His Redemption (Complete His Series)

I set Azalea down on her feet and let her get her bearings. Once she was able to stand up on her own, she gave me a nod, telling me she was ready. I held her hand as I led the way into the room. I knew Felix would be keeping an eye on her the entire time as he brought up the rear.

Inside, Gwen was on the floor with her hands and feet bound together. I eyed Felix. “She was in the chair when I left…” he said over link. I noticed a chair knocked over next to her. Her mouth was also gagged. Declan and his mate stood in the corner. Mrs. Hale was sobbing into Declan’s chest. Damien sat behind my desk, his head in his hands.

“Felix, please put Miss Hale in the chair once more,” I said in a flat tone. Felix nodded. Gwen began to struggle even more, screaming behind her gag. “That is enough Gwen! Cooperate now!” I shouted in my alpha tone. She immediately stopped her struggle and laid still. I walked behind the desk and placed my hand on Damien’s shoulder. Felix proceeded with Gwen.

“I am sorry about all this. You do not have to be here. Go back to your party…” I said quietly.

He looked up and me and stood, shaking his head. “No, I need to be here,” he said with finality. I gave him a nod.

I turned to Declan and his mate in the corner. Declan and I locked eyes. “I am sorry it has come to this,” I said. Declan nodded at me. I knew he understood he could not protect Gwen now. I turned my attention to Gwen. Felix stood behind her. Damien and Azalea stood on either side of me.

“Gweneth Hale, you are guilty of attacking the future Luna of B***d Eclipse. You have been warned previously that you are not to harm her in any way, yet you still chose to attempt to take her life. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” I said to the entire room.

Felix undid the gag around her mouth. She spit it out before shouting, “SHE IS NOT MY LUNA. SHE DOESN’T DESERVE TO BE LUNA. I DO. I SHOULD BE YOUR MATE, NOT THIS TRASH!”

“That is not for you to decide,” I said, my anger rising.

“SHE WILL NOT TAKE MY PACK, MY MATE, AND MY FAMILY!” she screamed again.

“Gwen, stop this now!” Declan yelled at her. Mrs. Hale cried harder.

“Azalea is my fated mate. The Moon Goddess chose her to be Luna of this pack. Who are you to challenge that?” I shot at her.

“Azalea is such a nice girl, Gwen. But she is not our daughter. She couldn’t take you place,” Mrs. Hale sobbed.

“ENOUGH!” Azalea shouted, surprising us all. We all looked at her.

“So, you have something to say finally?” Gwen sneered.

“Yes, I do. I never asked for any of this! I cannot help who my parents were or what they did. I cannot help how I was treated when we were young. I cannot fight who the Moon Goddess made my mate. I never asked for anything from anyone. All I ever wanted was to be left alone from the torment of people like you!” Damien and I both flinched at that. We had been part of all the antics when we were growing up. “Just because the Moon Goddess didn’t give you the mate you wanted, does not mean you get to hurt me. I did not ask to be Luna! But I will do a hell of a better job than you ever could. You don’t deserve parents and a brother who care about you so much as to protect you after everything you have done!” she finished.

Gwen’s mouth dropped open slightly. I guess she was not expecting that. I squeezed Azalea’s hand. I was so proud of her for standing up for herself.

“I think my Luna should be the one to decide your punishment as you attacked her,” I said calmly. I looked down at Azalea. She peeked up at me, doubt crossing her face for a moment. I nodded at her. “I trust you to do what you see fit,” I linked her.

She turned her head to Gwen then to Declan and Damien. “Mr. and Mrs. Hale, Beta Damien, I am sorry that we are here under such unfortunate circumstances,” she said quietly. “I am sorry, but Gwen poses a danger to not only myself but Liam and the pack as well. It is not safe for us to release her of her own accord. I do not feel that we should allow her to be sent with your relatives once again either. Her time away clearly did nothing to change her mindset.”

She paused, looking at me. “Gwen, you will be held in the pack jail under strict observation indefinitely. You will be given access to counseling if you wish to cooperate. Maybe one day, you can reform yourself and assimilate back into the pack. You will not be granted visitation until I deem it beneficial to you.” Her eyes locked on Gwen who was oddly silent.

I smiled at my mate. She really did have an overwhelming capacity for forgiveness and mercy. I looked at Gwen. “In my opinion, that is far more than you deserve. What Azalea has said will be done. Felix, can you and Austin handle Miss Hale?”

Felix nodded. Austin entered the room to help him. Mrs. Hale sobbed harder and Declan held her close. Damien watched his sister being taken from the room. Once she was gone, he turned to us.

“Thank you, Azalea. Thank you for letting her live…” he said quietly. She gave him a sad smile.

“I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused…” she said.

He shook his head. “No. Gwen was wrong. Even if her mate rejected her, she had no right to hurt you for being Liam’s mate. And we never had any right to torment you as kids. I am sorry,” he said.

She stepped in front of me and wrapped her arms around him. He was surprised for a moment but hugged her back. “It’s okay. I hope she chooses to help herself,” she whispered.

She broke away before my jealousy could stir too much, coming back to my side. Declan and Mrs. Hale approached us from the other side of the desk.

“Azalea, thank you so much for showing Gwen mercy. I am so sorry that she tried to hurt you. We never thought…” she broke down in sobs once again.

I looked at Declan. “Thank you, Alpha, Luna,” he said in a strangled voice. He turned, pulling his mate with him and left my office. Lily peaked her head in as they exited.

I turned to Damien saying, “Take all the time you need. We will take care of the party.” He nodded at me. I grabbed Azalea’s hand and pulled her from the room. Lily went in and we left them alone. I stopped halfway down the hallway.

“You were amazing…” I said quietly, looking into her soft green eyes.

She wrapped her arms around me and buried her head into my chest. “It didn’t feel amazing…” she said. I held her, stroking her soft, ginger curls.

“It never does…” I told her. When she finally looked back up at me, I could see something was bothering her. “What is it?”

“What happened with the Delta from White Moon? Please tell me,” she begged.

I sighed. “He is currently locked up in the cells. Damien and I have been arguing about what to do. My Beta is taking what I would assume to be your side. He wants us to go on a rescue mission and bring back any wolves willing to cooperate and only punish Eirlys and the ones who are threatening you…”

“What do you think should be done?”

“I think we should execute the Delta and send warriors to decimate what is left,” I said. She flinched. I knew she would not like my answer. I wanted to keep her out of it. I cupped her face. “They tried to take what is mine. They hurt you. And they hurt Lily. They need to know I will not stand for it. The world needs to know that I will not allow anyone to hurt you or threaten my pack,” I told her.

She was silent for a moment. “Okay,” she said. “I trust you and Damien will find the best solution.”

“We should go back. People will be leaving soon,” I said. I looked at her, now noticing her dress was ripped. I pulled my jacket off and put it around her shoulders. She gave me a tight smile. We walked hand in hand back to the party.

Azalea

Damien and Lily joined us to wish everyone farewell. They were not doing a sendoff as they would be waiting a couple days before departing for their honeymoon. Katy, Betty, and Lily’s parents took over for Lily and I when it came to cleaning up.

When we got upstairs, Liam helped me out of my dress. I slipped into one of his shirts, fixed my hair up into a bun, and crawled into bed with him. I rested my head on his chest, trying to process everything that had happened today. Liam’s hand slipped under my shirt and stroked my skin.

“Little Luna?” he said softly.

“Mmm,” I replied.

“When do you want to get married?”

I smiled. Somehow his perfect proposal had slipped my mind. I looked down at my hand and the beautiful ring on it. He reached up and took my hand, interlacing our fingers. He pulled my hand to his face, placing a sweet k**s on my finger.

“So, when?” he prompted.

“I don’t know. Shouldn’t we tell your parents first? Now that they are trying more…” I said.

His arm wrapped around me tighter. “You are always so considerate,” he said softly.

I picked my head and looked into his eyes. “You are their only child. I am sure they want to be there and be involved. And I am sure there are some traditions as Alpha and Luna that your mom would be able to tell me more about…”

His eyes shot up in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting that…” I c****d my head in confusion. “You being so willing to talk to my parents. I was ready to defend you not wanting to invite them, in all honesty,” he said.

I shrugged. “It seems like they are trying. I am not saying that I am going to let your mom pick my wedding dress out, but we can be civil right?”

He leaned forward and pecked my lips. “They can be included as much as you want. As long as I get to marry my Little Luna, I don’t care at all.”

I gave him a smile. “I know they were wrong, and they do too. But we can all try and move forward right?”

–

The next morning, I woke up alone in our bed. The pillow next to me was cold, telling me Liam had been gone for a while. Usually, he waited for me to get up with him before he left me. I hope nothing has happened. I crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and let down my hair. It still held a lot of curl from yesterday, so I pulled it up into a high ponytail.

When I left the bathroom, I was greeted with the mouthwatering sight of my shirtless mate holding a breakfast tray.

“There you are,” he said in a husky voice.

“What do you have there?” I asked excitedly.

“Breakfast for my fiancé,” he said. He set the tray down on the bed. I could not help but rake my eyes up and down him. “Although, we could skip breakfast and go straight for the desert,” he said looking back at me. I blushed.

He came over to me and grabbed my h**s, pulling me flush to him. I giggled. He leaned down and gave me a heated k**s. When we broke apart, I was much warmer than before. “As much as I want to have you for breakfast,” he said with a g***n. “You should eat, Little Luna. I am worried about you after healing yourself last night.”

“Okay,” I said. I did not mind letting him take care of me. It was sweet of him to always try so hard. We went over to the bed. On the tray, there was French toast dusted in powdered sugar, fresh strawberries and a few slices of bacon on both plates. “This looks great,” I said smiling at him.

“I am glad. I burnt about 6 pieces of French toast before I got it right,” he said with a laugh. I giggled at him.

After breakfast, we both got ready for the day. “So, what are you and Damien doing today?” I asked.

“We are going to make a decision about White Moon before he leaves for his vacation,” he said. I knew he was worried I would want to discuss it more.

“Oh,” I said. I still was not sure how to feel about White Moon.

“Also, my parents asked to have dinner with us. I told them it was up to you,” he said nervously.

“Oh, really? Um, okay.”

“Are you sure? I can tell them no.”

“No, really. It will be fine,” I said, giving him a smile.

“I love you so much,” he said, coming to k**s me.

“I love you too,” I said.

I spent the day with Lily. We packed up wedding decorations and her dress. We snacked on extra wedding cake and I helped her pack for the honeymoon. We did not talk about Gwen and what had happened. I was supposed to have lunch with Mrs. Hale and some other women in the pack, but she had called telling me she wasn’t feeling up to it and wanted to reschedule.

Before dinner, Damien and Liam came to collect us. I could tell they were both tense. “You ready, baby?” he said coming up behind me.

“Yea, let’s go,” I said. We were meeting his parents at a restaurant. I think Liam wanted to have this dinner in a public setting, so his parents were pressured into civil behavior. We headed out to his SUV. I wrapped my coat around me, trying to block out the cold. Liam instantly put his arm around me making me warmer. Once we were in the car, he turned the heat up and headed out of the driveway. He was quiet the entire time we drove.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I linked.

He turned his head to look at me. He let out a sigh. “Later,” he replied.

I nodded my head at him. I put my hand on his arm and we drove in silence. Before long, we were pulling into the parking lot. Liam parked the car and climbed out. I waited for him to come around the car. He opened the door and stood there. I gave him a curious look.

“I am sorry, sweetheart. I just had a stressful day,” he said brushing a strand of hair away from my face.

“Are you sure you want to have dinner with your parents? I am sure they would understand,” I asked.

“No, we’re here. We should do this.”

“Okay,” I said with a smile. “Can you do something first?” He gave me an adorably puzzled look. “Give me a k**s.”

His face broke out into a smile. “I think that can be arranged,” he said before his lips were on mine. I held his face in my hands. I could feel his frustrations in his k**s, but I could also feel him relax from the contact. When we broke apart, his face looked a little more relaxed and normal. “Let’s get inside,” he said. He helped me out of the car, and we walked hand-in-hand inside.

When we were taken to our table, Liam’s parents were already seated. Liam’s father gave us a curt nod and his mother a bright smile while Liam pulled my chair out for me to sit down.

“You are such a good boy,” Luna Lyssa said.

“It is simple manners, mother,” Liam said in a bored tone as he seated himself. “So, why are we here?”

“No reason to be short with your mother,” Alpha Robert said. The waiter came by then to take our orders. Thankfully, Liam ordered for both of us. This was already incredibly awkward.

“So, mother, father, why have you asked us here?” Liam said in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Well, first, congratulations are in order,” Luna Lyssa said, giving me a smile. I blushed. “Please dear, I would love to see the ring,” she asked me.

“Oh, um, sure. Of course,” I said. She held out her hand and I gave her mine. “It is beautiful,” she said looking at her son. I gave her a small smile and nod.

“We should talk about your mate’s Luna ceremony and your nuptials,” Alpha Robert said.

“And what exactly is there to discuss?” Liam said.

“There are expectations that must be met by any Luna of this pack. Your mother and I would like to support your mate in taking of the Luna position, but we cannot put our support behind someone who is not strong enough to lead her people,” he said in a dark tone.

“Now, Robert. We know Azalea may not be physically strong, but I told you we shouldn’t discount her…” Luna Lyssa said. I could see the worry in her face as she looked between her mate and son.

“And what exactly do you mean about not strong enough? What do you know about her?” Liam said. I could feel his anger welling up inside.

“Don’t think I am unaware of what happens around that pack house. If the girl is not with you, she has a personal guard on her. She should only need such a thing when you travel away from your pack lands,” Alpha Robert stated. I looked down to my lap, no longer able to hold their gaze. Nothing he was saying was anything but the truth.

“The way I handle Azalea’s safety is none of your concern,” Liam growled.

“Your mate’s perceived strength affects this pack,” Alpha Robert said.

“Robert…” Luna Lyssa tried to stop him.

“No, mother. This is how he actually feels. Let me see if I have all this right. Mom convinced you to make nice as soon as she realized that I was going to be with my mate, and she would miss out on any grandpups that may come along. I bet people around the pack beginning to change their opinion on her was also starting to reflect bad on you two for not being at the announcement. You begrudgingly agreed to accept Azalea to make mother happy. But you do not really feel that way. You may have some regrets but it’s clear you don’t believe she is fit to be by my side,” Liam said angrily to his father.

Alpha Robert’s face gave nothing away. Luna Lyssa looked worried. “Son, that isn’t entirely true. Your father is just concerned about the pack. Once an Alpha, always an Alpha…” she tried. I tried to make myself small as I fought back tears. I never wanted to come in between Liam and his family like this.

Liam stood up. “There is no excuse. It’s clear where he stands. If you cannot accept my mate wholly without needing to test her, then you do not need to come to the Luna ceremony or wedding.” Liam turned to me and held out his hand. “Come on, sweetheart. We are leaving.”

I grabbed his hand and stood but I did not let him lead me out. “Wait, Liam,” I said to him. He stopped, a little taken aback. “Alpha, Luna. I know that there are hard and uncomfortable feelings surrounding me and my mating with your son. I feel like the Moon Goddess gave me Liam for a reason. You raised an amazing, thoughtful, strong, and caring man. When I watch him interact with pack members, I feel nothing but pride and awe. Every day, I try to work as hard as he does to take care of B***d Eclipse. I am sorry that I am not a physically strong she-wolf. I would give anything to have access to my wolf. Liam does not make me feel like anything less. And because of that, other pack members are not either. Liam is your only pup, and I don’t want to hurt your relationship. I would really appreciate it if we could all find some middle ground. I probably won’t ever be your favorite person, but I would like it if we could get along, for Liam’s sake.”

Luna Lyssa had her hand over her mouth. Alpha Robert looked contemplative. Finally, he stood and said, “Young lady, I appreciate your candor. I am sorry for how things used to be. But you are right. We are all adults, and we can find a middle ground.” He held out his hand for a handshake. “Let me just say, you will make a great Luna if you can make Alphas compromise,” he said.

I grasped his hand and shook it. I turned to Liam who was silent. “Son, please sit. Let’s have dinner and start fresh. We would really like to get to know your mate…” Luna Lyssa said softly. I looked up at Liam.

“We can stay. You don’t have to forgive them all at once, just extend the olive branch,” I linked him. He looked down into my eyes. I could tell he was conflicted, and his pride was getting in the way. I placed my hand on his chest. “I think you will regret it if we leave. Let’s try,” I tried. Finally, he nodded.

“My Luna has spoken,” he said to his parents and we took our seats at the table.