Azalea

Showering was a chore. Liam must still be frustrated because he didn’t even try to get in with me. When I started moving around, a dull pain started randomly striking along my side. I tried to ignore it.

When I came out of the bathroom, Liam was leaning against the kitchen counter on his phone. I went to the closet, where I put my bag to get dressed. I pulled on a loose-fitting, baby pink dress and grabbed a pair of simple white sandals. When I exited the closet, Liam set down a plate with a muffin on it and a glass of juice on the table. I smiled as I came over to him. “Cranberry?” I asked. He nodded with his own smile. I sat down and started picking the muffin apart. “Are you coming with me to Amy’s?” I asked.

“I thought I would. Now that I am here, I might as well stay until you go back,” he said.

“Who is in charge?”

“Damien. But I tasked Lily with watching him,” he told me. I nodded as I chewed on the fluffy muffin.

“How much time do we have?” I asked him. He checked his phone.

“We should leave here soon,” he said.

“We should call the kids in and get them cleaned up. I can only imagine what they have been doing all morning,” I laughed.

–

We pulled into Amy’s driveway right at two o’clock. Junior and Leo were gushing about their morning with Maddox. They seemed to like him, which only made me like him more. Liam helped me out of the car while the boys all climbed out. Leo jumped onto Maddox’s back, and I laughed at his spunk. When we knocked on the door, Amy answered and pulled me into a big hug.

“Look at all of you!” she said happily after she released me. “But wait, who’s this?” her eyes went to Maddox.

“Amy, this is Maddox. He is a friend of Missy’s,” I introduced him. “Maddox, this is my very good friend Amy.”

“Hello, ma’am,” he smiled at her.

“Ma’am? Well, I like him! Come on in, guys,” she said quickly. I led the way into the house. “Just go to the backyard. Missy, Lemon, and the kids are already outside playing!” Amy called behind us. I followed her direction and went through the house to the back sliding doors. The curtain was drawn on them, so I couldn’t see through as we stepped outside.

“SURPRISE!” multiple voices called. Surprised I was as I looked around. A small group stood on Amy’s deck where a banner that said, “BOY OR GIRL? WHO CARES, GET IT OUT!” hung above everyone’s heads. I let out a laugh.

“Amy, what is this?” I asked her.

“A baby shower, of course!” she gushed. I looked at Liam, who had a horrified look on his face. He was excused from the last couple of baby showers, too overwhelmed by women and their baby craze. Abi came running up to me.

“Aunt Ayla!” she greeted me excitedly.

“There’s my Abi girl,” I said warmly. She grabbed my hand.

“Come on!” she pulled me into the party. I looked back at Liam and suppressed a giggle. He was giving Amy an angry look, and she just smiled at him victoriously. She knew this was not exactly his idea of fun.

–

The party was fun and far lower key than the first two baby showers Amy had previously arranged. We played a few silly games and ate some delicious food. Lemon and Liam argued about whether we were having a boy or girl. Liam was on the side of a girl while Lemon decided our boys were the most handsome things and more of them needed to be in the world. Abi ran off with Missy and Maddox after the cake was served, and the boys played with Amy’s younger two children. Amy invited Lemon as well as a few of the wolf families in town. The group was small, but everyone was enjoying themselves.

Since this was our third pup, there were no presents for the baby. Lemon and Amy got together and got me a gift certificate for an “Expecting Mommy Massage” at a spa in the city. It was a sweet gift, and Liam promised to take me soon.

“Amy, did you invite the old man?” I asked her while we sat munching on our dessert seconds.

“Yea, but he was just like ‘you’ve seen one pup, you’ve seen ‘em all’ so I took that as a no,” she told me. I guessed it couldn’t be helped much. He was getting much older, and now that I was in charge of the Inn, he barely left his little house in the woods. He wasn’t fond of children either. I made a mental note to have Axel check up on him more regularly for me. It crossed my mind that we were lucky that Mr. Greyback didn’t come to the Inn much anymore because Theodore could have been a big problem for him. He had to be old enough to have experienced the war in some way.

“So, are we going to dish about the boy?” Amy asked. Lemon and I looked at each other and laughed. Liam, who was pretending not to pay attention, stiffened a little.

“She claims that Vlad is still the one, but I could tell something is going on in that heart of hers with Maddox,” Lemon said.

“How long has she known this one? I don’t recall Lea ever mentioning a Maddox before,” Amy said.

“She has only known him a few weeks. He just moved here,” I told her. “They became friends pretty quickly, though.”

“They are pretty cute together,” Lemon said. I laughed.Content rights belong to .

“She seems to be herself around him. It looks like their friendship is effortless,” Amy observed. We all had our eyes on the small group sitting on the lawn near the back fence. Maddox sat close to Missy, but she seemed relaxed with him right by her. My eyes wandered over to Liam, who was now also looking at Missy and Maddox. I wish I could read his mind to know how he felt about the Missy-Maddox-Vlad conundrum.

“I guess we’ll just have to see,” I mused.

–

When we finally got back to the Inn, I decided to find Lacey. We took the kids back to the cottage, and Felix was waiting for us. I tried to tell him he did not need to be there, but he wouldn’t listen.

“Talk to him,” I linked Liam before storming out of the cottage and up to the Inn. My frustration didn’t last long as the pain stirred in my side the farther I walked. I slowed my pace and tried to ignore it as I got to the back door.

I made my way inside and to the front desk to look up which room Lacey was staying in. Luckily for me, she was sitting on one of the couches in the front, reading something on her tablet.

“Hard at work?” I asked as I came up to her.

“Something like that,” she sighed.

“Can I sit?”

“Sure, Luna,” she said.

“Please, call me Azalea,” I insisted. She gave me a small smile and nodded.

“You are probably here to ask about things with Felix,” she said.

I shrugged, trying to act like I wasn’t curious. “Maybe.”

“Well, I am sorry you made an effort because there isn’t anything to tell,” she said. Her voice was small and sad.

“What do you mean?”

“I should have taken the hint when he ran from the room last night when I was trying to get him to talk to me, but it was pretty clear this morning when he refused to even look at me during breakfast. I think it’s safe to assume he isn’t interested in a second chance,” she explained. My heart clenched at her words.

“I’m sure that isn’t the case….” I said. I debated whether or not I should tell her about what happened. It seemed like something he should tell her, but it was becoming apparent that my bodyguard may be a little emotionally closed off. “Look, some things were going on last night that may have distracted him slightly. I don’t think he meant it personally.”

“No offense, Azalea, but I am not interested in chasing after a man who is clearly not open to a mate. I lost the most perfect man ever to exist, and the Moon Goddess must think it funny to stick me with one who can’t string together more than a few words at a time,” she sounded upset. I reached over and grabbed her hand.

“Don’t give up on him so easily. A rogue killed Felix’s mate. Now, I can’t tell you how he was before that, but I do know he cared for her very much. The only thing in his room at the packhouse is a few photos of her. He’s been with me for more than six years now, and I have never seen him so flustered as he was yesterday. Yes, he is a hulking brute that doesn’t say much. His life is also centered around his job. But he is also sweet and thoughtful. He can be gentle, and I bet the right person can open him up a bit.” I bit my l*p as I watched her think about my words.

“I’m not sure he’s willing to open up to me…” she finally spoke quietly.

“He might not know he is ready to do it yet. When Liam came crashing into my life, I was not ready. I was determined to be alone and content all by myself. Little by little, he made me realize I could be happy, and I wanted to be by his side. Maybe Felix is just not ready to admit he can be something other than a warrior,” I reasoned. When she didn’t say anything, I continued, “I hope it isn’t too bold of me to think that maybe you aren’t sure either?”

Her eyes came up to mine now. “It isn’t,” she admitted.

“Why don’t you come to the packhouse and stay for a few days? I am sure you don’t need to be here for the whole remodel process. Maybe the hulking brute will open up a little,” I suggested. She pursed her lips, and her nose scrunched up as she thought about my offer. It was actually quite charming on her.

Finally, she said, “I will go if Felix asks me to.” I nodded my head and gave her a knowing smile.

I stood to leave but clutched my side quickly as pain lanced through me.

“Ahhh,” I tried to stifle my m**n. Lacey stood quickly.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yea,” I gritted out. “Just moved too quickly.” Her eyes told me she didn’t believe me. Footsteps came quickly through the dining room, and almost immediately, Felix and Liam were standing in the doorway.

“Little Luna,” Liam breathed out, his eyes wide with worry. I straightened up, trying to ignore the residual pain.

“I’m okay,” I said softly. They both scowled, not believing my words. Liam looked at Lacey, who was watching us nervously.

“Lacey, is it?” he asked her. She nodded her head. “I hate to put you on the spot like this but was my dear mate here just in pain?”

“Uh…. she did say ow….” Lacey said nervously. I rolled my eyes internally. I couldn’t be mad at her for telling the truth, but now Liam will make a big deal out of a bit of pregnancy pain.

“Thank you for your candor,” he said as he came over to me. His eyes were glued to me, frustration apparent. Without words, he stopped and scooped me up, lifting me into his arms bridal style.

“Wait!” I protested. He gave me a low growl in return, stopping my protests. He headed towards the dining room.

“Felix, you are dismissed for the day,” he said as we passed Felix. He made no move, not even nodding in acknowledgment. As Liam carried me out, I watched as Felix just stood in the same spot, eyes forward, probably on Lacey.