Cage let Damien shift back, and then we all left the trees. Uncle Ron went back to the clinic, wanting to put down some notes about what he observed and call Theodore. Damien and Lily went back to their room to talk before all the kids came home from school.

I walked hand in hand with Azalea back to packhouse, letting Damien and Lily have a lead on us. Now that Damien was handled for the moment and we were working toward fixing the problem, other things needed my attention.

“What did you say to him?” Azalea asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

“Cage can feel himself slipping,” I told her.

“What do you mean?” she asked. I forget sometimes she doesn’t know as much about having a wolf since she neglected to pay attention during those lessons in school and doesn’t have one now.

“When wolves are cut off from their pack, their minds slip away. They become primitive, reverting to their most basic forms. It’s like evolution but backward. That’s why rogues become dangerous; half of their inner self is slipping into this feral state. They lose reason and control, acting on preservation instincts alone,” I explained.

“So without Damien or anyone else, Cage is falling away?” she clarified.

“Yea, I think so. I am going to talk to Damien about making sure he shifts every day to get Cage out of his mind. It could also help make the shift easier for him as he does it. Cage should be easing that transition for him, but I guess because they aren’t connected, that isn’t happening.”

“Poor Cage. And Lily,” she lamented. I squeezed her hand.

“Everything will work out. Don’t feel guilty about any of this. Damien was bitten by a very old vampire; we were lucky that this has been the only side effect so far,” I told her. She just nodded her head, and we continued our path to the packhouse.

Azalea said she had some things to work on, so I left her in her office with Felix. Before I left, I linked him to have Azeron come to my office immediately. I sat at my desk with my hands folded, waiting for him to arrive. It was time to address his failure.

He took his time, and my anger slowly simmered as I waited. Eventually, there was a sharp knock on my door. “Come in,” I said in a flat voice.

Azeron stepped inside. “Close the door behind you, please,” I requested. He did as asked and came to stand in front of the desk. “Do you know why I asked you to my office?”

“To speak about what happened in the city, I presume, sir,” he answered. I nodded.

“Azeron, why did I bring you to my pack?” I started.

“To augment the personal security for your mate,” he answered.

“Yes, and above all else, what is your job?”

“To ensure Luna’s safety at all times,” he said.

“Right. Now can you tell me exactly how you are supposed to do that when you are not even in the same building as her? How exactly can you secure her well-being if you are off on a personal errand?” I demanded. I stood as I spoke, unable to contain myself sitting.Content rights belong to .

“I cannot. I thought she was safe with the former Alpha,” he said.

“You thought wrong!” I roared, my control slipping. “It does not matter who she is with! I don’t care if it is the Moon Goddess herself! If I do not tell you to stand down, then you do not leave her!”

I could feel my temperature rising. Azeron failed to do his job, and my father was dead because of it. If he had been there in the bank with them, no one would be dead, and Azalea wouldn’t have gotten hurt. He could have prevented it all had he done his job.

Azeron stood calmly in front of me. “What was so important that you decided your job could wait?” Indecision flashed through his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he should answer me or remain silent.

“I thought because she was with the former Alpha that she would be safe. My mate’s birthday is next week, and I wanted to take the opportunity to get him a present,” he finally said in a level tone.

“That present cost my father his life! Was it worth it?” I growled. Azeron remained silent.

“First, you let her get kidnapped in the middle of an attack. You let her be taken from right behind you. Now you let her almost fall victim to those b***d-thirsty vermin and get my father, a member of the Alpha family, killed. Should I be questioning your allegiance and loyalty here?”

“No, sir,” he answered immediately. “I promised to protect the Luna with my own life and put her well-being first.”

“Yet, here we stand!” I was about to boil over. I wanted to jump across the desk and deck him. Our eyes circuited for a moment before he looked down to the floor. “Get out before I cast you out of my pack permanently!”

My fists were balled at my side, shaking. Azeron turned on his heel and quickly exited the room. “Arghhh!” I yelled, punching my desk. The wood splintered under my fist.

“Liam, what’s going on?” Azalea linked me. Her voice shifted something in me. I didn’t think; I moved to the door and rushed down the hall to her office.

When I pushed the door open, she gave me a surprised look. “Felix, out,” I commanded. Without a word, Felix slipped out the door behind me. Azalea stuffed her phone inside her desk drawer and shut it hastily.

“Liam, what’s wrong?” she asked warily. I stormed around her desk, picking her up from her chair and sitting her on her desk. I roughly grabbed her face and captured her mouth.

AZALEA

Liam set me on my desk and kissed me roughly. I could feel so much anger and anguish coming from him I was a little bit worried.

I was too startled to react at first, then he threaded his fingers through my hair at the nape of my neck and started moving his lips over mine.

I kissed him back, reaching up to caress his face. Whatever was wrong, I could tell he needed this, and I wouldn’t deny it to him.

His hands slid down my body slowly, raising goosebumps across my skin. They paused at the top of my pants, then found their way to the button while his tongue danced with mine.

He pulled away from me as he got the button undone. “Lay back,” he ordered. His eyes had a dark gleam, but I didn’t think Gavin was in control. I nodded, slightly out of breath, and laid back. As I did, his fingers slipped into my waistband and slid my pants down my legs, my underwear following suit.

He made a satisfied noise as he deposited them on the floor. I peeked up to see him dropping to his knees. Without warning, his mouth latched onto my slit as his strong hands pushed my thighs apart.

I cried out as his tongue delved between my lips. Electricity thrummed through me, Liam igniting a fire in my core. I grabbed ahold of his hair, holding on as he relentlessly licked, sucked, and nibbled on my flower.

“Liam,” I whimpered. I could feel myself being pushed right to the edge.

“Give it to me, Little Luna,” he growled. One of his hands moved from my leg, and two fingers entered me.

I could feel myself clench around his digits, earning me a satisfied hum from him. Liam worked his fingers in and out of me while his tongue danced over my clit. In what felt like seconds, I was about to come undone. I m****d as I felt my body ready to burst.

Liam’s teeth clamped down gently on my clit as he slammed into me, sending me over the edge. My back arched off the desk as my o****m ripped through my body.

Liam placed a soft k**s above my lower lips and removed his fingers as I calmed. He stood up, licking his fingers clean with a devilish smirk on his face. I tried to push myself up into a sitting position, but Liam waved one of his newly cleaned fingers at me.

“I’m not done with you,” he mused. He dropped his own pants and grabbed hold of my h**s, pulling my lower half off the desk. In one swift motion, he plunged his c**k deep into me.

“Ah!” I screamed, feeling full.

Liam’s lips twitched up in a half-smile. “I like watching from this angle,” he said before he began to move. His h**s moved at a punishing rhythm, driving me back up into a frenzy.

I couldn’t think or speak, the pleasure coursing through me from Liam’s efforts overwhelming me. Liam’s eyes grew darker as he went. This wasn’t how he normally acted.

I was cresting the peak once again, so close to a second release. Liam’s movements became more rigid and sloppy. I knew he was close. “Liam, please,” I begged. It was all he needed to hear because a couple of strokes later, he slammed into me one final time and explosively found his release.

He bent over slightly, trying to catch his breath. “Ahem,” I cleared my throat after a minute, trying to bring attention to the fact that I was uncomfortably hanging from the desk with his h**s supporting me.

“Oh,” he said, looking up. His hands gripped me more firmly and picked me up all the way. He slid himself out before sitting back in my chair, settling me on top of him. I made a face at him. “Let me hold you for a minute,” he said.

I nodded. “Are you calmer now?” I asked. He nodded as his arms snaked around my waist. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I need to find you another bodyguard on top of everything else,” he sighed.

“What?” I asked incredulously. Did he mean that Azeron was no longer going to be with me? Did he decide to go back to Serenity Waters after what happened?

Liam’s hands gently wandered underneath my shirt and played over my back. “I clearly didn’t choose the right person to protect you.”

“Wait, are you telling me that you are firing him?” I blurted out. Liam nodded.

“I have to, Little Luna. My father is dead, and they almost got you. I can’t let that go,” he said. His eyes were distant as he spoke. He was looking at me, but he wasn’t connecting with me.

“Absolutely not!” I said, crossing my arms. “You will not send Azeron away.”

My words seemed to bring him back. His eyes narrowed. “I can and I will! I am the Alpha of this pack!”

“And I am the Luna. Azeron left with my permission. I chose to go with Robert alone!” I argued. He seemed to be getting frustrated, but I wasn’t stopping. “You trusted Robert to watch over me before, and this should have been no different!”

“Azalea, my father is dead. If Azeron had been there-”

“They probably would have sent more than two!” His eyes went wide at my words. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out to contradict me. “You can’t be so blind about all of this. They were waiting for me to come! They knew Greyback had that box, and they wanted what was in it. When I walked in and asked to get into it, I’m sure they were alerted. There is no way that was not planned.”

I held Liam’s gaze, not wavering on this. Liam closed his eyes and let out a sharp breath. Without a word, he lifted me from his lap and set me on my feet. He stood and pulled his clothes back in place. Without a single glance, he stormed out of my office, slamming the door on his way out.

My chest felt tight at his reaction, but he had to come to his senses. He was entitled to his feelings about what happened; he was justified in mourning the loss of his father. He was not allowed to be an illogical i***t and lash out at everyone around him. I pulled my clothes back on and sat down.

The door opened softly, and Felix popped his head in a few minutes later. He had a wary look on his face. “Everything is fine,” I sighed.

He came into the room and sat in the chair near the door. “Sorry about all that,” I said, pulling my phone from my desk drawer. Liam had caught me off guard, but I didn’t want him to see what I was doing.

Felix pulled out a book and resumed reading as I pretended to be busy myself. I snickered once again at the baby book in his hand. He was really excited for this pup.

I turned my attention to my phone and reread the most recent message.

UNKOWN

| So the wolfless little mate is braver than I thought. I must admit, the fact that you have continually escaped my grasp is somewhat irksome but also intriguing; I will entertain this little request. As meeting in person would be foolish on both sides, you will need to acquire a witch to complete a projection spell. Do respond when you have made your decision and collected your witch.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I read the message over again. My plan had worked, and he got my message. Warwick was amenable to speaking with me; now, all I had to do was convince him to put a stop to all this. First, I had to find a witch without Liam finding out what I needed them to do.