The eerie calm of the aftermath coupled with the warmth of the morning sun as it poured over the battle tested crew was almost calming if it hadn't been for the piles of bodies that were being collected. Mj looked around to begin surveying the damage when she heard another fleet of automobiles began arriving. Azreal approached Mj, and she kept her eyes cast as high as they could reach as she was unsure whether or not the Alpha was wearing any pants. “That should be mostly medical, come on,” he urged and as she marched back up the hill, the sight of dead or dying walkers around her tugged at some baser instinct within her she couldn't quite put her finger on yet. Mj watched more wolves shift back to their human forms as a very naked Moxie hoisted Lila above the crowd. “if you desire clothes and have none, please follow me,” she announced and Moxie walked them toward the approaching vehicles. Mj followed Azreal to the bottom of the steps, and as she tried to gather a single thought

Dante kept watch over Mj as she slept, partly because he wanted to make sure she did not need anything after their first night together and partly because he was afraid if he took his eyes off her for too long, she would disappear and this would all turn out to be a dream. To absolutely no surprise of anyone, Mj slept through the rest of the day, but when she dozed the entirety of the next day, Jay knocked on the door in concern. Dante opened the door and only let Jay look in to see that she was resting. Azreal also helped assure everyone that she may need extra rest to heal herself and the wolf after being apart for so long. The new Bijou pack kitchen staff kept a steady rotation in the gallery for when their Alpha eventually woke, and after almost two entire days, she finally made her debut. Dante accepted two glass flasks full of water and an assortment of pastry and fruit dishes from Jay, just like he had done for the last two days, but this time as he closed the door and set th

Mj turned to Dante as Jay shifted and ran alongside his mates' vehicle until it was out of sight, “why won’t Azreal let Moxie stay?” she asked through the link in their mind and almost giggled as Dante’s eyes widened like an excited child as he realized their bond was stronger than ever. Trying to distract her from the inquiry the once emaciated looking man lifted his mate into the air, wrapping his arms around her lower back, and squeezed her body against his, “I fucking love you,” he growled and Mj let a loving laugh softly drift past her lips like a whisper as her hair fell forward the farther she leaned down. The Alpha did not stop until her lips touched Dante’s, but she only allowed a chaste moment of contact before she pulled back only far enough to look into his eyes, “I love fucking you,” she purred with a coy grin and Dante responded with a sound that was something between a growl and a groan before the sound of approaching feet disrupted their moment. Dante began to growl

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

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