MISSY

“Maddox!” I screamed. He finally called; my whole body felt like it was buzzing hearing his voice.

“It’s me, darling, but we only have a couple of minutes,” he said quickly.

“I miss you! When are you coming home?” I asked.

“Not yet,” he answered. “I’m trying, but some things have come up.”

“What do you mean? Were you attacked?” Worry immediately overtook me.

“Nothing we can’t handle, okay? How is school so far?” he asked.

“Terrible,” I told him. He laughed. Oh Goddess, I missed his laugh.

“I think you are just in a bad mood because I am not there to k**s that pout off your face,” he said.

“I can’t sleep. I miss having you next to me,” I told him. I didn’t want to make him feel bad, but it was the truth.

“When I get back, we can sleep a whole day. We’ll go straight to bed, and I’ll hold you the whole time,” he promised. “I’m having trouble, too.”

“Maddox, how much longer? Please tell me you have found something or you’re close,” I begged.

“Just stay with Sol or someone. I’ll be back before you know it,” he said softly. “I got to go now. I love you, Missy.”

“I love you too,” I managed to get out as my throat tightened. The phone disconnected, and my heart felt tight in my chest.

AZALEA

Liam missed the check-in with Langston and Maddox, but I was able to get Missy on the phone with her mate. Austin said he wasn’t too worried about the amount of activity they had seen so far. Liam and Langston had expected a follower or two at some point on this mission, but I was worried about what they had come across so far. I trusted Langston to keep Maddox safe, though, so I didn’t comment on anything.

With Liam gone, Robert was around the packhouse. Liam left late in the evening, and Robert arrived first thing in the morning. I sent Liam a text message, but he hadn’t responded by lunch. I could only assume Liam asked his father to keep an eye on things when they met in his office. He spent most of the morning hovering awkwardly in the background while I did things.

I had to keep myself busy after Lily burst into my office. I had not seen her or Damien at breakfast, so I made sure Delilah and Lucas got off to school in the morning and tried to keep myself busy. I didn’t want to avoid my best friend, especially with Liam gone. I just couldn’t face her after what happened to Damien.

When he pulled Lily out of my office, I could see the hurt on his face. He was hurting over this, and it was only compounded by Lily hurting for him. Damien was not the type that liked being taken care of; he preferred taking care of others.

I managed to find refuge in my office for a little while after lunch. Robert went out to the training ground with Jacob and Felix while Azeron stayed with me. I slumped into my chair, letting out a heavy sigh.

“You should give him something to keep him busy,” Azeron said.

“Any ideas?” I asked. Azeron just laughed.

“He needs to feel useful,” Azeron said. “He used to be the apex of everything that happened in this pack. He clearly has never found his new place.”

“You are pretty insightful,” I told him. Azeron just shrugged and offered nothing more.

I massaged my temple, grasping at any idea to keep Robert busy. I felt on edge with Liam away and had no patience for Robert to begin his usual opinionated musings.

I temporarily gave up my quest and decided to check my email. When I grabbed my wireless mouse, I found it with dead batteries. I pulled open my desk drawer to search for some spares, finding the envelope from the law office on top.

I grabbed it out, thinking about the key inside. Maybe I could send Robert on an errand. It was Friday, so I could make the excuse of spending Saturday with the kids while he went to collect the contents of the box.

I pulled out my phone and tried calling Liam. Just when I thought it would go to voicemail, Liam answered. “Azalea,” he said quickly.

“Liam,” I said happily. I was a little worried I hadn’t heard from him yet, but I didn’t want to bug him too much.

“Is everything alright?” he asked worriedly.

“Yes,” I said. “I just wanted to talk to you. Did I interrupt something?”

“I can talk for a minute, sweetheart,” he assured.

“Well, is everything okay there?” I asked first.

“Yea, I took care of things. But I will probably be here another day or two,” he said. “Why did you call, though?”

“Well, I had a thought,” I said. He seemed not too interested in talking about the situation with the vampires. “Robert is just hovering. What if I sent him to the city to empty the safety deposit box from Greyback?”

Liam didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Liam?” I prompted. “Did I lose you?”Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

“No, no. I’m here. Yea, have my dad take you into the city. I am sure my mom will keep the kids for the day. Please take Azeron with you, though. Sorry, Little Luna, but I need to go. I love you,” he said before the line cut out.

My jaw dropped. That was not what I intended. I hung my head, letting out a heavy sigh. Now, if I sent Robert without me, Liam might get upset because of the mix-up. I looked over at Azeron, who had an amused smile on his face.

“I am sure your father-in-law will feel very useful escorting you on an errand,” he said, choking back a laugh.

“If only you knew,” I muttered.

“I would be happy to go tomorrow,” Azeron said. “I find it quite amusing to watch the former Alpha struggling to be nice to you.”

“If only you knew the half of it….” I said.

–

Lyssa came to the packhouse for dinner, which seemed as good as time as any to bring up our impending trip. Robert didn’t seem too thrilled by the idea, but Lyssa thought it was the best idea. So early the next morning, I was dropping the kids off to Lyssa and collecting Robert. With the way Lyssa was looking at Robert, I was pretty sure she had to threaten him to behave. If only he knew I felt the same way.

Azeron drove while Robert sat in the front, stoically sulking. I sat in the back of the car with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I missed Liam like crazy, and spending the day with his father was not ideal. Liam had not called since we spoke the previous afternoon. I hoped everything was okay with Luna Jessalyn.

The drive seemed to drag on forever. It never seemed so bad when Liam and I visited the city. Of course, he was always by my side, holding my hand. Liam made everything easy and comfortable. I just wished he was here now.

When we finally pulled up in front of the correct bank, Azeron put the car in park and turned to me. “Luna, if you don’t mind, I am going to run a quick errand while you are inside. My mate’s birthday is coming up soon, and I would like to stop into a shop nearby. I am sure the former Alpha can escort you,” he said.

“Sure,” I said, forcing a smile. I didn’t care that Azeron wanted to find a present for his mate’s birthday, but I didn’t want to be alone with Robert. I tried not to let his digs bother me, but that didn’t make them any less hurtful. “We’ll be fine on our own. And I would guess this will take a little bit. We’ll let you know when we are done.”

“Thanks,” Azeron said.

Robert and I climbed out of the car and headed to the bank’s doors. His posture was stiff, like he was uncomfortable. I led the way, pushing the door open as I walked through for him. He gave me a gruff ‘thanks’ before his eyes started scanning everything around us. I just sighed, shaking my head; he was making it a bit obvious that he was looking for any sign of trouble.

I went straight to the counter to find out what I needed to do to access the box. When it was my turn, the banker greeted me with a smile. “Good afternoon; how can I help you today?”

“Hi,” I said. “I need to access a safety deposit box that was left to me in a will.”

“Oh, alright,” she said. She turned to her computer and began clicking her mouse. “What was the name of the original owner?”

“Norman Greyback,” I told her. She typed the name into the computer, and something flashed across her eyes.

“Do you have a death certificate and copy of the will to certify that you are in ownership of the contents?” she asked.

Luckily, I thought they would need some documentation. “I have the death certificate as well as the letter the law office sent me that handled his affairs,” I told her. I reached into my bag and pulled out the folder with all the documents I had brought.

“Alright, let me get my manager to make sure these will be acceptable,” she said. She stepped away from the counter with the documents in her hands and disappeared around a wall. I looked at Robert, who was scowling.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered.

“She smells human, but something feels off,” he said. He looked around the building again. There were not too many people inside. There was one banker sitting at a desk, talking to a customer, and two others standing at the counter, one helping someone while the other was typing at the computer.

We only waited about a minute before the girl returned with another man following her. “Good afternoon. I assume you are the Azalea Blackfur referenced in the letter?” he asked.

“Yes,” I told him. “I would like access to Mr. Greyback’s safety deposit box.”

“Can I see some identification?” he asked. I handed him my ID.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked pointedly.

“Generally, we need to see the will to allow you access like this,” he said. “I tried to phone the legal office that sent this letter to you but got no answer, so I can’t verify with them that this letter is real.”

“The letter has a seal on it,” I pointed out. “I also have the key for the box.”

“Having the key does not necessarily mean you are the rightful owner, respectfully,” he said.

“Give her access,” Robert growled. The man jumped at his tone. “She was basically his daughter. Are you going to continue to make this difficult for her when she is still grieving?”

The man looked at the woman helping us initially, who just shook her head. “I’m sure it will be fine this time,” he said, pushing my papers and ID back to me. “We just need a few forms filled out to transfer the ownership to you, and we will need to assess the fee.”

“I’ll be removing the contents, so I will no longer need the box,” I said.

“We still need to complete the paperwork before we allow you access,” he said. He kept glancing at Robert like he was afraid to get eaten.

The woman produced some papers and handed me a pen. There was a lot to fill out and sign. Robert hovered behind me, growing tenser as I tried to complete the paperwork quickly. When I was finally done, I handed them back over.

“Please, take a seat, and someone will be with you in a moment,” she said. I offered her a tight smile before heading toward the seated waiting area. Robert followed, taking a seat right next to me.

“I feel like you might be overreacting here,” I told him quietly so no one else would hear.

“I don’t like this,” he said. His eyes never stopped scanning the building around us. “They were putting up a lot of fight over this box. What could Greyback possibly have in there?”

“I don’t know. He never mentioned this to me. People put all sorts of valuables in these boxes, though,” I reasoned. “They have to ensure only the right people have access.” Robert snorted his reply.

We waited at least ten more minutes before someone came over to us. “Azalea Blackfur?” he asked.

I stood to my feet. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Would you like to follow me? I can take you back,” he said. “You have the key, I assume?”

“Yes,” I said. Robert stood to follow me.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. You will not be able to accompany her,” he said quickly.

“Yes, I will,” Robert said, anger evident in his tone.

“It’s our policy-” he started.

“I am going,” Robert interrupted him.

“Please,” I said. “My husband asked my father-in-law here to accompany me today. I don’t know what is in the box, so I would like his assistance.” The man looked nervously between the two of us. Robert crossed his arms over his chest. Finally, the guy nodded and motioned for us to follow.

As I followed him, Robert leaned over and whispered into my ear loud enough for only me to hear, “I think they were trying to separate us. Do not leave my side.”