“If you go up that flight of stairs and take a right, you will find your room on the left side of the hall,” Lemon said sweetly, handing the man on the opposite side of the counter his room key.

“Is it too late to get dinner? I am afraid I wasn’t able to stop during my travels today,” he asked her. His voice was calm and warm. Nothing was threatening about the man as I eyed him carefully.

“Our dinner service just ended for the evening, but I would be happy to ask the staff to put something together for you before they leave,” Lemon told him.

“Oh, no. There is no need to go to the trouble. I am sure there is a restaurant still open in this charming little town,” he assured Lemon.

“Yes, sir, there is a diner about three blocks from here. They are open late every night and have a pretty wide-ranging menu,” Lemon informed him. She was exceptionally good with customers.

“Thank you,” he said, tipping his hat at her. He turned to head towards his room.

“I would be happy to have a conversation with you both,” his voice spoke in my head again. “This diner sounds like a nice place to have a cup of coffee and introduce myself.” I looked at Felix, who was still bewildered. When he realized I was looking at him, he shook his head.

“I’m calling the Alpha,” he said quietly to me.

“No, you aren’t!” I told him quickly. “I am Luna, and I can handle this just fine without my mate. Now, let’s get the kids settled, then you can go with me to speak with the man.” I let my Luna tone slip out as I glared at Felix, who glared right back. He was struggling because of his loyalty to Liam and his inability to defy me. He let out a slight growl, but I didn’t drop his gaze.

“Fine,” he finally gritted out. I turned back to Lemon, who was doing something on the computer.

“Lemon, how long has that man booked a room for?” I asked her.

She looked over at me. “Actually, he has it reserved for a whole month. When he made the reservation, he said he was in the area on business,” she said.

“Okay,” I said, nodding. “I am going to take the rest of that pizza back to the kids and get them put up for the night. I will see you first thing in the morning,” I told her, trying to act normally. She smiled and nodded.

I nudged Felix, and we moved from behind the counter and towards the dining room, where Junior should be munching away on his pizza. He was on his second slice when we came over to the table. “Hey bud, let’s take this back to share with your sister and Maddox, okay?” I suggested. He nodded, sliding off the chair with his slice still in his hand. I grabbed the round tray holding the pizza and led us through the kitchen to the back door.

When we got back to the cottage, Missy and Maddox were watching tv, sharing a blanket on the couch. “We brought pizza!” Junior announced as we came through the door. I set the pizza down on the coffee table in front of the couch, and Junior plopped down next to them, reaching for his third slice. Missy and Maddox also went to dig in immediately.

“Missy, Felix and I need to go meet with someone. Can you all stay here until I get back?” I asked her. She nodded at me, her mouth full of food.

I turned around and went back over to Felix, who stood by the door. “Have one of the extra warriors that my mate sent along with us stay right by,” I told him in a hushed tone.

“Already done,” he confirmed as he opened the door for me to exit. To prevent any more grumblings from Felix, I went to the front and headed for the car. Wordlessly, he followed my lead, getting in the driver’s seat.

When we arrived at the diner, we walked in to see the man already seated at a table, a glass of water in front of him while he looked over a menu. Felix was tense behind me as I strode towards the table. I sat down across from the man to be met with an interesting pair of eyes. He was a thin man with a strong jawline, handsome almost. He was pale with dark hair, but his eyes stood out the most. They were white. I had never seen anything like it. Felix sat in the chair next to me, not giving me any space. The man looked in between both of us.

“I guess some introductions are in order. My name is Theodore,” he said smoothly. “By appearance alone, I would assume you are Alpha and Luna of the territory I have come into?”

“My name is Azalea; I am the Luna of B***d Eclipse,” I said calmly. Theodore’s expression morphed into one of curiosity at my words. “You don’t need to know who he is,” I said, waving my hand dismissively at Felix.

“So, he is not your mate?” Theodore said, raising an eyebrow.

“No, this is not my mate,” I told him.

“Did you say B***d Eclipse?” he clarified. I nodded my head.

“Does that interest you?” I questioned.

“Yes, actually. Among my people, your pack holds significant value,” he said. I kept my expression neutral, but my curiosity peaked. I wished I could link Felix to see if he knew what Theodore was speaking about.

“As you didn’t know who I am, is it safe for me to assume that you didn’t know where you are?” I asked him.Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

He shook his head, giving me a small smile. “I did not know if you can believe me. I did not lie to your associate at the Inn; I am here for work purposes.”

“Did it not concern you that the entire area smells of my pack members?” I looked over him seriously.

“Only for my own safety. Although I never renounced my clan, I have not been in contact with them for many, many years now. I do not wish to be associated with their dealings any longer,” he explained. I tried to keep my features neutral while I was internally sputtering. Clans? I guess that is the equivalent of our packs. And he clearly knows about werewolves and somehow about our specific pack. How far do I press for information? How do I even determine if he is harmless or not?

Before I could ask anything else, a waitress came over to take his order. I declined her offer to bring anything and waited for her to move away so we could continue speaking. I resolved to be direct. It wasn’t like me to be sneaky or deceptive. “Should I trust you?” I asked, c*****g my head to the side slightly.

A smile crept onto his face. It was hauntingly handsome. “I like you. You are direct. Only you can decide to trust me or not, though. I will promise you: I mean no harm to your pack or the humans in this town. Like I said before, I am here for work purposes.”

I looked sideways at Felix, who was openly glaring at Theodore. For some reason, I trusted his words. Liam always says I am too trusting, but something in me knew he was honest. “What is your business here?” I asked him.

“I am an architect. I am here working with a contractor on some renovations to the same Inn we met in,” he told me. That would explain the month’s stay at the Inn.

“Do you always work so closely on your projects? I mean, once the plans are drawn up and approved, shouldn’t your task be finished?” I questioned.

“Yes, usually,” he chuckled. “But the contractor mentioned that there were some more difficult attributes to the remodel and is sending out a very green foreman. Since I have worked with this contractor for a long time now, I agreed to come here to supervise the work and make any adjustments necessary with little hiccup.” I nodded my head slowly.

“You do realize that I will have to inform my mate about your presence here, and you will be watched during your stay?” I asked him. I internally rolled my eyes as I thought about telling Liam about Theodore. I knew it wasn’t going to go over well. I would need to hold off for now.

“I would expect nothing less,” he said with a smirk. “Do you have any more questions for me? I would hazard a guess that you have never met a vampire, being so young and from B***d Eclipse no less.” What did he mean? What does our pack have to do with vampires? I felt like I needed to talk to Liam about this. He had never mentioned vampires, ever. I honestly was not even sure they still existed before today.

“No, not today. It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Theodore. I am sure we will be speaking again soon. I will leave you to eat your meal,” I told him, rising from my chair. He gave me a warm smile as the waitress brought his plate over. Felix was up immediately and behind me, blocking me from Theodore’s gaze.

As we left the diner, I turned my head to Felix, “Tell Axel that I would like someone to keep an eye on our guest for the time being. Do not make him aware of who or what he is for now. And you will let me talk to my mate.” This time, I didn’t use any of my Luna tone, but I hoped Felix would listen all the same.

It was dark out now as we climbed into the car, and Felix drove us back to the Inn. When we got back to the cottage, Junior was fast asleep with his head in Maddox’s lap. Missy was leaning against his shoulder, looking almost asleep as well. His eyes came up to me as I entered and closed the door softly behind me. I gave him a warm smile.

“Why don’t I just get him to bed?” I whispered, motioning to Junior.

“No, Luna. It would be best if you didn’t lift him,” he said quickly. “I can do it.”

He shook Missy gently and woke her up. “Oh, Lea. You’re back,” she said groggily.

“You all should head to bed. I am sure you will find plenty to do tomorrow. You can show Maddox around town,” I said softly. She nodded and looked down at Junior.

“I can get him,” Maddox said, shifting to scoop Junior up. He pulled my sleeping boy into his arms as he stood, Missy following him. They shuffled over to the doorway leading to the extra bedrooms that Liam had added to the cottage.

“Put Liam and Leo together so Maddox can have his own room,” I called to them as they disappeared.

I sighed, watching them walk away and hugging my arms to my body. I cleaned up the couch and coffee table, folding the blankets back up and laying them over the back of the couch, clearing the pizza dishes. I locked the door, knowing that Felix would be heading to bed soon himself and sending patrols over to watch the cottage.

After changing into some pajamas, I climbed into bed and pulled out my cell phone. There was a message from Liam from a while ago.

MY ALPHA

| Everything alright?

ME

| Everything is fine. I miss you.

MY ALPHA

| I miss you too Little Luna. Are you going to bed?

ME

| Yes. Kids just went to bed as well.

MY ALPHA

| Did you lock the door?

I chuckled at his concern. He always worried too much.

ME

| Yes, My Alpha. Doors are locked and I am sure someone is outside already. You should also get some sleep.

MY ALPHA

| I can’t sleep without you in my arms.

ME

| I can’t say I am a fan either.

MY ALPHA

| I love you, Azalea

ME

| I love you too, Liam