Liam

I was shaken awake by a strong hand. I blinked my eyes open quickly, trying not to move much so I wouldn’t wake Azalea. I turned my head to see Damien standing next to the bed.

“Hey,” I said, confused.

“How is she?” he asked.

I looked back at Azalea sleeping soundly against me. “She should be fine. Infection is what my uncle thinks,” I told him. He nodded.

“I need you to come with me,” he said in an unsure voice.

“What is going on?” I asked, more alert now.

“There are more rogues at the border. They are seeking refuge as well, but they also said they had been chased for days by another group,” he told me. “Lily can stay with Azalea.”

Azalea began to stir. I tried to rub her back and settle her down, but it had the opposite effect. “What’s going on?” she grumbled groggily.

“It’s okay. I just need to go with Damien for a bit. I will be back,” I tried to cajole her. Finally, she pushed herself up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Leo looked so much like her even though she insisted they both looked like me.

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing you can worry about right now anyway,” I told her. She pouted at me, and I leaned forward to k**s her pouty lips.

“Fine,” she sighed. “But help me out of bed. Your pup is on my bladder,” she complained. I chuckled at her and did as she requested. Then, while she waddled to the bathroom, I turned my attention back to Damien.

“Are you okay?” I asked. He shrugged. I guess that was all he was going to admit for now. Lily came into the room.

“Jacob is trying to make some room for them in the packhouse. Going to be a tight fit. We need to make the other ones pack members and get more permanent accommodations,” she told us. Damien nodded.

“I can do that,” Azalea said, emerging from the bathroom.

“No, you are staying here!” I scolded.

She rolled her eyes at me. “You obviously doubt me. I can do it from here. I just need my cellphone and laptop,” she informed me.

“You aren’t doing anything until you get a good night’s sleep.”

“I would be fast asleep if our Beta hadn’t come to fetch you, now, wouldn’t I?”

“Azalea…” I warned she was rubbing my nerve now.

She put up her hands in surrender. “Fine. But I won’t be able to sleep until I know you are back.”

–

Lily stayed with Azalea, promising to keep her in the bed. She had brought a bag with her with clothes for Azalea. I was thankful that Lily and Azalea were such close friends because I hated leaving her even for a second.

It took Damien and I a couple of hours to sort out the new group of rogues and get them settled for the night. We spoke with their appointed leader and got as much information as we could about the group chasing them. By the time we were finished, it was almost morning. I sent Damien to get some sleep, promising him Lily would be along soon. As I left my office and headed downstairs, I was surprised to run into Missy.

“What are you doing up so early?” I asked her.

“Couldn’t sleep,” she mused. I eyed my daughter carefully. I knew that sheepish look on her face and the uncomfortable tension in her shoulders. Something was weighing on her mind heavily, but what I didn’t know.

“Going on a run?” I asked.

“Yea. But just on two legs,” she said. I nodded, not expecting any more explanation from her. I struggled with the pressure of becoming Alpha at her age and was constantly looking for a physical outlet for those feelings. It only got worse when I sent Azalea away and rejected her. Missy moved down the stairs, and I waited, giving her enough of a head start. When I made it to the bottom of the stairs, I was greeted by Austin and Abraham.

“Alpha, I was just told you were back, and there is something I should show you,” Abraham said quickly. Gavin growled in my head. He wanted our mate right now, not to deal with Gwen’s murder.

“Is this something that can wait?” I asked in a resigned tone.

“You will probably want to see this sooner rather than later,” he told me. I sighed.

“Austin, can you go over to the clinic and stay with Azalea? Lily has been up all night, I am sure, and she should get some rest before all the kids wake up.”

“What’s wrong with Lea?” he asked me quickly.

“She’s okay, just needs to be observed for a while,” I told him, not wanting to explain everything.

“Yea, I can go. Why don’t I have Abigail get all the kids this morning? She can take them over to the park after breakfast,” he suggested. My shoulders relaxed a bit.

“That would be amazing,” I said. “Tell her that I appreciate it.”

“Anything, Liam. I will leave you two to it,” he said, turning and heading for the front door.

“Let’s talk in my office,” I said, turning to lead him back up the stairs. When we got inside, I closed the door and headed over to my desk. Abraham stood on the other side. “So, you found something?”

“Yes. By chance, I think,” he said, pulling a small bag from his pocket. It was a clear bag with something dark inside. I took it from him, taking a closer look.

“Is this a piece of fabric?” I asked.

“Yes, Alpha. I found it not far from the prison entrance within the woods,” he said.

“Couldn’t this belong to anyone? I mean, plenty of pack members use the woods,” I asked him, confused.

“But it does not smell of a werewolf, sir,” he said. He nodded at me. I opened the bag ever so slightly and inhaled. Vampire. It was clear as day on the fabric. How was this missed?

“I know you are wondering how everyone missed it. Not only is it particularly small so that it could have been easily overlooked, but I also have to wonder if many members of this pack even know about vampires?” I looked up at him, hearing the accusation in his voice.

“Why do you wonder that?”

“When we first joined the pack, I asked a few pack members why the pack was named B***d Eclipse of all things. It seems no one had ever really paid much mind to it. One older gentleman got irate with me, though, leading me to believe that the vampire wars are not spoken about in this pack,” he answered.

“So, you are familiar with vampires?” I asked.

“I have some knowledge, yes.”

“And what do you know about this?” I held up the bag with the fabric scrap inside of it.

“I may know which clan the owner belongs to,” he said calmly. I raised my eyebrows.

“Which clan would that be?”

“Don’t you already have a guess?” I did, but I didn’t want to put it into the universe. I was nervous finding out that Clan Warwick’s sire survived the war. It could mean retaliation at any time now or in the future. When I didn’t answer, he went on, “I believe the owner to be of Clan Warwick, the same one that led the assault against this pack and its allies during the war.”

“Can we use this to find them?” I asked.

“It’s possible. What I would like to focus on is how they managed to get through all the security measures without detection,” he said. “To my knowledge, no vampire ability would allow them not to be seen by not only people but also cameras.”

“Do whatever you need to find answers,” I ordered him.Belongs to - All rights reserved.

“I would like to send the surveillance videos to an associate of mine. He works in tech and will be able to determine if our systems or those videos were tampered with or modified,” he requested.

“As you see fit,” I told him. “I need you to brief the others later today. The Beta needs some sleep right now, but this afternoon he should know.” Abraham nodded. He turned to leave.

Before he stepped out of the office, he stopped and turned to me once more. “Alpha, I hope you can prepare yourself for the possibility that all the recent events are connected, and this will not end quickly or easily.” With that, he left my office and me standing there full of dread.

Lacey

This is crazy. What am I doing? Sure, he asked me to come back to the packhouse with him, and he did speak actual words last night, not many, but some. Was this really happening? Was I really getting a second chance mate? Was this even going to work out?

I called the office first thing in the morning and asked to take a leave of absence. Somehow, Theo knew because they had already received an email suggesting I be rewarded for my hard work recently with an approved vacation. Felix and I agreed to meet at breakfast where he would be able to see what the Alpha and Luna had planned for their visit. He believed they would head back today. I was surprised when he didn’t show up to breakfast, making me nervous about accepting his offer.

After breakfast, I went to my room to pack my things. If I wasn’t going with him, I was going home today anyway. When I was almost finished, Felix knocked on my door to tell me that the Alpha rushed the Luna back to the pack doctor to check on her. That at least explained his absence at breakfast. I still agreed to come with him, and now here we are, in my car heading toward his home.

The only sound filling the car was the soft hum of the radio. Felix hadn’t spoken a word other than pointing me in the right direction. We had been driving for almost 45 minutes, and I wondered how much further it was.

“Turn there,” Felix grunted, pointing to an almost hidden road leading deeper into the woods. I followed his direction, turning my small car down the bumpy road. Unfortunately, I lived in a city and did not have a car made for this type of terrain. I chewed my l*p, worrying about my car making it to their packhouse.

A warm, calloused thumb grabbed my chin, pulling my l*p from my teeth. I looked sideways at Felix, who was giving me an intense look. He shook his head at me, then dropped his hand and looked forward once more. Why did that small gesture make my insides flame up? There was no way he couldn’t smell me now in the confines of this small space. My cheeks were warm, and I didn’t know if it was from his gesture or the resulting lava flowing through my veins. To my relief, the road seemed to smooth out as we drove, and soon, we were surrounded by a charming small town. Felix gave me no more directions, so I drove straight through, careful around all the activity and people. This pack was larger than I expected for some reason. Within ten minutes, we were pulling up to a large building with a manicured lawn. It looked like a mansion, and I could only guess that this was the packhouse. I pulled up near the front and put the car in park. When I turned to Felix, he was already out of the car and coming around to the driver’s side. My mouth dropped open as he swung my door open and held his hand out to me. Brooding giants and chivalry? My brain wasn’t connecting.

I took his hand and let him help me from the car. “So, uh, what now?” I asked.

“Mr. Felix!” someone called from behind us. The voice sounded vaguely familiar. His expression didn’t change as he turned to see who was summoning him. He had been out of the car for ten seconds, and someone was already looking for him. I guess he was a little more vital to the pack leadership than simply being the Luna’s personal bodyguard. I leaned around Felix’s giant frame to see Abe, of all people, trotting over to us. His steps stuttered when he saw me.

“Yes?” Felix mused.

“Oh, uh,” Abe said, recovering and continuing his advance. “There has been a new development in the prison situation. I will be briefing everyone shortly. The Alpha is already aware. I believe you would want to be in the meeting.” Abe’s eyes moved back over to me, eyeing me with confusion. I tried to link him, but it was no use. He had left our pack, so we were no longer connected.

Felix nodded. He turned back to me and grabbed my hand with the same gentle grip he had the night before. He pulled my arm, telling me to come with him. With no other choice than to stand here and have an awkward reunion, I followed Felix, who seemed a little tense. We walked into the massive packhouse, and I didn’t have much time to look around as Felix walked quickly.

“s**t,” he whispered next to me. He looked down at me then forward again. “Can you wait?” he asked in a level tone.

“Sure,” I said. I was here and knew no one except my former packmate. What else could I do?

Felix

It irritated me that Abraham gave my mate a look. He clearly recognized her. After this meeting, I would figure out how they knew each other. I led Lacey through the pack house, up to my room. Her hand was small and soft in mine, and I enjoyed the feel of it. I needed to keep a clear head though; if there was new information regarding Gwen’s murder, I needed to be on top of it to make sure I was tracking any threats near Luna Azalea. After the meeting, I would also need to speak with Alpha aboaut her protection.

I unlocked my bedroom and led Lacey inside. She looked around as I strode inside, moving over to my closet immediately. I pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it in the hamper before pulling a fresh shirt from the closet. The entire Inn reeked of vampire, and it was sinking into my clothes. I turned around to see Lacey standing stock still, looking at me with her big, chocolate eyes. Imperceptibly, I breathed in deeply and realized I could smell her arousal. What is that about?

I cleared my throat. “Um, make yourself at home. I’ll be back,” I grunted quickly before heading out the door.

I moved quickly towards the Alpha’s office, not paying attention to the teenager trailing me. When he finally caught up to me, he yanked on my shirt to stop me. I turned around with a glare to find Maddox. “What?”

“I need your help,” he said. Kid was pretty bold. He clearly took a liking to Missy but neither of them was mating age yet. The boys seemed to like him as well, and the Luna was sure fond of him. I just quirked an eyebrow at him, not having time to help with frivolous things right now. “Can you convince Alpha Liam to allow me to train with the warriors?” he asked.

This one surprised me but I didn’t let on my surprise. “Why?” I questioned.

“Why are you so fiercely protective of the Luna?” he shot back. This kid has gall.

“Hmmm,” my wolf hummed in approval in my head. That was high praise coming from that bastard. I studied Maddox for a moment, seeing if he would flinch under my stare. I would consider talking to Liam about it. I turned and left Maddox standing there, continuing my way to the meeting about Gwen.

“Thanks Felix!” Maddox called. I didn’t bother turning to look at him.