don’t I take care of the kitchen, and you can head to the bedroom?” Liam suggested, having to duck a bit inside due to his height. He complained a lot when I had the ceilings dropped on the plans, but Mr. Greyback was about as tall as me in his old age, mixed with the slight hunch in his posture from leaning on his cane.

“Sure,” I said. Liam grabbed a box and went to the kitchen to start gathering the things in there. I headed to the only bedroom in the small space. The bed was made, not so neatly, though. There was a book on the nightstand, and the lamp was on. I sighed as I moved around the bed to turn it off. I opened the curtains, and dust danced down through the air. I shook my head as I opened the window; he definitely wasn’t getting enough fresh air.

Once a breeze was coming through the room, I went to the closet where I knew his things were stored. In the top of the closet, I pulled down three boxes, two of them looking like they had not been touched since I put them there. I glanced around the room and realized that he never hung any photos up, making me frown.

With the boxes set on the bed, I opened one of the dusty ones first. Inside were some photos that I had seen before. They were of the old man with an older lady. She smiled brightly at the camera as they stood in front of the inn; he smiled too, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. There were a few other photos of them together, some holiday photos, and then paperwork that looked like documents from their purchase of the inn.

The next box had some even older photos, and I had to do a double-take when I realized they were Greyback as a young man. There were a couple of broken trophies inside, but I couldn’t read the engravings on them. There were photos of Greyback with what I assumed to be school friends or warrior pals. There were some more papers in the bottom, along with a framed certificate that looked like a diploma. I knew Greyback had been a warrior before he left the pack, but I didn’t know much else besides that. I frowned, wishing I had asked him.

The last box looked like it had been opened recently and probably regularly. I carefully pulled the top off. Just like the other two, the top of this box had photos. I pulled the first one out and inhaled sharply. Right in the center of the photo was a middle-aged Greyback. He was holding a small girl in his arms, maybe 7 or 8, who looked just like him. His hair was almost shoulder length and wavy. The photo wasn’t in color, so it was hard to tell the color, but the little girl’s definitely matched his. A woman stood next to him, smiling brightly, not at the camera but at Greyback and the girl. Was this his mate? She looked different than the woman in the other photos, though. I picked up the next small photo; it was the same little girl in a sparkly dress in front of a Christmas tree holding a teddy bear. There was one of Greyback holding a baby and one of the woman with a round, pregnant belly. Then I found a photo of Greyback and me from Liam’s and I’s wedding. Someone had taken it while he walked me down the aisle, but neither of us knew. He looked so proud next to me. The last photo was of Greyback and the woman; it was their wedding. He was dipping her back, kissing her deeply, and people stood around them clapping. It was beautiful.

Tears stung my eyes, and a lump formed in my throat. I knew his mate died years ago, but now I wondered if there was more to this story. He clearly looked at these things regularly; this was the only box that was not covered in an inch of dust. Was he lonely out here? Under the photos were a few other things. I found a marriage certificate that was old and faded. There was also a birth certificate with the name Ava Greyback in bold print with Greyback and his mate’s names under the parents. At the bottom of the box were two death certificates, one for his daughter and one for his mate.

“Little Luna,” Liam said softly from the doorway. I turned, dashing the tears from my eyes. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

I nodded, trying to hold back the tears. Liam came over to stand behind me. He picked up the photo of us at our wedding. “I think I was his only family,” I whispered.

Liam kissed the back of my head. “He wasn’t good at showing it, but he loved you a lot. I always got the feeling that you showed up to the inn right at a time when he needed you.”

“He and Amy were my family for a long time,” I said. “You don’t think he felt like I abandoned him?”

“No,” Liam said, wrapping his arms around me. “I think he was happy that he got to know you and that you found your own family.”