"Human! Wake up!" Zadie urgently shouted.

Startled, I jolted awake to a cacophony of screams and crashing sounds. The pack house seemed to be under attack. Blinking to adjust to the light, I scrambled out of bed, Zadie's urgent pleas echoing in my mind. "Go to mate. He needs us. Go," she whimpered.

Without hesitation, I threw on a robe to ward off the chilly morning air. As I rushed through my morning routine, the commotion outside intensified. My mate wasn't in his room, adding to my growing unease.

The chaos led me to his office, where a disheveled woman reeking of alcohol was unleashing a tirade of profanities and violence. My mate cowered in the corner, a victim of her wrath. Enraged and fueled by Zadie's growls, I felt my wolf instincts taking over.

The woman advanced menacingly towards my mate, brandishing a broken bottle. Acting on instinct, I intervened, gripping her wrist to stop her assault. The woman, Luna Yvette as she claimed, slurred in protest, reeking of alcohol.

The metallic scent of blood grew stronger, fueling my outrage. Zadie's growls reverberated through me, and I could feel the transformation taking place within me, claws extending. Swiftly, I intercepted the woman's next attack, seizing her wrist. She turned, shocked at my sudden intervention, but her surprise twisted into a sneer as she dropped my mate, Kayden, to the ground.

"Who are you?!" she slurred, struggling against my grip, her breath reeking of alcohol.

My eyes narrowed with anger. "I'm the Luna of this pack. Who are you and how dare you touch my mate," I seethed, digging my claws into her skin, drawing blood. I was consumed by a desire to punish her for the pain she had inflicted on Kayden.

Her scowl deepened, protesting her innocence. "You? Luna? I'm the Luna of this pack!! Do you have any idea who I am! I am Luna Yvette! HOW DARE YOU—"

Releasing her wrist, I lunged at her, aiming for her throat, slamming her to the ground. My wolf wanted blood, and hers seemed the only appropriate retribution. "Luna Yvette, you said? That's a good story, but in what chapter do you shut the hell up?" I hissed.

This woman bore little resemblance to the graceful Luna Yvette I remembered from years ago. I scoffed, tightening my grip around her throat as she struggled for breath.

"Get off me, you bitch! It hurts! Let go!" she screamed, her voice grating on my nerves.

I wanted to succumb to my rage, to let my wolf have its vengeance, but I knew the consequences. Killing her would condemn me to pack jail, and I couldn't risk losing Kayden's affection by committing such an act in front of him. I held back, allowing her to fall unconscious but still alive.

Zadie urged me to end her, but I resisted. Slowly, I got up, my body aching from the struggle. Blood trickled down the side of my head, a reminder of the brutality we had just faced. I knew time was crucial, the scent of our blood could alert the pack.

I winced, feeling the pain shooting through my arms. The injuries were throbbing, and the gash on my head was bleeding. The scent of copper filled the air, a stark reminder that time was of the essence; our mingled blood could alert the entire pack house.

Shifting my attention back to Kayden, huddled in fear in the corner, I cautiously approached, avoiding the debris strewn across the floor. His body bore recent cuts and bruises, evidence of the brutal encounter.

"Hesitantly, I reached over and tried to touch Kayden. He only started to shake harder, slapping my hand away in fear. The contact echoed in the room and Zadie howled in pain, wanting to help him. I only felt hurt for an instant, but I knew it wasn't his fault. He's scared.

"Kayden... I promise I won't hurt you. I'm only here to help. Let me help, please," I pleaded, tears welling up once more. His rejection hurt, but I understood the trauma he was facing.

Despite his apprehension, he tentatively reached out his hand, and I pulled him into a comforting embrace. He initially tensed, but as he felt the reassuring connection, he let out broken sobs, finally allowing his vulnerability to surface.

I held him close, offering the comfort he needed. It was a relief to be there for him in this moment of pain and fear. As he slowly calmed down, he leaned back, his eyes meeting mine. He was still breathtaking even after the emotional release.

I blushed at the closeness, realizing I was sitting on his lap. Feeling self-conscious, I quickly wiped away a stray tear from his face, sparks flying between us. The tension of the moment was broken by Blaze's arrival.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell happened here?" Blaze's voice disrupted our peaceful interlude.

Assuming his new position as Beta, Blaze looked down at the unconscious Yvette. "You could have just taken out the trash fully. I would have done it myself if I had known she had gotten out," he muttered, dissatisfied.

I rolled my eyes at his remark. "Is that all you have to say? Get the pack doctor."

"He's already on the way. More importantly, Alpha, are you alright?" Blaze asked, concern in his voice.

Kayden, who had transformed from my 'chair' to a shy figure, nodded. I tried to divert my thoughts, realizing that the earlier awkward position on his lap had changed. Zadie's playful comment made me blush even more. The chaos seemed to settle, but our journey to recovery was just beginning.

Clearing my throat, I sat up, realizing Kayden seemed disappointed. I was puzzled; he had been shy just moments ago. What had changed? Shrugging off my confusion, I turned my attention to Blaze, who was waiting for an explanation.

"So, care to tell me what just happened?" he inquired, standing in front of us.

Frustration and sadness welled up within me as I recounted, "His mother happened. I put her fucking ass in place. That's what she gets for laying her hands on my mate," I gestured towards Yvette's unconscious body on the ground.

Blaze appeared lost in thought before turning to Kayden. "Shouldn't you tell her, Kayden? Your mother escaped because the guard wasn't doing his job properly. Fucker took some alcohol she offered and passed the hell out. I don't know how she bribed him, but he apparently just turned 16 years old and was excited to drink with a Luna. He snuck into the cabinets full of alcohol in the pack and gave it to her. It seemed like she promised him that she would make him alpha or something if he let her have some alcohol. Since he is a new guard, he must have grown greedy. He's that rogue we took in a week ago."

I frowned, connecting the dots. "And I'm assuming, since he knows she's the Luna, he thought he had a chance of being alpha if he mated with Yvette... and since she only requested for alcohol, he made another assumption that she was stupid and easy. Seeing that he had little chance to lose and was a rogue originally, he just went along with it. I mean, getting alcohol is easy, but obtaining the title of Alpha is difficult. Probably thought this was too good to be true but did it anyway."

"Exactly. I had to interrogate the hell out of him since he was the one in charge of watching her. You see, letting him into the pack was my fault, so I'll deal with him. I thought everyone deserved a second chance like how Wendy gave me, but it wasn't meant to be with him."

To clarify, Yvette was still the Luna because the ceremony for my becoming Luna hadn't taken place yet. In our werewolf tradition, when the offspring of an alpha finds their mate, the title shifts from the old couple to the new one, placing it on their offspring and their mate. This rogue thought he could become alpha if he helped Yvette get alcohol, assuming that aligning with her would give him a better chance at the alpha position.

Drifting out of my thoughts, I refocused on Kayden, who seemed lost. He only nodded at Blaze's and my words, granting Blaze permission to elaborate further. Just then, the pack doctor rushed in, a mix of shock and concern on his face.

He tended to our injuries and advised Kayden to rest for a day for the wounds to heal. Werewolves were blessed with fast healing abilities.

After helping Kayden to bed, I returned to my bedroom with Blaze following.

"Ready to hear about Kayden?" Blaze cautiously asked, taking a seat in my room.

Anxious, I nodded, signaling him to begin.

"You might want to sit down for this, Quincy," Blaze said, settling into the chair in my room.

"I rather stand. Don't worry about me and continue," I replied, my mind focused on the gravity of the situation.

Blaze blew out a steady breath. "I'm going to try to tell you as fast as possible. Given the situation, Kayden should be the one telling you all this. However, he's mute. The day he tells you is the day he should start writing books for a living."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be frustrated with Blaze's humor at such a moment. My wolf, Zadie, expressed her own discontent, but I chose to let it pass. Blaze meant well, and he had his own unique way of coping with serious situations.

"Right, that's true. So cut to the chase," I urged, signaling for him to continue. There were more pressing matters at hand than Blaze's sense of humor.

"Around the time your parents passed away, you came back for their funeral. The pack house was burned down by rogues, and we lost many of our pack members. You grieved for months and right after the funeral, you went back to your other home in Florida since you didn't want to be reminded of the past," Blaze recounted, pausing briefly. "You wanted no contact from the pack, so we left you be. You rarely visited and only stayed on the outskirts of where the humans were. Just think, if you had actually come to the pack house, you might have found Kayden sooner."

I chuckled bitterly, reflecting on the past. "Yeah, well, life can be one hell of a ride. Even so, I met him, and now we're mates. I regret not coming here sooner, and even though I'm here, I still feel the pain of their deaths. I miss them, but I've learned to cope with my parents not being here. When I saw the pack, I felt a slight sting, but it wasn't as bad. I don't know what I was so scared of."

"Change, perhaps? We never want to step out of our comfort zone. Maybe if you had come to the pack house, it would have meant acknowledging their passing and that time has moved on with or without you. We never like to get out of our comfort zones, but once we do, we feel a little more fearless," Blaze mused, crossing his legs.

His words hit the mark, resonating deeply with my thoughts. I approved of his insight, and I was glad he was Wendy's mate. They had both gone through struggles and had come out stronger.

Bringing us back to the present, I asked, "Now, what does that have to do with Kayden?"

"Quincy, you didn't want any contact from the pack since you needed time to grieve for your parents. Because of that, Wendy stayed by your side for a long time. Although she visited me, she never went to the pack house. Honestly, she doesn't even know what happened to Kayden. It's a secret that he's mute to most of the other packs. I'm his representative and use the excuse that he's busy. We left you in the dark regarding Kayden," Blaze explained.

Taking in the information, I nodded, appreciating the straightforwardness and urgency of the situation. It was time to focus on what lay ahead and support Kayden in every possible way.