AXEL

Lemon recorded receipts in her book at the counter while I sat on the couch flipping through a magazine. I had no idea what was on any of the pages because my eyes hadn’t left her since we finished lunch. She kept looking over at me too, blushing, then her eyes would go right back to her book.

Tomorrow, I was taking her out on our first official date. I knew that we had basically been dating this entire time with all the time we spent together, but this would be better. I was taking her to the city for the night, and I was determined to k**s her before the night’s end. I held off, for now, letting her have control, but I needed to taste her soon. I would show her an amazing time, then blow her mind before I dropped her home.

My phone rang in my pocket, and I fished it out, answering without looking. “Axel,” Luna’s voice said. She sounded uneasy.

“Luna,” I said, sitting up straighter.

“Vampires are attacking the pack,” she said quickly. Her voice was commanding, but there was no calm in it. “I need you to make sure the town is safe and get here if you can. We need all the help we can get.”

“Understood,” I said. I stood to my feet, discarding the magazine and hanging up the phone. Lemon was looking at me with questioning eyes. I started sending out messages to everyone with instructions.

“Come on, you’re going to my house,” I told her.

“Wait, why?” she asked, forgetting about her work. She turned to me as I came to the counter.

“The pack is being attacked. I need to get you safe so I can go help,” I told her quickly.

“Attacked? By who?” she continued to question. “I can’t leave the inn.”

I sighed. “By vampires,” I told her quietly. Her eyes got impossibly wide. “Yes, like the ones that came here and attacked you. So far, they haven’t come to town, so I need to go to the pack and stop them before they can.”Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

“Axel, I can’t just leave the inn. There are guests here and employees,” she said, looking toward the stairs.

“Fine, I’ll send someone here to keep an eye on things. Don’t let anyone leave; keep everyone inside, okay?”

She nodded her head slowly. I turned on my heel and headed to the door, wasting no more time. “Wait!” she called out. I looked back at her. Her eyes were misty, and she was biting her l*p.

“Axel, you have to come back,” she said softly.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I told her. I wasn’t going to let anything separate us; I wasn’t going to let the vampires stop me from getting back here when I just finally got her to agree to be mine.

“No, you have to come back because I think I’m falling in love with you,” she whispered, but I heard her loud and clear. I think my heart stopped at her words. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, and I could see her cheeks getting red. She didn’t mean to say that out loud, but it was the best accident ever. I flipped around and closed the distance between us in a few long strides.

Lemon looked up at me with wide, doe eyes as she slowly lowered her hand from her mouth. I grabbed her face, threading my fingers through the soft hair at the nape of her neck. Her breath hitched, and I pulled her to me. I crashed my mouth over hers in a heated k**s. She was frozen for a minute before she kissed me back.

Her lips felt like magic on mine, and I was getting drunk on the feeling. Finally, I pulled away, and she was breathing hard. “I’ll be back to make sure you finish falling,” I said softly before turning and leaving the inn. I went around back, straight to the trees with more determination than minutes before. No vampire was going to keep me from getting back to my girl.

AZALEA

Quinn and Lily were waiting around for me. Quinn brought some of her work to show Lily and me, and I was dying to read it. I couldn’t imagine how she wrote about wolves and got away with it.

I finished signing all the tax documents for Lemon and shoved them back in the envelope so they could be sent back over to the inn. I sighed tucking my hair behind my ears. I sifted through my to-do pile, making sure there was nothing left of immediate importance.

“Azalea,” Liam’s voice sounded in my head. He didn’t sound normal; he was alert and panicky. “Vampires are attacking our pack. Please stay with Felix. I sent Austin to get my mom and the kids. Maddox is with Missy, but I’ll get to her, too.”

I stopped moving entirely. Vampires were here? I looked at Felix, who looked to be linking someone else himself. My mind immediately went into action.

“Okay, I’ll call Axel so he can make sure everyone in town is protected and get here to help,” I told him. The town sat in between us and Warwick, which is why Maddox landed there before getting to the pack land when he returned with Langston. If vampires came from Warwick’s hiding spot, then the town could be attacked as well.

“I love you, Little Luna.” That sounded like goodbye; I didn’t like my mate saying goodbye.

“And I love you, My Alpha. Come back to me.” I looked to Felix, trying to prioritize everything in my head. Austin was on his way to the kids, and I knew he would get them and Lyssa back to the packhouse. Axel needed to be informed in case any vampires came close to town. Missy and Maddox were at home, and Liam would get to them. Damien was with Liam, so surely he would have told Quinn and Lily to get people inside the packhouse. Liam probably already had the warriors in motion to get other pack members here.

I picked up my phone and dialed Axel while Felix still looked to be having a conversation; he probably linked Lacey or maybe even Sean. Axel didn’t take much explanation before we were off the phone, and I knew he was in motion as well.

As I hung up, I looked down at the watch on my wrist. This thing was supposed to level the playing field for me somehow; I wasn’t completely helpless now. My gaze moved to Felix. “We need to get you to safety,” he said.

“I want to help,” I told him. Warwick was here for Liam and me. There was no doubt his strategy would be to kill me in front of Liam before killing him.

“Luna, we have no idea how we are being attacked,” he said.

“What if this watch is the solution? What if I am the only one that can stop Warwick, Felix?” I asked him. His gaze stayed level, not changing, but I knew he was considering my words. Just then, I heard Liam linking again; this time, it wasn’t to me but the whole pack. I had no idea he could connect with so many people at once.

“Felix, get me to Liam,” I told him. “Help me get to my mate and stop this Sire. Warwick will either send someone here for me or come himself if I am in the packhouse. Get me away from everyone we are trying to keep safe.”

Felix frowned this time. I knew I was right, and he knew it too. A pounding on my door stopped him from responding. He held up a hand to me, telling me to stay put behind my desk. I nodded, my hand moving to the back of my h*p where the small dagger was in a sheath. Felix cautiously moved to the door, but his posture relaxed before he opened it. When the door swung open, Azeron appeared in the doorway.

“Luna,” he said, entering my office.

“I want to get to Liam. I need your help,” I pleaded with them. Azeron looked at Felix, clearly questioning my decision. Felix’s eyes went wide, and I was worried about his expression for the first time since he was assigned to me.

“Lacey is going into labor,” he whispered.

“You need to go to her, now,” I told him. “She needs you!”

“Luna,” he said, shaking his head.

“No, Felix!” I shouted. “Go to Lacey. Azeron will get me to my mate.” Felix looked at Azeron, who nodded.

Felix sighed. “She’s right. If she is here, Warwick will come for her, and that puts everyone here in danger. Get her to Liam,” he instructed. Azeron nodded his understanding. “Do not let her get hurt, Azeron. She is your responsibility now.”

“Felix, get to Lacey,” I told him more earnestly this time. He nodded his head and moved swiftly from my office. Azeron turned to me, waiting for instructions.

“Liam was down by the training ground with Damien earlier. Warwick will certainly come to the packhouse first. He will come straight for me; I know it. I need to get to Liam’s side so that I can help him fight Warwick,” I told Azeron. His eyes floated down to my wrist. “Has Felix been keeping you updated then?”

Azeron nodded. “I hope I have not overstepped. I came to this pack to protect you. I recognize I misstepped previously, but I will not allow you to get hurt because of it.”

“I’m glad you are here, Azeron,” I told him. Knowing that he already knew what had been going on since Robert’s death and his dismissal made this easier. “If the Moon Goddess is on our side, then I could stop Warwick with the help of this. But I need to get there, and I have no idea how many vampires we are dealing with.”

“Understood,” Azeron said. “We will move together. You should stay directly behind me but be prepared to run.”

I nodded. “ I can do that,” I told him, coming around my desk. I pulled the small knife Felix gave me from its holder, and Azeron chuckled.

“Let’s hope you don’t need that,” he said. We exited my office, and I followed his direction keeping right behind him. As we moved, pack members were rushing up the stairs, heading to the safe room that was in the packhouse. Luckily, our safe room took up most of the floor and could accommodate a few hundred people, more if needed.

As we hit the ground floor, I could hear warriors shouting directions to others. It didn’t sound like we were being assaulted by a mob descending on us because a lot of pack members were being pushed into the packhouse doors. My heart clenched, looking at the worried looks of she-wolves holding their pups close as they moved to safety. Fire bloomed in my belly; I would not allow my pack to be hurt like this without repercussion.

I grabbed onto the back of Azeron’s shirt as we headed out the back door. I didn’t want to be separated before we even got out of the packhouse. When we got outside, I could see warriors forming a gaping perimeter around the packhouse, ushering people to hurry as they headed to us. There wasn’t anyone attacking us here yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Azeron moved quickly, and I struggled to keep up with him. This was no time to ask him to slow his pace. As we closed in on the warriors standing between us and the path to the training ground, I felt a burning pain rip its way down my spine.

“Ah!” I screamed, stumbling. Azeron turned quickly, grabbing me, so I didn’t hit the ground.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly.

I knew this pain; I felt it before. “Liam,” I croaked, trying to push it away. “I need to get to Liam now!” This wasn’t the plan. Liam wasn’t supposed to get hurt and certainly wasn’t supposed to be hit with wolfsbane. I knew I could heal him, but it could leave me too weak to do anything about Warwick. I could give the watch to Liam, though.

Azeron pulled me to my feet as I breathed through the pain. “Can you move?” he asked. Gritting my teeth, I nodded. We moved again, this time, Azeron staying by my side and much slower.

No one tried to stop us or send me back to the packhouse to safety. My spine was on fire, and I hoped Liam had someone with him. If Damien ran off to help warriors or go to Lily or the kids, Liam could be in trouble. Azeron smelled it only moments before I did, but I could see multiple vampires as the training ground came into view. Someone was hacking them to bits, and I knew by his size it was Damien. A body sat hunched over on the ground, and I feared it was my mate.

After the last vampire dropped, Damien took off. Azeron looked down at me, worried. “I can heal Liam; just get me to him, now!” I said. Our pace was gradually slowing as the burning seemed only to grow worse. Azeron nodded before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

“Sorry, Luna,” he muttered before he started running. He ran the remaining distance to the sparring ring, stopping abruptly before letting me slide down to my feet. I turned, collapsing to my knees, where Liam lay grunting in pain.

“I’m here,” I told him, grabbing his head in my hands. Damien arrived dripping in b***d and holding two deadly-looking axes. “I’m here, Liam; just hold on.”