Maddox

Missy clung to me, crying. I messed up so badly. I let that stupid prick distract me when I should have just been outside with the kids. The only one I managed to keep safe was Missy, but now she was in tears, probably blaming herself. I could feel Vlad’s glare on me, but I could only look at Missy.

“Maddox, we need to call my dad,” she sobbed. She must be terrified. I didn’t know how to comfort her. I never expected any of this. I thought we would just hang out all day, and then I would talk her into staying up all night with me. I knew the pack was having issues with rogues lately, and I suspected that was what the Alpha and Beta left for, but I never dreamed of an attack only hours after they left.

“Maddox, we have to find them! They are probably so scared,” she continued to cry. I was still at a loss for words. Was I supposed to tell her everything would be alright when I had no idea?

“We need my dad. He’ll find them.” I really needed to calm her down.

“Comfort her, son. Tell her it’s going to be alright,” someone linked me. I looked up and scanned the room, connecting eyes with Miss Marci, the lady who runs the kitchen. “Let her hear the words, so her mind will settle.” I nodded my head.Belongs to - All rights reserved.

“Missy, hey. It’s gonna be alright. We’ll get them back,” I tried. She pushed her face further into me. I looked around the room. There were chairs in here, but most of them were taken. I moved over to the wall and slid down it, holding Missy close. I sat on the ground and adjusted my grip on her so I could hold her better. “They will be okay. I am sure your dad is already on the way.”

“Pat her back. Calm her,” Marci advised.

I did as she instructed, gently patting Missy. After a minute, she started to calm down a bit, her cries subsiding. “That’s it. Take a deep breath. It’s gonna be okay.” I felt dumb telling her everything would be okay when I had no idea what was even going on. I tried linking Jacob, the Gamma, and Sean, who headed the patrol, but neither of them said anything. They could still be taking care of the rogues still.

We sat like that for a few more minutes before it seemed like her tears finally stopped. She kept her face hidden in my chest. My whole shirt was wet now. “You know it’s not your fault, right?” I said quietly. Her hand gripped me tighter. “It’s mine. I was arguing with your boyfriend like an i***t. If I would have been outside….”

“Stop,” she whispered. She pulled her face away from me. It was red and puffy; she looked so broken. “No what-ifs. We just need to find them. Liam and Lea can’t lose them.”

I pushed away some of her soft hair that now clung to her face, dampened from her tears. “You can’t lose them either,” I told her. Her l*p quivered, so I hugged her tightly. After a few minutes, my eyes travelled up to find Vlad leaning against the wall opposite us, giving me the most hateful look. I will hand it to him. He had the gall to be staring me down when he was doing nothing to calm or soothe his own girlfriend.

Liam

We sat in Langston’s enormous conference room. I had Azalea right by my side, unwilling to leave her alone in her current state. Not only is she pregnant and starting to struggle physically moving about, but she has also been on edge since we left. The only thing that is helping is me constantly touching or rubbing some part of her. Her emotions are overwhelming me, and my mind needs to be on the rogue problem. I only expect to maybe see some trouble during the night when my pups will be tucked soundly into their beds. The extra patrols should be enough to push off any attack that happens, and Sean assured me there would be multiple wolves within the packhouse after dinner until breakfast.

There were five packs represented in total. The smallest one has only sent their Beta, their Alpha unwilling to leave his pack after three of his pack members were killed in the last attack they faced. There was one other Luna here with her Alpha. Lily decided to go visit with Emma while Damien, Azalea, and I stayed in the meeting. Langston and Emma have had a close relationship with our pack leadership for a long time now. I admire Langston as an Alpha far more than my father. He is older than most Alphas tend to be, but he still leads exceptionally.

“Are we certain that all these groups of so-called ‘peaceful rogues’ were not implants? Devereaux, Blackfur, you have accepted multiple groups of these wolves into your packs. Are you certain that they are not there to relay information to other rogues?” one Alpha accused.

“You think the rogues are using children to gather information on our packs?” Langston argued.

The other Alpha shrugged. “It can happen. Are you watching these people?”

“Not any more than any other pack member. They have given us no reason to suspect they are spies,” Langston snarled.

“These people have come to our borders in need of help. The condition they were in made it clear that they were honest with us. No rogue trying to plant themselves as spies would willingly walk away from a pack that sent them away!” Azalea thundered. The Alpha turned to her.

“Not all of us are so naive to believe these claims about destroyed packs,” he said to her in a callous tone. I sat forward, blocking her from view slightly. Before I could say anything, someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me to see Damien with a panicked expression.

“We need to leave now,” he linked.

“What is going on?”

“There was an attack on the pack.”

“What? In broad daylight?”

“Liam, the kids were taken.”

“What kids?”

“Junior, Leo, Delilah, and Lucas.” Gavin started pushing to the surface, ready to rip apart anyone who dared touch our pups. I stood from the chair.

“Langston, we will have to cut this meeting short,” I said, trying to reign in my anger and Gavin.

“What’s going on?” he asked, now worried. I looked back at Azalea. I needed to tell her this delicately and preferably not in front of this entire group.

“Something has come up on my pack land that needs my attention immediately,” I said as Azalea stood slowly.

“Liam… what’s going on?” she linked me. I could feel her beginning to panic. I grabbed her hand and led her from the room, Damien on our heels. We were halfway down the hallway when Lily came running towards us, Emma following her.

“How could this happen?” she said, distress evident in her voice and tears already rolling down her cheeks.

“Liam, what is going on?” Azalea asked again, taking in Lily’s alarm.

I stopped walking and faced her. “There was an attack on the pack. Rogues entered the territory,” I explained as calmly as possible. She gasped, bringing her hand to cover her mouth.

“Is anyone hurt? Have they stopped them all?” she asked quickly. “How far did they get?”

I swallowed. Not ready to tell her this part. Gavin was still blinded by the rage of someone taking our pups which was not making this easier. “They must have gotten close to the packhouse,” I told her.

“Liam…. What are you saying?” She looked between the three of us, Damien now holding Lily.

“I am going to find them. They will pay,” I promised her.

She shook her head. “No. No, you aren’t saying…. Liam, they didn’t…. No….” she started to blubber. I pulled her into my chest.

“I am going to find them. They will not hurt a single hair on their heads, I promise. I need you to stay with Lily so Damien and I can go right away.” Azalea was full-blown sobbing now. I looked at Damien, who held a crying Lily.

Emma came up next to us. “Go, Liam. Find the pups. I will stay with them. We will come to B***d Eclipse soon,” she said. I kissed the top of Azalea’s head. I didn’t want to leave her upset like this, but the only way I could comfort her was to find our children. Emma wrapped her arm around Azalea as I let her go. Langston emerged from the meeting room, striding towards us quickly. He and Emma locked gazes for a moment. He immediately came and wrapped an arm around Lily.

“Go, let me know if you need anything,” he said stonily.

“Thanks,” I said, nodding to him. Damien and I took off without another glance. We ran from the packhouse and straight towards the trees in the back. We didn’t bother changing from our clothes. A few yards into the cover of the trees, we shifted while running and booked it to our own territory.

“Where is Missy?” I linked Damien.

“Sean just found her in the safe room with Maddox. She won’t leave his side but keeps asking for you,” he replied.

“So, all the rogues are handled?”

“Yes. A few escaped, but the rest were killed. They are dealing with bodies now.”

“Anyone hurt from our ranks?”

“Only one. They are taking him to the clinic now.”

Damien and I ran as fast as we could, making it to the pack in less than 20 minutes. Wolves near the border recognized us immediately, giving us no issue as we zoomed by. In just a few more minutes, we were approaching the packhouse. Sean and Jacob were already waiting outside the doors as we broke the tree line, each holding a pair of shorts in their hands.

Damien and I quickly shifted as we approached the back patio and caught the shorts we were thrown. “Did they get into my packhouse?” I asked stonily.

“No, sir. We were able to stop them out here.” Jacob responded.

“Why were my pups unattended?”

“We don’t know. We haven’t questioned Maddox about it.”

“Where is my daughter?” I said, moving to the door.

“Upstairs in her room with Maddox. She is asking for you.” I took the stairs two at a time, rushing to the top floor. Her bedroom door was open as I approached. When I stepped inside, Maddox and Missy were sitting on the bed. It looked like he was trying his best to comfort her.

Her head snapped up as I stepped inside. “Dad,” she croaked. She shot up from the bed and ran at me. I grabbed her in my arms quickly, a little bit of relief coming over me. She only calls me ‘Dad’ when she is scared. “I’m so sorry. I should have been with them!” she cried.

“Shhh. The important thing is that you’re safe, and I will find them,” I tried to calm her. I looked up at Maddox, who stood next to the bed with his eyes glued to the floor.

“Where were you when my children were taken by rogues?” I growled. Rationally, I knew he was not wholly to blame, but that did not stop my overwhelming anger at the whole situation to be directed at him.

“I’m sorry, sir. I let them go outside unattended for just a minute…” he said, still not looking at me.

“Look me in the eye like a man if you are going to make an excuse!” I shouted. Maddox looked up at me fearfully. “The Alpha and Beta children have been taken. That has not happened in this pack in living memory!” Missy squeezed me tighter. “Rogues took four children while you were doing what exactly?”

“Dad, stop!” Missy shrieked. My gaze didn’t leave the boy in front of me. “It’s not his fault!” Someone moved behind me, and I felt a hand rest on my shoulder.

“Liam. We need to go. We will deal with this later,” Damien linked me. “They could be getting further away.”

I let out an intimidating growl; Maddox shrunk but only fractionally. I dragged my eyes down to Missy. “Stay here. Your mother will be coming back soon. I am going to get your brothers.” She nodded, her tear-filled eyes boring into mine. I kissed her forehead before turning around and storming from the room.

“I want 20 wolves with us, leaving now. What direction were they taken?” I ordered as we stalked back downstairs. Jacob and Sean had followed us.

“The scent leads us south-east, sir. We already have scouts moving that way,” Sean informed me.