Azreal drove his way down the hall, walking as far away from the budding new romance between one of his doctors and the LaFlare Alpha that had so lovingly adopted the nickname swamp thing as he could. He shook his head with the irony of their situation before his acute hearing picked up the distinct sound of one of his youngest children squeaking at the top of his tiny lungs and like a freight train the Alpha went whizzing through the maze of people and walls, cursing himself for insisting on having such an elaborately constructed domicile and heard Calix chuff in amusement as the Original pumped power through the human man’s body getting him to his destination as fast as possible. When Azreal flung open the door to his suite, another screech had his heart pounding and it almost ceased when his eyes fell upon Sam and Ace, each one of the ruthless hunters was holding a tiny twin above their heads as they each produced airplane noises. Ace stopped immediately with the wide-eyed expressio
It was the morning of the full moon fire ceremony and Mj felt miserable, she hadn’t slept very well even though she went straight to bed after her strange run in with the old assassin. Mj was absolutely certain she had not meant to kiss him but when their eyes connected and the concern she found behind his gaze melted her heart, she couldn’t help herself. He looked almost vulnerable in his lust filled haze, and it tickled at some memory she was keeping locked away. Her head still had a very dull ache and she was pretty sure she had dreamt of talking to a wolf last night, but every time she tried to concentrate on recalling it the same detail would change. One moment she was remembering a regal obsidian black wolf with thick fur and a booming voice, the next she was seeing a maroon red wolf who looked thin and weak. She had spent a fair amount of her time pacing in Sam’s room trying to figure it out, but a rapid knocking at the door pulled her from her thoughts. “Beta says you better n
Mj stood outside Briella’s room tugging on the jacket of her suit and Tanner chuckled under his breath, “you look like a nervous kid waiting for his prom date,” the hunter joked and Mj flipped him the finger as the door creaked open to reveal the Alpha’s oldest daughter in her triumphant dress of fabulous feather and color. Followed by Lila, who wore a simple but elegant white dress with a small gold lace shawl draped over her shoulders and down past her feet. Mj’s eyes widened as the graceful woman stepped out into the light and the twists of gold jewelry weaving through the long elegant braid hanging off one shoulder reflected onto the wall of the dark hallway and the assassin smiled, “you light every room you walk into Lila,” Mj’s voice was earnest and full of wonder and as Lila smiled, opening her mouth to respond in kind Azreal’s booming voice silenced all others, “that’s my line assassin, but you are right this room is a blaze with color this evening,” the Alpha purred and Lila
Mj held her shoes in her hands as she ran through the pack grounds toward the buzzing music and gathering crowd. She stumbled up to the large podium where the Beta, Alpha, and their children were standing. Azreal gave Mj a quick glance, and she gave a slight nod as Lila began to fuss over her wind whipped hair, “Beta it’s in a ponytail it's fine,” she tried as Lila started to run her fingers over the assassin’s scalp and Aliza just giggled, “she shouldn't race in the halls hu mommy,” the small girl giggled and Briella joined the gleeful giggle that erupted between the crowd. Adler tugged on Azreal’s coattails, “daddy can I take off my jacket now,” he asked and Azreal shook his head, “not yet buddy, after we leave the platform and start the party you can,” he mentioned and Adler crossed his arms with a pout, “Mj got to take her shoes off,” he complained and Azreal laughed, “she was running fast to get here she will put them on,” the Alpha promised as Mj begrudgingly slipped on the ver
Azreal watched Mj reluctantly begin to dance with Mack and Marco LaFlare and Lila laughed as she twirled for the hundredth time to catch a small peek at where her children were when Mara and Tanner approached, each armed with a very sleepy child, “hey we are gonna take them back to the pack house and probably just crash at your place until you guys get back if that's alright,” Tanner yawned and Azreal laughed, “you and Mara can go back and rest but remember dear little brother, we still have a meeting that your mate is desperately needed for,” he reminded and Tanner smacked himself in the forehead before looking to Mara, “I’m sorry baby I didn’t forget on purpose,” he almost whined and Mara simply smiled up at him, “dont’ worry about it T, let’s get these little ones up to bed, and then I will tuck you in before I go,” she teased and Tanner groaned slightly as she winked at him, “tell me a bedtime story mommy,” he teased and Lila cleared her throat, “not in front of small ears,” she r
As quickly as possible, Dante made his way back up to the pack house and inside, then spun down several halls until he began to try to open a large singular door. “If you put me down, you can just open it,” Mj hummed in amusement, and as Dante looked down at her he was both pleased and disappointed to find her eyes clear of pain. He set her feet gingerly on the floor and as he opened the door and turned to her his mouth almost hit the floor. She was still dressed in her very form fitting pantsuit, but she had taken off her shoes and jacket. The top she wore consisted of a collar and no shoulders. It simply looped around her neck and then left the back completely open until it reached mid-waist and reappeared. Leaving the entirety of her back exposed, while the front appeared to look like a dark silk button up. Dante’s mouth fell open and Mj rolled her eyes as she walked past him into the darkened room. Dante flipped on the lights and Mj hummed a small laugh. “You whisked me away to a
Ace marched silently through the halls and even when Mj managed to reach him and match his stride, he remained mute. He whirled through the hallways with sharp precise movements until they reached Sam’s suite and as he ripped the door open, he turned to the assassin and finally spoke, “change, so we don't embarrass the Alpha at his own event assassin,” he said almost clinically and Mj hung her skull as she sulked into the room. She was surprised to find that Ace didn’t just slam the door, he was standing in the chamber with her. “You planning on running off with the LaFlare’s or starting a war by fucking another pack’s Beta and parading around in his shirt?” The commander asked callously and Mj opened her mouth to speak but only shook her head, “I’m not going anywhere commander, Quicksilver is my home and Dante was… a mistake,” she whispered but swallowed the sour taste the words left in her mouth as Ace simply hummed and turned to face the door. “I told you to be careful, your heat
Mj took a deep breath as they approached the main dining hall, Azreal had decided to move the meeting he was holding from his private office to the dining hall when Mara had informed him that there were quite a few rouges who wanted to attend even if they would not be permitted to speak. Ace opened the door and ushered himself along with the distracted assassin inside. Mj’s feet almost tangled with one another as the sight of rows and rows of unfamiliar eyes turned to look at them. Ace saved the day by subtly shoving Mj toward the Alpha’s podium and as they reached it Mj noticed the other hunters were standing around the bottom of the platform, so she followed Ace’s example and turned to face the onlooking crowd with her hands clasped behind her back. Mj swallowed hard as the doors flung open again and what she assumed was another Alpha entered. Her suspicions were confirmed as the Alpha was announced along with their Beta and escorted to the platform. Mj watched as Azreal welcome
In the weeks and months that followed Dante and Mj set to work building a pack their wayward people could call home. Some chose to leave, Mj agreed and almost insisted that they all stay in her building in Lowder until they figured out where they wanted to be. She assured Dante this was the best course of action as it kept them safe while they learned about the world and kept the Bijou pack safe, as the Alpha’s could easily keep an eye on anyone wishing to leave. Mj and Lila spoke on the phone almost daily, and the Quicksilver Alpha had even gotten her techno - impaired friend to do video calls, so they could truly visit with one another. In that time, the two women had exchanged troubling tales of walkers that continued to plague the outskirts of Bijou territory, while the Quicksilver pack was having its own trouble training hunters and tracking down the other Triad testing facilities. The two Alpha’s started to become somewhat legendary as they paved the way for a new way. Every wol
Mj looked at the phone in her hand and then at her mate, “I think she hung up on me,” she said and Dante laughed as he grabbed the small square device from her hand and tossed it over his head, “good, now I get you all to myself, yummy” he growled before wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into the center of her chest and inhaling. Mj cupped his face, smashing it between her breasts, “we have time for this later Alpha, we have a pack to rebuild and a family to prepare for,” she said and Dante looked up into her eyes with an excitement she had never seen as he placed the palm of his hand over her stomach, “are you,” he asked, and she let a laugh blast from her chest, “hell no, number one, it’s way too early to know… I think, and two I was actually talking about Moxie and the brood of babies he and Jay now have,” Mj finished and Dante looked at her, first, slightly disappointed and then confused, “kitten,” the Alpha cocked his head, “how the fuck,” he began and Mj laughed
Azreal led Lila by the hand toward the Alpha’s private office, and although she knew they had to make this call now, it did not stop her from dragging her feet all the way to the desk. Azreal smirked at the new furniture arrangement before pulling the large ornate armchair out from the desk, “your seat my lady,” he rumbled, and although she suddenly wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes off and let him have his way with her right there on the desk, she was now the acting Alpha and unfortunately that was a fantasy she would have to put on hold. Lila sat back in the chair while Azreal pushed her up to the desk and as she reached for the phone, Azreal put both of his hands to work on her shoulders. Lila groaned in pleasure as she lifted the phone. “What do I tell her?” she asked, and Azreal kissed the side of her head as he continued messaging her shoulders and neck. “You are the Alpha my love, what do you think you should tell her,” he answered and Lila made a small, unpleasant
The sound of hushed voices woke Azreal with a start as he realized his youngest children were no longer cradled between his arms as they had been when he fell asleep. Sitting up, he exhaled when Lila and Beth stood in the kitchen, each with one small bundle wrapped in their arms. Azreal stood up, stretching his arms, before he approached the women in the kitchen. “Alpha,” Beth said respectfully and bowed her head. Azreal glanced at Lila and smirked, “Beth… I am no longer an Alpha, just call me Azreal,” he mused and watched as the corners of her mouth twitched up just slightly as Briella and Matty made their way back into the suite, followed by Aliza and Adler.“Momma can we take the babies outside to play,” Aliza asked as she twirled around in her canary yellow dress and as Lila inhaled to answer, Azreal bent down to address his youngest daughter, “Lizzie sweetie, the boys are very young and they are vulnerable, it's not safe for them to be without me or your mother,” he explained and
After making it into their suite and getting the muddy youngsters clean, Lila waited until they were occupied with other activities before she approached Azreal, “we need to talk Alpha, alone,” she said softly and Azreal looked at her with a genuine but soft concern. Azreal stood, reluctantly leaving the side of his sleeping infant boys, and approached his mate. “You seem tired my love, would you like a bath?” he asked her with a wry smile and Lila grinned at him warmly, “Azz I would love nothing more than to take a bath with you, but I think you should hear me out first, you may not want to be in the same room with me let alone a bathtub,” she warned and Azreal’s eyebrow arched so high it almost disappeared in his dark hairline, “my greatest love, my Beta, my mate, and the mother of my legacy, there is nothing on this planet or any other that would make me not want to be naked with you,” he said with a heated look and Lila sighed. “Azreal I mean it. I already spoke with the hunters a
Lila exhaled again as she dismissed the hunters and followed them out of the Alpha’s private office. Mara turned to her and offered a warm smile, “for what it’s worth, I think what you are doing is incredibly brave, for what it's worth,” she tried and Lila offered her an appreciative smile, “thank you Mara, I really needed to hear that, sometimes I just don't know what the right decision is,” Lila shook her head, fighting back the tears threatening to fall from her face, “especially right now,” she added and Mara offered the Beta a firm and warm hug, “don’t worry Lila this pack loves you almost as much as the Alpha does, they will stand behind you the way we are, because even we can see the change in him,” she finished before Tanner turned to find his mate lagging behind with their Beta. As he approached Lila tucked her head slightly and Tanner cleared his throat, “Be- uh, Lila, when things have settled here I would very much like to take a trip up to see the new Bijou Alpha and Beta
Moxie watched Azreal disappear with his children, and as hard as the faithful hunter tried, he could not keep the hateful poison from his heart. Thoughts of sadness and melancholy swirled around his mind as the swamp wolf stood by waiting for direction. “Why should Azreal be the only one to enjoy the wholeness of his family,” Moxie thought to himself and, almost as if his Beta could hear his thoughts, Lila approached him and held out her arms.Moxie looked at her suspiciously and she only smiled at him in kind, “I miss him too, but not more than you, do you need-,” she began, and before the Beta could finish, Moxie landed against her chest, his arms wrapped around her waist like a small child as his back shuddered with every silent tear he shed. Sam, Tanner, and Ace all stood by looking between one another in confusion and a growing sense of worry, “his sadness consumes him,” Briella murmured from behind them and the trio all turned to the young Alpha for direction, but she only tur
Azreal tried to settle into the uncomfortable silence that had engulfed their ride home since Lila watched Jay chase the S.U.V. Moxie was in, howling a forlorn tale as the shifted hunter galloped furiously alongside his departing mate. The sound of Jay’s whaling howl finally faded into silence and as Azreal looked to his mate, she tightly folded her arms around her chest and sat with her back as rigid and unforgiving as a steep mountain cliff, “I won’t speak to you,” she snapped and Azreal sat back into his seat slightly in shock, “why,” he asked, genuinely curious and Lila simply shook her head as tears welled in her eyes. Azreal threw his hand into the air before letting it fall onto his thigh, making a loud smacking sound, “what would you have had me do Lila,” he asked in a frustrated but soft tone and the Quicksilver Beta snapped her head in his direction with a look of malice seated deep into her eyes, “did you hear his heart break Azreal, how could you,” she hissed and Azreal l
Mj waited with her heart pounding in her chest for the crowd to make their decision, and although she could tell quite a few of them were not pleased with some of the things that were happening, they were also not leaving, so she took several deep breaths and placed herself calmly in the seat at the center of the podium. Lou and Dante followed, although Dante moved his arm to caress the side of her fingers, trying his best to show her that he was there to support her through the tough decisions they now had to make. “Bring the first one forward,” Mj spoke with a hint of the wolf beneath her voice, and Dante sat next to her with pride swelling in his chest to such a vast degree he thought he might pop. As the first Nerezza guard was shoved forward and slammed to his knees, Mj peered over the podium at him before she looked out over the crowd, “state the nature of his crimes,” she demanded with the confidence of an Alpha, and with little hesitation the other pack members began rattling