Chapter Forty Five

Liam

My phone rang, waking me from my drunken stupor. “Hel’o…” I answered in a mumble without even checking the caller ID.

“Good morning, nephew,” came my uncle’s voice.

“Uncle Ron…” I groaned trying to sit up. I had passed out in my office at my desk.

“I was just with your mate. Thought I would speak with you,” he said in a serious tone.

“How is she?” I asked quickly.

“I was hoping you could shed some light on that actually. Based on your prior descriptions, she has changed dramatically. She tells me all the right things, yet I am guessing something has happened between you two that may not have her as happy as she claims to be.”

I sighed. I did not want to tell him I lost control and hurt her. “I sort of… messed up. She is mad at me right now, rightfully. But I will find a way to fix it.”

“Liam, did you and Azalea mate?”

My eyes grew wide. “Wh- How? … How do you know? She told you?”

“No. But her scent has changed. It is almost mixed with yours. But she bears no marking. And she did not say a single word about this. I suspect this goes beyond bashfulness.”

I ran my hands through my hair. “It wasn’t exactly as planned….”

“I think I can fill in the blanks,” his tone now deadpan. “I don’t think I need to warn you about what will happen if you are separated too long?”

“No…” I said. I have already been feeling the effects.

“Liam, you need to make this right. And you need to tell your father soon. I think you should ask him about Azalea’s parents. You both should know the truth.”

“What are you talking about?” I said concerned.

“Call your father, boy. And apologize to your mate.” He hung up the phone before I could say anything else. I sighed. I looked at the missed calls and messages on my phone. Damien had called 3 times this morning finally texting me to let him know when I was awake.

There was also a message from my mother asking if I could come to a get together next weekend. Yet another attempt to find me a mate I am sure. Apparently, my father was never going to tell her.

I got up and headed out of my office and towards my bedroom. I reeked of alcohol and needed to shower before doing anything else today. I undressed and climbed in the shower, not even allowing it to warm up. The cold water washed away any remaining sleep in me. I was wide awake by the time I washed and exited the shower. I left my bathroom with a towel around my hips. Out of habit I grabbed my phone and unlocked it to check for messages. Azalea’s smiling face looked back at me.

My heart hurt as I looked at her beautiful face. I needed to fix things with my mate, and I had no idea how to do that. If I was honest, I do not think I actually deserved her forgiveness. Knowing that this was not going to get me anywhere, I dialed Damien.

His phone rang a couple times, but no answer came. I hung up before leaving a voicemail. Just then, the door to my room swung open and Damien stood there with a tray of food.

“Good you’re finally up. We have work to do. Get dressed and eat,” he said, setting the tray down. “There was another message sent last night.” He left the room with no further preamble. I got up and dressed quickly. I quickly brushed my teeth and fixed my hair before heading out of the room. I grabbed the sandwich Damien brought me on my way out. Shoveling the food in my mouth as I walked back downstairs, I linked Damien.

“Where are you?”

“My office. With our fathers.” he linked back. S**t what were they here for?

I moved quicker and made it to Damien’s door. It was open slightly, so I walked right in. “You good for nothing, spoiled brat. How dare you let this happen!” roared Damien’s father, Declan. His eyes were almost black, and I knew his wolf was close to the surface.

“He had nothing to do with this! Your daughter’s own antics brought this on her!” my father yelled at Declan’s head. Whatever was going on was serious. Declan and my father were best friends and had been through a lot as the former Alpha and Beta.

I growled loudly. “What is going on?” I yelled at everyone, letting my Alpha tone slip into my words.

Damien gave me a deadpan look. “Gwen was attacked last night. And there was another message left with her half dead body,” he said emotionlessly.

“If you were doing your job and had neutralized this hunter, my daughter would not be lying in the hospital!” Declan yelled again.

“Damien, where is the message?” I asked levelly. My father looked at me with dissatisfaction written all over his face. Damien handed me the note that was found with Gwen.

I read the note:

That little flower will not be yours for much longer. But silly little she-wolves will not be taking her from you. That will be me.

My blood instantly boiled. “Where was this note found? Why was it with Gwen?” I demanded.

“Apparently, Gwen was not happy with your conversation yesterday and took matters into her own hands. She was found this morning on patrol with this note clipped to her,” Damien said calmly. I knew he was not happy for many reasons. He had to be upset that his sister was involved.

“What does he mean ‘took matters into her own hands’?” My father interjected. I could see the rage bubbling under the surface.

Damien looked at me asking for permission to tell them just what Gwen was doing. I nodded my head slightly, knowing this could not remain a secret much longer. “Gwen does not approve of Liam’s mate,” he said.

“Your mate? What mate? Who is she that Gwen would be angry?” Declan demanded.

“Son, I warned you...” my father began but I just held up my hand.

“My mate is a member of this pack that was ostracized for her parentage. She now resides in the human town. Gwen was not supposed to know but found out. She has apparently decided to make moves against her future Luna which is an act punishable by execution or expulsion,” I said resolutely.

“No!” my father roared. “She will not be Luna of this pack!”

“That is not for you to decide! She is my mate. The Moon Goddess has decided!”

“The girl can’t be your mate! You rejected her!”

“And she never accepted!” I growled furiously. His face paled. “Yes. I messed that up too, Dad. Anything else you want to blame me for?” He had no words. I turned to Declan. “I am sorry your daughter has been hurt. She will receive the best care our pack can provide. But do understand this, she went after my mate with the intent to hurt her. She is lucky to not only be alive but to have not gotten to her. Her fate will be decided after she has recovered. Her actions reflect on you. She was given an order from her Alpha to let it go and disobeyed. I am not her mate and she has no claim to me.” The former Beta nodded at me.

“Now, former Alpha and Beta, if you will excuse Damien and I, we have things to discuss.” Declan looked to his son who nodded indicating he should go.

My father began to walk out behind him. He stopped before exiting. “Before you accept her as your mate, maybe you should find out where she comes from.” He walked out slamming the door. I turned to Damien.

His face was unreadable. “I am sorry about your sister,” I said honestly. She may annoy me and have been wrong to go after Azalea, but I would not wish my best friend’s sister harm.

“She shouldn’t have gone after Azalea, I am sorry,” he said, hanging his head. I sighed and sat down in the chair across from his desk. He sat down as well.

“We need to stop this guy before anyone else gets hurt,” I said.

“I think he wants Azalea and you,” Damien said without looking at me.

“What do you mean he wants Azalea and me?”

“I think he wants you out of the picture and to take Azalea for himself. Think about it- we know he has access to her, and we can’t stop it. We know he has been inside of her house. We know he is monitoring her. But he hasn’t made a move to take her or harm her. Just use all this information and access to threaten you.”

I nodded my head. “If he wants my mate, then I can’t imagine he is going to wait much longer. If he is watching her, I am sure he knows that we are not speaking.”

“She either needs round the clock protection or to come to the pack. It is that simple,” Damien said with seriousness.

“You and I both know she will never agree to either of those. She will never come to the pack willingly, especially in the same house as me.”

“Maybe it is time you go to the Inn and fix this, Liam,” Damien said. “I know it's not what you want to hear, but the only one who can fix the mess you made is you.”

“I don’t even know where to start…” I said, hanging my head.

“It doesn’t matter!” Damien yelled. My eyes shot up to him in surprise. Damien had never lost his cool like this, especially with me. He was breathing heavy. “She is your mate! It was your job to protect her and you are the one who hurt her! You left me and Lily to clean up your mess! Lily is a mess worrying about that girl! She said Azalea is in shambles trying to pretend she is fine! After everything we did as kids, you think she deserved that?”

“You’re right! I f**ked up! You think I don’t know all those things? You think if I knew how to fix this I wouldn’t? You think if I could have stopped it, I wouldn’t have?” I yelled back. “I am dying here without her, knowing she is there broken because of me! I rejected her and accepted that I would get no second chance! I never thought this would happen!” We were both standing now. We had never fought like this. Damien had always had my back.

Damien looked down at his desk. “You have one day. One day to figure out how to get her to forgive you. Then I will step in, Liam.”

He didn’t look back up at me. I took this as my cue to leave him. I left his office and went to my own, trying to figure out what to do. I did not even know if she would agree to speak with me if I went to see her. How could I ever convince her to forgive me if I knew what had happened was unforgivable?