Missy

After we made dinner and ate, I helped clean the dishes and put everything away. Lyssa seemed distracted while we worked. Robert took the boys out in the yard to play. It was starting to get late, and I knew I needed to find an excuse to go to my room soon so they would think I was done for the evening.

I dried the last plate and placed it in the cabinet. “Uh, I am tired from school. I think I am just going to lay down for the night,” I said, trying to excuse myself.

“Oh, uh, sure dear. Go lay down,” Lyssa said, stirring from her thoughts. She gave me a tight smile and I left the kitchen to head upstairs to my room. Robert and Lyssa had 2 extra rooms for all of us. One had bunk beds for Junior and Leo and the other was for me. It was on the backside of the house and had a small balcony. All I had to do was wait for Robert to bring the boys in for the night and I could sneak out from there.

-How much longer?

I looked at my phone to see V’s text message.

-Not much. Just waiting until the coast is clear.

I put on some music at a low volume so Lyssa and Robert wouldn’t get suspicious. Then I grabbed a few extra pillows from the closet and stuffed them under the blankets, trying to make it look like a body. When I was satisfied with my work, I checked to see if anyone was still outside.

-Coast is clear. Let’s go princess!

-So impatient!

I smiled at my phone. It was almost thrilling to be sneaking out. And getting to spend time with V was even better. I took one last look at my decoy before I slipped out the door to the balcony and closed it almost all the way. I went to the side of the balcony and lifted myself over the railing, carefully lowering myself down the side. When I got my feet on the ground, I crouched down low to avoid being seen through any windows and ran quickly through the side yard and towards the neighboring house. Once I was past the next house I stood up to full height and sprinted towards the road to find V. He was supposed to be parked somewhere down the road to keep away from the house. When I finally spotted his car, he was sitting on the trunk, playing with his cellphone.

When he noticed me, he jumped down and I could see him smiling brightly. I stopped in front of him, a little out of breath. “Hey,” I said between pants.

“Hey there, princess. Or should I say rule breaker?” he laughed.

“Okay, I’m out. Let’s go before someone gets suspicious,” I said. He gave me a boyish grin and nodded. We got in his car and he quickly took off out of my grandparents’ neighborhood. “So where are we going?” I asked after we drove for a few minutes.

“Into the city. I thought I would take you to a movie and then maybe grab dinner,” he said with a charming smile. He reached over and grabbed my hand. I relaxed I to the seat, ready to enjoy a date with my boyfriend.

Azalea

When we got to the Inn, Lemon was gone so I was spared pertinent business conversations for the night. Liam tried to leave me behind with Felix, claiming he wasn’t going to bring his pregnant mate after the events of the previous night. I was not going to take his patronizing behavior.

“Liam, I went with you last time! Nothing happened at all!” I argued with him.

“No Azalea. You’ve barely had any sleep,” he said.

“I am fine, Liam. I’m Luna and I am going with you,” I said, holding my ground. Felix stood behind him at the door to the cottage apartment that I lived in so many years ago. It had changed with the additions to our family, but it still felt like home away from home.

Liam shook his head in frustration. “I want you to stay here. I am not going to continually put you in harm’s way because you want to be stubborn.”

My temper surged at that. “Stubborn? Liam Blackfur, that is rich coming from you,” I yelled. Felix had the good sense to silently edge out the door and leave us alone.

“Azalea, I am allowed to be concerned for my mate!” he shot back.Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

“And I am allowed to accompany you to handle pack matters as your mate!” I argued. He turned away from me, running his hand through his hair. This was a distinct sign that I was flustering him. He took a deep breath and his shoulders slumped, but it didn’t make my own anger subside. He turned back around and closed the distance between us. His hands came up, wrapping themselves around the back of my neck gently holding my face.

He let out another sigh, his eyes bearing down into mine. “Why are you so adamant?” he asked softly.

“Because if I am not, you won’t let me do anything,” I told him. His eyes scanned mine, searching for something.

“I hate putting you in danger,” he said softly.

“I know. But I don’t think this is as dangerous as you fear. I think these groups are telling the truth and we need to help them,” I reasoned. He leaned his forehead against mine and a small smile danced onto his lips. “What?” I asked him.

“After everything we have been through, you have been through, you are still the most caring and selfless she-wolf. I love that about you,” he whispered. My anger faded at that and my heart melted a little at his words.

“Just let me help, Liam. Please?” I asked, looking up at him through my lashes.

“I’m not winning this one, am I?” he retorted. I smiled and shook my head. “Alright, fine. But you must promise me to eat and sleep when we are done,” he bargained.

“Okay,” I said. The satisfaction of my victory did not feel particularly good when I realized just how distressed his expression was. I put my hands up to his face and pulled it down to mine, letting my lips touch his gently. “I don’t need to be locked up in a tower. And you are handling things much better than you are giving yourself credit for,” I told him softly. “Will you feel better if I ate something now?”

“Yes,” he murmured, his eyes closed, forehead tilted against mine.

“Okay,” I agreed. I wasn’t really hungry with my stomach being in knots since last night, but I could choke down a few bites of something to make him feel better.

–

After eating some of the food that Marci had packed before we left, Liam, Felix, and I headed into town. Axel and a few warriors had the rogue group in a special room at the Mayor’s offices. When Liam decided to invest in the infrastructure of the town and help expand the Inn, he met with the Mayor and told him about werewolves. Generally, we do not tell humans of our existence to keep them out of our affairs, but he wanted his cooperation in helping the town expand and grow. There had also been some rumors after I was abducted that were hard to overcome. Afterall, I had lived here for 3 years before Liam came back into my life and then I pretty much disappeared.

Liam and the Mayor had an amicable relationship. The Mayor didn’t want to know anything that wasn’t pertinent to the safety of the humans in town. Liam was a proponent of this ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ exchange between them, always careful to tell the Mayor anything he did need to know. When we arrived, no one was in the building other than our warriors.

“Alpha, Luna,” Axel said greeting us both. Felix followed behind us. He and Axel exchanged nods. “We have them held in a room for now. Should we ask one to speak as a representative for the group?”

“Yes, please do,” Liam said. His face was blank and posture a little tense. He was in Alpha mode. I didn’t hold onto him, knowing that my touch would probably only add to his stress and worry at the moment with how much he and Gavin hated bringing me around potentially dangerous situations.

Two of the warriors left us to retrieve a representative for the group while Liam, Felix, and I went to another room suited for interrogation. Liam had some renovations done with the Mayor’s permission that allowed us some space for situations like these. We also had a few holding cells in a secret basement under the building, but we had yet to ever need them.

When the warriors returned, they led in a scraggly man. He was short and thin, his hair long and dirty. When he laid eyes on Liam and me, he bowed in respect. “Alpha, Luna,” he greeted quietly.

“What is your name?” Liam asked.

“Ralph,” the wolf said.

“What pack are you from?”

The man looked at us with sad eyes. “We no longer have a pack,” he said.

“Why is that?” Liam asked.

“Our pack was attacked, decimated. It was burned to the ground but not before our Alpha and Luna were brutally killed in front of us,” he explained. His voice was a little strangled as he spoke.

“Axel, how many are in the group?” Liam asked, directing his question away from the man in front of him.

“Three men, three women, and ten children of varying ages,” Axel reported.

“Are the members of your group all related?” Liam asked him.

Ralph shook his head. “No, not all of us. My pup is with me and one of the she-wolves has her mate and two pups. Otherwise, we simply found each other after we were all able to escape. We couldn’t leave our pack members behind,” he explained. Liam nodded his head, thinking.

“Have you sought acceptance into any other packs?” I asked him. His eyes came to me. He was confident, I noticed. Not afraid to hold our gaze.

“Yes, Luna, we have. We have been denied by the few other packs we have found along the way,” he admitted.

“What will you do if we also deny your request?” I asked.

“We will leave here peacefully and continue until we find a pack to accept us. We are not rogues. We do not wish anyone harm. We never dreamed of leaving our pack,” he told me. I looked up at Liam.

“Liam, they are exactly like the others…” I linked him. He gave me no response. His face looked like he was weighing our options.

“Felix, is there open accommodations at this Inn currently?” Liam finally asked.

“Yes, Alpha,” he said in his low baritone voice.

“Ralph, are you willing to cooperate with us fully until we can determine you are not a threat to our pack?” Liam asked the man this time.

“Yes, of course, Alpha,” he said quickly. “Anything we can do.”

“To begin, I want the name and location of your former pack, the name of your Alpha and Luna, then all the names and birthdays of your group members,” Liam demanded. Ralph nodded.

“Axel, would you get him some paper please?” I asked. He nodded and left the room.

“We will accommodate you until we can verify your claims and make our decision. We will provide a few rooms as well as some meals and clothes, if any of your group members need,” Liam told Ralph.

“Thank you so much, Alpha,” Ralph with tears in his eyes. A look of relief washed over his features.

“If we can corroborate your claims, we will consider making you members of your pack. If that happens, we will assist you in finding jobs and securing permanent lodging,” Liam said. He turned away from the man and to me. He tilted his head, giving me the indication that we should leave.

“Ralph, does anyone in your group need any other assistance?” I asked, breaking Liam’s gaze.

“Well, I hate to ask but one of the children is hurt. I believe his arm to be broken but he hasn’t let us try to help him. He is one of the older children that found us. We are afraid he is an orphan as well,” Ralph said.

“Azalea, no,” Liam warned in my head. I ignored him. Axel returned with paper and a pen in his hand.

“Axel, can you please take me to the others?” I asked. Liam’s glare was sending chills down my spine, but I did my best to ignore it. Axel looked between Liam and I with a panicked expression. I am sure he didn’t know who he was supposed to listen to.

“Axel, there is a member of the group that is hurt, and no one realized. I would like to look at the boy before I leave for the night to determine if he needs immediate medical attention,” I said a little more sternly this time.

“Goddess, Azalea don’t even think about it. You are pregnant!” Liam threatened in my head. Axel nodded, swallowing hard. He turned and left the room and I followed him quickly before I could be stopped. Felix was right on my heels. Axel led me to another room that had a few warriors around. He opened the door and we stepped inside. Felix and the warriors in the hall were eager to follow inside.

“Good evening. My name is Azalea, and I am the Luna of B***d Eclipse. Your traveling companion, Ralph, told me there was a young man amongst you that may have a broken arm?” I said to the group gently. All their eyes were on me. One of the women stood up.

“Yes, Luna. Maddox,” she said pointing. I turned the young man and gave him a warm smile.

“Maddox, would you please come here?” I asked gently. The boy was probably around 16-17 like Missy. I assumed he was not quite 17 because the group still counted him as a child. He had a hard look on his face, clearly not trusting me. One of the other males near him pulled him up and pushed him towards me.

“Sorry, Luna. He doesn’t mean any disrespect,” the woman who had pointed him out said.

“That is alright,” I said, giving her a smile. “I am a stranger after all. I would like to look at his arm and then my men will escort your group to our local Inn where we will accommodate you for now. I will have some food sent to you and anyone needing clothes we can get that resolved as well.”

The woman gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you, Goddess,” she whispered. There were smiles all around the room. I turned to Maddox who stood in front of me with a surly look on his face.

“Maddox, I have a special… gift that may allow me to help you. Can I please see your arm? I promise I will not hurt you. If I cannot help you, I can certainly get a doctor to come see you,” I said gently. He clicked his tongue at me. He held my gaze for a moment but when I didn’t relent, he finally did. He turned his body slightly towards me, holding up his left arm slightly. I felt Felix move behind me.

Reaching forward slowly, I rand my hand down his arm as gently as I could. When I reached a purple and black patch of skin, he winced. “I’m fine,” he grumbled. I didn’t listen to him because it was clear he was not. I laid one hand overtop the bruised skin while I held his arm from underneath with my other. His face grew pale as I am sure my touch hurt. I closed my eyes and focused on his injury, letting my gift work its magic. I could feel my already tired body grow heavy as the warmth flowed from me to him. As I held him, I could feel him relax in my grip. I stopped a bit prematurely, feeling dizzy now.

“There, that should help for now. I will arrange for you to see a doctor by the morning, okay?” I said in a low voice trying to hide my exhaustion. We had found that my abilities were stifled while I was pregnant, taking a much higher toll on me physically than normal. Maddox had a slight look of astonishment and there was awe on the faces around the room.

“If you will all excuse me, I have some arrangements to make for you,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. I turned slowly and the warriors parted to let me walk from the room. My steps were slow and measured as I tried to hold onto consciousness until I was out of their sight.

“Luna,” Felix growled from behind me as the door closed. I didn’t have time to respond as darkness swept over me.