Damien

“I would really appreciate your help,” I said. I stood in the middle of Lily and I’s bedroom, pulling on a fresh set of clothes.

“Sure, I’ll be there within the hour,” Langston said. “How is he?”

“Not good. His mate and daughter on the same day. He won’t eat and won’t sleep. His office is destroyed, and he won’t even go inside hers,” I explained. I needed Langston’s help because Liam was on the verge of snapping. Understandably, losing Azalea and Missy so close together is taking its toll, but I have never seen my best friend so broken and angry.

“That is too be expected,” he said in a low voice.

“We’ll speak when you get here,” I replied. After hanging up, I pocketed my phone. Lily was looking at me, worry written clearly all over her face. I opened my arms, and she didn’t hesitate to wrap herself in them. I held her close, letting her scent fill me.

“Da, we have to find them,” she whispered into my shoulder.

“We will, love,” I told her.

“We need to find them before she has the baby,” she clarified.

“I know,” I said. Azalea’s kidnapping was having a negative effect on the morale of everyone from pack leadership down, and Liam’s inability to reign in his rage was not helping. I squeezed my mate, wishing I could have sent her away as well. The current working theory was that Delilah and Lucas were previously taken because they were with Liam Jr. and Leo, but I didn’t feel safe with any threat around my family. Without a Luna and the Alpha being so erratic, the pack needed its next leading female to help hold things together.

Lily pulled away, and I leaned down to k**s her softly. She lingered against my lips; I could feel her despondency. “I am going to go downstairs and help with lunch. Will Langston be bringing any of his warriors along?” She and Azalea were a lot alike. Even with so much on their plate, they still took care of others and did everything they could to hold the pack together.

“He may. We should be prepared to house a few just in case. There will be a lot of back and forth until we have a better lead on where the girls might be,” I told her.

She nodded. “Alright.” With one more k**s, she left my office and headed downstairs to help prepare things. She was trying her best, but I know she was scared for her best friend. I swore to myself to keep it together for her. I needed to get Liam together for Azalea too.

Lacey

“Hey, Lily,” I said halfheartedly. I stood in the kitchen helping wrap sandwiches to carry down to the prison where extra warriors were endlessly interrogating the few rogue wolves they spared from the attack.

“How are you holding up?” she asked. That was a loaded question. Being away from my mate was already starting to wear on me, and it had barely been two days.

“As to be expected, I guess,” I said.

“Has Felix called yet?” she asked.

“He is supposed to check in tomorrow,” I told her. “For obvious reasons, communications are going to be limited.” Lily came around the counter and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Hopefully, this won’t drag out for long,” she said softly, offering me as much comfort as she could. I gave her a half-smile. She let go of me and began helping to wrap up the food and pack the lunches.

“Should we try taking something up to Alpha again?” I asked, trying to fill the awkward, heavy silence.

“Probably, although he isn’t likely to touch it,” she sighed. Worry lines were starting to crease her face. She was very close with Azalea being the Alpha and Beta females, and I knew this weighed heavily on her.

“Maybe we should try something she would make him?” I suggested. Lily shook her head.

“I think we just need to figure out where they are holding her. Damien will figure out how to get her out and use Liam’s rage,” she said, her eyebrows screwed up in concentration.

I sighed and thought about Felix. I wondered how he felt right now. I know he wasn’t super excited to leave me behind, but the former Alpha insisted they keep the traveling party to a minimum. I assured him I would be fine here at the pack but the longer we were apart, the more antsy I was getting. My thoughts then moved to the little box sitting on our bathroom counter. I was too nervous to actually take the test yet. I didn’t even get to tell Felix about my suspicion before he left with Junior and Leo.

“Hey, Lily,” I said shyly.

“Yea?” she looked up at me.

“When did you know you were pregnant with Delilah?” I asked hesitantly.

She raised an eyebrow. “Um, well…” she trailed off. “I just sort of knew, I guess. Then there was an incident, and everything was confirmed. Why do you ask?”Content rights belong to .

I bit my l*p. I definitely have felt different, but I wasn’t sure if it was pregnancy or stress. “Just curious…” I tried to brush it off.

“Is there something you are wondering if you should tell Felix when he calls?”

“Nothing that I know for sure….” I admitted. She gave me a tender smile.

“Just because we’re in the middle of something bad doesn’t mean you can’t take a moment to celebrate something good,” she said. “We need all the good we can get around here for a bit.” Her words felt warm in my chest.

“I guess I am nervous about finding out either way, and I don’t want him to feel like he needs to come back. Staying with the kids is important,” I rushed out.

“So, talk to him when he calls. Take the test over the phone if you can,” she said. “Or wait if you both want to. More than likely, if you wait, you will know before long anyway, but I can understand waiting to confirm until he gets back.”

“I guess so, yea,” I agreed. I resolved to ask him when he called. Maybe he would want to know right away. I still felt a bit selfish thinking about pups when Azalea and Missy were held captive by a vampire.

Vlad

The knock on the door told me it is time for dinner. Warwick insisted I join him for every meal in his stupid dining room with its ridiculously long table. When I am not with him, I have been in this same bedroom. I can’t help but worry about Missy down in the disgusting dungeon they are keeping most of the captured wolves in. Every time I asked someone about seeing her, they ignored me. I have been too mad at Warwick to speak during mealtime yet and have barely done more than push the food on my plate around. If I still had a wolf, maybe I wouldn’t be so useless.

I stood up and moved over to the door that opened silently. I took the familiar path to the dining room, anger brewing inside me. I entered the dining room and sat down in my usual seat; Warwick was already seated at the head of the table, and five chairs were separating us.

Plates of food were set down in front of us, and the thought crossed my mind once again about why he bothered to eat regular food when he is a bloodsucker. It was getting harder and harder to sit by and wait to find out my fate and Missy’s. Warwick ate at a leisurely pace, the only sound in the room the soft scrape of silverware against a plate.

“You are troubled this evening,” he interrupted my stewing. I just stared down at my untouched plate while the fury festered.

“Am I your prisoner too?” I asked, not looking up.

“No,” he said thoughtfully. “You can leave whenever you wish.”

“And Missy?”

“She cannot. She has not fulfilled her purpose just yet,” he answered

“This wasn’t the deal,” I argued, finally meeting his eye. He was calm, as if this whole thing bored him. That only made me angrier.

“I don’t for a second believe you are so foolish as to think you held any power in our negotiations,” he said dismissively. I gritted my teeth.

“What about all the other pack members you took?”

“They are meeting their purposes, of course.”

“And their purpose is?”

“Now, I can’t tell you all my plans, can I? You will leave here and run back to your little pack soon enough. I expect you to be made to confess everything even if it is not your choice,” he speculated. “Those Blackfur dogs can have quite the temper.”

“I want my mate!” I demanded.

“Ah, but she isn’t yours now, is she?”

“I choose her.”

“But does she choose you?” His taunt was like yet another dagger to my chest. When she first got here, Missy didn’t acknowledge me as her mate. She tried to scent me, and nothing. I still didn’t even know how the mate bond would manifest for me or if I could feel it at all; I don’t even know anyone who doesn’t have a wolf. When I was taken during the attack on the pack, I never expected everything to end up here. “Nevertheless,” he continued. “You are welcome to leave as you please. I am not holding you here. But you will not be taking the girl or her mother.”

“You have Luna Azalea?” I asked. I didn’t see her when I was down in the dungeon; Some of the doors were solid like Missy’s, while others looked more like a traditional prison cell.

Warwick chuckled. “You are far too naive to try and manipulate the pieces of this feud, boy.”

“But she’s pregnant!” I said incredulously. He looked at me with a wicked grin on his face.

“Wouldn’t it be a shame if she were to have the pup before her mate comes to rescue her?” he laughed, his eyes lit up in a chilling way. Terror swept through me. I knew he wanted to get back at the Alpha family for some stupid war, but I never thought he would take a pregnant lady and threaten her unborn baby.

Warwick set down his utensils and stood from his chair. He brushed imaginary dust from his clothing before turning to leave, saying nothing of his departure. I watched in horror until he was well away from the dining room. Realizing that I was alone, I quickly stood and hastened towards the door.

If I wasn’t in prison, then I needed to leave. Maybe if I could get back to the pack and explain things to my dad or the Beta Damien, I can help get Missy and Luna out of here. I would need to avoid Alpha Liam because he was sure to rip me to shreds before I could even explain things.

I moved through the dead halls quickly. The mansion that Warwick used as a base was impeccably clean but also almost barren. There was no one walking among the halls as I found my way to the front door.

No one stopped me as I exited the mansion. I tried to keep my pace fast but controlled as I raced down the long drive. I needed to get back to B***d Eclipse as fast as I could before I was responsible for Missy or Luna’s death.