Chapter 42: The Children’s New Home

Azura’s POV

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the stone wall until the cracks in the rock started to look like blurry lines. My jaw was locked so tight it actually hurt, and my hands were squeezed into balls in my lap.

I couldn’t stop seeing it. No matter how many times I blinked, the image stayed burned into my brain.

The lip stain.

It was red. Faint, but definitely there, right on his neck. It was a mark that shouted to the world that someone else had been close to him. Someone else had touched him while I was busy worrying about my dress and my pride.

I don’t care, I told myself, biting my lip so hard I tasted copper. I really, truly don’t care what that big brute does with his face. He can kiss the whole pack for all I care. But my heart wasn’t listening to my brain. It felt like a heavy stone was sitting in the middle of my chest, making it hard to breathe. It was a dull, hot ache that made me want to scream and hide under the blankets at the same time.

Suddenly, the heavy wooden door creaked. It didn’t open all the way, just a tiny bit. I didn’t want to look up, but I did anyway. A head popped through the gap.

It was Liona. Her eyes were wide and sparkling with that ’I need to know every single detail’ look she always gets.

"So..." she whispered, her voice cracking with excitement. "Did it happen? Did the Alpha finally lose his mind when he saw you in that red silk?"

Before I could even tell her to go away, a hand reached out from the hallway. It grabbed Liona by the ear and yanked her forward, pulling her into the room.

"Ow! Ow! ow! Okay, okay! Let go!" Liona stumbled into the room, tripping over her own feet as she rubbed her bright red ear.

Genevieve stepped in behind her. She looked as calm as a forest at dawn. She didn’t look messy or excited; she just looked like she was waiting for the rest of us to grow up.

"Can you at least enter a room like a normal wolf before you start digging for gossip?" Genevieve said, her voice smooth and dry.

Liona pouted, sticking her lower lip out like a grumpy child. "I was just asking! It was a big mission! That dress took forever to lace up!"

I almost smiled. Seeing Liona get bullied by Genevieve was usually the funniest part of my day, but today, my heart just wasn’t in it. I felt like a balloon that had lost all its air.

Genevieve closed the door softly and walked over to the wooden chair by the window. She sat down, folding her hands in her lap. Liona, of course, didn’t wait for an invite. She plopped down right next to me on the bed, leaning in so close I could smell the herbal tea on her breath.

"So?" she whispered, nudging my shoulder. "What happened? Give me the dirt. Did he gasp? Did he trip? Did he fall on his face?"

I let out a long, shaky sigh. I stared at my bare toes. "It was a disaster, Liona."

Her face fell faster than a dropped egg. "What do you mean? Was the dress too tight? Hold on! Did you trip on the rug?"

"I mean exactly what I said," I muttered, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "Silas and Axel were in the dark room. Sitting there like a couple of creeps."

The silence that followed was so quiet I could hear the wind outside. Liona blinked. Once. Twice.

"What?" she squeaked.

"They were in the Alpha’s study. When I dropped my cloak... They were the ones watching. Not just Rhydor."

Liona’s mouth stayed open. She looked like she was trying to do a very hard math problem in her head. "No."

"Yes."

"You mean... the Beta and the Gamma... saw you in... that tiny red thing?"

I winced, pulling my knees up to my chest. "I want to forget it ever happened. I want to crawl into a hole and stay there until I’m eighty years old."

Liona covered her mouth with both hands. Her shoulders started to shake. A small, wheezing sound came out of her nose.

"Don’t," I warned. "Don’t you dare laugh."

But it was too late. Liona exploded. She fell backward onto the bed, clutching her stomach and kicking her legs in the air.

"Oh my goddess!" she howled, gasping for air. "I can’t... I can’t breathe! Imagine Silas’s face! He probably turned purple! And poor Axel! He’s so shy, he probably went blind!"

"Stop," I said, but I couldn’t help a tiny huff of a laugh. "It was horrible. I almost died of shame."

She didn’t stop. She just kept rolling around, making little snorting noises. I looked over at Genevieve. The older woman wasn’t laughing, but there was a tiny crinkle in the corner of her eyes. She already knew. She didn’t need me to explain; she could read the failure all over my face.

Liona finally sat up, wiping tears from her eyes. "Okay, okay. I’m done. I promise. But Azura... that is the funniest thing that has ever happened in this house."

The laughter died down, and the heavy feeling came back to my chest. I remembered the red mark on his neck again.

"There was something else," I said quietly. My voice felt flat.

Liona stopped giggling instantly. She was always playful, but she was my best friend, and she knew when I was actually hurting. "What is it?"

I looked down at my hands. "He had a red lip mark on his neck. Like someone had been kissing him right before I walked in."

The room went cold. Liona’s smile disappeared completely. She reached over and squeezed my hand. Her hand was warm and smooth, and for a second, I felt like I might actually cry.

"Oh, Azura. I’m so sorry. That’s... that’s just low."

I shrugged, trying to look like it didn’t hurt. "It’s fine. I don’t care. He’s the Alpha, he can do whatever he wants. I was only there because of you anyway."

But it wasn’t fine. And we both knew I was lying.

I needed to change the subject before I started sobbing. I needed to focus on something that wasn’t Rhydor’s stupid face.

"Anyway," I said, sitting up straighter and wiping my eyes. "The morning wasn’t a total waste. I’m in charge now. Of both orphanages."

Liona’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What? For real? The big guy gave you the power?"

I nodded. "Silas and Axel were actually working on the laws when I... interrupted them. They’re merging the houses, and they’re putting me in charge of the kids."

Liona clapped her hands together, jumping a little on the mattress. "That’s amazing! You’re the Boss now! That’s way better than being a Luna anyway. Lunas have to go to boring meetings. Bosses get to help people!"

Genevieve finally spoke. Her voice was like warm honey. "You will do well, child. You have a heart that sees the ones who are usually hidden away."

I looked at her and felt a tiny spark of pride. "Thank you."

Liona was already bouncing. "So, what’s the plan? Are we getting them better blankets? More meat in the stew? Are we going to let them play in the garden?"

I smiled, a real one this time. "Everything. I want to move them all into one house. No more ’high-rank’ kids and ’low-rank’ kids. Just children living together. No more hierarchy."

Liona nodded so hard I thought her neck might snap. "Yes! That’s perfect. It’ll be like a giant family."

I paused, thinking about the work ahead. "I’ll talk to Silas about it. He’s easier to deal with. He actually listens without growling."

Liona frowned a bit. "Why not the Alpha? He signed the paper."

I shook my head quickly. "No. I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to look at his neck and wonder if that red stain is still there. Silas is safe. Silas is nice."

Liona jumped up and started pulling my new day clothes out of the wardrobe. "Okay! New job, new look! Let’s get you out of this mosquito net. You look like you’ve been through a war, and we have work to do!"

I stood up and walked over to the washbasin. I splashed cold water on my face, trying to wash away the sadness. As I dried my skin, I noticed something.

Genevieve hadn’t moved. She was still sitting in that chair, staring out the window. But she wasn’t looking at the trees. She was just... staring. Her eyes looked like they were seeing something miles away.

Liona noticed too. She stopped tossing clothes and leaned close to me, whispering, "She’s been doing that quiet staring thing for a while. It’s giving me the creeps. Look at her eyes."

I walked over to Genevieve and touched her arm. "Are you okay? You seem a million miles away."

She blinked, and it was like she was waking up from a dream. She turned to me and gave me a soft, sad smile. "I’m fine, child. Just thinking about how things change."

I frowned. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, but then she reached out and squeezed my hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "Just be careful, Azura."

"Careful of what?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat.

She didn’t answer. She just looked back out the window at the sky. Liona and I looked at each other, both of us feeling a sudden chill, but we didn’t say anything. Genevieve was full of secrets, and right now, I had children to move.

****

The rest of the morning moved fast. Silas was actually great. He didn’t even mention the red dress, though I saw him bite his lip to keep from smiling a few times. He helped me find a huge stone house near the edge of the woods. It was old, but it was strong and had a big garden.

​By midday, the move was happening.

​It was total chaos, but the good kind. Big, scary warriors were carrying tiny blankets and wooden horses. Some of them even had toddlers sitting on their shoulders, looking totally confused but happy. There were nine female servants from the pack house there too. They were moving quickly, carrying baskets of clean clothes and helping the smaller children. They would be staying at the orphanage to help care for the pups, while a group of warriors stayed to guard the gates.

The children were everywhere. They were running through the halls, screaming with joy, their little feet kicking up dust in the sunlight.

"Don’t run on the stairs!" I called out, laughing as a group of boys zoomed past me.

Liona was right beside me, grinning so wide her cheeks probably hurt. "Just look at them running with their tiny legs."

I nodded, feeling a lump of happiness in my throat. This was real. This wasn’t a curse or a dream. This was something I had done with my own two hands. That felt better than any title or any Alpha’s attention.

Suddenly, I saw a familiar face. Amanda was walking toward me.

​She didn’t look like the messy girl I had seen before. One of the servants must have spent time on her this morning. Her dress was clean and straight, and her hair was neatly packed and tied back away from her face. She looked beautiful and well-cared for.

​When she saw me, her eyes lit up. She ran the last few steps and wrapped her small, strong arms around my waist.

​"I missed you!" she yelled.

​I knelt down and hugged her back. She smelled like clean soap. "I missed you too, sweetie. Do you like the new house?"

​She pulled back and nodded. "It’s huge! It has a tree with a swing! Are you going to stay here with us now?"

​I smoothed her neat hair. "I can’t stay here every night, Amanda. I have to stay at the pack house. But I’ll be here every single day. I promise."

​She beamed at me. "Can we go to the stream tomorrow? To find the shiny rocks?"

​"Yes," I promised, kissing her forehead. "The stream, the garden, everywhere. Now go show the other girls where the new playroom is!"

​She ran off, looking neat and happy. I stood up, feeling my chest fill with warmth.

By the time the sun started to sink, the children were settled. The female servants were busy in the kitchen, and the house was full of the smell of warm soup and the sound of soft breathing as the younger ones fell asleep on their new beds. The warriors stood tall at the doors, watching the perimeter.

Liona and I walked to the carriage, our muscles aching but our hearts light. The ride back to the pack house was quiet and peaceful. The trees passed by like dark shadows against the orange sky.

I leaned my head against the seat, closing my eyes.

"You did a good thing today," Liona said softly.

I smiled without opening my eyes. "No. We did a good thing. I couldn’t have moved all those heavy beds without you yelling at the warriors."

Liona chuckled. "True. I do have a very scary ’boss’ voice when I want to."

Silence stretched between us, but it was a comfortable one.

"What are you thinking about?" Liona asked.

I opened my eyes and looked at the moon rising over the trees. "Tomorrow," I said. "I can’t wait to see them again. I want to take them to the stream. I just want to... be happy for a while."

Liona smiled, leaning her head on my shoulder. "They’re lucky to have you, Azura."

"No, Liona," I whispered. "They’re lucky to have us."

We both laughed a little, a tired, happy sound. As I walked back into the big, dark pack house, I didn’t feel like a prisoner. I felt like I finally had a home.