WARWICK

“Did you find out what was in the stupid wolf’s deposit box?” I asked.

“No,” my useless minion answered. “But the former Alpha is dead, sir.”

“Where is the Luna?” I questioned.

“She got away. The two weren’t enough to overwhelm the former Alpha,” he answered.

I rolled my eyes. Incompetence. I stood. “Is there anything else? I have a meeting to attend?”

“There are two of them traveling around together,” he told me. “We have been able to follow them through various means, but our latest tails went missing.”

“And?” I asked, bored now.

“We think they might be getting closer to finding us.”

I laughed. “Let them come. Two little puppies can’t stop me.”

“We just aren’t ready yet. If they were to find us-”

“I could just snap their necks,” I said. This conversation was boring me. I headed toward the door, ending the report. I only needed one more piece on my side before my victory was guaranteed.

AZALEA

When we got back to the packhouse, Azly was still sleeping, and Leo went down immediately. Junior wasn’t so easy to persuade, though.

“What happened?” he demanded while I tried to tuck him in. His eyes were on my bandaged hand.

“Nothing that you need to worry about tonight,” I lied. I didn’t particularly enjoy having to lie to my kids, but I wanted to tell them all together and let Liam control how that happened.

“Grandma was hurt. Was it Grandpa? Was it their bond?” he asked.

I sat on the bed next to him and brushed his floppy hair out of his face. He was a literal copy of Liam and way too smart for his own good. “Can you trust that your dad and I will tell you everything tomorrow?” If I couldn’t get him to drop it blindly, then maybe a bargain would get me there. I resolved to ask Lyssa if Liam was the same way at this age.

“I’m going to be Alpha, and I need to know these things,” he argued.

“Yes, you will be Alpha,” I agreed. “And it is an enormous responsibility. One so big that sometimes, it feels like a boulder is on your back, making it impossible to move.” He c****d his head to the side, listening closely. “Being Alpha can be a tremendous burden for a lot of reasons. It doesn’t necessarily go away when you aren’t Alpha anymore, either. It will be very important that you know these things one day, but right now, you get to enjoy growing up. So, for tonight, you let me worry about Grandma and Grandpa, and you let your dad be Alpha. Tomorrow, we will tell you everything important; I promise.”

He frowned, his little eyebrows furrowing as he thought about what I said. “Okay,” he said, letting out a heavy breath. He pulled his blanket up and laid back on his pillow. I stood, leaning forward to k**s his forehead. “Mom?” he stopped me from leaving.

“Yea, sweetheart?” I said.

“Would it make it easier to carry the boulder with someone?” he asked.

I smiled at him. “That’s why every Alpha has a Luna and a Beta. They help make that boulder a little easier to carry.”

Junior nodded, accepting my answer.

–

When Liam finally came home and climbed into bed, I could feel nothing but sadness coming from him. I laid on my back, and Liam climbed into the bed, resting his head on my middle. He hugged me tightly, and I ran my fingers through his hair, hoping to give him any comfort I could. I laid still for him, and we fell asleep in that same position.

When I woke up in the morning, I found Liam on the couch nursing a cup of coffee. “Hey,” I said, sitting up.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” he said. I climbed out of bed and went over to him.

“How are you feeling?” I asked. He frowned; Azly started to fuss over the baby monitor.

“I’ll get her,” he said, standing. He left the bedroom and went to get our baby girl.

When Liam came back, I was pulling on clothes for the day. Liam sat back down on the couch, cradling Azly to his chest. “Do you want me to call Missy home so we can tell them all together?” I asked him softly.

“That’s probably best,” he sighed. Azly’s tiny hand clutched Liam’s rough finger as he moved it gently from side to side.

“Do you want some breakfast?” I asked him. He shook his head.

“Not today,” he whispered.

I knew he wasn’t ready to face anything yet, so I left him alone with Azly to call Missy and ask her to come to the packhouse. She didn’t answer at first but called me back almost immediately.

Liam came down after breakfast with Azly, and Missy arrived soon after that. She was looking more tired than usual. We took all the kids into the lounge and sat down on the couches together.

“What is going on?” Missy asked, looking between Liam and me.

“Something happened yesterday,” Liam told her.

“You all know that bad people are trying to hurt our pack,” I said, looking at Leo and Junior in particular. I wasn’t sure if they could fully grasp the concept of war with how young they were, but it wasn’t something we could exactly hide.

Leo nodded his head, and Junior just gave me a discerning look. “These bad people will stop at nothing to hurt our family,” Liam continued. “Yesterday, they tried to hurt your mother.”

“Wait, we were attacked?” Missy questioned with wide eyes.

“Not exactly,” I answered her.

“Grandpa and Mom went into the city to take care of some things,” Liam explained. “And while they were there, those bad people tried to get to your mom. Grandpa stopped them.”

Liam paused, and I could see the wheels turning in Missy’s head. Leo was still waiting for Liam to finish explaining. Junior looked like he was thinking hard about something.

Missy gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. “No,” she said. I looked at Liam, who didn’t seem capable of voicing the words.

“I’m very sorry, guys. Grandpa got too hurt, and he passed away,” I said.

Leo’s eyes began to water. “So he is dead?” he asked.

“Yes, baby, he is dead,” I answered him. He scooted closer to Missy, who put her arm around him. She had tears in her eyes too. Junior stood to his feet, his little fists balled. He stormed out of the room silently. I placed my hand on Liam’s back as we watched him leave.

“How is Grandma?” Missy asked softly.

“Your grandmother is a strong woman. She will be fine in time,” Liam said. Missy nodded at him.

I looked at Leo, who was holding back his tears. “Leo, are you okay?” I asked him. He nodded his head.

“Junior says I have to be brave when bad stuff happens because we are Blackfurs,” he explained. “Grandma will need us to be brave.”

“It’s okay to be sad, sweetheart,” I told him.

“Can we go to Grandma’s house and give her hugs?” he asked.Content rights belong to .

“Let’s give Grandma a little space. Maybe tomorrow?” I said. Liam nodded.

“Missy?” I said, looking at my daughter.

“Was it…” she trailed off.

“Yes,” Liam answered. “They figured out where your mother was and came after her.”

“And you still think it’s safe for my mate to be on your little research mission?” she asked darkly.

“Missy!” I scolded. “This is not the time.” She was holding back tears, the fear written clearly on her face.

“Wake up. You lost your adopted father. Now our grandfather is dead. Who’s next?” she retorted. She leaned over and kissed Leo’s head. “I got to go, okay, buddy?” She unwrapped herself from him and left the room.

I sighed and looked at Liam. “I’ll go talk to her,” I said, standing.

I chased after her and found her sitting on the bottom of the stairs, dashing tears from her eyes. She gave me a sour look as I sat down next to her.

“I don’t want to talk,” she grumbled.

“I know this isn’t easy,” I told her. “Maddox is gone, so you are feeling incomplete. Now this happens, and not only are you sad, but you are more worried about him.”

Missy crossed her arms over her knees and laid her head down on them. I could hear her sniffling. I reached up and rubbed her back gently. “I am sorry you have to go through this,” I said. “You are allowed to feel. Let it out.”

“How does this end?” her voice came out muffled.

“I don’t have the answer to that,” I admitted. “I can only hope that we can end this soon.”

“This sucks,” she said. I let out a laugh.

“Yes, it does suck,” I told her. I scooted closer to her and wrapped my arm around her. “It sucks when things feel like they are completely out of your control, and it’s a lot to deal with on your own. You haven’t exactly had a break since before your birthday even.”

She shrugged. An idea hit me. “What about taking a few days off of school?” I asked her. She sat up, giving me a skeptical look which made me laugh.

“Yes, school is important, and I want you to graduate,” I said. “But I also know that with everything going on, you are probably struggling to get through class most days. What if I call Lemon and see if you can stay with her for a couple of days? Help out around the inn, have some girl time?”

Missy’s eyes went wide. “Really? That would be okay?” she asked.

“I think it will be fine for a couple of days. Maybe some time away from the pack will get your mind off Maddox,” I said. Her expression dropped at that. “Okay,” I laughed. “Maybe not. I bet Lemon can help distract you some, though.”

“Thanks,” she said.

“Go home and pack,” I told her. “I’ll see if Austin or Felix can drive you out there in a bit. You can stay in the cottage or with Lemon, I’m sure.”

Missy wrapped her arms around me tightly. “Thanks,” she said into my shoulder.

–

“Thanks, Lemon. She really needs a getaway,” I thanked Lemon over the phone. “I’ll have her dropped off at the inn by dinner.” I hung up the phone and pushed the bedroom door open. Liam was sitting on the bed, looking at a photo.

I came over to him, stopping in front of him. I looked down at the photo; it was of him and Robert. “When was this taken?” I asked.

“My Alpha ceremony,” he said quietly. “It was one of the only times I could remember my dad looking proud.”

I took the photo from his hand and set it next to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and straddled his lap. “I think Robert was proud of you but had a hard time showing it,” I told him.

“You don’t have to defend him. He was not exactly warm to you even after years of marriage,” Liam said.

I shook my head. “We had our problems, and he had his doubts, but it wasn’t like he meant me any harm. He just felt strongly about the safety and perception of the pack.”

I thought back to the first time we sat down to dinner with Lyssa and Robert. I stood between Robert and Liam, trying to mend their relationship. There was a flicker of recognition, of validation as Liam’s mate that night. Liam had a uniquely strained relationship with his father, but there was still love between them.

“He was emotionally stunted,” Liam puffed.

“Maybe,” I said. “But he was your dad, and you still loved him.”

Liam buried his face in my neck, and his hands snaked around my waist. “What would I do without you?” he sighed. We were quiet for a while, just sitting there holding each other.

“What can I do?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“K**s me,” Liam said, leaning back and looking into my eyes. “I want to feel the sparks.” I obliged him; we spent the next couple of hours getting lost in each other and escaping the world around us.