5) Don't knock for sugar

Azreal was jerked from his slumber by the small hand of his mate, “Azz- I think the hunters are back, someone is singing out front...it’s awful, tell them to shut up will ya, I just got the twins to sleep.” Azreal groaned and curled out of bed his hair a tangled mess flopping around his shoulders as he headed for the door until a wadded up bit of fabric pelted him in the back of the head, “Pants my love,” Lila cooed before she rolled over and snuggled into the warm but empty side of the bed. Azreal fumbled in the dark to put on the linen pants Lila had thrown at him and rushed toward the rowdy wolves disturbing his sleep.

Azreal burst through the large doors of the pack-house, only to be met by a familiar and terrified set of eyes.  Mj, Moxie and Jay were cackling like crows as they rounded the front of the truck when they heard their Alpha clear his throat, immediately followed by Honeysuckle’s blood-curdling scream. The trio of laughing hyenas looked up in confusion as the slight female darted past them in a flash, and Azreal roared in anger. “Catch that bitch NOW!” Ace, Moxie and Mj took off running toward the fleeing woman as Ed and Jay stared at their Alpha, confused.  Azreal never lifted his eyes off the stranger as she tried to disappear into the safety of his land, but he spoke to the remaining hunters. “You dishonor me as your Alpha for hesitating, and you disrespect me as a man for assuming I would harm any creature for an unjust cause.” Azreal never blinked, he stood as still as a marble sculpture. Jay ducked his skull with a pitiful whimper before he took off after the hunting party, only Ed remained. Azreal dropped his chin to the center of his chest and dipped one of his shoulders low as the rumble in his throat intensified. Ed dropped to his knees and let his head dip so far to one side his ear was practically touching his shoulder, “please Alpha… why do we need to scare a child, if you only allow me to explain why-”

Azreal’s menacing growl snapped into almost a shriek of anger as Calix burst from the human Alpha’s body and wrapped his horribly long, slender clawed fingers around Ed’s entire skull and pulled the almost weeping man off his feet. “It is you child who does not realize what you have delivered into our home.” As Calix leaned his enormous snout down into Ed’s trembling face, when the triumphant sound of yipping and cheering followed by a muffled squeal brought the monstrous creature's attention to the returning hunters and their prize. Mj held a bound and gagged blonde draped over her shoulder as Moxie and Jay high-fived and Ace brought up the rear. Ace, Moxie and Jay immediately closed the distance between themselves and the noble beast, taking a knee.  Mj raised a curious eyebrow and abandoned her gift at Calix's feet before she bowed her head to the side and stepped back behind the other hunters. The almost fiber optic silver werewolf dropped Ed next to the bound female, and no matter how much Honey whimpered and grunted Ed stayed slumped on his knees with his eyes downcast. Calix stood to his full height and craned his neck as Lila’s slender caramel frame made its way out onto the driveway. She was holding a small folded bit of cloth in one hand and gently rocking a small fussing bundle she held against her chest with the other. 

“What has you so upset, my Alpha,” the Beta’s voice almost cooed as she slowly strode down the steps.

Calix snorted at the two trembling bodies on the floor and produced a low groaning noise as he looked toward Mj before spinning to close the distance between himself and his progeny. Lila tossed what turned out to be linen pants and as Calix melted away, Azreal’s arm burst from the falling tendrils of fur like the dark luscious branches of a walnut tree. The human Alpha pulled his trousers on and shook the remaining bits of fur from his body before wrapping his mate up in his arms. “Lila my love, did we wake you?” he cooed and the small bundle in the Beta’s arms produced a few satisfied cooing sounds as Lila tried to sooth him, “No, I felt you shift, and it’s almost as if little Jerome felt it too, he woke up immediately.” Lila craned her neck around her mate as he stole the small baby from her arms and then scowled at him. “Azreal we talked about this...you can’t just toss people around...tying them up and torturing them, what will the neighbors think?” The Beta recited like an old sitcom, and the Alpha growled playfully under his breath. “They will think twice before knocking for sugar,” he purred and handed the young child back to Lila. “We have an unexpected guest, my treasure, I'm not sure if you should or would even want to see her.” Lila cocked her head again and as Ed helped the stunned cocktail waitress into a more comfortable position, Lila was able to get a good look at her face and the new mother gasped as she clutched the small child to her chest and stepped back a few paces.

The utterly terrifying snarls that came out of Lila’s throat had every hunter on their knees, and Azreal’s eyes were wide with worry. Lila stopped, backing away from the crowd as a small caramel hand darted out of the bundle she held and grasped a lock of hair. Lila looked down at the miniature face and closed her eyes, trying to bring herself into a calm state of being. The Beta handed her child to his father and approached Ed, who was still squatting on the ground with his frame wrapped half around Honeysuckle. Lila slowly and gracefully lowered her body to the ground about three feet from the uncertain pair and as Ed chanced a glance into his Beta’s eyes, the older hunter sucked in a sharp breath as he was met with a swirl of gold and fury instead of Lila’s signature sweet doe expression. Lila’s eyes bore into Ed as she let Calix power flow through her freely, “you would protect the enemy of my legacy boy,” the face was Lila’s, but the booming voice belonged to Calix and Ed inched himself away from the frightened young woman.  “Please Alpha, my Beta, please... she is only a girl who needed our help-” Ed was not able to finish his plea as Lila rose from her seated position and roared in Ed’s face as she grabbed the now sobbing young girl by the hair and pulled her virtually all the way off the floor. The helpless young blonde began to squeak and struggle against the Beta, who was no bigger than she was but obviously and inhumanly more powerful. “YOU” Lila roared as Honeysuckle struggled like live bait, “did they send you back a second time to try and take my children from me!” As Lila roared in her face she cinched her fingers around the girls' throat tighter and tighter until the pale skin she once had was now almost swollen and purple with the lack of oxygen, as Lila cocked her skull to the side she caught the slight shuffle of feet and twisted her head to the side in time to catch a glimpse of a large head of long golden blonde hair and as soon as Lila began to scent the air she dropped the fading waitress from her grasp. Stalking toward the wall, Lila stood tall and forced the power of her Alpha outward from her chest, “Briella!” the Beta roared “you and that young man of yours will come out here right now, or I will tear this entire house apart until I find and tan both your asses.” When only the echo of crickets and other small nocturnal animals followed, the Beta took another long breath before she bellowed “Right NOW!”

As if the melody of her voice were a physically compelling avalanche, Lila and Azreal’s oldest daughter Briella peered out from behind the door of a small closet. When Brie emerged, Mathew’s colossal form followed, ducking out from inside the narrow service room like a magician pulling a lion from a hat. Briella started to shuffle her feet slowly along the floor when Matty scooped her slight body from the floor and tucked her tenderly into his chest. Lila began to tap her foot against the silence of the night as the pair made their way further and further away from the safety of the pack-house and closer to the middle of the barren driveway.  The closer the two young wolves got, the more Lila was losing her resolve to stay angry with her eldest daughter, especially considering the intense feelings of pride she could feel emanating from both Calix and Azreal. Matty stopped in front of his Beta, and on shaking knees he lowered himself to one knee, perching Briella on his bent leg like a chair.  “What is it you are doing lurking inside utility closets at... I don’t even know what time of night,” the irate mother hissed and Briella simply crossed her arms, “I was going for a midnight walk when I heard a commotion, so we decided to check it out... why were you choking that girl, anyway.” Lila’s mouth fell open as the hunters, still knelt in submission, snickered and chuckled into the dirt.  Azreal cleared his throat, and the cackling stopped. The calm, collected Alpha approached his seething mate and tucked the small bundle in her arms against his own chest briefly before he cupped his mate’s face, bringing her undivided attention to him. “My greatest love, we have learned time and time again the pain secrets can cause... maybe it is time our sweet B learn of her life before it began.”  Lila glanced over her shoulder at the young woman still gasping for air, then back to her daughter who still sat perched on the larger young man’s lap. “My Alpha, I will take our young one back to bed now-” The Beta paused to glance in her daughters' direction, catching the eye of the young man whispering in her ear she spoke with a pointed look “you will make sure the eldest makes it back to her bed as well... alone.” Lila let the last word hang in the open as her daughter giggled on the knee of the very nervous looking young man. Lila turned one last time to look at the terrified woman on the floor and noticed that not only did she stink of fear she also seemed to have soiled herself. The Beta knitted her eyebrows together and glanced at her oldest hunter with inquiry.  “Ed...you will see me tomorrow for a private debrief are we clear,” although Lila kept her voice soft the hunter still cowered at the mention of his name before nodding into the dirt, “yes my Beta...of course.” And with Ed’s confirmation, Lila kissed Azreal one more time before disappearing back into the pack-house with her now sleeping babe.

Azreal twisted his skull in Honeysuckle’s direction and sucked his  tongue through his teeth in a show of aggravated contemplation, “come here...now,” the Alpha growled and did not specify to whom he spoke, but Honey scrambled to his side as best she could and her body slumped over, half in exhaustion half in fear. “Brie... come meet one of the women responsible for your sight.”  Azreal’s words cut through the air, and every ear they fell on was followed by an immediate gasp. Ed’s head snapped in Honey’s direction and with blinding speed, the old hunter grabbed the server by her arm binding and yanked the prisoner to her feet.//