His Redemption (Complete His Series)

Azalea

I hung up the phone with Liam.; thank Goddess he was alright. I grabbed a long sweater and made my way to the Inn. I put my new phone in my pocket just in case he called again. I wasn’t sure I wanted to ask him what he was doing. I didn’t want to be involved in pack matters. I may not be a rogue, but I wasn’t exactly part of the pack. Growing up, everyone made it clear that I had no place there. Thinking about this made my stomach turn.

Things were going really well with Liam, though. He was amazing, and he made me feel safe. I did not know I could feel this way, especially with him. He was so patient and thoughtful. But this would not last forever. He would eventually want me to come to the pack with him. I just didn’t know if I could do that. I don’t know that I could voluntarily go back to that place where I wasn’t wanted.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I started freshening up the rooms for our late arriving guests. I no longer wanted to imagine my solitary, single existence. I wanted to think about being with Liam, about being happy with Liam. I didn’t know if I could be a Luna. I couldn’t even shift; how was I supposed to take care of a whole pack? They would never accept or respect a Luna with traitor b***d and no wolf.

I dashed the tears from my eyes as I finished preparing the rooms. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I needed to get myself downstairs; the guests would be arriving soon.

I waited at the desk for the guests to arrive. I busied myself with looking over the check-ins and outs for tomorrow as well as the work order for the plumber coming in. The door opened, and I looked up to welcome the guests.

All the b***d drained from my face when I saw who entered the Inn. Gwen was walking towards me with another guy. She had a prissy look on her face meaning that she clearly did not want to be here. Why was she here? Was she going to recognize me?

I immediately dropped my gaze down to the papers in front of me. “Welcome,” I said quietly.

“We called a bit ago. Checking in for two nights?” the guy said politely.

“Yes, your rooms are all ready to go for you. I just need a credit card,” I said, still quiet and avoiding their looks. The guy handed me a credit card, and I proceeded to run it. I peeked up for a moment to look at Gwen. She had a questioning look on her face as her eyes bore into me. Please, Goddess, do not figure out who I am. I do not want any trouble.

After the card cleared, I handed it back to them. “Here are your keys. You will go up the stairs, and it will be the third and fourth doors on the left. Numbers are attached to the key. I will ask that you please keep noise to a minimum. It is very late, and we have other guests this evening. Complimentary breakfast service begins at seven am,” I said, handing over their keys. “Welcome to the Blue Moon Inn, and I hope you enjoy your stay.”

I peeked up with a small smile. Even if I didn’t want her here, Gwen was still a customer, and this was my job. “Thank you, ma’am. We will be going straight to bed. Good night,” the guy said as he turned to go to his room. He paused, waiting for Gwen to move as well. She continued to stare at me.

“Gwen, let’s go,” he whispered. She finally snapped out of it and nodded to him. She began scowling again as she grabbed her bag, and they headed for the stairs.

I let out a breath. I was going to have to do everything in my power to be invisible for the next two days. Luckily, we had Lemon coming in tomorrow. She was a high schooler here who worked part-time just a couple of days a week. She could work the desk, and I could stay out of sight for a good portion of the day.

As long as Gwen didn’t figure out who I was, she had no reason to mess with me. Staying out of the way and away from her would help keep me off her mind, I hoped. She did not look all too happy to be here, so maybe she would stay in her room and not bother with the rest of the Inn.

I finished organizing the paperwork to make things easier in the morning before locking up and heading to the back. I wanted to crawl into my bed and get a little sleep before tomorrow. Part of me wished that Liam was waiting back in my apartment for me.

As I walked across the dewy grass, my phone made a little dinging sound. I stopped and pulled it from my pocket. I turned it on to see I had a text message from Liam. Why didn’t he go to sleep?

LIAM

| Couldn’t sleep until I knew you were safe in bed. Just needed to know you were okay.

Reading his text message made my heart race a little. I was falling for him so fast it was kind of scary.

ME

| You didn’t have to wait up for me. That was very sweet. I am headed to bed now.

I walked to my front door, and my phone dinged again before I could open it. A smile spread across my face. But before I could open his message, there was a rustling in the bushes about 30ft away from my cottage near the forest line. Fear swept through me, and I quickly opened my door, slid into my apartment, and closed the door behind me. I swiftly locked the deadbolt and stepped back from the door.

I needed to calm down. It was probably a little raccoon or something. Why was I so scared? I took a deep breath trying to calm my racing heart. My phone dinged again, and I opened it up to see both Liam’s messages.

LIAM

| You are always on my mind Azalea. I wouldn’t know what to do if something happened

to you.

| If you ever needed me, I will always be there. No matter the time of day or night. You

just have to ask, beautiful. I was really happy you called me last night when you needed

someone. I want to be the person you rely on.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself completely. I was just on edge after last night. Nothing ever happens around here. I read Liam’s messages again. I knew he was opening a door for me to call him and have him come over, and it was very tempting. But I knew that would be moving too fast for us.

ME

| You really know how to make a girl swoon Liam. I was happy I called you too. I am

getting into bed now and we should both get some sleep. I will be excitedly waiting for dinner tomorrow. Sweet dreams.

With that, I turned the phone off and climbed into bed. I nestled into my pillow that still had his scent clinging to it and let myself fall into a comfortable sleep.

–

The next morning, I woke in a cheerful mood. I was excited to see Liam today, and I had everything ready to bake a delicious peanut butter and fudge cake this afternoon. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to hop in the shower. After getting out, I wrapped my hair in a towel and went to my closet. I grabbed a pair of capris and a flowy top and got dressed. Afterward, I went to the bathroom and pulled my hair into a Dutch braid with a ribbon securing it at the end.

Before leaving my apartment, I grabbed my phone and turned it on. To my pleasant surprise, I had a text message from Liam.

LIAM

| Good morning, beautiful. I should be at the Inn by 4:30 this afternoon. Can’t wait to see

you.

This just added to my excitement and good mood. I grabbed my MP3 player and headphones and headed up to the Inn. When I got into the kitchen, Amy was bustling around getting the breakfast menu into serving trays.

“Good morning,” I chirped, making my way to the coffee machine.

“Yea, it will be if you help me get these trays out to the dining room,” she said.

“Uh yea, that is a no-go. As soon as Lemon gets here, I need to start cleaning rooms,” I said. I did not want to explain the whole Gwen situation to Amy. I walked over to the fridge and pulled out a small yogurt. I opened it, tossed a few blueberries on top then left the kitchen with my coffee.

“Why do you hate me?” Amy called after me. I giggled as I made my way to the front desk. I sat down on the little stool to eat my yogurt. It was almost 7 am so Lemon should be getting here anytime.

After I finished my breakfast, I made a To-Do List for Lemon and myself while sipping my coffee. Just as I was finishing up, the front door opened, and I looked up to see Lemon rushing in, her silky black hair flying everywhere.

“Sorry, Lea!” she said, rushing behind the desk.

“No worries. I’ve just been having some coffee and getting us organized today. Do you think you can handle a clean through of the lobby and sitting areas while I tackle the rooms and laundry? We have a plumber coming later as well, but he won’t need anything from us other than the room key.”

“Yea, totally. How many check-ins do we have today?” she asked, taking her coat off.

“We have four check-outs and three check-ins. Two or three of these should be leaving right after breakfast, so be ready,” I told her.

“Easy day,” she said with a smile. “Hey, do you think I can grab some breakfast before you leave me? I was out late last night with my girlfriends and slept too long this morning,” she asked.

“Sure. How about I go ask Amy to bring you a plate out? I need more coffee anyway,” I suggested.

“You are so awesome, Lea. Thanks!” she said cheerily. I grabbed her jacket to throw in the office and made my way to the kitchen.

“Hey Amy, do me a favor and make Lemon a plate of food. She was partying again last night and didn’t have breakfast on her way here,” I said as I entered the kitchen. I immediately stopped seeing a raging Amy aggressively cooking something at the stove. “Woah, what’s going on?” I asked her.

“Some skank is complaining about the food. The nerve, really. It’s a complimentary breakfast buffet. Not a damn five-star restaurant! Arghhhh,” she fumed.

“Just breathe. I am sure she didn’t sleep well and woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It probably has nothing to do with your cooking,” I tried to assure her. She could get very emotional when people complained about her cooking.

“Yes, I will bring sweet, irresponsible Lemon a plate to the front desk when I am done remaking an entire meal for one lousy whiner!” she thundered. I knew that was my cue to let her be. Sometimes, she just needed to work it out and could not be talked down.

I put my coffee cup in the sink, deciding it wasn’t too necessary, and left the kitchen to go to the laundry room. I couldn’t start cleaning rooms until guests checked out anyway. I turned on my MP3 player and busied myself with washing and folding linens. I was determined that today would be a good day ending with a fantastic dinner with Liam, even if Gwen were here at the Inn.