His Redemption (Complete His Series)

Liam

I stood at the backdoor to the packhouse, secretly watching my mate. I chuckled as I watched her try and direct everyone to decorate the backyard how she saw it in her head without helping. I knew she would get up and help at some point because it was impossible to stop her sometimes, but, for right now, she was sitting in a chair handing out various decorations and directing the few helpers I enlisted for her. She sent Azeron up a ladder to hang some lights that were supposed to be crisscrossing between the packhouse and the tent set up on the other side of the patio. I could see the look of irritation on his face as he moved them around until she was satisfied with their placement.

A hand landed on my shoulder. “Your dad is looking for you again,” Damien said behind me. I turned to face him.

“No,” I said, already knowing where this would go.

“Liam, maybe we should just send the pups away. Our parents can look after them, and we can focus on Warwick,” he tried to reason.

“We can’t send all the pups in the pack away. Plus, they are perfectly safe under our supervision.”

“They were already taken once,” he pointed out.

“And they were not supervised when it happened. Plus, we weren’t here. We won’t allow them to be unattended again.” As we spoke, Felix was supervising them playing soccer with a bunch of other kids on the lawn far away from Azalea’s decorating.

“I just worry that we are expending manpower keeping an eye on the kids that could be watching elsewhere,” Damien said. I took off, heading towards my office. All the stress recently had me feeling cooped up, and I really wanted to let Gavin out to stretch his legs. This conversation has now happened three times in two days, and I was over it.

“Who is to say Warwick won’t find them when they aren’t here?” I argued.

“I know it is still possible, but it is less likely,” he countered.

“I disagree.” I sat down behind my desk, hoping this conversation was over. Damien lingered in front of me.

“Can you please just talk to Azalea about it? Lily agrees with me; she thinks we should let my parents take Delilah and Lucas away from the pack for now,” he said.

“Fine,” I said, knowing I wasn’t going to bring it up to my mate. I made the decision, and it was final. It was quiet for a few minutes as I opened my laptop and went to my email, not wanting to discuss this further.

“Azeron seems to be fitting in nicely,” he said, finally heading over to the couch to sit down. “His mate should be joining us tomorrow, right?”

“Yea, I think so. Azalea seems way happier. Our bond is no longer a constant state of anger,” I commented. I looked over at him to see him smiling. “What?”

“It’s just funny. She’s so tiny and fragile while also being so capable and strong. It’s probably a good thing you tried to reject her at first. You two both got a chance to grow up,” he said.

“Yes, my heart-shattering rejection of my mate was for the best. You know, you’re getting kind of soft and mushy. Maybe I should make Delilah train with Junior so she can toughen you up,” I said, turning back to my computer.

“I’m not soft,” he said in a dead voice.

“Sure, you aren’t. How long was that pre-bedtime tea party last night?” I teased. I expected a response but got none. After a minute, I looked over at him to make sure I didn’t actually hurt his feelings. Damien was on his feet with his fists clenched, and I could see a glazed look in his eyes. “What?” I asked.

“Rogues on the eastern border,” he snapped finally. I shot up from my chair, and we were both moving instantly.

“How many?”

“A lot. Too many,” he answered.

“s**t! The kids, Azalea,” I said quickly.

“On it,” he said. We separated at the bottom of the stairs. I headed towards the front door, the quickest way towards the east, and Damien headed out the back door to make sure Felix and Azeron knew what was happening.

I immediately hit a sprint upon exiting the packhouse. “You ready?” I said to Gavin.

“Always,” he growled as I jumped into the air and easily shifted.

Azalea

“Little higher on the left,” I ordered as I watched a couple of wolves hanging the banner for Missy and Maddox. “That looks great, guys.”

Liam finally stopped looming so I could at least stand up and look around as I directed the party set up. I rested my hand on my belly as I watched them secure the banner in place. I was swiftly attacked by a baby foot.

“Ugh, little one, Momma is busy,” I complained at my belly. Azeron’s attention turned to me momentarily before going back to his task of hanging lights.

“Alright, now that most of the decorations are in place, let’s get these tables set up,” I said brightly. I hated not helping, but I was going to be able to make Missy a cake after all of this, at least.

“Luna,” Damien said, rushing out of the packhouse. I turned around to see his face looking tight with worry.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“There are rogues on the East border. We need to start moving everyone inside,” he said.

“Wait, are you sure?”

“I would rather be safe than sorry,” he said. I nodded.

Azeron was now by my side. “Azeron, get Felix and Lacey, and help with the kids first,” I told him. He gave me a weird look.

“Luna…” he hesitated.

“Damien, are they anywhere close to the packhouse?” I asked him. He teetered for a second.

“Not yet,” he admitted. “Liam is already headed that way. But there are a lot of them.”

“Then children first!” I said resolutely. Damien nodded to Azeron, and he took off towards Felix, who was watching the kids’ soccer game. I looked at Damien. “Those aren’t just my children on the lawn. They all need to be brought inside. I’ll handle it. Go help Liam.” He seemed to understand as he started to turn away.

“Where is Missy?” Damien asked before he left.

I paled. “She ran off with Maddox into the woods an hour ago! I have no idea what they are doing,” I rushed as I pulled out my cellphone. I frantically dialed her number.

“Get everyone inside, then Felix can go find them,” Damien said, knowing he needed to leave.

“Okay,” I said, nodding as I listened to the phone ring endlessly. With an unsure look, Damien turned and took off running around the packhouse. Missy’s phone went to voicemail. I tried again with no response. Felix, Lacey, and Azeron were herding the children towards the packhouse.

“Everyone needs to get inside!” I called to the now confused wolves around me.

“Mommy, why can’t we finish our game?” Leo asked, running up to me. He was closely followed by Delilah and Junior.

“Oh sweety, I’m sorry. We just need to go inside for a little bit, okay?”

“But why? We were winning!” Lacey kneeled down next to him.

“Let’s go inside so your mom doesn’t have to worry for just a few minutes. I bet Miss Marci and I can find a snack for us,” she said, trying to distract him. He pouted at her. I looked up at Felix, who was watching his mate interact with Leo.

“Alright,” he said, crossing his arms. She grabbed his hand and led him inside, the other kids also following. Felix and Azeron lingered behind with me.

When the kids made it inside, and the other wolves were moving that way, I continued, “Don’t scare the kids unless we have to.” Azeron and Felix nodded. “Felix, I don’t know where Missy and Maddox went, and she isn’t answering her phone.”

He scrunched his eyebrows for a minute. He had no time to respond to me, though, because we heard growling and barking all of a sudden. Felix and Azeron spun around, already ready to attack. Wolves were rushing from the trees towards us. Howls sounded around us, telling me the warriors were coming. Austin and Jacob burst out of the packhouse, shifting as they hurled themselves at the incoming invaders.

Felix sprang into action first, charging at the attackers. Azeron stepped back, shielding me from view but not taking his eyes off the fight unfolding in front of us. “We need to get you inside the packhouse!” Azeron yelled. I clutched my stomach protectively as our warriors began racing onto the lawn. Before Azeron could do anything, a scraggly-looking grey wolf launched himself at us, jaws open in attack. Azeron shot forward, not bothering to shift, and grabbed the wolf around his neck, trapping him in his arms. Azeron and the wolf hit the ground, the wolf wrestling to get free and Azeron trying to stop him. I backed up slowly, the fighting now drawing near. Azeron managed to snap the attacking wolf’s neck but two more jumped on top of him immediately.

Liam

“This was too easy. They went down far too quickly!” I linked Damien. We looked around at the mini m******e that we just ended. These rogues were all small and weak with no true fighting ability other than some natural instinct. They were no match for any of us.

“Liam, they are at the packhouse. It was a diversion!” Damien linked me. He didn’t wait for me to respond; he turned heel and took off back to the packhouse.

Gavin growled in my head. “That is twice!”

“I never expected them to use the same tactic!” Gavin ignored me as we pumped our legs as fast as they would go towards the packhouse. I prayed to the Moon Goddess Felix and Azeron had enough time to get everyone to safety.

“Felix, what is happening?” I linked him. I got no response, so I tried Azeron.

“Too many rogues. They are just everywhere,” Azeron finally responded.

“Sir, they are overwhelming us in number but not strength,” Felix said.

“Sean, I want all patrols racing the borders now! Anyone not on patrol needs to be at the packhouse!” I linked him.

“Already ordered, sir,” he said.

“Liam, I smell vampire,” Felix said.

“What?” I roared. Gavin pushed us impossibly faster, now only a short distance from the packhouse.

Damien and I tore through the battlefield around my packhouse, stopping scrawny rogues as we went. When we reached the back, a quick survey of the lawn showed me Jacob, Austin, and Felix fighting multiple wolves, each in their own wolf form. Azeron was on the patio where Azalea had been before we left, fighting human and wolf attackers in his human form. Numerous warriors were scattered around the lawn, quickly ripping through attackers in both human and wolf form.

“Damien, I want some kept alive!” I linked him. He took off into the fight. I stuck my nose in the air, trying to figure out where the vampire was. The scent was scattered like there were multiple.

“Dad,” my search was interrupted. My head snapped to the tree line where my pup was standing with Maddox behind her. I could see her terror.

“Maddox, get her out of here now! Run and hide!” I commanded. He wasted no time in grabbing Missy and pulling her back into the woods. “Get as far away from any wrong scents as you can!”

Gavin growled angrily, moving us towards Azeron, searching for Azalea’s scent. “Where is she?”

I barreled into two wolves, knocking them away from Azeron as he fought off another unshifted rogue.

“Where is my mate?” I linked Azeron. He didn’t answer right away, his expression flinching as he fought off the man in front of him. Gavin leapt at the man, clasping his whole head in our jaw before tearing it backward and sending the man flying.

“I was trying to get her inside when they got to us,” he finally said. I tried to smell the air around us, looking for her scent.

“I can’t smell her,” I said.

“I know,” he said, his voice solemn. Gavin was on the verge of snapping now.

“Where is my mate?” he roared at me. He turned away from the packhouse, desperately smelling the air around us. He launched himself at the remaining rogues fighting on the lawn, slaughtering his way through them, left and right. We couldn’t find her scent anywhere.

As the rogue numbers thinned, Damien linked me, “Lacey got the children and everyone in the packhouse to the safe room.”

“Is Azalea there?”

There was a pause. “No, she isn’t.”

“Check the packhouse now!” Gavin continued to rip apart the rogues, not stopping until there were only a handful left being handled quickly.

“Where is Little Mate?” he roared again. His panic was my own, not knowing where Azalea was at all.

“Packhouse, she has to be somewhere in the packhouse!”

We moved toward the packhouse, shifting before we hit the door. I dashed inside, looking around frantically. Damien appeared from the stairway, an ashamed look on his face.

“Where is she?” I demanded. I tried to move past him, thinking he found her upstairs. He grabbed me by the shoulders.

“Liam, she isn’t here. I think they took her.”